While Karlach may have quickly become one of the best girls in Baldur’s Gate 3, her bitter sweet romance has caught many a player off guard. Despite being able to tune up her Infernal Engine, there isn’t a fully viable way to keep it from burning her out without her making a permanent return trip to Avernus. You might have run into this dilemma, and as the final battle approaches, you’re dying to know: Can you save Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3?
How to Save Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3
Fortunately, the answer is yes. In fact, there are three different methods you can use to save Karlach by the conclusion of Baldur’s Gate 3. It should be noted, however, that each one comes with its own narrative drawbacks that may or may not be dealbreakers based on how you’d prefer to have her story end.
The first option is to turn Karlach into a Mind Flayer when the Emperor presents the choice to your party. This alters her body in a way that removes her Infernal Engine, and allows her to remain in Faerûn even after you eliminate the final boss.
The only catch is that there’s no way to turn her back into her original form, and she’s likely to lose her sense of self the longer she’s a Mind Flayer. As a result, she only saves herself temporarily and could eventually become corrupted enough to harm both the player and her former companions; regardless of if she was romanced during your playthrough.
Another option is to have her go to Avernus with Wyll. If you complete Wyll’s Companion Quest to the point that he decides to become the Blade of Avernus, he’ll then be destined to return to Hell once the story is done. Once Karlach’s Infernal Engine begins to melt down, he’ll remind her of this fact and promise to take care of her for as long as she’s down there.
It’s a more viable solution you can use to save Karlach that allows her to retain who she is alongside a friend, but also results in one of the sadder endings for her romance storyline. The player character is left unable to see Karlach ever again unless find a way into hell, almost assuredly through some deal with a Devil.
Can You Stay With Karlach? Answered
Luckily, the final option for saving Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 does offer one of the better endings to her romance storyline.
So long as the player doesn’t complete Wyll’s companion quest and romanced Karlach, the option to go with her to Avernus becomes available. Though Karlach doesn’t want you to join her initially, she can be convinced through some pretty obvious dialogue options that it’s worth the sacrifice on your end. You can then remain together indefinitely, albeit at the cost of never being able to leave the world’s Hell without abandoning Karlach.
Most any choice is viable in its own way, so go with whichever one sounds best to you. Just be ready to accept that none of them are out and out happy endings and you’ll need to make the most of whichever one you move forward with.
And with that, you know everything we have to share regarding how to save Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3. Be sure to check out our other related articles down below if you’d like to know more about unlocking other choices and outcomes in the game.
