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Baldur’s Gate 3: Should you Help or Attack the Emperor?

What are the consequences of choosing to help or attack the Emperor in Baldur's Gate 3?

Baldur’s Gate 3 features many moments where you need to make a decision that might have long reaching consequences, and one of the biggest choices is whether you should help The Emperor or not. When you meet him, you’ll be given the option to fight The Emperor or help him fight the Githyanki. Fighting The Emperor might seem like the “good” option, but it has catastrophic consequences.

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What Happens if You Attack the Emperor in Baldur’s Gate 3?

If you attack The Emperor, your game will end after defeating him, and the ending isn’t exactly a good one. If you want to continue playing, you need to help him.

The identity of The Emperor is a major spoiler, so I’ll refrain from mentioning it. What you need to know is that, if you attack him and end up succeeding in the battle, a Mindflayer bursts out of your body and that’s your ending for the game. This isn’t a massive surprise, all things considered. It’s something to keep in mind when making this decision.

What Happens if You Help the Emperor in Baldur’s Gate 3?

The better option is to help The Emperor and fight against the Githyanki. Afterwards, you can even get improved Illithid powers by eating or opening your mind to the Astral-Touched Tadpole. Plus, you get to continue your journey and try to get an ending better than dying in the process of spawning a Mindflayer.

So, even if it’s tempting to fight him, you should help The Emperor in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3  because he is your ally and is actually trying to protect you. I know that I didn’t want to end my game yet, so helping The Emperor was the choice for me. From here, check out our BG3 guide hub to answer more questions like can you return to Act 1 or if you should help He Who Was.


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Image of Melissa Sarnowski
Melissa Sarnowski
Melissa Sarnowski has been working as a gaming writer professionally for two years, having been at GameSkinny for over a year now as a horror beat writer. She has an English degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison. While she focuses on all things horror, she also enjoys cozy games, MMOs like FFXIV and WoW, and any and everything in between.