It’s no secret that Baldur’s Gate 3Teammates are a huge contributor to your success. Thanks to its fine writing, witty dialogue, and the charisma the voice actors bring to the role, Larian has managed to produce one of gaming’s most beloved casts of characters, with Astarion earning Neil Newbon a well-deserved Game Award for Best Performance in 2023. Another popular cast member is the foul-mouthed tiefling, Karlach, who many have fallen in love with thanks to his fiery personality (pun intended).
Karlach is a pillar of positivity and one of the few companions who is openly morally good. Ironically, she shares this trait with Wyll, who starts out as her enemybut the pair can grow closer if the player cultivates this relationship. Overall, Karlach is one of the most tragic characters in the cast, and that’s no easy feat considering everyone is tragic to some degree. It seems like she is doomed to die, but there are ways to save her from the burning heart.
Gale can give Karlach a happy ending in Baldur’s Gate 3
But it requires a lot of work
Karlach has an Infernal Machine in her chest that slowly burns her to death as long as she is not in Avernus, a section of Hell. Typically, players resolve this by heading Karlach back to Avernus with either Wyll, Tav, or both. She still has the Infernal Machine, but she won’t die. Another way is to turn her into a Mind Flayer before the final fight.ridding her of the engine, but also of her soul and probably her personality later on. It’s unclear whether a Mind Flayer version of Karlach is actually Karlach to begin with.
Neither solution is ideal. One involves literally going to Hell, while another requires players to transform their favorite loud tiefling into an alien squid monster. soulless. Still, there is a third solution that frees Karlach from her Infernal Machine and allows her to remain as herself, or at least a version of herself. This involves players taking control of Karlach as their avatar, romancing Gale, turning him into the God of Ambition, and then meeting him at the Wither party six months later.
Through this interaction and their relationship, Gale will state that he wants to take Karlach to the heavens with him and help her ascend to godhood. by your side. With this, Karlach will receive a divine body that no longer has an Infernal Machine in place of his heart and, through immortality, he will not have to worry about dying. She also won’t have to worry too much about Zariel on Avernus, especially since Gale claims the pair will exact terrible revenge on the devil when the time comes.
Much needs to be sacrificed to save Karlach
Not possible through Tav or Durge
To achieve this ending for Karlach, the player will need to do many specific things throughout the game. The obvious thing is to play as Karlach, which is not hinder the character’s ability to show their personality in the same way they would as a companion. So, she needs to complete the romance with Gale, convince him that he should become a god in his own right, which some would consider a bad ending for the wizard, at least from an ethical or moral point of view. His ego has certainly never been bigger.
This also requires Karlach to survive the final sequence of Baldur’s Gate 3third act and choose not to burn to ashes at the end of the pier. A relatively good ending (the destruction of the Netherbrain without asking Gale to self-destruct) is necessary for this too, since enslaving everyone and actually becoming the Absolute means that Gale won’t get the Crown of Karsus to become a god. This also means that Karlach will have to return to Avernus to live long enough to reach Wither’s party six months after the end of the game.
Since players control Karlach, this means she will return to Avernus without Wyll or anyone to accompany her. This is good news for Wyll, but it’s bad news for Karlach, as six months in Hell literally isn’t good for anyone. Yet, half a year in Avernus is well worth the sacrifice to become a god and get a normal heartbut it requires the player to overcome multiple obstacles in a single playthrough just to get Karlach into this position. Still, it’s the best ending she can get, although it’s not exclusive to her.
Karlach’s happy ending isn’t unique to her
Baldur’s Gate 3 already has so many endings
Karlach is not the only party member who can become a god. Practically Anyone can join Gale in a divine pantheon as long as they date him and encourage you to pursue divinity, including Tav and Durge. It should be noted that there are unique dialogues depending on who becomes a god, and that Gale assures Karlach that her ascension will free her from her problems with the Infernal Machine. It’s presented as a sort of happy byproduct of divinity, rather than something that Gale specifically cures.
It is also unclear how divinity affects Karlach. Maintaining his body and mind while freeing himself from the Infernal Machine is certainly a net positive, but becoming a god is seen as a negative for Gale considering how much ego he gains because of it. He becomes the God of Ambition, and it is not clear what Karlach would be the god of. She’s vengeful, and revenge is one of the first things Gale mentions, so becoming the God of Vengeance or something similar might not be the best thing for her.
Karlach is not the only party member who can become a god. Virtually anyone can join Gale in a divine pantheon, as long as they date him and encourage him to pursue divinity.
Still, keeping Karlach alive while ensuring she remains herself, since it’s unclear whether a Mind Flayer version of someone is actually them or a copy of them in a squid body, is certainly worth doing for the lovers. from the swearing tiefling, if they don’t mind winning the game again. Baldur’s Gate 3 It’s a title with so many detailsI that there are many things that only a few will see. This ending to Karlach is just one such example and shows that Larian thought of practically everything for her golden goose.