Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsSpoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3’s final act and epilogue. Let Karlach become illithid if you value her surviving and helping defeat the Netherbrain more than preserving her familiar form. The epilogue shows her feeding on brains and gradually losing parts of her identity. If you want to avoid that transformation, the main alternative is for her to go to Avernus with Wyll, your character, or both; the game offers a possible engine-repair lead there, not a guaranteed cure.
What happens if Karlach turns illithid?
At the endgame decision, the party needs an illithid to use the Netherstones against the Netherbrain. Karlach can volunteer to undergo ceremorphosis in place of the player. She frames the choice as a chance to save others: “If this is the end for me, let me be the motherfucker who saved the world.” The scene gives you the choice to accept or refuse her offer.
If she transforms, she survives the immediate ending and remains in Baldur’s Gate after the Netherbrain is defeated. In the epilogue, she feeds on dying patients of a healer; they have chosen to pass with dignity rather than continue suffering. This is how she gets the brains she needs to live.
Does illithid Karlach remain Karlach?
The epilogue leaves that question unresolved. Karlach remembers parts of herself and still uses familiar expressions, but the memories she absorbs from each brain gradually erode her original identity. The game depicts a threat to her sense of self; it does not settle whether she remains the same person in a metaphysical sense or what happens to her soul. It is safest to judge the choice by what the story shows, rather than treat a broader lore interpretation as a confirmed answer.
#1 Best Overall
- Online multiplayer for up to four players - allows you to combine your forces in combat, and split your party to follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it
- Origin Character - offer a hand-crafted experience, each with their own unique traits, agenda, and outlook on the world. Their stories intersect with the entire narrative, and your choices will determine whether those stories end in redemption, salvation, domination, or many other outcomes
- Evolved turn-based combat - based on the D&D 5e ruleset. Team-based initiative, advantage & disadvantage, and roll modifiers join combat cameras, expanded environmental interactions, and a new fluidity in combat that rewards strategy and foresight
- Define the future of the Forgotten Realms - through your choices, and the roll of the dice. No matter who you play, or what you roll, the world and its inhabitants will react to your story
- Player-initiated turn-based mode - allows you to pause the world around you at any time even outside of combat. Whether you see an opportunity for a tactical advantage before combat begins, want to pull off a heist with pin-point precision, or need to escape a fiendish trap. Split your party, prepare ambushes, sneak in the darkness -- create your own luck!
How does the Avernus ending compare?
If Karlach does not become illithid, she can go to Avernus with Wyll, with your character, or with both. The epilogue gives her a lead involving blueprints for one of Zariel’s secret forges, which may offer a way to repair her engine. That is a possibility, not a confirmed fix: the game does not promise the repair will work. Larian’s official Patch 2 update added a scene concluding the ending in which Karlach decides to travel to Avernus.
If Karlach neither becomes illithid nor goes to Avernus, the epilogue says she dies. The choice is therefore not between transformation and a guaranteed recovery; it is between different uncertain or painful outcomes.
Rank #2
- Immersive RPG Experience: Dive into the highly-anticipated Baldur's Gate 3, a captivating role-playing game set in the iconic Dungeons & Dragons universe.
- Deluxe Edition: This premium edition includes the base game, exclusive stickers, and an official soundtrack to enhance your adventure.
- Epic Storytelling: Embark on an epic journey filled with complex narratives, challenging quests, and memorable characters.
- Tactical Combat: Engage in strategic, turn-based battles that require careful planning and execution of your party's abilities.
- Customizable Characters: Create and customize your own unique heroes, shaping their appearances, abilities, and personalities to fit your playstyle.
Which ending should you choose?
| Ending | What the game depicts | Central tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Karlach becomes illithid | She survives in Baldur’s Gate, helps make the fight against the Netherbrain possible, and later feeds on consenting dying patients. Her identity gradually erodes. | Survival and heroic agency, at the cost of transformation, brain-feeding, and uncertainty about identity. |
| Karlach goes to Avernus | She returns to the Hells with Wyll, your character, or both. Later, she has a lead involving forge blueprints that might help repair her engine. | Avoids ceremorphosis but means returning to Avernus; the repair is not guaranteed. |
| Neither | The epilogue says Karlach is dead. | Avoids those two fates only by accepting her death. |
Choose illithid Karlach if her survival and willingness to help save the city matter most to you, even with the cost the epilogue depicts. Choose Avernus if you would rather preserve her familiar form and accept the danger and uncertainty of returning to the Hells. Neither choice is presented as an objectively correct answer: Karlach offers the sacrifice, and you retain the agency to say no.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you change your mind after agreeing?
The scene treats the decision as consequential. A line in the dialogue warns: “Talk to them, before you commit – once you do, there will be no turning back.” Consider the alternatives before committing; the game presents the choice as a point of no return.
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Rank #4
Rank #3
- Contains Enhanced Editions of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, & Siege of Dragonspear
- Baldur's Gate - Since its original release in 1998, Baldur's Gate has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragons computer roleplaying games.
- Baldur's Gate II - Continue a journey started in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition or create an entirely new character in this isometric Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
- Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear - Adds a new chapter to the Bhaalspawn saga. The events occurring between Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II are at last revealed in this 25-hour adventure.
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