Baldur’s Gate 3 Evil Playthrough: 10 Early-Game Choices For An Evil Party (2024)

There are several evil choices to make in Baldur’s Gate 3, especially when running an evil roleyplaying campaign. These actions drastically alter the world around the player’s character, allowing them to witness how events unfold differently than they would, should they be pinnacles of kindness and justice. Although some companions may disapprove of these actions and perhaps even leave the group altogether, players are not punished and can continue progressing through the story, though with an evil inclination. Players can start their reign of chaos in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3, within the first few minutes and hours of gameplay, in fact.

[Warning: Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3, Act 1.]

Players can make multiple morally questionable decisions at the very start of the game, and this will slowly help them immerse themselves into an evil playthrough. These can vary from helping wicked villains to simply killing innocents – both of which are often intertwined as action and consequence. The benefits of choosing to be evil in Baldur’s Gate 3 revolve around seeing the world of Faerûn from a different and rather unusual perspective, and witnessing how allies react to the player’s decisions. This can also alter the ending of Baldur’s Gate 3, which may be a selling point for a second playthrough.

10 Give Gith Egg To Lady Esther

Such An Action Leads To Dire Consequences

Retrieving the Gith Egg from the Crèche and giving it to Lady Esther may seem like a good deed, but it is quite the opposite. Surely, the player has no way of knowing that when they do this, but allowing Esther to take the Githyanki Egg in Baldur’s Gate 3 can have dire consequences later in the game. It is posed to look like a charitable action, but it is one that ruins the livelihoods of several different characters – some of which deserve it, but arguably not to the point that it escalates.

If this is a player’s second run with the game and they already know the outcome of giving Lady Esther the Githyanki Egg, it would be an especially evil choice to do so once again. Of course, it makes perfect sense if their intention is to lean into the dark side. Another possibility of keeping it evil but somewhat lawful is to deceive Lady Esther and give her an owlbear egg.

9 Hunt Down Karlach

Get Prizes For Being Bad

It is quite probable that players will meet Wyll before they get to Karlach and, when they do so, he explains that he is hunting down a helion that matches Karlach’s description. A very vile thing to do is to take Wyll by his word and hunt down Karlach without giving her so much as a chance. In fact, Karlach may be the kindest of all the companions in the game, regardless if she is romanced or not. She is, however, heavily opposed to acts of intense evil, so she may not fit an evil playthrough in Baldur’s Gate 3.

If players want to ensure they are the most vile at their core during a specific run, they shouldn’t even give Karlach an option and try to kill her on the spot. Players can even side with the Paladins of Tyr and, after defeating her, behead Karlach and bring it back so that they can receive their reward. Doing so will also grant Wyll a new and rare piece of clothing, so there are good consequences to being utterly vile.

8 Side With The Goblins & Attack The Emerald Grove

Hunt Down The Peaceful Druids

One of the main and most obvious evil choices to make in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to side with the goblins and its general, Minthara, to attack the Emerald Grove and its residents. The goblins want to take out those who do not follow the Absolute and choosing to enable this is morally objectionable. The Emerald Grove is full of refugees and nature-adoring people who want to survive peacefully and not be involved in conflicts and bloodshed. If players do not empathize with such a lifestyle and instead opt to destroy it, they are obviously making one of the best possible decisions for an evil playthrough.

If players choose this disastrous path of terror, they will gain the disapproval from several of the origin companions, though they may be able to eventually romance the fearsome Minthara. The character is a cruel and violently racist religious devotee who will stop at nothing to praise the Absolute, including slaughtering innocent refugees, so having her around as a friend and potential lover fits in perfectly with an evil roleplaying campaign. Despite the lack of emotional depth, Minthara is a great character to romance in such dire circ*mstances – arguably the best evil lover in all of Baldur’s Gate 3.

7 Kill The Owlbear Cub

Exact Violence On The Innocent

While exploring the outskirts of the Blighted Village, players may stumble upon a small cavern in Baldur’s Gate 3, where they will meet an owlbear mother, who is courageously stepping up to defend its offspring. Players can step away and leave it be or kill it on the spot – this choice really does not matter, as the owlbear will be killed anyway, either by the player’s hands or by a goblin incursion. Nevertheless, choosing to kill it is an absolutely dreadful decision to make, as there is no good reason to take the life of an animal seeking peace and shelter.

What can be even worse than that is to kill the small and helpless owlbear cub in Baldur’s Gate 3 after showing it the insides of its mother. Being cruel and villainous is vital for an evil playthrough, so such an action does have its merit inside a game, but it is certainly one of the worst things a player can do in Act 1, even if it does not have too many narrative consequences. Alternatively, players can wait for the owlbear cub to be kidnapped by the goblins and then kill it after releasing it in what can be considered the ultimate act of spite.

6 Help Auntie Ethel

Aid A Literal Hag In Her Evil Deeds

While the first encounter with Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be misleading, as she seems to be a gentle old woman, the NPC shows her true colors shortly after. While exploring the area of the nearby bog, they may encounter Mayrina’s brothers confronting her and may even choose to help her, not knowing what she really is. The fact is, a few more minutes in she shows that she is actually a hag that has kidnapped Mayrina (even if the girl sought her out of her own volition). Exploring her domain shows exactly how cruel she is, especially after discovering the other characters that were cursed by her.

Auntie Ethel is deceitful and cruel and takes pleasure in torturing and misleading those who seek her help. She twists the requests of characters and needs to her own delight, either killing them or sending them down a spiral of madness. If players choose to side with the witch even after knowing what she is and how she treats her subjects, then they are making a prime choice for an evil roleyplaying campaign in Baldur’s Gate 3. In fact, even after battling her, players get a chance to spare her life, but that is far from noble and can be considered a villainous act in and of itself.

5 Allow Nere To Live

Side With The Slaver

Saving True Soul Nere in the Underdark’s Grymforge can usually be a means to an end. The righteous thing to do in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to take his life and rip his head off to present to Sovereign Spaw, who demands vengeance for the slaughter against his fellow Myconid circle. A great strategy to deal with him is to rescue him from the chamber in which he is stuck, thus saving a few gnomes – though Nere may kill one out of anger. Alternatively, players can choose to save Nere and then side with him. The moral problem with such a decision is that Nere is terrible.

He is a racial supremacist drow that actively participates in slavery circles, allowing this heinous act to continue occurring. Nere is also very cruel and will kill anyone that seems unpleasant to him. In addition to all of that, he is also a religious devotee who believes himself to be some sort of messiah, thus deserving of superior treatment. Assisting him can be helpful in a later portion of Baldur’s Gate 3, but it is not worth it if players are looking for a righteous character. If they are tending toward an evil playthrough, however, this may be a fantastic choice to help build their character.

4 Help Sovereign Glut Kill Spaw & Become The Myconid Ruler

Overthrow A Harmonious Society In The Name Of Greed

Another evil deed to partake in while in the Underdark is helping Sovereign Glut in a coup against the current Myconid circle and overthrow Sovereign Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3. Spaw is a reasonable and kind character that accepts the presence of the character and generously rewards them for their help in the Grymforge, in case they kill Nere and bring his head back. Glut lost his circle and was accepted by Spaw’s Myconid circle, even if he was still isolated. Nevertheless, the choice he makes to overcome this loneliness is to kill Spaw and become the leader himself. Helping Glut is morally objectionable, especially after getting to know Spaw.

Additionally, aiding the potential coup is also partaking in something of an imperialistic approach to the game, by interfering with politics that do not pertain to the character. It is hard to measure evil, as scrutiny of choices can lead to various interpretations, but helping Glut is also one of the ways a Paladin can break their Oath, so it is certainly an evil choice to make in a Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign focused on villainous roleplay.

3 Let Kagha’s Snake Kill Arabella

Allow The Child To Receive The Ultimate Punishment

One of the earliest moments of cruelty in the game is when Kagha is disciplining Arabella for attempting to steal a totem and does so by using a deadly snake. The natural reaction for any being with an ounce of decency would be to interfere and impede Kagha from threatening the child with death in the form of a slithering creature. Those aiming for an evil playthrough in Baldur’s Gate 3, however, can look away.

When they do nothing in the face of the cruel act, Kagha’s snake will pursue Arabella, who tries to run away. The creature then bites the girl and, ultimately, kills her. Despite keeping a lot of secrets, Kagha is quite evidently evil, and, allowing her to get away with her vile murder of a child can fit an evil run. Of course, players who are roleplaying a more lawful approach can allow Arabella to die and then exact vengeance on Kagha and any druid that aids her in battle.

2 Cut Of Gale’s Hand (Dark Urge)

Kill Off A Key Character In A Few Minutes

Not assisting Gale when he initially asks for help can be funnily evil enough if players are going through a regular run, but if they are playing with Dark Urge, things can get bloody and somber really quickly. When players first encounter him, only his hand will be sticking out of a portal. He will desperately ask for help and, with Dark Urge, players can give into their darker tendencies for one of the most inadvertent vile actions in Baldur’s Gate 3.

When this occurs, Dark Urge will chop off Gale’s hand, leaving his bloody member on the ground. This also makes the portal through which Gale asks for assistance close, leaving his fate uncertain. However, later in the game, players discover that Gale is dead – it is unknown if he died from being trapped in the realm and starved or if he sustained major blood loss from Dark Urge’s actions. Nevertheless, chopping off the hand of a person asking for a helping hand is quite wicked.

1 Kill Alfira (Dark Urge)

The Song Goes Silent

Killing Alfira is one of the worst things a player can do. The gentle tiefling has gone through immense suffering prior to her arrival at the Emerald Grove and she is an artist, transforming that pain into music as the bard that she is. Naturally, allowing her to be executed when the Goblins invade is evil enough, but players can be significantly more vile if they are playing Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 and actively seek her out.

This uncontrollable kill occurs when she visits the campsite and tries to join the party. Regardless of what players answer, her fate is sealed. If players try to avoid her death and deny her, Sceleritas Fel will take her out. If they accept, they will end up eviscerating Alfira in a wild outburst of the Dark Urge that is not shown on screen – only her dead body lies on the floor, a product of the main character’s curse in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

30 Hours