‘Confront the Elder Brain’ is a pivotal quest in Baldur’s Gate 3, branching into numerous sub-quests. This mission culminates in a decisive confrontation with the Elder Brain itself. Vanquishing the Elder Brain is vital to toppling the Illithid Empire and ending the Death Gods’ reign of terror. The quest’s successful completion lifts the Elder Brain’s curse, concluding Baldur’s Gate 3.
The quest ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ initiates at the Elder Gate and the Wyrm Rock Fortress. Your initial objective is to rendezvous with Gortash.
BG3 ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ Guide
In Baldur’s Gate 3, completing the ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ mission calls for accomplishing several objectives. Here are detailed steps for the quest:
Secure Gortash’s Netherstone
The initial objective in ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ requires obtaining Gortash’s Netherstone. The unique route to securing this Netherstone involves overcoming Gortash himself. Post-defeat, you can loot his body to find this and other items.
Locate and Defeat Gortash
Head to the Wyrm’s Rock Fortress in Baldur’s Gate 3 to find Gortash. Overcoming Gortash isn’t daunting; just ensure you evade the bombs it throws at you and your party members.
Upon defeating Gortash, procure Gortash’s Netherstone from the loot. Secure it, then proceed to the next step of the ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ quest in BG3.
Acquire Orin’s Atherstone
Upon acquiring Gortash’s Netherstone, they set out to find Orin’s Netherstone. The simplest way is to confront and defeat Orin at your camp in the Temple of Bhaal.
However, the temple doors are sealed. To gain entry, seek the Amulet of Bhaal. Once inside the temple, initiate a quick battle by completing the DC20 Persuasion Check.
The battle against Orin isn’t arduous if you adhere to each step. Only be cautious of the bleed status that Orin inflicts via his spell, which can be easily mitigated using the ‘Healing Word’ spell.
Liberate Orin’s Prisoner
Once Orin is defeated, seize the chance to free Orin’s captive. Naturally, this choice opens up only after you’ve bested Orin in BG3. Release the prisoner by interacting with him and continuing the dialogue.
Accomplish the ‘Free Orpheus’ Sub-quest
Now possessing both Nether Stones, you can unite them with Katheric’s Nether Stone and bring them to the Nether Brain. The outcome hinges upon the dialogue options you choose here. Confronting the Elder Brain without the Nether Stone yields a negative conclusion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The ‘Free Orpheus’ quest concludes regardless of the chosen dialogue, yet the outcomes vary. Here are all the dialogue alternatives:
- “Hand over all three Netherstones to the Emperor.”
- “Allow Karlash to transform into a Mind Flayer.”
- “Retain the Netherstone and morph into the Mind Flayer.”
- “Either persuade or battle Lae’zel.”
Sadly, Orpheus can’t be rescued using the Nether Stones. If recovering Orpheus without the Nether Stone is unattainable, you should have Orpheus’ Hammer handy. With ‘Free Orpheus’ now complete, proceed to the succeeding goal, ‘Confront the Elder Brain.’
Summon Your Allies
Upon completing ‘Free Orpheus,’ you unlock the Summon Allies skill. This ability lets you call forth as many allies as required during combat. You can summon them once in a battle, and they won’t resurface post-defeat.
Summonable Ally List
The following is a list of allies you can summon using the ‘Call Forth Allies.’ The majority have been unlocked during Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3, so opening them will not be elaborated here.
- Volo the Bard
- Battle-ready Owlbear and Dammon
- Barcus Wroot and Wulbren
- Halsin
- Florrick
- Isobel
- Nightsong
- Mizoram
- Bharal’s Hunter
- Ulma and the Gur
- Vampire Ascendant Astarion
- Inspector Valeria
- Jaheira’s Harpers
- Duke Ravengard
- Jurgir
- Lorroakan
- Viconia DeVir
- Shadowheart
- Orpheus
Eradicate the Elder Brain
Upon completing ‘Gather Your Allies’ in Baldur’s Gate 3, embark on another sub-quest within ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ called ‘Destroy the Elder Brain,’ which involves defeating it.
In BG3, after defeating the Elder Brain, you can either control or eradicate it. The ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ quest concludes when you take your pick.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Good Ending
With the successful completion of the ‘Confront the Elder Brain’ quest in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Elder Brain’s curse will be lifted from the city. Following this, normalcy ensues, and those once controlled by the Elder Brain regain consciousness. Upon returning to the town, the citizenry expressed gratitude for destroying the Elder Brain. After the cutscene, Baldur’s Gate 3 reaches its end.
