Endings

This page details the possible endings to Baldur's Gate 3. Ending scenes may play out in different ways depending on choices made earlier in the adventure. As some ending outcomes involve multiple characters in the same scene, this page will describe the general events of a scene, as well as specific character resolutions.
Most endings occur at the completion of the quest, , which takes place during Act Three. However, it is possible to encounter an ending prior to its completion, and even prior to Act Three, depending on the choices made during the game.
It is sometimes possible to encounter a screen as the result of a conversation option or failed condition during a combat encounter. As these do not have story resolutions, they are listed separately in Game Over screens.
== Control the brain ==
After weakening the Netherbrain, there will be the opportunity to once again use the Netherstones to give the brain a command to either destroy it or dominate it. 
=== Emperor Ruling===
If the is with the player character, they can try and Persuade it to rule with them. The Emperor will take control and then take its place at a throne atop the Brain, an enthralled party and player character cheering alongside it. Upon arriving back in the city, the Emperor and player character arrive together to a gathered crowd. The player character, no longer able to leave, can try to kill the Emperor, but by now he's too powerful and instead forces the player character to end their own life. Or the player character chooses to remain the Emperor's loyal general, and will be given command of the enthrall legions of the city to begin invading Faerûn and beyond. 
=== Ruling alone===
If the player character chooses to dominate the brain and rule alone, the final scene will show them sitting down on a throne atop the brain, with an enthralled party cheering around them.
The player character will descend to a crowd of citizens who were rounded up by Mind Flayers. If the player character indulged in the tadpole's power, they could begin the ceremorphosis process that will transform them into a mind flayer. As a mind flayer, they can feel the pull of the hivemind other illithids to enact the Grand Design. Should the player character choose to do so, or fails a Constitution Check, they will follow the Grand Design, starting with forcing the citizens of Baldur's Gate to become infected with a tadpole and become mind flayers.
==== Choices all player characters can make ====
Assuming the player character was able to entirely avoid becoming a mind flayer, or at least, able to resist the desire to enact the Grand Design, there are some options that the player character will always have, regardless if they an Origin character or not.
===== To war =====
The player character can use their power to make all the citizens become soldiers for their army. The enthralled citizens gather their weapons and begin marching to war, to conquer other worlds.
===== Ruling over blissfully ignorant slaves =====
The player character make the citizens of the city their slaves, sending their minds into a state of ecstasy, seeing only a place of a mindless bliss, while in reality, their bodies are acting through the will of the player character, rebuilding the city, including a statue of the player character.
===== Executing everyone =====
The player character can kill everyone. Using the power, they easily collar all living beings, including mind flayers, and executes them all in a swift manner. Once all are dead, the player character then lies amongst the bodies.
===== Letting chaos reign =====
The player character can use the power to bring discord to the city. Soon, many citizens get the desire to commit aggressive and mindless acts of violence against each other, creating a riot. The player character just wanders through the mayhem, delighting in their work.
==== Choices to specific Origin characters ====
Each Origin character has a specific option, flavored to them, which they can make, provided they did not choose to rule with the Emperor, or become a mind flayer.
===== Astarion - Sun King =====
 can choose to use the might of the Absolute, making himself ruler of all Baldur's Gate, believing himself to become a benevolent ruler. He first shines brightly, drawing eyes to him in awe. As he reaches out to one of the citizens, darkness soon begins to encircle the crowd, getting tighter, as creatures (possibly vampires) fill the shadows. Astarion, still shining bright, takes hold of a citizen reaching for him and the vampire feeds on him, showing Astarion, while still believing himself to become a good ruler, will continue to indulge in his vampiric hunger.
===== Gale - No more gods =====
With such power, even the Orb no longer poses a threat to as he gave its fill by taking the power of the Absolute. Gale can choose to dedicate himself to bringing down all the gods. He first opens a window to the heavens, and then enthralls the citizens to destroy all the idols and other symbols to the gods, denying the gods their followers. While it is a start, Gale plans to end the existence of all the gods in the future.
===== Lae'zel - god-regent of the githyanki =====
 can choose to usurp the throne which holds. Lae'zel calls forth her fellow githyanki, and sends the mind flayers out to war against Vlaakith. She calls forth a red dragon to ride. She and her forces fly, as she opens portals into Vlaakith's throne room, where they can easily attack without resistance. Lae'zel is then seen flying into one of those portals, ready to fight.
===== Karlach - Bring them hell =====
 can first berates the citizens for choosing to to allow Gortash to rule, to keep them safe. In rage of feeling rejected by the city of Baldur's Gate, Karlach using the Absolute's power to open portals from Avernus, allowing devils to attack the city. Before it could burn her away, Karlach reaches into her chest, and rips out her Infernal Engine. With the power of the Absolute, the act does not kill her as the engine burns away.
===== Shadowheart - Neither light nor dark with reign =====
 can choose to bring an end to the faith of both and . She plans to start her own church, and she has the members of both faiths gathered and enthralls the citizens to kill them. She plans to rid the world of their faiths, while she becomes the new leader of the new flock.
===== Wyll - the great unifier =====
 can choose to use the power of the Absolute to rule the city of Baldur's Gate. In his new kingdom, he turns all the citizens into mind flayers, and plans to do so for the rest of the world, so they can be unified as a single society, achieving some form of peace.
===Claim in the name of Bhaal===
The Dark Urge will have the opportunity to claim the Netherbrain "in the name of Bhaal". If the Emperor is wielding the Netherstones, they will kill it and take control of the brain themself. The following events play out as in Rule alone above.
Following their choice to take rule in Bhaal's name, they can choose to kill their fellow companions, as the first deaths, or give them a running start before the massacre begins. As they land, they begin the slaughter, summoning blades to penetrate citizens of Baldur's Gate and mind flayers. The bloodshed increases, as the Elder Brain enacts the Urge's will, killing more and more people. When the immediate deaths have finished, Bhaal sends the Urge a premonition, of a bloody landscape, filled with bodies of the Urge's future victims, that they will bring death to all the world.
==Destroying the brain ==
After weakening the Netherbrain, the player character can choose to use the Netherstones to command it to destroy its tadpoles and then itself. Afterwards, the crown will break and fall into the river Chionthar. The dying Netherbrain will descend and likewise fall into the river, before exploding with a wave of psionic energy.
* Narrator: *Hopes, nightmares, and the screams of legions upon legions of unborn illithids.*
* 
** Narrator: *The pain rips through you, obliterating all thought, all feeling. Your tadpole burns in your brain.*
* 
** Narrator: *The pain rips through you, obliterating all thought, all feeling. You can feel your tadpole burning, and the power it granted you starting to wane.*
* 
** Narrator: *The pain rips through you, obliterating all thought, all feeling.*
* 
** Narrator: *Silence. Free of Urge and worm, your brain is battered and bruised, but it is yours. Yours at last.*
* 
** Narrator: *Silence. The overbearing quiet of your Father's disappointment before the rush of your tragic fall.*
* 
** Narrator: *Silence. For the first time in a long time, your thoughts are entirely your own. And then - gravity.*
* 
===On the docks===
After destroying the Netherbrain, the camera will open on the docks where the party have gathered, presumably after swimming to shore following the brain crashing into the water.
Depending on who is present, the following lines may play:
*Wyll makes a short remark to indicate that his powers are now draining, if the player character managed to break his pact with Mizora.
*If the player character sided with the Emperor during the final fight, Lae'zel or Astarion can remark about this and express their thanks. The player character will also be given the option to thank the Emperor, or select from two other possible response options.
*Astarion has been observed to remark about the player character choosing an outcome where none of the party members (besides the Emperor) had to newly become a mind flayer to reach the current game state.
The ending of this sequence is marked by the player character being asked to input a conversation choice, but the exact choice that appears may vary depending on prior choices, and whatever prior lines were spoken by other characters.
====Astarion's sunlight resolution====
Depending on how was resolved, Astarion can become vulnerable to sunlight again, now that the tadpoles have been destroyed.
The timing of this sequence trigger seems to vary, but always results in Astarion running off-screen. A romanced Astarion will still later appear for his wrap-up scene.
====Gale's Crown resolution ====
There can be one last opportunity to give input here about what Gale should do. If so, these options include: giving the crown to Mystra; having Gale wear the crown himself; and abandoning the salvage effort altogether ("Lest anyone should ever again be tempted by such power").
With Gale at an approval of 100, none of these conversation options are locked behind checks, even when Gale is not romanced.
====Karlach's engine resolution====
This scene triggers only if Karlach didn't undergo Ceremorphosis, since the process rids her of her engine.
Karlach's engine will begin to finally shut down, and a decision must be made one way or another. Under the right conditions, generally available options include:
*Let Karlach die, then and there.
*Convince Karlach to return to Avernus, alone.
*Convince Karlach to return to Avernus, with Wyll and/or the player character. 
**Wyll only offers to come along if he has become the Blade of Avernus by resolving his companion quest. 
**Wyll still provides this offer if his pact with Mizora was broken.
With Karlach at an approval of 100, none of these conversation options are locked behind checks, even when Karlach is not romanced.
If the player character convinces Karlach to return to Avernus, a second scene will occur just before the End Credits roll.
====Lae'zel's Ascension resolution====
Lae'zel will say that her Ascension is at hand, and unless convinced not to, will summon a red dragon, and depart upon its back to what the narrator describes as an "uncertain fate," but in spite of this Lae'zel will appear very happy to finally get "her own" Dragon.
This option requires siding with the Emperor during the final fight, and that Lae'zel not helping in his efforts to free Prince Orpheus -- the latter condition ensures that Lae'zel is still in favour of killing Orpheus to please Queen Vlaakith.
There can be one last opportunity to convince Lae'zel to stay instead of ascending. This option can be locked behind a Persuasion Check, the DC for which has been observed to be as high as DC 30. Other (earlier) decisions that have been observed to exist could plausibly lower it, and companion approval level may also be a factor.
This sequence always begins with seeing the other Red Dragons portaling away from Faerûn, and one of several characters then asking Lae'zel what she plans to do. Characters observed to speak up for this line include Astarion, and , but may include others not listed here.
====Lae'zel's Orpheus resolution====
If was freed from the astral prison, and someone other than Orpheus underwent ceremorphosis for the final fight, then Orpheus will leave to fight against Vlaakith, asking Lae'zel to accompany him.
This option requires freeing Orpheus after attempting to control the Netherbrain for the first time, instead of allying with the Emperor.
There can be one last opportunity to convince Lae'zel to stay instead of going to fight against Vlaakith. This option can be locked behind a Persuasion check, the DC for which has been observed to be as high as DC 30. If the player character underwent ceremorphosis, then Lae'zel will refuse to stay.
====Orpheus's Mind Flayer resolution====
If Orpheus underwent ceremorphosis, his potential behaviour in all ending scenes including Lae'zel's scenes changes drastically.
Orpheus may ask Lae'zel, or the player character, or both to take up 'his' fight against Vlaakith. He then asks another character, including Lae'zel or the player character, to kill him. If no character honours Orpheus's request for death, Orpheus will, unless convinced not to, take his one life.
*Other potential outcomes from this scene may exist.
* Some conversation options require dice checks.
If Orpheus is in Displacer Beast Shape when the brain is defeated, he will not show up at all. Instead, characters will act as though the player character underwent ceremorphosis.
thekillerfroggy (2023-11-07). Displacer Beast Orpheus convinces everyone that I'm a mind flayer. Retrieved 2023-12-06. 
==== Party planning ====
* Gale may end up closing out his Crown resolution sequence by suggesting that the group have a celebration.
*Wyll has been observed to react to this suggestion and express agreement.
*After some varied number of reaction lines occur, the player character will be allowed to give input on what they think.
*After the player character gives input, other characters will chime in for various reasons expressing agreement or disagreement.
*Astarion's Sunlight resolution and Karlach's multiple resolutions may be triggered afterwards.
*This sequence may also trigger The Emperor's announcement that it will not be joining the party.
====The Emperor's departure====
If present, the Emperor may find an opportunity to disclose that it will not be joining the party. This sequence appears to potentially trigger for multiple reasons, including Gale's party suggestion. 
At least one character will react to The Emperor's announcement. Characters observed to do this include Astarion and , but may include others not yet listed here. After other characters react, the Emperor may even respond to the other character with "I will miss you too."
As The Emperor exits the scene, the narrator will speak up with a few lines.
===After the docks===
====Romantic wrap-up====
If the player character is in a relationship with another character, a conversation scene will generally trigger between the player character and their romance option. This scene still happens if the player character chose to undergo full ceremorphosis before the final fight, but the outcome of this scene does generally seem to be affected by their choice to transform.
Characters with confirmed scenes include: , , , , , , 
=====Polyamory=====
:More testing is needed to determine what conversations appear in polyamorous situations.
If the player character is in a relationship with more than one character, the following combinations have been observed to happen:
* If the player character first romances Halsin, then the Emperor, a scene with Halsin will trigger, but no scenes seem to trigger with the player character's second partner.
*If the player character first romances Karlach or Shadowheart, then Halsin, both partners will have a scene.
*If the player character romances both Astarion and Halsin both scenes will play.
====Halsin====
Halsin will tell the player character of his plans to return to Thaniel's now-curse-lifted lands, and create a home to welcome orphan children from the War of the Absolute. This requires Destroy the Elder Brain to be completed, instead of a 'Control' option., and Lift the Shadow Curse to be completed by the end of Act Two, with the Curse successfully lifted. It does not require Halsin to be in the party during the final fight. 
====Karlach goes to Avernus====
The camera will open on an unspecified portion of Avernus, and display Karlach and whoever came with her appearing out of a Portal. Karlach's engine stabilises, she whips out some cigars, and the present characters run forward into the horizon where impending battle awaits them. To trigger this scene, the player character must make specific choices during the earlier scene at the docks. Conversation options must be selected that result in Karlach returning to Avernus with Wyll (allowed under certain conditions) and / or the player-character. It is not known if completion of Karlach's engine-related quests influence the outcome of this scene.
==== Dark Urge ====
If the Dark Urge origin became Bhaal's Chosen but declined dominating the Netherbrain, and then on the docks decided to have themselves imprisoned for all time, Withers comes to visit them in prison. recognizes both that the player character failed to remove the yoke of Bhaal, and that the stories about the player character will become confused and muddled by time. However Withers states, he will record their deeds in fate. Later on in the Epilogue, the player chracter will have escaped the prison to spy on Wither's party. 
If the Dark Urge chose to stab themselves to death in order to defy Bhaal, they die on the docks, but are visitied by Withers in the afterlife. Withers comments that they were able to thwart Bhaal's plans for Faerun, and in doing so are now free from Bhaal's influence and the urge to murder. He also hints that the player character's life may be over, but their death has only begun, and that their death may still unfold in unexpected ways. The game skips the epilogue celebration entirely. 
====Character deaths====
Characters whose deaths occur due to conversation choices, or who are killed after becoming permanently hostile, are not known to trigger scenes at the end of the game.
Achievements
These achievements are possible to obtain in association with one or more of the endings on this page.
==References==