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Every Act in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a treat, however, the transition from Act 2 to Act 3 is particularly fantastic. Monumental story reveals, character progression, and killer encounters all culminate with an encounter with The Emperor – a rather dapper Mind Flayer.
Claiming to be the Guardian – the mysterious character in your dreams – he asks you to help him defeat a band of Githyanki. You have two options: attempt to slay The Emperor, or assist him in his battle. It’s a difficult decision, and in this guide, we are going to walk you through your options and their ramifications. Spoilers ahead, naturally.
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Killing The Emperor In Baldur’s Gate 3
The Emperor is a powerful foe, as is to be expected of any Mind Flayer. If you choose to combat The Emperor, you have to contend with not only the Illithid but also the Githyanki. In true Githyanki fashion, they care not for communication. This is a very difficult fight, but if you manage to kill The Emperor, things go from bad to worse.
It just so happens that The Emperor was telling the truth. They are holding your transformation at bay, and upon their death, you get a hidden ending of sorts. We won’t give you all the details, but death is not pleasant. A mighty fine reward for overcoming a very difficult combat encounter. It does count as a Game Over, so you will need to reload if you want to continue your journey.
Helping The Emperor In Baldur’s Gate 3
If you help The Emperor you will be thrust into a small combat encounter. There are four powerful Githyanki Monks who are defending a trapped Githyanki by the name of Orpheus. To end this encounter, all you have to do is kill the four guards.
We recommend using spells like Blind to reduce their damage output as they are more than capable of deleting some of your squishier characters. Overall, the fight is quite straightforward and if you’ve made it this far, you shouldn’t have too much trouble cutting them down.
This will trigger a cutscene with The Emperor revealing who he is, who he was, and why he is helping you. It is clear The Emperor is not your run-of-the-mill Mind Flayer. As thanks, he will offer to expand your Illithid powers, turning you into a Half-Illithid. This will unlock the final tier of your Illithid abilities, all of which are very powerful. You will also receive three tadpoles, allowing you to upgrade your powers immediately.
You are under no obligation to accept this gift, however, we found the benefits of becoming a Half-Illithid were well worth the cosmetic changes incurred. For more information on High-Tier Illithid Powers, check out our guide.
Long Rest Bug
Once you have concluded your conversation with The Emperor, it’s time to leave. Make sure you leave before you rest, however. If you rest whilst in the Astral Plane the portal will close. If this happens, you will be forced to reload an earlier save. Since the game doesn’t autosave after the Githyanki fight, you may have to replay that entire encounter.
Worry not though, leaving the Astral Plane will take you back to camp, allowing you to rest up.
That’s all we have for Baldur’s Gate 3 for now. Be sure to check out our other guides and lists for more Baldur’s Gate content.
