Baldur's Gate 3 is an RPG that forces you to make constantly difficult choices - choices that could easily end in you having to kill people you once considered friends, especially if an important dice roll doesn't end in your favor. But no other choice left me guessing as much as the crucial decision that emerges at the end of Chapter 2.
Naturally, we're entering Big Spoiler territory at the climax of Chapter 2 here — you've been warned. Well, with that caveat out of the way, let's dive into what I've been agonizing over all weekend, which prompted us to soul-searching and reloading an old rescue.
So! Throughout Baldur's Gate 3, the allure of the powers of reason beckons. The tadpole in your head desperately wants you to use its power to manipulate people, and as you accumulate more tadpoles, you can unlock telltale spells and tricks that make the game's tough battles a little easier.
A good boy I swore at these things at first, but eventually gave in, using the stakes of the fate of the world to justify the occasional tadpole effect embrace. I will do what I must do, said I, unless I turn into a fickle mind myself. But then I began to encourage my comrades to join me on this path, even to Layzel, in whose character lies a dislike of reason.
All along, I've been wondering about these options, but I can't deny that they've made my life easier. Through mind-controlling tricks, I would turn enemies into friends and enjoy extra bonuses from conversations, while mind-fluctuating powers turned my party into a troupe of vanquished heroes. The fights are often hard and sweaty, but my bag of tricks is overflowing. You feel good. This is how brainy people connect you.
However, the end of Chapter 2 rehashes everything. This is when you find out who the dream visitor has been helping you all this time, even though the hints were there from the start. It is a rebellious mind known as the Emperor. However, they're up against the Ultimate, as well as the rest of the game's big bad guys, so siding with them doesn't seem like the worst option. Or at least that's what I thought, until they gave me a gift.
While the Emperor is an enemy of the Absolute and has rebelled against the rest of the Mind Troubles, they still think being a Mind Trouble is cool. He has given them too much power, and they only want independence so they can use that power for their own ends. And they want to lure you down the same dark path.
See, no matter how many tadpoles you consume, there is an outer ring of powers that will always remain inaccessible, unless you fully embrace who you have become. The Emperor has a special tadpole that will unlock these powers, but the price is high. Consuming it means you are no longer just an elf, human, or half-orc - you are a "part anomaly", a mind in the making. Thanks to the Emperor and the Astral Prism, you will remain independent, not subject to complete ceremony, but you will no longer be truly yourself.
I stood there, facing the Emperor, for a good 20 minutes weighing the cost. Up until that point, getting the tadpole out of my head had been my central task, but with Baldur's Gate now facing destruction, and the sect's plans now fully exposed, I had bigger things to worry about. Wouldn't a hero be willing to risk his own life if it meant saving the world?
Certainly that outer ring of the seductive powers of the mind. Who wouldn't want to fly, summon black holes, and transform into a terrifying prank monster whenever they want? When you have an army of cultists and undead, a pair of dark gods and a big brain to deal with, gaining more power feels like a necessity.
So I tried the bullet and accepted the Emperor's gift, instantly unlocking all the less powerful powers of the mind and gaining access to all the new things. It felt good. As a treat, she instantly transformed into a joke monster. “Yeah, that was the right connection,” I thought as I began the third and final chapter.
Every time I got into a conversation and looked at my newly distressed face, though, I was less confident. “Welcome to the dark side,” dark eyes and corrupt veins cried out. It doesn't quite align with my eccentric vibe. Meanwhile, the emperor kept encouraging me to do whatever it takes to get more power. The more time I spent on partial sickness, the more I felt like I made a bad call.
The decision is much more complex than, say, embracing the dark side in Knights of the Old Republic or going the maverick path in Mass Effect. These are binary options for good or evil, and they change the flavor of the games rather than make you incredibly powerful. Here, there are tangible and practical benefits to accepting the Emperor's gift, and there are no obvious benefits to rejecting it. Except for the nagging feeling that at the end of the game you're likely to succumb to a whole party, and the fear that the Emperor will end up controlling you.
I also found myself anxious about confrontation with the absolute. My goal is still to destroy it, but the Emperor wants to control it. He wants her power. Will I be able to confront him after accepting his gift? But will I have the strength to stop him without her? With all these questions swirling around in my head, I went for a walk in the park with the dog. A much needed break.
When I got back, I had made up my mind. I reloaded an old rescue, which I conveniently did before accepting my own tadpole, and refused to accept it this time. The power is great, but it wasn't worth it to give up my pretty face or perhaps more importantly my soul. Do I miss being able to fly around the battlefield and transform into a joking monster? Yes terrible. But from a role-playing perspective, it looks just fine. But what I didn't do was step on the tadpole. I still have it, just in case I change my mind again.
And that speaks to Baldur's Gate 3's flexibility. This is a big moment that will define you for the rest of the game, and Larian doesn't force you to make a decision until you're ready. Maybe you'll decide, after 100 hours of being a hero, that it's time to become a brilliant mind. However, it's a tough choice, boy. In a game that totally explodes with them. But I really appreciated how much it made me think about my character and his motivations, and I wasn't sure what kind of person I was playing.
