Baldur's Gate 3: Should You Side With The Githyanki Or Illithid In Help Your Protector
16.09.2023 - 20:35
/ screenrant.com
The quest "" presents the party with a seemingly simple choice between sides: githyanki or Illithid? Per the lore, githyanki were originally part of an artificial race, created and enslaved by Illithids. They eventually rose up against their oppressors, and have been locked in battle ever since. Their martial culture celebrates those who take as many githyanki heads as possible. The githyanki may seem like the right choice on the surface. They're a playable, humanoid race, and they fight for a noble cause. However, either decision at this critical moment can have resounding consequences that can change the ending of .
"" begins somewhere between the end of Act Two and the beginning of Act Three, just before the party enters Wyrm Rock Fortress and the titular city of Baldur's Gate. A cutscene plays during a long rest, showing Tav in a fitful sleep. The Absolute's voice calls to them, and as they grasp feebly for the Astral Prism that protects them from its influence, a portal opens. Out pop a group of githyanki, weapons drawn, and a few Intellect Devourers follow suit. The player character will have to choose a side, and who they attack here, as well as their dialogue choices afterward, drive what comes next.
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The githyanki are after Orpheus, a claimant to their throne imprisoned by Illithids. There are two ways to take their side: attacking the Illithids in the battle at camp, or through dialogue checks after the fact. Regardless of who the party decides to fight with in that initial skirmish, there's a strict three-turn limit. A parasite-infected party member, either Tav or one of the Origin characters in , must touch the portal before time expires.
Once they pass through to the Astral Plane, the player character encounters a Mind Flayer named the Emperor. The Emperor requests the player character's help to keep the githyanki at bay, but if the party attacked any Illithids during the battle with the githyanki at camp, the Emperor will be wary of them. Should they choose to back out here and take the Illithids' side instead, they'll want to choose friendlier dialogue options to stay in the Emperor's good graces.
To continue siding with the githyanki, the player character simply has to attack the Emperor after their grand reveal. They fight in pitched battle until the Emperor is near death, at which point they'll call for a ceasefire. This is effectively the game providing a final warning: if the party chooses to attack the Emperor again, they'll hurtle toward a particular ending of the game.
Lae'zel will approve of this choice, but it's all downhill from there. With the emperor dead, all the imprisoned