More People Have Romanced A Mind Flayer Than Karlach In Baldur's Gate 3
30.09.2023 - 15:03
/ thegamer.com
Baldur's Gate 3 is chock full of hotties to romance, whether you're into no-nonsense goths like Shadowheart, snarky vampires like Astarion, or heroic do-gooders like Wyll. But many have gravitated toward the tall, dark, and handsome glass of red wine that is Karlach, at least, going by the internet and the spike in sales for her MTG card. In reality, more people have been bumping uglies with a mind flayer.
Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3's story.
As highlighted by DaftMonk85 on the game's subreddit, 6.9 percent of people at the time of writing have romanced the Emperor (aka your mind flayer guardian), while only 2.3 percent of players have finished Karlach's romance quest.
RELATED: Help, My Baldur’s Gate 3 Playthrough Is Being Overtaken By My Other Baldur’s Gate 3 Playthrough
Fans in the comments have a few theories as to why this is. For one, Karlach takes way more dedication to romance and her quest is one of the buggier ones, so it's a trickier path to take. That's if you even get her into your party.
Some took Wyll's word at face value and attacked her on sight, especially as supposed paladins tell you there's a devil about, killing innocent people. "The only thing that stopped me from killing her was recognising her from the character creation screen," ohgood said.
There's also Karlach's lukewarm epilogue that many have found disappointing. Some players, knowing this, may simply be waiting for an update. And of course, you can save scum before you fuck the Emperor. Just bone him, roll back, and reject him. Then you can see what it's like to sleep with a mind flayer. Spoilers, there are a lot of tentacles and a lot of ass-grabbing.
"That's what I did," FrankiBoi39092 said. "I was curious about the Emperor one and reloaded my save immediately after, did not like the tentacles. I was unpleasantly surprised when I heard the chime of the achievement. I couldn't get Karlach out on a date though. I've been resting for a while and nothing. Wondering if I messed something up."
There's also the issue of Karlach being pickier. With most party members, you can sleep around until the end of Act 2 - then you have to choose. With Karlach, you have to pick her right away before the party in Act 1. You can't bone Wyll or Lae'zel or anyone else and then decide she's the one. The achievement also doesn't pop until you continue her quest into Act 3, so there's a lot of work involved and not a lot of room for experimentation. It's easier to literally open your mind and let the mind flayer in.
Next: Baldur's Gate 3's Umbral Gems Derail Everything That Makes The Game Special