InBaldur’s Gate 3, you’re free to become whoever you want to be. From choosing your class, race, and background to follower selection and individual choices, you shape your adventure how you see fit — assuming the unforgiving dice supports your decisions, of course. You can’t always argue with the sheer might of the Holy Random.
But if you’re stuck in your Lawful Good ways on every playthrough, you’re missing out on a ton of content. There are artifacts, characters, cutscenes, secrets, and even entire mechanics you will never see unless you embrace the Dark Side, and it’s not an exaggeration: you don’t know Baldur’s Gate 3 unless you’ve done an evil playthrough.
8Overpowered Character Buffs
Do You Want To Beat Honour Mode Or Not?
There are numerous ways to permanently boost your stats in Baldur’s Gate 3, and some of them harder to acquire than others. Some buffs are locked behind the clearly evil choices, making them unavailable in your average Lawful Good Paladin playthrough. Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty to get the good stuff.
For instance, if you spare Auntie Ethel, she’ll give you a permanent +1 boost to an Ability Score of your choice. If successfully studied, theNecromancy of Thaywill provide you withSpeak with Deadand Forbidden Knowledge in Act One and even more significant abilities in Act Three. Good Tavs miss out on these great buffs.
7Daddy Bhaal’s Gifts
Dark Urge Gets To Play With The Best Toys
The ultimate evil you may go for in Baldur’s Gate 3 is choosing the Dark Urge Origin and embracing your Bhaalspawn potential. While the redemption arc for this Origin is undeniably satisfying, Daddy Bhaal doesn’t bestow gifts upon you unless you’re a truly murderous creature who indulges in taking good people’s lives left and right.
After you seal Alfira or Quil’s fate, the God of Murder gives you the Deathstalker Mantle that makes you invisible after every kill in combat. Later, should you murder Izobel or your Tav’s significant other as Bhaal demands, he will reward you with the overpowered Slayer form. Good and kind little Dark Urges don’t get toys like these.
6Unhinged Dark Followers
Four-Man Edgy Goth Party Is The Way
In Baldur’s Gate 3, companions feel like real people. Most of them have been through severe trauma, so you typically just want to console them and help them return to the light… But if you, the Kind Soul, do that every time, you miss out on their alter egos: the dark and impulsive versions of themselves that exist down there.
Shadowheart is sweeter and happier after she defies Shar and turns to Selune, but if she becomes a Dark Justiciar, she morphs into the ultimate goth girl, ruthless and edgy. Astarion might eventually become content as a new folk hero, buthe can also get the powers of a Vampire Ascendant— and help you tremendously in your battles. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
5Unique New Companions
The Camp Needs More Evil Faces Around
On the topic of companions, seeing the same faces around on every playthrough might get boring quickly. Good Tavs limit themselves when it comes to their company and, while sure, Karlach is sweet and all, haven’t you already grown tired of her banter with Gale? If you stick with the good guys, you’ll never switch that up.
To get Minthara, you need to be positively evil — or at least morally ambiguous - if you want to recruit her in Act Two after siding with the Grove. The Oathbreaker only joins naughty Paladins who don’t follow through with their long-forgotten principles, and Sceleritas Fel is exclusive to Dark Urge. You can’t get them if you’re a nice person.
4Main Character Lore
You Didn’t Just Spawn Into The World, Did You?
Roleplaying aside, your average Tav doesn’t have a personality because they don’t have a past. It feels like you just spontaneously spawn on the Illithid ship at the start of the game (partially, because that’s exactly what happens), as clueless about yourself as Dark Urge but without any in-game justification. That just won’t do.
To have a proper backstory for your PC, you need to go withthe Dark Urge Origin. It influences the plot and the choices available to you greatly, and yes, it’s pretty vile, to say the least. Even a Tav who wants to establish their lore in other ways than simply be “the savior of Baldur’s Gate” can only become an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal.
3Alternative Cutscenes
You Haven’t Seen So Many Of Them!
For all the countless choices available to you in Baldur’s Gate 3, most players have some things they don’t ever change. If you’re a goody-two-shoes on every playthrough, there’s a high chance that you haven’t seen dozens upon dozens of cutscenes that appear as a result of much more morally questionable choices.
Do you know what goes down if you side with True Soul Nere in the Underdark? Do you have any idea how far Gnomes can fly after getting a proper speed boost from a windmill? How about Gale’s rather inappropriate rant when his hand is being detached from his body? There are many scenes you can only see if you’re truly evil.
2A Whole Lot Of Loot
Thieves And Marauders Laugh At Your Net Worth
Bad guys do drop decent loot at times, and occasionally, you may even afford to buy some new garments with the quest reward your good-natured NPC friends gave you. But you’ll never thrive in Baldur’s Gate 3 unless you’re willing to commit some heinous acts for it — or, at least, break the private property laws on a regular basis.
Countless riches are locked behind closed doors and in secure vaults, and some even hide in bystanders’ pockets. A good thief can make a fortune really quickly, and we’re not even talking about true war criminals. It’s much easier to loot an entire settlement if there’s no one left to protect all the good stuff. Right, Emerald Grove?
1Complete World Domination
When a good Tav finishes the main story, they are remembered with fondness by many people. There are bards singing ballads about their heroic deeds and all that. But when an evil Tav completes their mission, they are not just well-liked; they are universally adored, and every bard in the world sings exactly what they’re told to.
The final choice of Baldur’s Gate 3 is as straightforward as it gets: be a good man and save the people or become the new evil deity and wreak havoc on the Sword Coast. Sure, it’s nice being the savior and the hero, but have you ever tried complete world domination? By being so wholesome, you’re missing out on incredible power.
