Lae Zal - understanble due to Gith history Shadowheart - Alright let try our best to be discreet Karlach - You go to hell, no racism there Wyll and Halsin - Duty-bound but also willing to keep secret lover in shadow Astarion - Still love but sex is on hold for a while (pretty tame especially how he actually wants a proper relationship more than sex) Gale - LET HAVE A PUBLIC WEDDING!!!
I'm a huge Astarion fan, but this did sound like a break up. I still love you but we can't really be what we were. Understandable, there's accidents and sickness but there's also being a squid.
I had to pause the video and look away just mouthing "what the *fuck,* Gale?" when that popped up. So many dialogue options to explore there too. now I HAVE to romance him.
@@xTwilightWolvesx yeah but a disguise spell is an easy thing isn’t it? And I don’t think there’s any way to see through that spell? Doesn’t our little brain friend Us use that spell to look like a cat instead of a freaky brain monster?
You neglected to show Minthara's reaction in this video, i seek to rectify this error. Spoiler warning Minthara will straight up declare she would have you as her King/Queen in Menzobaranzan.
I love Gale so much!!! He is the only companion who is more than 100% okay with it and shows no hesitation at all, already planning a public wedding for the two of you 😭. If you pick the other dialogue options, he'll say he likes your new form and loves you even more because looking at you reminds him of your sacrifice.
i agree 100% i really didnt expect to love his character and romance path as much as i did but i was pleasantly surprised! his character doesn’t deserve the hostility he gets thrown smh
Everyone else: People will try to kill you for being a mindflayer, we must hide you and be very discreet Gale: WE WILL SERVE BRAINS AT OUR WEDDING WITH ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
I mean, if any place in faerûn could be open to a free mindflayer its a wizard town. Youd probably be the most popular resident there just because curious minds wouldnt be able to stop themselves
@@skan5728 It's hilarious him saying he can't have you around because you'll scare the commonfolk, in a run where you spared Karlach. Bitch YOU'RE gonna scare the commonfolk, have you looked in a mirror lately?
@@Nihooliousit isn't unfortunately duke or not he says the same thing. It is weird of Wyll though, you would think he would love you more since he did the same thing for his people.
Exactly! They should show that option. I think there's an option where you say "The underdark beckons", but there's no follow-up dialogue about it at the epilogue party.
wylls actually made me a bit sad. to have yourself locked away from everyone even the person who wanted to marry you, who told you he wanted to spend his life with you only for you to sacrifice yourself and change as a result of it, to have that love tested and the best solution that comes up is to be locked away from everyone but wyll? even then, you’ll still have a mainly solitary life because like wyll said, he would only come to visit, never stay, always wondering if you’re still the same person he loved. its a bit sad how in a situation like that i feel like their love will either prosper or come crumbling down far too quickly
I hate this for Wyll specially how much he "admires you" and also because him out of all people changed into a devil and you despite that give him all the support and tell him he can be whatever he wants and that you will stay with him. Like Wyll my brother in the avernus what the actual heck you out of all people chose to be this shallow? I told him to sod off and went back to chose leave with Karlach ending. My Tav deserved better 😂
I wonder if they patched this? I have wyll romance and my tav became mindflayer and she and wyll and karlach went to Avernus together, in the epilogue he is still completely in love with mind flayer tav
@@guchaigue Me too. What I get is: if you and Wyll go to Avernus with Karlach, this dialogue never comes up. If you let Karlach die and stay in Baldur's Gate with Wyll, this dialogue comes up. If you stay with him, he will once again affirm his love for you in the epilogue party. If you're romanced to him and he goes to hell with Karlach alone, the dialogue also never comes up and he says he loves you in the epilogue party.
I love how "realistic" Astarion answer is and how he don't talk about what people would think. Like many other things in the relationship with him throughout the game, he need time, and that's ok.
@@irgendwer3610 Astarion's great and I know waht they were going for with his reactions to the Illithid but it feels like it undermines his growth from seeing himself and others just based on their physical appearances and makes it feel like his change wasn't real. It at least doesn't give you proper options for responding to how he reponds. In fact most all of the characters even the ones that accept you (execpt Gale and Minthara. A FEMALE DROW THE BAR IS SO LOW) seem like it's more of them trying to not be ungrateful for all you did but not wanting to be with you anymore. Like sorry Halsin I don't really feel like nature has a place for an alien creature like me and it feels like a "You can go away and be happy and no one has to see you. You'll be safe!" they don't realize they're asking their former lover to have an even more of terrible lonely half life than they already would have as an illithid. They're social creatures and after everything you get discarded in a way that doesn't make it feel like most of your companions loved you. I wish there was at least an option to be harsher to some of these replies becaue they feel so emotionally betraying.
@@user-zs2io8cg7c Indeed. I'm not entirely sure how to judge the companions that say "let's hide you". Maybe they are really just being pragmatic, trying to protect you. Maybe they still love you. But it's hard to tell.
Yeah I feel like everyone conveniently forgets a *1st level spell* in disguise self, and both the Emperor and Us seem capable of using (presumably) psionics to appear in another form to people. If we go with D&D lore, a merely uncommon magic item is the hat of disguise (at-will disguise self).
I'd been wondering that too. Best I can think of is: seeing through the illusion is a saving throw, so you can't walk through a crowd cause one in 100 people will see through your illusion, cry "Mind flayer!" and then you're in trouble. I can also point to the fact that the Emperor didn't use the illusion while in Baldur's Gate, instead relying on covering itself with clothes from head to toe, figure there must be a reason for that. Maybe it's easier to do in a dream than in real life?
The man turned into a devil and a vampire: "I'm not too sure if this will work or not but I guess.. we can sort of try something?" The human wizard: "We need an open minded cleric, and oh gods the catering menu and the decorations... we have so much to do for our massive public wedding!" I suppose while people might be against it, most wouldn't be too openly against the Chosen/Former Chosen of Mystra marrying whoever he damn well pleases as it would probably end rather badly for them lol
Yeah that crossed my mind too xD I would LOVE to see someone giving Gale's spouse shit in public lol. "Oh, whoops, was that me? I haven't seen a rogue fireball that explosive in decades! Ho hum, on with our day..."
Especially hilarious if said Mindflayer was also a Wizard, Bard, or Fighter, the three of which would be the least likely to lose any of their abilities after Ceremorphosis.
Gale is just cheffs kiss, love him. I think he's the true definition of "Would you love me if I was a worm?🪱 " And he would say "Of course, even as dirt I'd love you".
I was so surprised at how lovely and well-done his romance is. At first I was puzzled why he was a romance option as he was so arrogant but the writing was so good I completely changed how I saw him when he started going on about his cat haha. I like all the romances but I think Gale's has the most intricate and fulfilling character development that feels somewhat recipriocal - or at least as much as it can be with a RPG player character with no set personality.
@@selty he seems to like when you use Druid magic to turn into a cat too, or when you talk to any animals. Basically he is a himbo nerd who loves animals and believes in true love. (He also has self-esteem issues as if you jokingly tell him sex was “just fine” then he threatens to off himself 🤦♀️)
Halsin's idea, the whole "going into secluded nature", actually feels like it could be one of the best things for an Illithid hero. kind of like how Omeluum lives among the mushroom-folk in the Underdark. and with Halsin's authority and status, having him slowly introduce people to "the mindflayer hero of Baldur's Gate" would be a wonderful way to start (glacially slowly) changing some perceptions. then again, fucking off to Avernus with Wyll and Karlach is also a wonderful idea, since the two clearly dont actually regard you differently and its not like any denizens of the Hells are gonna judge a mindflayer any differently than a normal mortal. and at least the three of you are still together and watching each others backs! those are absolutely the two best endings for an Illithid Hero playthrough i think.
only downside to the Wyll and Karlach ending is... you're stuck in Hell in essentially a never-ending battle, constantly at risk of dying at any given time. You'd be taken far away from anything that feels safe or familiar aside from your companions, who may turn on you eventually if your mask falls too far.
No, devils will judge the fuck out of you. You have no soul, they can’t make deals with you the normal way. You will always be a liability and threat to all demons and devils. I can’t even say it’ll be just as hostile, because like I said, they can’t make deals with you, so it’s ALWAYS going to be a fight.
@ladonmccabe they can make deals with you still. It'd just be for your services in exchange for whatever they offer. Another point is that the wiki says Illithids can't feed off of spiritual entities such as demons, so eating may be a problem unless you come across other enslaved mortals like Karlach or make a long-term deal with someone to supply you with fodder in exchange for your own freedom. Edit: "Spiritual entities" may refer to a being when it's outside of its home plane, perhaps, so therefore, you aren't killing them to extract psychic energy? If you're on the home plane, it may work. But that only applies to half of the creatures in the war, since demons and devils have different realms.
Minthara love you new form And I want to conquer the underdark with you. It's a pity that there is no ending where you join the Omeluum organization. He would definitely be happy to have a companion. Illithids are very social creatures and do not tolerate loneliness well. The emperor desperately wanted you as an Illithid companion.
Minthara is that one friend who is always down for whatever weird shit you have planned, as long as it will be chaotic. She will in fact, still love you as a worm 😂
Illithids have a problem with loneliness? Really? Is that canon? Cause it kinda goes agains the whole "illithids are heartless bastards who only care about themselves".
Lae'zel is the only one in the right here, sadly. Her knowledge of mind flayers shows her the ugly truth that the others simply aren't aware of. You aren't *you* anymore. You're an imitation. A tadpole grown into a copy of who you were. Mind flayer Karlach is legitimately terrifying because of this. It's like you're talking to an empty shell that's trying to emulate her once fiery persona (and failing).
To be fair, I haven't played throught the route myself, so I can't be 100% sure this is accurate... but I've heard from others that if you side with Orpheus, you don't become a TRUE Illithid. He stops the tadpole from taking over completely, so that you remain yourself. Assuming this is true, I really wish people like you would stop spreading misinformation.
It's worth noting that, whether superstition or a genuine concern, there are mindflayers who retain aspects of their host that they have to hide from their kin, lest they be mistaken for something they call the Adversary, a mindflayer whose host brain remains in complete control and choses to defy their elderbrain. Seeing as you still have full control of your character after becoming illithid, I think that's the intention here.
@@emmuzboosh well if you were cut off from functional immortality and had your obligate diet switched to humanoid brains you probably aren't gonna do to hot on moral scales either.
Your Laezel romance ending was super different from mine, I flew off with her and Orpheus on the dragons and she didn’t dump me. Maybe because I was a Githyanki beforehand?
Everyone:either a hesitant no or yes Wyll:so, i have this cool shed i'll hide you in Gale:that's what i've been waiting for, this is what it is all about
This video confirms once again how much I love Astarion’s story and how much Gale is my type. Astarion is such an interesting character, but I’m way to insecure to fall in love with someone like him. I need someone like Gale who’d love me even if I was a worm.
Mind flayer Karlach is so sad oh my God. The thing she said about feeling less "changeable" is exactly what she said after Dammon fixes her engine the second time. It really is just an imitation of her
I mean maybe, or it could just be that she's stabilized. It's hardly the only time a character uses the same word or phrasing more than once in the game. Astarion for instance will tell you "this is a gift, you know. I won't forget it." both in response to you letting him feed on you, and in response to you preventing him from ascending. You wouldn't say he's an imitation in act 3 just because he repeats himself, it's a common thing that most people do.
@@bearhugzfam649except with Mind flayers that’s quite literally the case though. It’s just the tadpole copy and pasting the former persons entire life (with an added need to eat brains)
@@abe336 perhaps, but I mean, play Soma, read some Aasimov, watch Black Mirror, or even just *think* about it. If you copy/paste a person do they cease to be that person? And that's still a separate thing from the whole "but it's using the same phrase" argument. They use repetition quite often in this game.
My thing is that the way she’s speaking just doesn’t sound like Karlach it just sounds way to formal and refined and while I think she’s pretty smart she not the most eloquent person it just feels off to me.
Don't think it's a complete rejection. It makes sense that he needs time to think it over now that you look completely different. He is open to love in the future after all.
For anyone interested in a bit of lore they might've missed, there is a Mind Flayer who's looking for non-violent means to eat. Mind Flayers exist off of brains of higher creatures, they can eat animal brains (it must be ALIVE to hold nutrients) but it leads to malnutrition and even sickness in some cases, hence why they eat humans. But, should that Mind Flayer live till the end of the game, there's hope that the player (or Karlach) can one day become essentially a vegan illithid. So while it's not out and out good, there's a glimmer of hope in these endings. Also, the sex gets more complicated. :P They have no genitals, but they can tamper with minds which allows them to engage in sexual pleasure.
@@RubysWrath Karlach also has a good solution which she mentions at Withers party if you ask her about how she feeds (if she turned illithid). Spoilers below: She says that she works with a local healer who if they have someone who is beyond any form of healing, then after that person has said their goodbyes, and if that person is willing, then Karlach feeds on their brain, and in doing so she gains their memories and Karlach says it allows her to carry their knowledge on, so she doesn’t feel bad about it (as they all consent to it).
Wyll himself still likes Tav, his concern is the same reason he was upset at his devil transformation: he knows the rest of the outside world is going to be after Squid Tav with torches and pitchforks if they're ever spotted within 20 miles of civilization. His ability to personally deal with the tentacles isn't really the issue.
Becoming the Duke of Baldur's Gate is considered his '''''evil'''' ending. The narrative frames it like he sacrificed his father to rule the city himself. Makes sense for him to be a hypocrite in this ending.
Shadowheart is the absolute best. She doesn't care for appearance. She loves the MC with all her heart. As for Karlach, that depends on the MC. She may be a monster, but loving her is worth it. Those two women are worth staying with.
I dunno about appearance's. A Mindflayer is literally not you. Withers himself says that Mindflayers DO NOT have souls, and it is said that an illithid parasite eats the body and soul of the host both. It's actually pretty sad. Shadowheart and Karlach just don't know any better. Lae'zel does and knows for a fact that person she loved is gone.
@@VincentxValentinex Withers later says he recognizes Karlach is still herself if she turns into a Mind Flayer, so seemingly Orpheus was able to keep the soul intact. I haven't tested it myself but it's likely the same if you are the one to transform
There is actually a way to continue your romance with Lae'zel as a mind flayer. If your Tav is a Gith and you sided with Orpheus and sacrificed yourself by turning into a Mind Flayer, you can join Orpheus and Lae'zel as they fly off on dragon back to the Astral Plane.
There are two possibilities one might consider. #1: All that talk about mind flayers not having souls was a load of crap. You survived the transition and are still, inwardly, yourself. #2: Your former self died and its soul went into the afterlife, but the tadpole can't tell the difference. As far as it is concerned, the tadpole died and it is the Hero of Baldur's Gate. There was an episode of The Golden Girls once where Rose was being conned, but the conman backed down and took nothing from her, after which Dorothy was conflicted over the fact that they never told her the truth. To which Sofia said "If it gives her comfort, and no harm was done, let her have that." Is the tadpole now living a lie? If so, let him have that. Especially if those memories -- those convictions -- continue to guide him to do what is right.
Its unfortunately not crap, as Withers himself says this at the end scene. Iliithids have no souls and these are just imitations of the people they were before. I agree that if everyone is happy (maybe not the soul in the afterlife but who knows) then there isn't much harm done.
@@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH *Spoilers* Wither's is Jergal by the way, the former God of death, so he would know who has a soul and who doesn't. You can find a book in act 3 in one of the crypts in the graveyard where some one describes meeting Jergal and the first thing Jergal says is "What is the worth of a single mortal life?" the exact same thing Withers first asks you.
@@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I mean, counterpoint. Lemure's have souls and they maintain practically nothing of the people they once were in life. If you can maintain the same soul, but still manage to wipe away the essence of a person completely from it that kind of implies that the persistence of a soul doesn't mean shit in terms of the persistence of the self. It's at best, a canvas on which the self is painted and at worst, something the gods want mortals to think is important because they derive power from them.
Both Withers and Mystra confirm that the soul is gone, and unfortunately it is not in the afterlife, it is devoured by the tadpole (Per lore). Which is what makes Mindflayer Karlach so heartbreaking to me. She fought so hard for her freedom of both body and soul, so hard she was willing to let her body burn to keep her soul free. It's not Karlach anymore. It's Karlach's memories and the tadpole's survival instinct to continue mimicking its host. And while when Astarion asks if it's still you and you **can** say yes, there's a very good reason why one of the options is to admit that the person you were before is gone. You'll note that if you choose that option, there isn't a deception check. Larian gives you the choice to believe that you're still you, but they also make it clear that you're really not anymore. The "you" that you can reassure the companions is still there is referring entirely to the player, some fourth wall breakage, of which there is quite a bit in the game. It's beautiful and tragic.
@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH if you go the slew slide route withers/jergal finds you in the after life or void and says even though you're a mind flayer he finds you confirming the anomaly of certain mind flayers having souls
I feel bad for unintentionally hurting Gale's feelings when I dated Karlach on my character due to a bug that made him think we were dating after he turned me down. But his response is absolutely the sweetest
@@ibadwoman yeah I feel like it's easy to ascend Astarion for good reasons then by the end of the game you hate yourself xD I almost went that route myself and I stopped too late and had to kill him lmao. Suffice to say I was thankful for my lifetime long habit of quicksaving every 20 seconds because fuck that.
Yeah, and even if Gale isn't romanced, at the party he'll invite you over and tell you his students will be open-minded about you and he even has a guy who works with bodies who will give him brains.
Its true sadness, i respect the Glorious Gale of Waterdeep and its because every my play throughout i choose stay as Tav, fuck the githyanki and Orpheus
Plus couldn’t you just use a disguise item to change your appearance to being humanoid, at least until they (the refugees) get used to the idea of you being all squiddy
Shadowheart's focus being on herself makes sense, she's always been a very pragmatic lover, even if you break up with her she's very chill and "okay let's think it through." She's used to being alone and she's realistic about the idea of being alone again, even though she loves you and wants to stay with you. She's okay with working with you on living a life together, but she's realistic about the limitations you'll likely face. She wants a happy ending, but she knows life doesn't work that way. They did a good job showing that with her, even if it is kind of unsatisfying in other ways. Lae'zel's just like "lol no" xD okay makes sense. I still don't like her. Daddy Halsin just being worried about you is freaking adorable. I love how he's willing to change his mind so quickly and easily in the face of new evidence and experiences, it takes a lot for most people to admit they're wrong. Worth noting he leaves for a higher purpose even if you're not a mindflayer, so him not wanting to live out the rest of his life tied to your wrist makes sense regardless, that part is word for word the same. I love how down he is for you to come with him, so you guys can build a community together where you will be accepted. A little idealistic maybe but eh, makes sense. Astarion I adore especially with full context, he'll caution you against turning into a mindflayer and claim it's a superficial choice, but also express fear that it'll change who you are. Romance aside you mean more to him than any of the other companions, they all have lives to get back to and communities, he only has you, and the thought that he's lost you or that you've changed beyond recognition (physically or metaphorically) freaks him out. But also considering how much his arc is about figuring out who he is and what he wants and where he draws his lines and boundaries, especially around intimacy, I feel like him being all "you're precious to me and I don't want to lose you but I need to figure out how I feel about this before I make a choice either way" is really fitting. Wyll... eh. I haven't romanced him so I can't really speak to him but he feels very much like the Not Until Marriage fairytale prince and this feels very much like "you can't give me the fairytale ending so bye Felicia." It's so rehearsed and insincere sounding... and that's coming from an Astarion fan, lol. He's fine with you being some secret lover tucked off to the side but you just know between his visits he's going to marry someone nice and normal he can dance with at the functions, and eventually his visits will become less and less as he moves on to something more picture perfect. I fucking love Gale xD I've not romanced him either (he's next on my list lol) but I love how he's all like "waking up next to you is so weird... oh, you thought I meant 'cause you're a mindflayers? Lol no I mean 'cause we're not about to die. Anywho, let's get married!" He accepts you so wholeheartedly it doesn't even occur to him to discuss how things are going to go, he just accepts it and moves on with proposing. I guess after you've bonked a goddess though there's not much that'll shock you lol.
I love that one of the options with Gale is basically “sure I’ll marry you but bio kids would be weird to make so we have to adopt” 😂 (I mean can illithids even make babies with other species, I know in the D&D world humans will basically boink anything, hence all the half-species, but not sure illithids have reproductive capabilities?)
I am quite suprised that Gale is so much into tentacles, but it's certainly not a bad suprise! I wonder if his mother considers this a better or worse romantic interest than his last one lol. The thing about Astarion is that he is not grossed out by Tav being a Mindflayer, they are actually the one and only person he wants to be with. He was only comfortable with their affection and intimacy, but now their body and mind is completely changed and unfamiliar. Because of the whole arc he went through he NEEDS time to get used to the new Tav. He wants to stay with Tav no matter what, if not as lovers, then as lifelong friends. It's a bond stronger than just love and I think that's super cute. He and Gale are my favourites here.
Bro... the love Gale can hold for pc is love in its most noble and purest form... WHAT THE F*CK was Mystra THINKING!? Getting rid of someone like that, even if he did make a mistake that could've wiped out the Sword Coast... she better not b*tch about not being able to find a good man, I swear!
Lae'zel and my mindflayer Tav flew away together on the red dragon. It was a beautiful and sweet moment. In the epilogue, it's revealed that we continue our adventures together, and Lae'zel still loves Tav regardless of her form. My Tav was a half-elf btw
Gale was the reason didn’t do it. That man has been through so much and is so kind hearted, he deserves a healthy ending. In my play through Karlach became a Mindflayer, that way she doesn’t have to die and doesn’t have to go to Avernus. Good for Gale, he got to marry a cute elf lady. ❤ ;)
for all the people saying illithid-Karlach is am empty shell of who she was, it provides an interesting mirror, to what Tav's lovers might/will see. surely, they're also thinking the same when they speak to illithid-Tav. it makes their hesitation seem far more natural. while many are already freaking out about Karlach.
You can absolutely become a mindflayer and keep your romance with Laezel. I had that on my play through. She commenta about needing time to adjust to the tentacles and face, but insists she wants to face her 'black and red' future with you by her side.
I mean yes. If Orpheus becomes a mindflayer you can go with her to the Hells, with Wyll in tow if he decides to stay an adventurer. You begin a new dangerous adventure together.
@@TazKidNoah He (Mindflayer) would starve to death, for reasons(dont ask why) some races brains dont work for the mindflayers, plus he dosent have a soul something that is a problem in Avernus.
Couldn't we use disguise self artifacts? i mean, i have the mask of the shape shifter so maybe something more accessible to the current condition would work?
btw, mind flayers HAVE SOULS, just not regular ones. when you become a mind flayer(the type that retains it's memories), your soul becomes "non-apostolic", meaning that your soul doesn't interact with the gods anymore, and they can't feed off of it. (only the gods from the far realms, where the mind flayers are from, can sense non-apostolic souls) this is literally said by withers. and another thing that supports this is the fact that there are lich Mind Flayers, and to become a lich, you need to have a soul.
@@FantasyAddict95Alhoons and Illithiliches aren't quite the same. An alhoon's immortality is much more fragile, it lasts for the lifetime of the person whose soul was used in the ritual to become one. After that the alhoon ceases to exist. They can keep living so long as they have a steady supply of souls to replenish themselves, but if they ever run out, they're gone. An illithilich's immortality is more stable. Like other liches, an illithilich that doesn't consume enough souls turns into a demilich. They're still there, just in a reduced form.
If you get turned into a Mindflayer Greater Restoration will not fix you in 5e. You need True Resurrection, a 9th level spell, because your body is gone and you're dead.
Tell me about it. Well maybe it's cause you're a newborn. After all, the tentacles are much shorter. Yes there are scenes where we see newborn mind flayers and they look normal, but I just put that down to plot holes.
@@Louves192 actually spotted on the most hilarious video where illithid tav consumes ascended astarion's brain and everyone in the camp helps to kill him xx
I'll be honest, if my significant other turned into a (by nature) manipulative soulless brain eating psychic squid, I would break up with them too. In fact, Astarion was too nice, I would walk out and get as far away from them as I can
Did someone play as Gith Main and romanced Lae'zel? I did and become Illithid and its complete different then. You can leave with them to fight Vlaakith and Lae'zel did not push you away (I didnt try to stay in Faerun though but had the choice)
Idk if this was added in later but I just finished another playthrough today where I romanced Lae'zel, became Ilithid, and let her choose her own path. She wanted me to come with her and still loves me.
After watching many of these videos, I conclude that in this game the male couples are better written (or at least more pleasantly written) than the female ones. 😢
wow, i’m surprised by gale. my romance is astarion but maybe i should reconsider. literally the ONLY companion who really stays by your side. others leaving or exiling you or… well, that’s obvious that they make their best not to hurt you, but it’s so pathetic that i wouldn’t even resisted on giving the chance to the relationship and would've left. and the words of halsin and wyll that other people should embrace tav, that's a shame that they're such ignorant and bla-bla-bla sound hypocritical to me because it’s obvious that even them who knew tav from the begging are ashamed and frightened of her. and i can’t say i blame any of them or mad at them. on the contrary, their reaction seems just natural - and it’s the most striking thing. you just can’t do anything about it. for that reason it’s the worst ending, i should admit. for the first time i thought it is pity that no one sees a person in a transformed illithid, but maybe it’s really how it is. maybe tav really is gone. maybe the price is to abandon your humanity for the sake of defeat of the greatest evil. at least this is more comforting than realising that tav’s remained a person but never ever would be recognised as one. this is why i killed tav in this ending
I agree that those who want to hide away Tav are hypocrites who are just thinly hiding their bigotry. But why do you conclude from this that Tav isn't a person anymore?
That's so weird, I romanced Lae'zel and became a mindflayer, and was still able to ride off with her and orpheus to help fight vlakith. In the camp scene at the end she even kissed me on my slimy face! I was flabbergasted lol
Lae'zel's reaction is the only reasonable one, I'm sorry A mind flayer is not who the person used to be, a soulless husk, the grown parasite with the person's memories, it would be like dating a robot with the memories of your loved one, it's not "them"
Normally yes, but Orpheus intentionally doesn't let the ceremorphosis finish properly, so you stay you. Without the ceremorphosis completing your are as in Wyll's ending stated, "a person trapped in a monsters skin". So still yourself.
@@MrLuschimann Then Orpheus leaves and such, meaning you likely aren't under his protection anymore, and even so, you're still incredibly changed, just look at what happens to Karlach when she becomes a mind flayer, she's like a totally different person
God you can hear wylls sadness in his voice as he keeps lying to himself and the squid he once loved. Meanwhile Gale has nothing but carebears and rainbows and wedding bells in that buttery smooth brain of his. Astarion is so fucking honest, i need to take notes. It is probably the best way to break up a long term, intensive relationship.
I don't see many people talking about Wyll & Astarion but they're my favorite reactions of this Which reminds me of my lawful good origin Astarion open-hand monk x Wyll oath of the ancients paladin run...
Gale or nothin cause what do u mean the only one to proudly stand by me as a squid is him??? Also why it'll always be Orpheus that makes the sacrifice in my game lol
![Baldur's Gate 3: Halsin Polyamorous Offer - All Romance Rejections & Acceptance [Custom Male]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DI-SidqdTrc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Baldur's Gate 3: Halsin Polyamorous Offer - All Romance Rejections & Acceptance [Custom Male]](/img/tr.png)
This is literally "Would you love me if i was a worm?" and i see who wouldn't 😒😒
Would you love me if I was a neurogenic octopus? UwU
@@OG-ProfessorPongo of course
Squid not worm
@@OG-ProfessorPongoyou forgot the braineating part
Fucking Lae'zel
Lae Zal - understanble due to Gith history
Shadowheart - Alright let try our best to be discreet
Karlach - You go to hell, no racism there
Wyll and Halsin - Duty-bound but also willing to keep secret lover in shadow
Astarion - Still love but sex is on hold for a while (pretty tame especially how he actually wants a proper relationship more than sex)
Gale - LET HAVE A PUBLIC WEDDING!!!
Apparently Lae'zel would be fine with you if you were a githyanki before transformation
Astarion literally says let’s be friends lol
I'm a huge Astarion fan, but this did sound like a break up. I still love you but we can't really be what we were.
Understandable, there's accidents and sickness but there's also being a squid.
I had to pause the video and look away just mouthing "what the *fuck,* Gale?" when that popped up. So many dialogue options to explore there too. now I HAVE to romance him.
I think you misunderstood astarion, he didn't pause sex he paused the entire relationship lmao
And people don’t like Gale, even though he is the only one to truly love you even if you are a worm
It literally boggles the mind.
Literally no other proof needed that Gale is best boi
People who don't like Gale were put off by him during early access or fell for the glitches at launch and never gave him a fair chance.
Gale put me off because he was the only one that needed repeated "Oh *hells* no you won't" to not repeat old mistakes, tbh.
i'll never forgive gale after he made me fiddle with his "magic wand"
This video should be called “Asking my bf/gf if they’ll still love me if I was a Worm”
And the answer is mostly some variation of “no” or “it would be difficult”, except for Gale who is like “fuck yeah! but let’s get married too” 😂
Dune vibes 😂
top comment
@@elenalizabethTo be fair, most of them are just worried that you’re going to get axed trying to do some errands 😅
@@xTwilightWolvesx yeah but a disguise spell is an easy thing isn’t it? And I don’t think there’s any way to see through that spell? Doesn’t our little brain friend Us use that spell to look like a cat instead of a freaky brain monster?
I love how characters turned mindflayers IMMEDIATELY get the uniform
Just like how gnolls are born with crossbows!
@@brucewayne1777 right, it is So convenient for army purposes!!
Hey you gotta respect the drip
They got that genetic drip
maybe it's just a mind illusion a new mindflayer creates to look better
“Daddy Halsin, they call me” wow I can’t believe Larian learned about our nickname for him
My dear I think they knew what they were doing from the very beginning xD
Please don’t ruin the innocence 😭
"Climb Mount Halsin."-Shadowheart.😂🎉
"The children call you that?"
"..."
"...Oh."
You neglected to show Minthara's reaction in this video, i seek to rectify this error. Spoiler warning Minthara will straight up declare she would have you as her King/Queen in Menzobaranzan.
That’s actually kinda sweet
@@fluffydogboo1335 I love that Minthara unobjectively loves you regardless of what you become
i love that so much lol
“If anyone gives you any trouble, baby, just let me know and I’ll flay them alive ^-^ 💕”
@@arcana8012 Honestly for all her flaws Minthara is one of if not the most loyal lover you can have in the game
I love Gale so much!!! He is the only companion who is more than 100% okay with it and shows no hesitation at all, already planning a public wedding for the two of you 😭. If you pick the other dialogue options, he'll say he likes your new form and loves you even more because looking at you reminds him of your sacrifice.
And he gets so much hate right?!?!?!
i agree 100% i really didnt expect to love his character and romance path as much as i did but i was pleasantly surprised! his character doesn’t deserve the hostility he gets thrown smh
And I'm pretty sure for the catering he's planning to add a few brains
@@andreant862damn straight
I Always thought that he was a sweetheart but this ... didn't expect him to STILL propose after transformin.
What can i say ... i love Gale 😢
Everyone else: People will try to kill you for being a mindflayer, we must hide you and be very discreet
Gale: WE WILL SERVE BRAINS AT OUR WEDDING WITH ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Gale is a ridiculously powerful wizard true polymorph or even the wish spell is not outside of his potential.
@@KBzazThats what I was thinking too.
@@KBzazhe's also eccentric enough to be perfectly okay with your tentacular self
@@almisami Methinks that’s the latent wizard insanity kicking in
I mean, if any place in faerûn could be open to a free mindflayer its a wizard town. Youd probably be the most popular resident there just because curious minds wouldnt be able to stop themselves
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, WYLL??? I did NOT take you for the 'wife in the attic' type.
yeah, kind of strange if you ask me...
This is if he chooses to become a Duke in Baldurs Gate. If he chooses to stay an adventure i assume there's no issue with your transformation
@@WAFFURUOInot really, he's gonna be the Duke, he can't be seen around with a fucking squid monster
@@skan5728 It's hilarious him saying he can't have you around because you'll scare the commonfolk, in a run where you spared Karlach. Bitch YOU'RE gonna scare the commonfolk, have you looked in a mirror lately?
@@Nihooliousit isn't unfortunately duke or not he says the same thing. It is weird of Wyll though, you would think he would love you more since he did the same thing for his people.
Omeluum where's my shiny new Society of Brilliance robe? We're spending eternity big chilling in an underground library.
Exactly! They should show that option. I think there's an option where you say "The underdark beckons", but there's no follow-up dialogue about it at the epilogue party.
wylls actually made me a bit sad. to have yourself locked away from everyone even the person who wanted to marry you, who told you he wanted to spend his life with you only for you to sacrifice yourself and change as a result of it, to have that love tested and the best solution that comes up is to be locked away from everyone but wyll? even then, you’ll still have a mainly solitary life because like wyll said, he would only come to visit, never stay, always wondering if you’re still the same person he loved. its a bit sad how in a situation like that i feel like their love will either prosper or come crumbling down far too quickly
Yeah it sounds very "Mrs Rochester locked away in the attic" NGL
Agree, I almost broke up with him because of this
I hate this for Wyll specially how much he "admires you" and also because him out of all people changed into a devil and you despite that give him all the support and tell him he can be whatever he wants and that you will stay with him. Like Wyll my brother in the avernus what the actual heck you out of all people chose to be this shallow? I told him to sod off and went back to chose leave with Karlach ending. My Tav deserved better 😂
I wonder if they patched this? I have wyll romance and my tav became mindflayer and she and wyll and karlach went to Avernus together, in the epilogue he is still completely in love with mind flayer tav
@@guchaigue Me too. What I get is: if you and Wyll go to Avernus with Karlach, this dialogue never comes up. If you let Karlach die and stay in Baldur's Gate with Wyll, this dialogue comes up. If you stay with him, he will once again affirm his love for you in the epilogue party.
If you're romanced to him and he goes to hell with Karlach alone, the dialogue also never comes up and he says he loves you in the epilogue party.
I love how "realistic" Astarion answer is and how he don't talk about what people would think. Like many other things in the relationship with him throughout the game, he need time, and that's ok.
What he says is actually awful...
real, his answer is the most honest i guess
@@sillylover9470 yeah, few people would date Japanese Hentai even if they loved it
@@irgendwer3610 Astarion's great and I know waht they were going for with his reactions to the Illithid but it feels like it undermines his growth from seeing himself and others just based on their physical appearances and makes it feel like his change wasn't real. It at least doesn't give you proper options for responding to how he reponds. In fact most all of the characters even the ones that accept you (execpt Gale and Minthara. A FEMALE DROW THE BAR IS SO LOW) seem like it's more of them trying to not be ungrateful for all you did but not wanting to be with you anymore. Like sorry Halsin I don't really feel like nature has a place for an alien creature like me and it feels like a "You can go away and be happy and no one has to see you. You'll be safe!" they don't realize they're asking their former lover to have an even more of terrible lonely half life than they already would have as an illithid. They're social creatures and after everything you get discarded in a way that doesn't make it feel like most of your companions loved you. I wish there was at least an option to be harsher to some of these replies becaue they feel so emotionally betraying.
@@user-zs2io8cg7c Indeed. I'm not entirely sure how to judge the companions that say "let's hide you". Maybe they are really just being pragmatic, trying to protect you. Maybe they still love you. But it's hard to tell.
I don't understand why the illithid you can't just cast illusion on yourself like a spell or like what the Emperor did.
Yeah I feel like everyone conveniently forgets a *1st level spell* in disguise self, and both the Emperor and Us seem capable of using (presumably) psionics to appear in another form to people.
If we go with D&D lore, a merely uncommon magic item is the hat of disguise (at-will disguise self).
@@bromora989would see illusion dispel it? Could cause a stranger to attack if a random barkeep was secretly a mind flayer
Don’t we also have that legendary helmet item (the gold one with the multiple faces on it) that allows us to disguise ourselves?
I once made myself a mind flayer just to check if the disguise spells work and they totally do.
I'd been wondering that too. Best I can think of is: seeing through the illusion is a saving throw, so you can't walk through a crowd cause one in 100 people will see through your illusion, cry "Mind flayer!" and then you're in trouble.
I can also point to the fact that the Emperor didn't use the illusion while in Baldur's Gate, instead relying on covering itself with clothes from head to toe, figure there must be a reason for that. Maybe it's easier to do in a dream than in real life?
The man turned into a devil and a vampire: "I'm not too sure if this will work or not but I guess.. we can sort of try something?" The human wizard: "We need an open minded cleric, and oh gods the catering menu and the decorations... we have so much to do for our massive public wedding!" I suppose while people might be against it, most wouldn't be too openly against the Chosen/Former Chosen of Mystra marrying whoever he damn well pleases as it would probably end rather badly for them lol
Yeah that crossed my mind too xD I would LOVE to see someone giving Gale's spouse shit in public lol. "Oh, whoops, was that me? I haven't seen a rogue fireball that explosive in decades! Ho hum, on with our day..."
Especially hilarious if said Mindflayer was also a Wizard, Bard, or Fighter, the three of which would be the least likely to lose any of their abilities after Ceremorphosis.
Gale is just cheffs kiss, love him. I think he's the true definition of "Would you love me if I was a worm?🪱 " And he would say "Of course, even as dirt I'd love you".
I was so surprised at how lovely and well-done his romance is. At first I was puzzled why he was a romance option as he was so arrogant but the writing was so good I completely changed how I saw him when he started going on about his cat haha. I like all the romances but I think Gale's has the most intricate and fulfilling character development that feels somewhat recipriocal - or at least as much as it can be with a RPG player character with no set personality.
@@selty he seems to like when you use Druid magic to turn into a cat too, or when you talk to any animals. Basically he is a himbo nerd who loves animals and believes in true love.
(He also has self-esteem issues as if you jokingly tell him sex was “just fine” then he threatens to off himself 🤦♀️)
@@elenalizabeth not that scene 😭
When I saw it, I was like, my dear puppy, please, don't worry it was a joke!
Halsin's idea, the whole "going into secluded nature", actually feels like it could be one of the best things for an Illithid hero. kind of like how Omeluum lives among the mushroom-folk in the Underdark. and with Halsin's authority and status, having him slowly introduce people to "the mindflayer hero of Baldur's Gate" would be a wonderful way to start (glacially slowly) changing some perceptions.
then again, fucking off to Avernus with Wyll and Karlach is also a wonderful idea, since the two clearly dont actually regard you differently and its not like any denizens of the Hells are gonna judge a mindflayer any differently than a normal mortal. and at least the three of you are still together and watching each others backs! those are absolutely the two best endings for an Illithid Hero playthrough i think.
only downside to the Wyll and Karlach ending is... you're stuck in Hell in essentially a never-ending battle, constantly at risk of dying at any given time. You'd be taken far away from anything that feels safe or familiar aside from your companions, who may turn on you eventually if your mask falls too far.
No, devils will judge the fuck out of you. You have no soul, they can’t make deals with you the normal way. You will always be a liability and threat to all demons and devils.
I can’t even say it’ll be just as hostile, because like I said, they can’t make deals with you, so it’s ALWAYS going to be a fight.
@ladonmccabe they can make deals with you still. It'd just be for your services in exchange for whatever they offer. Another point is that the wiki says Illithids can't feed off of spiritual entities such as demons, so eating may be a problem unless you come across other enslaved mortals like Karlach or make a long-term deal with someone to supply you with fodder in exchange for your own freedom.
Edit: "Spiritual entities" may refer to a being when it's outside of its home plane, perhaps, so therefore, you aren't killing them to extract psychic energy? If you're on the home plane, it may work. But that only applies to half of the creatures in the war, since demons and devils have different realms.
@@FantasyAddict95 Hey, if I can feast on devil and demon brains instead of humans, then its a win!
For real. Couldn’t Tav just go live in the under dark? Depending on your story choices, you’re a hero there and already know another mindflayer.
Minthara love you new form And I want to conquer the underdark with you. It's a pity that there is no ending where you join the Omeluum organization. He would definitely be happy to have a companion. Illithids are very social creatures and do not tolerate loneliness well. The emperor desperately wanted you as an Illithid companion.
Minthara is that one friend who is always down for whatever weird shit you have planned, as long as it will be chaotic. She will in fact, still love you as a worm 😂
Illithids have a problem with loneliness? Really? Is that canon? Cause it kinda goes agains the whole "illithids are heartless bastards who only care about themselves".
Lae'zel is the only one in the right here, sadly. Her knowledge of mind flayers shows her the ugly truth that the others simply aren't aware of. You aren't *you* anymore. You're an imitation. A tadpole grown into a copy of who you were.
Mind flayer Karlach is legitimately terrifying because of this. It's like you're talking to an empty shell that's trying to emulate her once fiery persona (and failing).
To be fair, I haven't played throught the route myself, so I can't be 100% sure this is accurate... but I've heard from others that if you side with Orpheus, you don't become a TRUE Illithid. He stops the tadpole from taking over completely, so that you remain yourself.
Assuming this is true, I really wish people like you would stop spreading misinformation.
It's worth noting that, whether superstition or a genuine concern, there are mindflayers who retain aspects of their host that they have to hide from their kin, lest they be mistaken for something they call the Adversary, a mindflayer whose host brain remains in complete control and choses to defy their elderbrain. Seeing as you still have full control of your character after becoming illithid, I think that's the intention here.
@@HypersaiyanikeAdversary’s are still evil creatures. They’re still usually schemers and villains.
And that's why you can't trust the Emperor
@@emmuzboosh well if you were cut off from functional immortality and had your obligate diet switched to humanoid brains you probably aren't gonna do to hot on moral scales either.
*Casts disguise self on main player*
Wow problem solved
I know right, even Us can do it and they're just a knowledge eater.
Your Laezel romance ending was super different from mine, I flew off with her and Orpheus on the dragons and she didn’t dump me. Maybe because I was a Githyanki beforehand?
yeah that's why it was different
Can confirm.
Yeah, think being a Gith at the start is enough for Lae’zel to stomach a Mindflayer
@@Frankly_Amazing2000WOOOWWWWWW DAAAAAMMMMNNN
I got this ending too and I was a human!
Everyone:either a hesitant no or yes
Wyll:so, i have this cool shed i'll hide you in
Gale:that's what i've been waiting for, this is what it is all about
Tentacles hentai here I come lol
Fucking love Gale, restoring faith in humanity with every cutscene
If only we didn't need him to, because the others acted decent too. -_-
He's no mere mortals he gaze in the face of a god and said imma fk it and didn't went insane
This video confirms once again how much I love Astarion’s story and how much Gale is my type. Astarion is such an interesting character, but I’m way to insecure to fall in love with someone like him. I need someone like Gale who’d love me even if I was a worm.
Mind flayer Karlach is so sad oh my God. The thing she said about feeling less "changeable" is exactly what she said after Dammon fixes her engine the second time. It really is just an imitation of her
I mean maybe, or it could just be that she's stabilized. It's hardly the only time a character uses the same word or phrasing more than once in the game. Astarion for instance will tell you "this is a gift, you know. I won't forget it." both in response to you letting him feed on you, and in response to you preventing him from ascending. You wouldn't say he's an imitation in act 3 just because he repeats himself, it's a common thing that most people do.
@@bearhugzfam649except with Mind flayers that’s quite literally the case though. It’s just the tadpole copy and pasting the former persons entire life (with an added need to eat brains)
@@abe336 perhaps, but I mean, play Soma, read some Aasimov, watch Black Mirror, or even just *think* about it. If you copy/paste a person do they cease to be that person?
And that's still a separate thing from the whole "but it's using the same phrase" argument. They use repetition quite often in this game.
My thing is that the way she’s speaking just doesn’t sound like Karlach it just sounds way to formal and refined and while I think she’s pretty smart she not the most eloquent person it just feels off to me.
@@bearhugzfam649well i wonder if that infernal engine disappeared or does she still wanna go back to avernus as smoke a cigar
Astarion never knew how to say no, it's a nice character development that he actually rejects you and in the most gentle way possible
Don't think it's a complete rejection. It makes sense that he needs time to think it over now that you look completely different. He is open to love in the future after all.
For anyone interested in a bit of lore they might've missed, there is a Mind Flayer who's looking for non-violent means to eat. Mind Flayers exist off of brains of higher creatures, they can eat animal brains (it must be ALIVE to hold nutrients) but it leads to malnutrition and even sickness in some cases, hence why they eat humans. But, should that Mind Flayer live till the end of the game, there's hope that the player (or Karlach) can one day become essentially a vegan illithid.
So while it's not out and out good, there's a glimmer of hope in these endings.
Also, the sex gets more complicated. :P They have no genitals, but they can tamper with minds which allows them to engage in sexual pleasure.
Hmm makes sense for Gale then as he already did that whole souls banging in the night sky thing, so I guess mind-sex is good for him too then 🤔
Don't know about genitals.
But the general solution is just be an adventurer and eat bad guy brains.
@@RubysWrath Karlach also has a good solution which she mentions at Withers party if you ask her about how she feeds (if she turned illithid).
Spoilers below:
She says that she works with a local healer who if they have someone who is beyond any form of healing, then after that person has said their goodbyes, and if that person is willing, then Karlach feeds on their brain, and in doing so she gains their memories and Karlach says it allows her to carry their knowledge on, so she doesn’t feel bad about it (as they all consent to it).
@@elenalizabeth
Thank you
@@RubysWrath yes but they have tentacles, so some hentai is in order
Ironic of Wyll to be like "Nah" when he literally felt like an ugly shit when Mizora changed him into a devil. Boy be hypocrite XD
Well Mizora changed his appearance, that’s it. Tav got a race upgrade (power wise)
Wyll himself still likes Tav, his concern is the same reason he was upset at his devil transformation: he knows the rest of the outside world is going to be after Squid Tav with torches and pitchforks if they're ever spotted within 20 miles of civilization. His ability to personally deal with the tentacles isn't really the issue.
And Wyll is a devil - people don't want those walking aroung either - so it's 2 of them who will not be welcomed. @@burglarcat5406
Becoming the Duke of Baldur's Gate is considered his '''''evil'''' ending. The narrative frames it like he sacrificed his father to rule the city himself. Makes sense for him to be a hypocrite in this ending.
@@Louves192he can absolutely decide to become the duke and save his father, who is happy that wyll made this decision
Shadowheart is the absolute best. She doesn't care for appearance. She loves the MC with all her heart. As for Karlach, that depends on the MC. She may be a monster, but loving her is worth it. Those two women are worth staying with.
I dunno about appearance's. A Mindflayer is literally not you. Withers himself says that Mindflayers DO NOT have souls, and it is said that an illithid parasite eats the body and soul of the host both. It's actually pretty sad. Shadowheart and Karlach just don't know any better. Lae'zel does and knows for a fact that person she loved is gone.
Cries in Astarion 😭
@@VincentxValentinex Withers later says he recognizes Karlach is still herself if she turns into a Mind Flayer, so seemingly Orpheus was able to keep the soul intact. I haven't tested it myself but it's likely the same if you are the one to transform
It's got some simple connotations Shadowheart Karlach and Gale got that true romantic in them.
@@Da_V1nkyAlso if you play as Gale and meet Mystra as an Illithid, she still addresses you as Gale and acknowledges that your soul is gone.
There is actually a way to continue your romance with Lae'zel as a mind flayer. If your Tav is a Gith and you sided with Orpheus and sacrificed yourself by turning into a Mind Flayer, you can join Orpheus and Lae'zel as they fly off on dragon back to the Astral Plane.
There are two possibilities one might consider.
#1: All that talk about mind flayers not having souls was a load of crap. You survived the transition and are still, inwardly, yourself.
#2: Your former self died and its soul went into the afterlife, but the tadpole can't tell the difference. As far as it is concerned, the tadpole died and it is the Hero of Baldur's Gate.
There was an episode of The Golden Girls once where Rose was being conned, but the conman backed down and took nothing from her, after which Dorothy was conflicted over the fact that they never told her the truth. To which Sofia said "If it gives her comfort, and no harm was done, let her have that."
Is the tadpole now living a lie? If so, let him have that. Especially if those memories -- those convictions -- continue to guide him to do what is right.
Its unfortunately not crap, as Withers himself says this at the end scene. Iliithids have no souls and these are just imitations of the people they were before. I agree that if everyone is happy (maybe not the soul in the afterlife but who knows) then there isn't much harm done.
@@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH *Spoilers*
Wither's is Jergal by the way, the former God of death, so he would know who has a soul and who doesn't. You can find a book in act 3 in one of the crypts in the graveyard where some one describes meeting Jergal and the first thing Jergal says is "What is the worth of a single mortal life?" the exact same thing Withers first asks you.
@@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I mean, counterpoint. Lemure's have souls and they maintain practically nothing of the people they once were in life. If you can maintain the same soul, but still manage to wipe away the essence of a person completely from it that kind of implies that the persistence of a soul doesn't mean shit in terms of the persistence of the self.
It's at best, a canvas on which the self is painted and at worst, something the gods want mortals to think is important because they derive power from them.
Both Withers and Mystra confirm that the soul is gone, and unfortunately it is not in the afterlife, it is devoured by the tadpole (Per lore). Which is what makes Mindflayer Karlach so heartbreaking to me. She fought so hard for her freedom of both body and soul, so hard she was willing to let her body burn to keep her soul free. It's not Karlach anymore. It's Karlach's memories and the tadpole's survival instinct to continue mimicking its host. And while when Astarion asks if it's still you and you **can** say yes, there's a very good reason why one of the options is to admit that the person you were before is gone. You'll note that if you choose that option, there isn't a deception check. Larian gives you the choice to believe that you're still you, but they also make it clear that you're really not anymore. The "you" that you can reassure the companions is still there is referring entirely to the player, some fourth wall breakage, of which there is quite a bit in the game. It's beautiful and tragic.
@RRAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH if you go the slew slide route withers/jergal finds you in the after life or void and says even though you're a mind flayer he finds you confirming the anomaly of certain mind flayers having souls
"Daddy Halsin they call me."
Yeah they do.
Gales is legit about to order brains À la carte for his lover 😂😂😂
Gale, the real lover. The first i had romance with and i miss him so dearly.
I feel bad for unintentionally hurting Gale's feelings when I dated Karlach on my character due to a bug that made him think we were dating after he turned me down. But his response is absolutely the sweetest
weirdly enough I had it the other way around! i could reject karlach over and over for some reason. i just ignored it and it went away
Gale is the best romance option after seeing this. Astarion is def 2nd tho
One of the most polite breakups ever ❤ He's too sweet
Of course, this is Spawn Astarion, hes all soft and loving
@@5Demona5 Absolutely! Because I made this ending with ascended Astarion and finished the game totally depressed with the things he told me 🥲
@@ibadwoman yeah I feel like it's easy to ascend Astarion for good reasons then by the end of the game you hate yourself xD I almost went that route myself and I stopped too late and had to kill him lmao. Suffice to say I was thankful for my lifetime long habit of quicksaving every 20 seconds because fuck that.
Yeah, and even if Gale isn't romanced, at the party he'll invite you over and tell you his students will be open-minded about you and he even has a guy who works with bodies who will give him brains.
Its true sadness, i respect the Glorious Gale of Waterdeep and its because every my play throughout i choose stay as Tav, fuck the githyanki and Orpheus
shadowheart is the best mindflayer romance option imo. sharran cultists just be showing up to your door like you ordered doordash
Thank you for this! I’ve been wondering who will love us if we turned into a worm lol
gale is truly the only one who doesn't put you down for what you are and seems to love you still wholly as yourself. His ending is virtually the same
Karlach’s voice actor absolutely nailed that. It is so so unsettling to listen to and its perfect for that
At least Halsin is trying to provide safety for refugees. I feel he’s at least going to accept the PC and live happily when it’s over
Brief hesitation aside, Halsin is having you join him right from the start. And he can get squiddy with me in other ways. 10/10 best boi
Plus couldn’t you just use a disguise item to change your appearance to being humanoid, at least until they (the refugees) get used to the idea of you being all squiddy
So did everyone collectively forget that the Emperor and even Us could use a glamour to look "normal" or....?
Shadowheart's focus being on herself makes sense, she's always been a very pragmatic lover, even if you break up with her she's very chill and "okay let's think it through." She's used to being alone and she's realistic about the idea of being alone again, even though she loves you and wants to stay with you. She's okay with working with you on living a life together, but she's realistic about the limitations you'll likely face. She wants a happy ending, but she knows life doesn't work that way. They did a good job showing that with her, even if it is kind of unsatisfying in other ways.
Lae'zel's just like "lol no" xD okay makes sense. I still don't like her.
Daddy Halsin just being worried about you is freaking adorable. I love how he's willing to change his mind so quickly and easily in the face of new evidence and experiences, it takes a lot for most people to admit they're wrong. Worth noting he leaves for a higher purpose even if you're not a mindflayer, so him not wanting to live out the rest of his life tied to your wrist makes sense regardless, that part is word for word the same. I love how down he is for you to come with him, so you guys can build a community together where you will be accepted. A little idealistic maybe but eh, makes sense.
Astarion I adore especially with full context, he'll caution you against turning into a mindflayer and claim it's a superficial choice, but also express fear that it'll change who you are. Romance aside you mean more to him than any of the other companions, they all have lives to get back to and communities, he only has you, and the thought that he's lost you or that you've changed beyond recognition (physically or metaphorically) freaks him out. But also considering how much his arc is about figuring out who he is and what he wants and where he draws his lines and boundaries, especially around intimacy, I feel like him being all "you're precious to me and I don't want to lose you but I need to figure out how I feel about this before I make a choice either way" is really fitting.
Wyll... eh. I haven't romanced him so I can't really speak to him but he feels very much like the Not Until Marriage fairytale prince and this feels very much like "you can't give me the fairytale ending so bye Felicia." It's so rehearsed and insincere sounding... and that's coming from an Astarion fan, lol. He's fine with you being some secret lover tucked off to the side but you just know between his visits he's going to marry someone nice and normal he can dance with at the functions, and eventually his visits will become less and less as he moves on to something more picture perfect.
I fucking love Gale xD I've not romanced him either (he's next on my list lol) but I love how he's all like "waking up next to you is so weird... oh, you thought I meant 'cause you're a mindflayers? Lol no I mean 'cause we're not about to die. Anywho, let's get married!" He accepts you so wholeheartedly it doesn't even occur to him to discuss how things are going to go, he just accepts it and moves on with proposing. I guess after you've bonked a goddess though there's not much that'll shock you lol.
I love that one of the options with Gale is basically “sure I’ll marry you but bio kids would be weird to make so we have to adopt” 😂
(I mean can illithids even make babies with other species, I know in the D&D world humans will basically boink anything, hence all the half-species, but not sure illithids have reproductive capabilities?)
I am quite suprised that Gale is so much into tentacles, but it's certainly not a bad suprise! I wonder if his mother considers this a better or worse romantic interest than his last one lol.
The thing about Astarion is that he is not grossed out by Tav being a Mindflayer, they are actually the one and only person he wants to be with. He was only comfortable with their affection and intimacy, but now their body and mind is completely changed and unfamiliar. Because of the whole arc he went through he NEEDS time to get used to the new Tav. He wants to stay with Tav no matter what, if not as lovers, then as lifelong friends. It's a bond stronger than just love and I think that's super cute. He and Gale are my favourites here.
@@Louves192 Gales mother: “well at least this one can give me grandkids, even if they are adopted” 😂
Astarion's heartfelt thank you just gets me right in the feels!!! 😭😭😭
Gale gets a lot of flak from the community, but he's the only one who'd still love us if we were a worm.
Bro... the love Gale can hold for pc is love in its most noble and purest form... WHAT THE F*CK was Mystra THINKING!? Getting rid of someone like that, even if he did make a mistake that could've wiped out the Sword Coast... she better not b*tch about not being able to find a good man, I swear!
damn, my appreciation for Gale rised up pretty high after that, he is the first i belive him if he says i don't see races
Lae'zel and my mindflayer Tav flew away together on the red dragon. It was a beautiful and sweet moment. In the epilogue, it's revealed that we continue our adventures together, and Lae'zel still loves Tav regardless of her form. My Tav was a half-elf btw
Lae'zel's smile at the end there, though.
Gale was the reason didn’t do it. That man has been through so much and is so kind hearted, he deserves a healthy ending. In my play through Karlach became a Mindflayer, that way she doesn’t have to die and doesn’t have to go to Avernus.
Good for Gale, he got to marry a cute elf lady. ❤ ;)
I adore how Gale’s scene just does not change. I wanted to see the exclusive mindflayer dialogue for that scene tho
I think a cool ending for the mindflayer ending is to go to icewind dale, they'll accept anyone there in time
Mindayer karlach is a shell my god wtf
for all the people saying illithid-Karlach is am empty shell of who she was, it provides an interesting mirror, to what Tav's lovers might/will see. surely, they're also thinking the same when they speak to illithid-Tav. it makes their hesitation seem far more natural. while many are already freaking out about Karlach.
You can absolutely become a mindflayer and keep your romance with Laezel. I had that on my play through. She commenta about needing time to adjust to the tentacles and face, but insists she wants to face her 'black and red' future with you by her side.
Is there no ending with a Karlach romance in which the player is a mindflayer and Karlach isn't?
SPOILER
No, Karlac either dies from overheating her infernal engine, goes to Avernus with Wyll (and possibly You) or becomes a mindflayer
I mean yes. If Orpheus becomes a mindflayer you can go with her to the Hells, with Wyll in tow if he decides to stay an adventurer. You begin a new dangerous adventure together.
wait she cant have Male Mindflayer at Avernus? comeon....
@@TazKidNoah He (Mindflayer) would starve to death, for reasons(dont ask why) some races brains dont work for the mindflayers, plus he dosent have a soul something that is a problem in Avernus.
@@MilliardoVD
I new too all of this; this game reminds me of dragon age; it's great
"Covered in clocks" FFS larian disguise self is a low level spell not to mention mind flayers powers, this was ridiculous.
God mindflayer Karlach freaks me out, that’s just not her anymore 😢
Yeah it is. It's just character development.
I didn't see a difference
They must have changed Lae'zel's decision in a patch as she invited me onto her Dragon and we flew off together and I was a durge mindflayer
Man, Wyll's outcome to this sounds so sad
Couldn't we use disguise self artifacts? i mean, i have the mask of the shape shifter so maybe something more accessible to the current condition would work?
"would you still love me is I was a worm?" Type situation
world with disguise self and magic... they think it has to hide away haha
3:15 Astarion: Take me with you!
Missing is Mintara with her sarcasm: "I thought your brain had evolved, not degraded."
btw, mind flayers HAVE SOULS, just not regular ones.
when you become a mind flayer(the type that retains it's memories), your soul becomes "non-apostolic", meaning that your soul doesn't interact with the gods anymore, and they can't feed off of it.
(only the gods from the far realms, where the mind flayers are from, can sense non-apostolic souls)
this is literally said by withers.
and another thing that supports this is the fact that there are lich Mind Flayers, and to become a lich, you need to have a soul.
Alhoons, if anyone is wondering what they're called.
@@FantasyAddict95Alhoons and Illithiliches aren't quite the same. An alhoon's immortality is much more fragile, it lasts for the lifetime of the person whose soul was used in the ritual to become one. After that the alhoon ceases to exist. They can keep living so long as they have a steady supply of souls to replenish themselves, but if they ever run out, they're gone. An illithilich's immortality is more stable. Like other liches, an illithilich that doesn't consume enough souls turns into a demilich. They're still there, just in a reduced form.
Does this mean that a person from Earth would have a non-apostolic soul too?
16:52 "On one condition: we adopt any children" Now that is an amazingly fun concept. Imagine how those children would view the world.
How does the leper excuse even fly when like.. restoration exists.
No money for that :) Clerics need to eat too.
or Disguise Self?
If you get turned into a Mindflayer Greater Restoration will not fix you in 5e. You need True Resurrection, a 9th level spell, because your body is gone and you're dead.
I find that enemy mind flayers look a lot cooler that player ones. It's kinda upsetting.
Its, presumably, because our tadpole gets tampered with so much it no longer functions like a normal tadpole
Tell me about it.
Well maybe it's cause you're a newborn. After all, the tentacles are much shorter.
Yes there are scenes where we see newborn mind flayers and they look normal, but I just put that down to plot holes.
Maybe I shouldn’t have pissed gale off….. he’s so nice
Gale is just such a treasure of a man I can't
Love how Gale’s is straight up his same good ending dialog, this men loves SO HARD
You did spawn Astarion but missed out ascended Astarion who was much more..... Interesting, shouting get out of my city to tav mind flayer 😳
Shame you can't eat his brain as a final choice :(
@@Louves192 agred 😎
@@Louves192 actually spotted on the most hilarious video where illithid tav consumes ascended astarion's brain and everyone in the camp helps to kill him xx
And this why Gale is best boy 🤣
You really see everyone's true colours here 😂 which proves shadowheart is the goat and the gale is one wholesome dude
"The catering alone will have to be.. extraordinary"🤣
Can we not just use the disguise person spell?
minthara has an ending too
I'll be honest, if my significant other turned into a (by nature) manipulative soulless brain eating psychic squid, I would break up with them too. In fact, Astarion was too nice, I would walk out and get as far away from them as I can
Did someone play as Gith Main and romanced Lae'zel? I did and become Illithid and its complete different then. You can leave with them to fight Vlaakith and Lae'zel did not push you away (I didnt try to stay in Faerun though but had the choice)
Idk if this was added in later but I just finished another playthrough today where I romanced Lae'zel, became Ilithid, and let her choose her own path. She wanted me to come with her and still loves me.
No mintara actually.
She's into it; "Minthara Baenre and her Mindflayer consort, leading an army of thralls on Mezoberranzan!"
Man I hate the Karlach one. All of her bubbly personality is just gone.
Yes, I am racist towards mind flayers.
Perhabs he could go to Omeluus the Mindflayer from the underdark
After watching many of these videos, I conclude that in this game the male couples are better written (or at least more pleasantly written) than the female ones. 😢
wow, i’m surprised by gale. my romance is astarion but maybe i should reconsider. literally the ONLY companion who really stays by your side. others leaving or exiling you or… well, that’s obvious that they make their best not to hurt you, but it’s so pathetic that i wouldn’t even resisted on giving the chance to the relationship and would've left. and the words of halsin and wyll that other people should embrace tav, that's a shame that they're such ignorant and bla-bla-bla sound hypocritical to me because it’s obvious that even them who knew tav from the begging are ashamed and frightened of her. and i can’t say i blame any of them or mad at them. on the contrary, their reaction seems just natural - and it’s the most striking thing. you just can’t do anything about it. for that reason it’s the worst ending, i should admit. for the first time i thought it is pity that no one sees a person in a transformed illithid, but maybe it’s really how it is. maybe tav really is gone. maybe the price is to abandon your humanity for the sake of defeat of the greatest evil. at least this is more comforting than realising that tav’s remained a person but never ever would be recognised as one. this is why i killed tav in this ending
I agree that those who want to hide away Tav are hypocrites who are just thinly hiding their bigotry. But why do you conclude from this that Tav isn't a person anymore?
“Would you still love me if I was a squid 🦑 “
Just wear a shirt that says, *"I AM THE HERO OF BALDUR'S GATE."* Problem solved!
That's so weird, I romanced Lae'zel and became a mindflayer, and was still able to ride off with her and orpheus to help fight vlakith. In the camp scene at the end she even kissed me on my slimy face! I was flabbergasted lol
Lae'zel's reaction is the only reasonable one, I'm sorry
A mind flayer is not who the person used to be, a soulless husk, the grown parasite with the person's memories, it would be like dating a robot with the memories of your loved one, it's not "them"
Normally yes, but Orpheus intentionally doesn't let the ceremorphosis finish properly, so you stay you. Without the ceremorphosis completing your are as in Wyll's ending stated, "a person trapped in a monsters skin". So still yourself.
@@MrLuschimann Then Orpheus leaves and such, meaning you likely aren't under his protection anymore, and even so, you're still incredibly changed, just look at what happens to Karlach when she becomes a mind flayer, she's like a totally different person
Which is why when the Emperor offered me a worm I squashed that shit. No maam 😅
@@JustSomeGith If you are Gith you can leave with them and if you romanced Lae she will stay with you.
Plenty of transhumanists would disagree that a robot with the imprint of a person isn't really that person.
One thing about shadowheart is she will Always be down bad
That’s my girl!
God you can hear wylls sadness in his voice as he keeps lying to himself and the squid he once loved. Meanwhile Gale has nothing but carebears and rainbows and wedding bells in that buttery smooth brain of his. Astarion is so fucking honest, i need to take notes. It is probably the best way to break up a long term, intensive relationship.
I think this is more of. Would you love me if I was an alien who ate brains👾 but I still see who wouldn’t just like you said
I don't see many people talking about Wyll & Astarion but they're my favorite reactions of this
Which reminds me of my lawful good origin Astarion open-hand monk x Wyll oath of the ancients paladin run...
When starting i hated Gale, but he proofed to be the best and most sweet character and partner in the game. YOU CANT TELL ME IM WRONG
Gale would love you if you were a worm.
Gale or nothin cause what do u mean the only one to proudly stand by me as a squid is him???
Also why it'll always be Orpheus that makes the sacrifice in my game lol
everytime wyll talks i start sobbing💀 WHATS WRONG WITH ME
Gale and Minthara are the true ride or dies. They dont gaf about what you look like