Tabletop RPGs are known to become incredibly complicated as their plots are developed over years, involving large casts of colorful characters and intricate worldbuilding. Based onDungeons and Dragonswith its familiar setting, fantasy races, and spells,Baldur’s Gate 3is no different and its massive setting and plot may be overwhelming. WhileBaldur’s Gate 3has the many interwoven plots that are typical of the genre, it does have one main thread that always remains constant: the threat of the Absolute.
This article contains spoilers forBaldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3opens with the player character and theircompanions being infected with illithid tadpoleson a mind flayer nautiloid ship, with players learning the tadpoles eventually turn their hosts into mind flayers. Upon the crash of the ship, the first priority is removing the tadpole infection, prompting the party to begin their search for a healer. Before long, the group encounters others infected with similar illithids, but these people all belong to a cult that worships a new god they call the Absolute.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Battle Between Gods
As the player progresses through theBaldur’s Gate 3story, it becomes clear that the Absolute is a massive threat. A group of goblins abandoned their god to worship Her, and they and others have been kidnapping people across the Sword Coast and taking them to Moonrise Towers to infect them with tadpoles. The infected become loyal followers of the Absolute and are able to mentally connect with each other. As the player character begins to discover this, they’re visited by a Dream Guardian, who reveals the battle against the Absolute and the danger the new god poses.
The player travels to Moonrise Towers to find a way to remove their parasite and to find out more about the Absolute and the cult,either through the Mountain Pass or the Underdark. Players are promised answers there, and answers they do find.
Act Two of Baldur’s Gate Reveals All
Infiltrating the Tower reveals the Absolute is a powerful Elder Brain: a kind of mind flayer that can mind control en masse and across great distances, explaining the existence of the True Souls and Absolute cultists. However, the Absolute isn’t the true enemy, and players learn it is being controlled by an enemy familiar to fans ofprevious games in Baldur’s Gate: the Dead Three. The Dead Three is a trio of evil gods, consisting of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder; Bane, the Lord of Darkness; and Myrkul, the Lord of Bones.
The Dead Three’s champions, Orin, Ketheric Throm, and Enver Gortashcarry out their masters' plans and control the Elder Brain through a stone that they each carry. When brought together, the stones act as a controlling device for the Elder Brain, and they are able to control their army of cultists they’ve ordered to infiltrate Baldur’s Gate and across the Sword Coast. The Third Act ofBaldur’s Gate 3consists of stopping the remaining Chosen of the Dead Three via their own stories and questlines. This stops the invasion of Baldur’s Gate and leaves the player with several choices on how to deal with the Elder Brain, the cultists, the mind flayers, and a few others who have put their hand in the cookie jar (like Raphael or the Githyanki).
Thegood ending forBaldur’s Gate 3has the player order the Netherbrain to destroy itself and its tadpoles. It crashes into the ocean and, with its death, the tadpoles infecting the player character and party die. The evil ending involves becoming the Absolute by dominating the Netherbrain and using its power to turn the party into mindless slaves, while Faerun is conquered by mind flayers. But those are just the broad strokes, with many little decisions having a lasting impact too.
Baldur’s Gate 3is available now for PC.
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