Look, we get it. This isn’t your first RPG, and the second the Guardian revealed their true form, alarm bells started to ring in your head. Heck, they might have gone off the second the Guardian contacted you and told you to shove parasitic worms into your brain. Regardless, you want to know if the Emperor is evil in Baldur’s Gate 3, and we’ve got the answers you’re looking for.
Do be warned, however, that we will be going into *Heavy Spoilers* for the main story in order to do so. Consider this your one and only warning before proceeding.
Is the Guardian Evil in Baldur’s Gate 3? Answered
As you might have guessed already, the Emperor is indeed evil in Baldur’s Gate 3.
While they were genuine about their desire to team up with you both as your Guardian and as themselves, their end goal is anything but just. Instead of destroying the Netherbrain, they want to use it to take control of all of Faerun and manipulate the world into functioning as they see fit. This becomes clear in the ending where you let them eat Orpheus’ brain and join forces with them, and you end up ruling over all of existence alongside them as a Mind Flayer yourself.
Likewise, if you choose not to side with the Emperor, they turn on you and vow to join forces with the Netherbrain. They then become a central antagonist for you to overcome, throwing out any possibility that they weren’t willing to go full villain to get what they wanted.
Was the Emperor Always Evil? Explained
And yet, it’s unclear how much of this is the Emperor’s true desire. Should you choose to become a Mind Flayer, it’s revealed that your personality slowly deteriorates as the transformation finishes. It is then replaced with that of a standard Mind Flayer, and their collective goal of dominating and devouring every other race becomes your own.
This, when paired with the parts of the Emperor’s past that you’re told about, paints the picture of a character whose mind was slowly overtaken by the Mind Flayer’s hive mind consciousness. Though they were always ambitious and self-driven, it’s unlikely they would have tried to take over the world if not for their being turned into an Illithid.
So basically, the best advice we can give you is to closely observe the Emperor’s actions and to conclude, based on that knowledge, whether you should side with him or not. After all, the choice is completely up to you.
All the same, that’s everything you need to know about whether or not the Emperor is evil in Baldur’s Gate 3. Be sure to check out our other guides and articles down below to make sure you aren’t caught off guard by any of the game’s other tricks.
