All Endings of Baldur's Gate 3 — How to Get Good, Bad, and the Secret Endings

The developers of Baldur's Gate 3 have claimed that players can expect about 17,000 different endings. Our team went through this game in as many different ways as possible to tell you how to get all the good and bad endings, as well as about the secret scenario in which Gale comes to the aid of the main character.

In the final choice, you either join the Illithids and help them conquer the world, or you destroy them, freeing the universe from tyranny and enslavement. Therefore, there are only two main endings: good and bad. These, in turn, can be divided into twelve. The remaining 16,988 endings are various relationships with factions, quest characters, and companions.

To finish the game with a good outcome, you need to destroy the Netherese Brain, as well as all Illithids and their tadpoles. This way, you will stop the invaders, and depending on the method, you will get several unique character development scenes.

When you reach the Netherese Brain, mentally command it to self-destruct. This will cause a chain reaction, resulting in the death of all Illithid tadpoles. To get this ending, make neutral or good decisions, climb as high as possible to the Netherese Brain, and kill all enemies residing in the tower.

If you don't want to make fateful decisions, you can leave this burden to the Emperor, if you take him in your squad for the final battle. You also need to reach the Netherese Brain, but an allied Illithid will force it to self-destruct. After this, the Emperor will receive the new title Liberator of the Mind Flayer-enslaved peoples.

For the last battle, take the Emperor in your team, with whom you must have a good relationship. Then, before meeting the Netherese Brain, the allied Illithid will tell you a story about a tadpole he kept for a special occasion. Accept it to transform into an Illithid but keep your consciousness. This will make it easier for you to infiltrate the Netherese Brain and gain control over it. Together with the Emperor, seize power and destroy the Illithid empire. You will win and free the world from the invaders, but you will forever remain in the body of an Illithid. After the victory, there will be another scene in which Lae'zel will refuse to be your companion and leave the squad.

This ending revolves around the character Orpheus, who is imprisoned by the Netherese Brain. Taking the Emperor in your team, refuse to take the special tadpole, after which free Orpheus. The allied Illithid won't like this, but it won't cause much trouble. At the final choice with the Netherese Brain, Orpheus will offer himself as a sacrifice. In the new dialogue, offer your help, leaving Orpheus as the ruler of his people. Then, after victory, command your new ally to kill you. Thus, you will become a true hero, and even Lae'zel will acknowledge your sacrifice.

After saving Orpheus, do not prevent him from playing the hero. Transforming into an Illithid, he will stop the invasion, but later ask to end his life. Thus, you will save the world, but will fade into the background, leaving no mark in the history of Baldur's Gate.

To unlock the bad endings, the player must betray their companions and submit to the will of the Netherese Brain. Depending on the situation, the main character may retain their appearance or become an Illithid.

Playing as an evil character, you can follow the path of the Absolute. In the final choice, agree to the proposal of the Netherese Brain, betray your team, and lead the Illithid invasion. The enslaved peoples won't thank you, but who are they to judge your imperial plans?

Take the Emperor in your squad, but the nature of your relationship with him will no longer matter. In the final choice, agree to the terms of the Netherese Brain, but pass the new duties onto your companion. Thus, you will retain your appearance but will still enslave the remaining population.

You will need the Emperor in your squad again, and you will have to accept the conditions of the Netherese Brain. This ending differs in that, after the dialogue, you kill your Illithid friend and also deal with the remaining allies. In the end — you are the only one who will decide the fates of the remaining worlds.

Following the plot quests, you will encounter the god Bhaal. For another bad ending, you will need to become a follower and spread his teachings in the world. Alternatively, you can choose the ready-made character Dark Temptation when starting a new game, who is initially connected with this ancient deity. This makes the story cohesive, and in the end, betraying everyone, you will conquer worlds in the name of the god Bhaal. For the final battle, take the Emperor in your team and accept the conditions of the Netherese Brain, then kill the allied Illithid in glory of Bhaal, to become the Absolute, but under the patronage of the ancient deity.

Becoming a follower of the ancient god, it's not necessary to follow Bhaal's teachings and conquer worlds. For the final battle, take the Emperor in your team and refuse the Netherese Brain. The allied Illithid will help free the people enslaved by the Mind Flayer, but everything comes at a price. All worlds and beings will be saved, except for your character. For breaking the oath, Bhaal will forever take control of the hero's body and will personally seek new bloody sacrifices.

An unusual ending awaits you if you decide to act unconventionally. Save Orpheus and allow him to transform into an Illithid, then attack him with your entire squad. In this case, you will fulfill the will of the Netherese Brain and can come to it in worship. You will be accepted and transformed into an Illithid, making the main character a part of the plan to conquer worlds.

If you have a good relationship with Gale, have completed his questline, and took him with you on the final expedition, then another ending awaits you. When you are at the base of the brain, Gale will say that he can destroy the Netherese Brain on his own, using the sphere in his chest. Agree to his proposal and simply watch what happens from the harbor.

If you completed the Wizard from the Deep Waters quest before Act 2, then at your first encounter with the Netherese Brain, you can blow yourself up along with Gale. The game will end, and the narrator will hint that he did not expect such an ending from you, but it will help save Baldur's Gate, although others will have to fight all the matured larvae.