Should You Let Karlach Become a Mind Flayer in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)? Answered

To say Baldur’s Gate 3 throws you a curveball in terms of Karlach’s storyline would be an understatement. Though not ideal, it turns out she can escape her fiery fate if she opts to become a Mind Flayer in place of other potential sacrifices. Given how other decisions panned out in the game though, you’re probably wondering: Should you let Karlach become a Mind Flayer in Baldur’s Gate 3, or is it a monkey’s paw of a solution?

Baldur’s Gate 3 Karlach Mind Flayer Choice: Should She Accept the Emperor’s Offer?

To put it bluntly, you should not let Karlach become a Mind Flayer in Baldur’s Gate 3.

While it does successfully alter her body and prevent her Infernal Engine from incinerating her, the transformation also changes her irreversibly. Her personality slowly fades away, and she becomes more like a Mind Flayer even in the brief window between the transformation and the epilogue.

Given how the game ends if you transform into a Mind Flayer yourself, this isn’t a pleasant fate either. As her personality disappears, the desires and drives of her new Mind Flayer being are likely to force her toward harming you and the rest of her friends.

To top all of this off, it doesn’t even allow you to avoid killing Orpheus. Should she agree to undergo the transformation, it’s revealed that Orpheus’ brain needed to be devoured by whoever agreed to take on this new form. This leaves Karlach’s sacrifice largely pointless, and only succeeds in trading one terrible fate for another.

How to Save Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3

Given all of this, you might be scared that there isn’t a way to legitimately save Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3. Fortunately, there are some other methods you can use to keep her from burning away.

So long as you repaired her Infernal Engine twice by visiting Dammon the Tiefling Blacksmith with Infernal Iron, Karlach will be aware that she can only survive by going back to Avernus. You can convince her to do so during the epilogue, and Wyll joins her if you completed his Companion quest.

You can also go to Avernus with her if you chose to romance her throughout the game. She does this without needing to be convinced too, making it the easiest method of ensuring she survives past the story’s conclusion.

Either of these options see her live with her personality intact, and can even result in her having allies alongside her in Avernus. Go with whichever one feels right to you, and rest assured that it’s a better fate than becoming a tentacled devourer of brains.

That’s everything we have on whether or not you should let Karlach become a Mind Flayer in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more on the game, check out our related articles down below.