Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Free Orpheus In BG3 Or Side With The Emperor?

Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of choices that can affect both players and the world around them, with changes to events and NPC interactions being quite common. One of the most important decisions that occurs late in the narrative is whether to free Orpheus or side with the mind flayer Emperor in Act 3. At this point, the fate of Faerûn is at stake, so making the right choice is paramount to seeing that BG3 ends the way someone really wants.

[Warning: This article contains story spoilers for some endings of Baldur’s Gate 3.]This encounter with Orpheus occurs in Act 3, and it’s important for Lae’zel, who will be insistent that Prince Orpheus gets rescued because of her loyalty to the githyanki royal family.

The end result of this questline, called “Free Orpheus,” can mean specific characters – or entire parties – turn into mind flayers, so adventurers should be understandably cautious before proceeding. Players will encounter Prince Orpheus late in the game after they’ve met the mind flayer Emperor in the Astral Plane.

What Happens In BG3 If Players Side With The Emperor & Don’t Free Orpheus

Any Positive Relationships With Lae’zel May Be At Risk

Although Lae’zel insists the githyanki prince should be freed, the first time the party meets him, the Emperor will warn that keeping Orpheus shackled is the only thing preventing the party from turning into mind flayers. The choice then becomes whether to free Orpheus and turn the party into illithids, or let the Emperor use Orpheus’ power, spelling certain doom for the prince.

What the Emperor says is partially true: there are variations in who will become a mind flayer, but freeing Orpheus can mean that at least one member of the party becomes a mind flayer eventually, although it doesn’t have to.

That said, freeing Orpheus as soon as you get the opportunity will mean the entire party undergoes full-blown ceremorphosis right away, which puts a premature end to the game. For those who want to avoid this kind of ending in Baldur’s Gate 3, freeing Orpheus properly will take a bit of work.

However, adventurers who want to side with the Emperor can easily do so. This also makes the Netherbrain fight easier, since the Emperor won’t join the fight on the Netherbrain’s side, so there’s an added benefit.

After the party has gathered three Netherstones from Ketheric Thorm, Lord Gortash, and Orin the Red, The Emperor will essentially harvest Orpheus, which means Lae’zel will be extremely unhappy. If her affinity is low enough to begin with, this can cause her to turn on the party completely, challenging them to a fight to the death.

But even so, that’s not the only interpersonal downside to siding with the Emperor, either. Karlach’s quest “Our Fiery Friend” is also tied to freeing Orpheus in BG3, which means players invested in the happiness of either character may wish to free the gith prince instead.

What Happens If Players Free Orpheus In BG3 (Orphic Hammer Route)

The Emperor Won’t Be Very Pleased

There are various routes for how to free Orpheus in Baldur’s Gate 3. For those who don’t want to become mind flayers, the most enticing route is likely obtaining the Orphic Hammer and using it to free the prince. In order to get the Orphic Hammer, they’ll have to track down the cambion Raphael after finding the Netherstones.

Raphael will offer to trade the Orphic Hammer for the Crown of Karsus, which would effectively allow him to control the Elder Brain.

Giving the Crown of Karsus to Raphael, however, results in arguably one of the worst endings in Baldur’s Gate 3, because he’ll use it to take over Avernus and then the rest of the Nine Hells before ultimately setting his sights on conquering other worlds.The good news is that the Orphic Hammer can also be obtained by stealing it from Raphael, but not without difficulty.

This may be the preferred route for characters with high Stealth stats. If players are caught, though, they’ll have to fight Raphael – who will almost assuredly kill them, even at higher levels.

The fight against Raphael is winnable, however, with a little foresight and preparation. Freeing Hope and attacking the columns around the arena first can make all the difference in the battle against Raphael.

No matter how it’s acquired, the Orphic Hammer can then be used to shatter the crystals binding Orpheus in Baldur’s Gate 3. The Emperor will be disgusted by this decision, obviously, and will then join the Netherbrain in combat, making that fight much more difficult.

However, at least one character will still have to become a mind flayer: it can be the player character, Karlach, or Orpheus. If Orpheus doesn’t become a mind flayer, he can also join the party as a monk who has decent melee capabilities.

What Happens If Players Free Orpheus In BG3 (Taking Orpheus’ Place)

Someone Has To Become A Mind Flayer Regardless

If adventurers can’t find the Orphic Hammer – or simply don’t want to go and get it – then they can choose someone to take Orpheus’ place.

The player character can choose to take one for the team, but Karlach will volunteer to become a mind flayer instead, since due to her malfunctioning Infernal Engine, she has limited time left to live anyway. If they don’t want to lose Karlach, the player character will have to take Orpheus’ place.

Either way, both options mean that the specific character becomes a mind flayer and unfortunately results in them eating Orpheus’ brain, a rather unpleasant outcome all around.

Despite the Emperor speculating this plan may work, at the time of this writing, it doesn’t appear there’s any way to take Prince Orpheus’ place and not eat his brain.

If Orpheus isn’t a mind flayer by the end of the game, he may also convince Lae’zel to see the failings of the githyanki queen Vlaakith, which can lead to an ending in which the two fly off into the Astral Plane to liberate their people. If the player character is also a gith and sacrificed Karlach, they can join them.

Avoiding The Mindflayer Issue In Baldur’s Gate 3

Gale Provides An Interesting Escape Hatch

There is, however, a very specific way to destroy the Netherbrain while freeing Orpheus without actually taking his place at all. As long as Gale’s in the party, the Netherese Orb is an option that’s always on the table, allowing Gale to sacrifice himself to destroy the Netherbrain at a critical moment.

The party needs to mention this possibility to the Emperor and convince him that it’s a good plan before receiving the supreme tadpole necessary to transform a character into a mindflayer.

Although it won’t convince him, the party also needs to mention this possibility to Orpheus after freeing him before agreeing to take his place and become a mind flayer. Later, Gale needs to follow through and destroy the Netherbrain at the opportune moment, sacrificing himself in the process.

Following this route saves anyone from having to transform, but it’s both a bit convoluted and an obviously unappealing choice for anyone trying to keep Gale alive. Taking this route does also mean missing the entire third act of the game, so it’s certainly not recommended for a first playthrough.

Is Freeing Orpheus In BG3 The Right Choice?

Freeing Orpheus Seems Logical, But Can Lead To Several Bad Endings In BG3

Ultimately, freeing Orpheus in Baldur’s Gate 3 may seem like the wrong choice, since it sometimes means the party becomes mind flayers and is a rather gloomy end to the adventure. It can also result in Raphael taking over Avernus and the Nine Hells – and it will certainly make the Netherbrain fight harder.

However, siding with the Emperor often means Lae’zel will turn on the party, although she can be convinced to see reason with a DC 30 Persuasion check. This means this choice in BG3 is the definition of sacrifice – there’s no real winner here and all options come with a chance of losing something in return.

Ultimately, you should just choose whomever you trust more: The Emperor or Orpheus. Both individuals give you plenty of reasons to believe them, and both come with their potential downsides, but, if you’re careful, you can avoid any kind of negative outcome.

Siding with Orpheus – so long as you do it properly and agree to let him become a mind flayer – will allow your entire party to make it to the end of the game. And siding with the Emperor will do just the same, as long as you can convince Lae’zel to stay (don’t be afraid to save scum, if you feel that strongly about it).

So really, in the end, this decision doesn’t much matter, except when it comes to which character you’d rather see through to the end: Orpheus or The Emperor. Choose whichever character you prefer, and navigate the consequences carefully, and it won’t have a negative effect on your Baldur’s Gate 3 experience.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Systems

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence