Baldur’s Gate 3 contains various endings for both the Origin characters and the actual plot of the game. Getting the ending you want can be difficult and requires you to make specific choices that you might want to know.
Many of the choices that impact your game’s ending occur near the tail end of Act Three, but character endings depend on choices you have made throughout the entire campaign. If you are trying to get your favorite ending, this is what you need to know. Be warned, there are massive spoilers ahead.
Baldur’s Gate 3 all main endings
Baldur’s Gate 3 has three endings to the main storyline: the good ending, bad ending, and the Netherese bomb ending. The good and bad endings can have slight differences depending on whether you are playing as a custom character or the Dark Urge, but these details will be ironed out below.
How to get the good ending in Baldur’s Gate 3
To get the good ending in BG3, you need to defeat the Netherbrain during the final climatic battle of Act Three and then command the brain to destroy itself. Whether you are the Mindflayer yourself, or if it is either Karlach or the Emperor, all three characters can command the Netherbrain to end itself and free the Sword Coast of the tadpoles.
As the Dark Urge there are several alternate scenes. If you disavowed Bhaal after your fight with Orin, then you are completely free of the murder god’s control. If you failed to do so, then you can elect to either take your own life or to continue living and possibly terrorizing the Sword Coast under Bhaal’s influence.
How to get the bad ending in Baldur’s Gate 3
To get the bad ending, you need to defeat the Netherbrain in the final battle of Act Three and then select to take control and dominate the brain. Instead of ridding the Sword Coast of the tadpoles, you will then enslave all mindflayers and infected citizens, including your own allies. Doing this will require you to betray either Karlach or the Emperor if they are the chosen party members to confront the brain.
If you are playing as the Dark Urge, there is a slight difference to this ending. If you choose not to overcome your murderous urges after your fight with Orin and subsequent meeting with Bhaal, then you claim the throne in Bhaal’s name. If you reject Bhaal, you can still get the bad ending but the throne will be for yourself and not the God of Murder.
How to get the Netherese Ending in Baldur’s Gate 3
This ending is directly related to Gale’s character quest and requires you to bring Gale to the final fight of Act Three. Before facing the Netherbrain, you can elect for Gale to sacrifice himself to end the fight in an instant. This means that Gale will die and most of Baldur’s Gate will be destroyed, but the threat will be ended. This also means that you cannot use the Nethrese bomb at an earlier junction, such as the fight against Ketheric, which also triggers an extremely early ending.
