Baldur’s Gate 3 players still convinced betraying The Emperor is a good idea

Despite his helpful actions, the Emperor is a divisive figure among some Baldur’s Gate 3 players, which is why over a million people have no problem stabbing him in the back when it suits them.

Mind Flayers are major villains in Baldur’s Gate 3, including the tadpole in your brain that’s trying to turn you into one. It’s no surprise, then, that players are reluctant to accept the aid of one, even if they initially show up in a pleasing form.

The Emperor is responsible for protecting you from the tadpole’s influence throughout the game while maneuvering the party against the Netherbrain, in an effort to save the city of Baldur’s Gate and possibly the entirety of the Forgotten Realms.

You don’t have to side with the Emperor, as there are other options available. In fact, Larian Studios revealed that 1.8 million players chose to betray the Emperor when they had the chance. A thread on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit was filled with supporters for pulling a Judas on the squid guy.

“He betrayed me by not being the hot guardian I spent like 40 minutes designing!” one player wrote, while another said, “You can’t betray someone who’s constantly lying and manipulating you. You can only free yourself from them.”

“It wasn’t really a betrayal,” one user explained, “It was simply that he forced me into an arbitrary ultimatum where I had no other choice. Orpheus is simply far too big of a factor in the Gith and potentially Illithid liberation that I simply could not allow him to die.

“I’m sure Orpheus could have been persuaded to spare the Emperor if he simply allowed me to try, but he decided on his own accord to join the Netherbrain.”

Not everyone is down for stabbing the Emperor in the back, especially the more forgiving players. “I’m an Emperor stan, he did nothing wrong…well maybe a few things wrong, but mostly he did nothing wrong!”

A big issue fans have is that the Emperor forces you to choose between him and freeing Orpheus, with no middle ground between the two. Those who love the Gith might have to betray the Emperor out of necessity because he gives you no other choice.

Hopefully, an upcoming patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 will have an ending that redeems the Emperor. This will give players the option to form an uneasy alliance with him and Orpheus to destroy the Netherbrain. That way, people won’t have to betray him anymore.