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Baldur’s Gate 3 players are presented with the choice between siding with the Emperor to have him as an ally and freeing Orpheus, the Githyanki liberator.
Your Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay is an amalgamation of the choices you make along the way. You will face an important dilemma in the late game that will determine the ending of your playthrough— you have to choose between siding with the Emperor and freeing the imprisoned Orpheus. The choice carries significant weight and will have lasting effects on the story in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Before we get into whether you should side with the Emperor or save Orpheus, we need to evaluate their motives and goals.
Warning: The content below contains massive spoilers, so be warned!
Who is the Emperor?
The Emperor is a mysterious character in Baldur’s Gate 3. Players are only given brief glimpses of the Emperor in the early parts of the game, where he appears as the Dream Guardian.
Later in the game, however, players finally learn the truth. The Emperor is Balduran, the founder of Baldur’s Gate, who is now a mind flayer. He pushes for players to embrace the mind flayer, despite protecting them from its influence earlier. His ever-changing stance on the matter makes him untrustworthy.
Who is Orpheus?
Orpheus, son of Vlaakith, is the ruler of the Githyanki people in Baldur’s Gate 3. As a liberator, he is fighting to overthrow Vlaakith and make things better for the Githyankis.
Much like the Emperor, Orpheus is mentioned in bits and pieces throughout the game before you finally find him shackled and imprisoned in the Astral Prism.
Who Should You Side With?
Upon discovering Orpheus imprisoned, you are presented with the choice to either free him or to side with the Emperor. The latter insists that leaving Orpheus behind bars is the only thing keeping them from turning into Illithids.
Side With the Emperor
If you choose to side with the Emperor, he absorbs all knowledge from Orpheus’s brain, forever condemning the Githyankis to rule under Vlaakith. Karlach and Lae’zel will not support the decision and will leave the party later on.
On the plus side, the Emperor will become an ally in the battle against the Netherbrain. This also spares players from becoming mind flayers.
Side With Orpheus
If you choose to side with Orpheus and free him, the Emperor will quickly switch allegiances to join the Netherbrain. The Emperor takes great offense to this decision and states all the times he stuck his neck out for you. Believing you are not with him anymore, he naturally assumes you are against him and gives up on his fight against the Netherbrain to join them. You will need to steal or take the Orphic Hammer from the House of Hope in order to liberate the Emperor.
Orpheus, on being released, raises his blade against you for what you did to his Honor Guard. The Prince does not forget how your choices empowered the Netherbrain and holds that against the party. After some bickering, he joins as an ally in the fight against the Netherbrain.
The fight is tough, and the Prince suggests that it would take an Illithid to even the odds. You can convince Orpheus to turn into a mind flayer or offer yourself up for the same to win the fight.
The Prince of the Comet will gladly agree if this means a better life for his people. If you choose the latter, a member from your party will offer to sacrifice themselves for the cause. Orpheus will help the voice of the Absolute run free for the transformation.
Claim in the name of Bhaal
Players using the Dark Urge origin character can pick a unique ending, where the Dark Urge claims the Netherbrain in the name of Bhaal. This choice is the most evil, killing the Emperor outright if he is holding the Netherstones. You can take control for yourself. The events after the Dark Urge cutscene unfold as you rule alone, and a climactic ending requires the Dark Urge origin character.
So, Who Do You Choose?
While both characters provide compelling reasons to support them, we would still recommend siding with Orpheus. The Ginthyanki Prince has always worked for his people and shows a stronger moral character. The Prince also gladly sacrifices himself and saves the player from being consumed by the mind flayers.
The Emperor, on the other hand, shows a lack of character and conviction by immediately turning on you when you side with Orpheus. Him siding with the Netherbrain shows he had very little faith in the cause to begin with. The Emperor feels more selfishly motivated, while Orpheus does everything for his people and later takes the bullet for you.
Both choices lead players into a final confrontation with the Elder Brain. After the big decision, players can either destroy the Elder Brain or take control of it themselves.
If the Emperor is your ally, you can control the Elder Brain yourself or convince him to do it for you. If you choose the latter, you share joint control with the Emperor.
With Orpheus as your ally, it gets a little trickier as the Prince wants nothing more than to destroy it. If you want control, you will have to betray the Prince of the Comet with a melee attack and seize the opportunity.
Who Should You Turn Into A Mind Flayer?
Once the dust has settled and the choices have been made, one person will have to turn into a Mind Flayer. The best candidates for this choice include Orpheus, the player character and Karlach.
Karlach steps up on her own, saying that she’s dying and would like to do a good deed and be a hero before death catches up to her. This makes her the ideal choice as it respects her wishes and allows her to leave her mark on the world for the greater good.
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