sad about the ending.

[AvivLobel]

i spend 190 hours , i try to be impactable about my choices the best way i can.
after finish the game i found out that non of this matters at all.

there isnt any some kind of tapestry ending. all u get is "yay you're a hero and credit"
act 3 was definitely being rushed , the amount of broken quests , unable to speak with npcs. the performance compare to act 1 and 2 and the ending make me really sad ,

i was really ready to start an evil run just to see how thing change but now im not sure any more .

and the worst part is that act 3 was rushed in the favor of starfield.

my score is 8/10

[Pacino]

I really enjoyed the game and whilst I didn't feel act 3 was "rushed", I do agree that the ending was weak. There were a lot of choices that I made in the game that I was sure was going to affect my ending (for better and worse). One of those was inhaling every tadpole I found and talking my allies into doing the same. It feels like the ending kind of retconned it. There were also weirdly placed pauses where it felt like the game was just compiling random outcomes and patching it into an ending. It just came off as a bit clunky. I suppose the fun is in the journey but it did make me think of Mass Effect 3 and how that turned out.

[MASTERCHIEF]

Originally posted by Runic Tunic:

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

can you elaborate more. all I remember is if you don't choose him he gives up his freedom ( idk why, he feels betrayed or something) ( this option doesn't make total sense too) which is exactly opposite to self-preservation.

Like I said, a lot of this I saw in other threads so I can't provide exact quotes for all of it, but from what I remember the manipulation becomes more obvious when you go more hostile or aggressive during his interactions right before, during, and after he reveals what he really is. One such example is the emotions and attractions he tries to convey to you. Apparently that's all a front. The very design of the Gaurdian was a projection of the MC's interests to more easily manipulate you, so this checks out.

As for why he'd give up his freedom, what sounds better? Losing your free will (I'm assuming Emperor figured it would be temporary since he had broken free before) in order to stop a demi-god level sworn enemy from becoming free.... or being free, but losing your chance at god-hood and having to deal with Orpheus and all of Gith kind after that major boon of power?

You or I may not think this is necessarily the best, but I think it can be understandable why someone may choose temporary enslavement to stop what would likely be the second genocide (possible extinction) of their entire species if Orpheus ran free. Especially since Ilithid are already on the run to begin.

Again, I'm not saying it's written or conveyed well. The endings are a mess. But based on what people are sharing, that seems to be the intention based on some of the dialogue and outcomes.


EDIT: Sorry for the text wall. I tried shortening it a bit to help.

hmm, i will do a playthrough and decide then.

but I disagree on the second part though. The emperor was set free because the main boss wanted to free him and the emperor knows that he will never be free if the boss doesn't want it. (it is directly said at the end by the boss itself). the reasons he gives for being seen as the guardian sound logical.

the guardian becomes aggressive only when you try to kill ( i have not progressed further on this part so can't elaborate ) i will progress this path and check it out then.

thanks for shortening it. and giving a genuine reply.

[Runic Tunic]

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

Originally posted by Runic Tunic:

Like I said, a lot of this I saw in other threads so I can't provide exact quotes for all of it, but from what I remember the manipulation becomes more obvious when you go more hostile or aggressive during his interactions right before, during, and after he reveals what he really is. One such example is the emotions and attractions he tries to convey to you. Apparently that's all a front. The very design of the Gaurdian was a projection of the MC's interests to more easily manipulate you, so this checks out.

As for why he'd give up his freedom, what sounds better? Losing your free will (I'm assuming Emperor figured it would be temporary since he had broken free before) in order to stop a demi-god level sworn enemy from becoming free.... or being free, but losing your chance at god-hood and having to deal with Orpheus and all of Gith kind after that major boon of power?

You or I may not think this is necessarily the best, but I think it can be understandable why someone may choose temporary enslavement to stop what would likely be the second genocide (possible extinction) of their entire species if Orpheus ran free. Especially since Ilithid are already on the run to begin.

Again, I'm not saying it's written or conveyed well. The endings are a mess. But based on what people are sharing, that seems to be the intention based on some of the dialogue and outcomes.


EDIT: Sorry for the text wall. I tried shortening it a bit to help.

hmm, i will do a playthrough and decide then.

but I disagree on the second part though. The emperor was set free because the main boss wanted to free him and the emperor knows that he will never be free if the boss doesn't want it. (it is directly said at the end by the boss itself). the reasons he gives for being seen as the guardian sound logical.

the guardian becomes aggressive only when you try to kill ( i have not progressed further on this part so can't elaborate ) i will progress this path and check it out then.

thanks for shortening it. and giving a genuine reply.

You're right about that part but still, I'd imagine it still comes down to "I'm free but a major threat to my existence is now free, one I can probably not fight on my own" vs "I lose my free will but there's a better chance to stop the end of my species by joining forces with the Brain to stop Orpheus."

Either way, it seems to be a choice he had to make, and was willing to sacrifice his own free will to stop what he saw as a far bigger threat.

[ACS36]

That's what happen when early access starts to dry up and devs are worried the game peaked over a year ago. Ultimately, they released the game to get more revenue coming in. They are even surprised it performed this well.

[Harley♥Quinn]

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

Originally posted by CloudKira:

So Larian said its possible to even get married in this game. Can we marry one the girls then and does it get reflected in the ending/last dialogue?

wait seriously ?

ya you can get married to a certain companion if romanced them. not gonna spoil but it is not all the companions as far as I know.

[MASTERCHIEF]

Originally posted by Shadow♥:

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

wait seriously ?

ya you can get married to a certain companion if romanced them. not gonna spoil but it is not all the companions as far as I know.

can you please let me know? I have played the game 2.5 times already.

[Zanarkand]

Originally posted by wyndhambarnhill:

I have no idea what Zanarkand is talking about lol. I think we may have actually played different games.
Shadowheart's "ending": "Gee, I should have learned how to swim."
Yea, that totally fills me with a sense of fulfillment lol.
I think the biggest ♥♥♥♥ you was choosing to spare the world from my heavily implied degradation into a mindless monster was having spent nearly 200 hrs fulfilling everyone's sidequests, gaining their "unwavering" loyalty, to just have them T-pose like dumb extras in a commercial while I ritualistically commit suicide to spare them of having the inconvenience of looking at my deformity and maybe eating their brains in their sleep.

Not putting Spoilers, you're in a post about the end of the game.

Yeah you bugged your game or missed doing quests. Lae'zel spoke about me killing her new lord and how she has to run away from her god as she will always be hunted. Shadowheart spoke about her future before and after. Gale wanted to become a god and reforge the crown and a bunch of dialogue came up about his future. I told Karlach I would go to Avernas with her after some dialogue there were other options before and after. Spoke to Asterion he was craving even more power after becoming an ascended vampire from those thousand of souls I gave him. Wyll's power fades after completing his mission and retires to protecting the sword coast. The Emperor opened up a bunch of dialogue options for future plans some sinister some good. Minsc was super happy not having a tadpole in his brain now with some cheerful hamster sounds.

You get to see the city retaken and the citizens fight back with the netherbrain exploding into the sea with the dragon riders going back through the portals back home. And yeah Withers talking also. I prob missed some stuff cause there was a lot. But your response is very very watered down. I still need to do a Dark Urge play through and see a completely different ending I'm only 50/53 because of it for achievements.

It boggles my mind that a game can do so well and give you so many options but people still find a way to complain, just a brief look at the people that actually show what they've done show they missed a ton of things. It's always the ones with hidden profiles that voice their opinions negatively. But alas I will acknowledge your opinion .

War...war never changes....

[Maverick56]

Originally posted by Zanarkand:

What ? that isn't true at all, there are so many endings. And added Dialogue to the ending depending on the choices you made. Even before the end you get speeches from other characters. And heaps of chatting after everything. I have to do a Dark Urge play through now to finish the last 3 achievements 50/53 which results in another ending.

You expect every single NPC in the game in the city to have a quest? Be glad you can even interact with some outside of crowd NPC's. That is a ridiculous expectation.

Are we even playing the same game? Romances matter, your connection to the tadpoles matters, the list goes on. Act 3 isn't rushed at all, it is in fact longer than act 1 and 2. Performance and some bugged quests are the only issues. I had 2 bugged quests and 1 of them just got fixed.

Loved the ending and the talks after, makes me really wish I could just keep going with the options opened up for more story.

They did amazing with DOS1 and DOS2 it's why fans were so trusting of them to tackle BG3 and low and behold it's one of the best RPG games in history now. They improved their skills to tackle these sort of games and this is just another classic. Four patches already to address issues and nothing but clarity about development. Other devs need to look at Larian as a shining example of what games should be

Did you actually play DOS1 and DOS2 before the Definitive Edition? They were broken and messy, and guess what...lacked compelling endings.

I'm glad that you seem to be okay with BG3's endings, but frankly I think this is a case of having extremely low standards.

When you compare this to any other RPG of note, it completely phones in the ending.


1. The "Gather you Allies" is not an ending. It is a 3 seconds per ally "Hi we made it to support you" blerb checkbox to show that congrats you did something during the game.

2. No the dark Urge doesn't give you a unique ending, I don't understand why people keep saying that. It's the same ending as non-dark urge, you just happened to be flavored as a bhaalspawn.

3. "Flavor" is exactly the issue here. You are getting Flavor confused with Choice.

In a normal RPG you would be asked: "What dessert do you want?" and your choices would be the following:

1: Ice Cream
1a: Chocolate
1b: Vanilla
1c: Sherbert
2: Pie
2a: Pican
2b: Pumpkin
2c: Apple
3: Cake
3a: Chocolate
3b: Coconut
3c: Ice Cream

In BG3 when asked "What dessert do you want? you get the following

1: Chocolate or Vanilla? We only have Ice cream.

So no there really isn't any meaningful choice in the game.

For example, you have play Dark Urge, kill literally EVER NPC IN THE GAME, and you will still only have 2 possible endings.

"Control the Brain" or "Destroy the Brain"

The same 2 possible endings that the Paragon White Knight player gets...and the devilish rogue...and the cocky bard...it's all the same, nothing matters.

Romances don't matter, they aren't even referenced in the ending.

Your relation to the tadpole is pointless, unless you go full mind-flayer and even that doesn't change the ending, just the flavor...

Act 3 was hella rushed, and the drop in writing quality from Act 1 to Act 2 is clear as day to night....the reason the transition from Act 2 to Act 3 isn't as bad is because the lower quality started 5+ hours before...

Like: "Someone is going to control or destroy the brain, it can be Tav, Karlach, The Emperor or Orpheus, but it's getting controlled or destroyed."

That isn't 5 endings, thats 2 with 5 flavors.

And no, the companions do not have an impact because we aren't told how our interactions effected them after the credits roll. There is no "Where are they now?" section. There isn't even a slide with text...Literally just take the "Gathered Allies" and tell us what happened to them based off our choices...

Fallout did that over 20 years ago, there is NO REASON this game couldn't have chosen 20 of the most impactful quests and added on a quick "Here is how it all turned out" for them. It's LAZY and people like you are the reason they think they can continue to get away with it. They did in DSo2 and they will do it with their next game.

[Maverick56]

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

Originally posted by Shadow♥:

ya you can get married to a certain companion if romanced them. not gonna spoil but it is not all the companions as far as I know.

can you please let me know? I have played the game 2.5 times already.

It's only when you play AS Gale and Romance one of the other companions, and don't take the Crown to Mystra.

[Maverick56]

Originally posted by Zanarkand:

Originally posted by wyndhambarnhill:

I have no idea what Zanarkand is talking about lol. I think we may have actually played different games.
Shadowheart's "ending": "Gee, I should have learned how to swim."
Yea, that totally fills me with a sense of fulfillment lol.
I think the biggest ♥♥♥♥ you was choosing to spare the world from my heavily implied degradation into a mindless monster was having spent nearly 200 hrs fulfilling everyone's sidequests, gaining their "unwavering" loyalty, to just have them T-pose like dumb extras in a commercial while I ritualistically commit suicide to spare them of having the inconvenience of looking at my deformity and maybe eating their brains in their sleep.

Not putting Spoilers, you're in a post about the end of the game.

Yeah you bugged your game or missed doing quests. Lae'zel spoke about me killing her new lord and how she has to run away from her god as she will always be hunted. Shadowheart spoke about her future before and after. Gale wanted to become a god and reforge the crown and a bunch of dialogue came up about his future. I told Karlach I would go to Avernas with her after some dialogue there were other options before and after. Spoke to Asterion he was craving even more power after becoming an ascended vampire from those thousand of souls I gave him. Wyll's power fades after completing his mission and retires to protecting the sword coast. The Emperor opened up a bunch of dialogue options for future plans some sinister some good. Minsc was super happy not having a tadpole in his brain now with some cheerful hamster sounds.

You get to see the city retaken and the citizens fight back with the netherbrain exploding into the sea with the dragon riders going back through the portals back home. And yeah Withers talking also. I prob missed some stuff cause there was a lot. But your response is very very watered down. I still need to do a Dark Urge play through and see a completely different ending I'm only 50/53 because of it for achievements.

It boggles my mind that a game can do so well and give you so many options but people still find a way to complain, just a brief look at the people that actually show what they've done show they missed a ton of things. It's always the ones with hidden profiles that voice their opinions negatively. But alas I will acknowledge your opinion .

War...war never changes....

I love how you quote Fallout, a game that actually gives you a "Where they are now" slides of all your choices and impact on the future of the world...unlike they game you are defending.

Everything you mentioned happens is all companion based, and it is...shallow as hell. Again none of it impacts the ending.

This game literally has less ending options then Mass Effect 3, a game which was universally panned for it's crappy endings.

[McReesington]

Originally posted by Maverick56:

Originally posted by Zanarkand:

Not putting Spoilers, you're in a post about the end of the game.

Yeah you bugged your game or missed doing quests. Lae'zel spoke about me killing her new lord and how she has to run away from her god as she will always be hunted. Shadowheart spoke about her future before and after. Gale wanted to become a god and reforge the crown and a bunch of dialogue came up about his future. I told Karlach I would go to Avernas with her after some dialogue there were other options before and after. Spoke to Asterion he was craving even more power after becoming an ascended vampire from those thousand of souls I gave him. Wyll's power fades after completing his mission and retires to protecting the sword coast. The Emperor opened up a bunch of dialogue options for future plans some sinister some good. Minsc was super happy not having a tadpole in his brain now with some cheerful hamster sounds.

You get to see the city retaken and the citizens fight back with the netherbrain exploding into the sea with the dragon riders going back through the portals back home. And yeah Withers talking also. I prob missed some stuff cause there was a lot. But your response is very very watered down. I still need to do a Dark Urge play through and see a completely different ending I'm only 50/53 because of it for achievements.

It boggles my mind that a game can do so well and give you so many options but people still find a way to complain, just a brief look at the people that actually show what they've done show they missed a ton of things. It's always the ones with hidden profiles that voice their opinions negatively. But alas I will acknowledge your opinion .

War...war never changes....

I love how you quote Fallout, a game that actually gives you a "Where they are now" slides of all your choices and impact on the future of the world...unlike they game you are defending.

Everything you mentioned happens is all companion based, and it is...shallow as hell. Again none of it impacts the ending.

This game literally has less ending options then Mass Effect 3, a game which was universally panned for it's crappy endings.

Fallout 4's endings even destroy large sections of the map which you keep playing in, since there's other content other than the main story, and kill off entire populations, quest givers, stores, etc. Even better, there's quite a lot of ways to limit that depending on various choices throughout the games, lots of possible combinations. Fallout 4 probably has more real variety of endings than any RPG I've played in 30 years, but people got caught up on the optional radiant quests at the start and decided it wasn't much of an RPG, which is sad but understandable.

Companions could have a large variety of quest outcomes too. One companion you could optionally find out wasn't who they said they were, which could lead to their suicide, or a whole faction turning hostile if you didn't kill them, unless you could talk everybody out of it.

[Celes Dawn]

Originally posted by Maverick56:

Originally posted by Zanarkand:

What ? that isn't true at all, there are so many endings. And added Dialogue to the ending depending on the choices you made. Even before the end you get speeches from other characters. And heaps of chatting after everything. I have to do a Dark Urge play through now to finish the last 3 achievements 50/53 which results in another ending.

You expect every single NPC in the game in the city to have a quest? Be glad you can even interact with some outside of crowd NPC's. That is a ridiculous expectation.

Are we even playing the same game? Romances matter, your connection to the tadpoles matters, the list goes on. Act 3 isn't rushed at all, it is in fact longer than act 1 and 2. Performance and some bugged quests are the only issues. I had 2 bugged quests and 1 of them just got fixed.

Loved the ending and the talks after, makes me really wish I could just keep going with the options opened up for more story.

They did amazing with DOS1 and DOS2 it's why fans were so trusting of them to tackle BG3 and low and behold it's one of the best RPG games in history now. They improved their skills to tackle these sort of games and this is just another classic. Four patches already to address issues and nothing but clarity about development. Other devs need to look at Larian as a shining example of what games should be

Did you actually play DOS1 and DOS2 before the Definitive Edition? They were broken and messy, and guess what...lacked compelling endings.

I'm glad that you seem to be okay with BG3's endings, but frankly I think this is a case of having extremely low standards.

When you compare this to any other RPG of note, it completely phones in the ending.


1. The "Gather you Allies" is not an ending. It is a 3 seconds per ally "Hi we made it to support you" blerb checkbox to show that congrats you did something during the game.

2. No the dark Urge doesn't give you a unique ending, I don't understand why people keep saying that. It's the same ending as non-dark urge, you just happened to be flavored as a bhaalspawn.

3. "Flavor" is exactly the issue here. You are getting Flavor confused with Choice.

In a normal RPG you would be asked: "What dessert do you want?" and your choices would be the following:

1: Ice Cream
1a: Chocolate
1b: Vanilla
1c: Sherbert
2: Pie
2a: Pican
2b: Pumpkin
2c: Apple
3: Cake
3a: Chocolate
3b: Coconut
3c: Ice Cream

In BG3 when asked "What dessert do you want? you get the following

1: Chocolate or Vanilla? We only have Ice cream.

So no there really isn't any meaningful choice in the game.

For example, you have play Dark Urge, kill literally EVER NPC IN THE GAME, and you will still only have 2 possible endings.

"Control the Brain" or "Destroy the Brain"

The same 2 possible endings that the Paragon White Knight player gets...and the devilish rogue...and the cocky bard...it's all the same, nothing matters.

Romances don't matter, they aren't even referenced in the ending.

Your relation to the tadpole is pointless, unless you go full mind-flayer and even that doesn't change the ending, just the flavor...

Act 3 was hella rushed, and the drop in writing quality from Act 1 to Act 2 is clear as day to night....the reason the transition from Act 2 to Act 3 isn't as bad is because the lower quality started 5+ hours before...

Like: "Someone is going to control or destroy the brain, it can be Tav, Karlach, The Emperor or Orpheus, but it's getting controlled or destroyed."

That isn't 5 endings, thats 2 with 5 flavors.

And no, the companions do not have an impact because we aren't told how our interactions effected them after the credits roll. There is no "Where are they now?" section. There isn't even a slide with text...Literally just take the "Gathered Allies" and tell us what happened to them based off our choices...

Fallout did that over 20 years ago, there is NO REASON this game couldn't have chosen 20 of the most impactful quests and added on a quick "Here is how it all turned out" for them. It's LAZY and people like you are the reason they think they can continue to get away with it. They did in DSo2 and they will do it with their next game.

God i hate gamers.

[zanos]

Originally posted by Maverick56:

Originally posted by Zanarkand:

What ? that isn't true at all, there are so many endings. And added Dialogue to the ending depending on the choices you made. Even before the end you get speeches from other characters. And heaps of chatting after everything. I have to do a Dark Urge play through now to finish the last 3 achievements 50/53 which results in another ending.

You expect every single NPC in the game in the city to have a quest? Be glad you can even interact with some outside of crowd NPC's. That is a ridiculous expectation.

Are we even playing the same game? Romances matter, your connection to the tadpoles matters, the list goes on. Act 3 isn't rushed at all, it is in fact longer than act 1 and 2. Performance and some bugged quests are the only issues. I had 2 bugged quests and 1 of them just got fixed.

Loved the ending and the talks after, makes me really wish I could just keep going with the options opened up for more story.

They did amazing with DOS1 and DOS2 it's why fans were so trusting of them to tackle BG3 and low and behold it's one of the best RPG games in history now. They improved their skills to tackle these sort of games and this is just another classic. Four patches already to address issues and nothing but clarity about development. Other devs need to look at Larian as a shining example of what games should be

Did you actually play DOS1 and DOS2 before the Definitive Edition? They were broken and messy, and guess what...lacked compelling endings.

I'm glad that you seem to be okay with BG3's endings, but frankly I think this is a case of having extremely low standards.

When you compare this to any other RPG of note, it completely phones in the ending.


1. The "Gather you Allies" is not an ending. It is a 3 seconds per ally "Hi we made it to support you" blerb checkbox to show that congrats you did something during the game.

2. No the dark Urge doesn't give you a unique ending, I don't understand why people keep saying that. It's the same ending as non-dark urge, you just happened to be flavored as a bhaalspawn.

3. "Flavor" is exactly the issue here. You are getting Flavor confused with Choice.

In a normal RPG you would be asked: "What dessert do you want?" and your choices would be the following:

1: Ice Cream
1a: Chocolate
1b: Vanilla
1c: Sherbert
2: Pie
2a: Pican
2b: Pumpkin
2c: Apple
3: Cake
3a: Chocolate
3b: Coconut
3c: Ice Cream

In BG3 when asked "What dessert do you want? you get the following

1: Chocolate or Vanilla? We only have Ice cream.

So no there really isn't any meaningful choice in the game.

For example, you have play Dark Urge, kill literally EVER NPC IN THE GAME, and you will still only have 2 possible endings.

"Control the Brain" or "Destroy the Brain"

The same 2 possible endings that the Paragon White Knight player gets...and the devilish rogue...and the cocky bard...it's all the same, nothing matters.

Romances don't matter, they aren't even referenced in the ending.

Your relation to the tadpole is pointless, unless you go full mind-flayer and even that doesn't change the ending, just the flavor...

Act 3 was hella rushed, and the drop in writing quality from Act 1 to Act 2 is clear as day to night....the reason the transition from Act 2 to Act 3 isn't as bad is because the lower quality started 5+ hours before...

Like: "Someone is going to control or destroy the brain, it can be Tav, Karlach, The Emperor or Orpheus, but it's getting controlled or destroyed."

That isn't 5 endings, thats 2 with 5 flavors.

And no, the companions do not have an impact because we aren't told how our interactions effected them after the credits roll. There is no "Where are they now?" section. There isn't even a slide with text...Literally just take the "Gathered Allies" and tell us what happened to them based off our choices...

Fallout did that over 20 years ago, there is NO REASON this game couldn't have chosen 20 of the most impactful quests and added on a quick "Here is how it all turned out" for them. It's LAZY and people like you are the reason they think they can continue to get away with it. They did in DSo2 and they will do it with their next game.

Nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.

[Johnny 5]

The illusion of choice was very very clear from beginning of act 2. I was expecting a fleshed out mountain pass. Not a tiny extension of act 1 map with basically a crèche with their multi leveled maps where you spend 3 hours trying to find a door you were at 30 mins ago

[MASTERCHIEF]

Originally posted by Runic Tunic:

Originally posted by MASTERCHIEF:

hmm, I will do a playthrough and decide then.

but I disagree on the second part though. The emperor was set free because the main boss wanted to free him and the emperor knows that he will never be free if the boss doesn't want it. (it is directly said at the end by the boss itself). the reasons he gives for being seen as the guardian sound logical.

the guardian becomes aggressive only when you try to kill (I have not progressed further on this part so can't elaborate ) I will progress this path and check it out then.

thanks for shortening it. and giving a genuine reply.

You're right about that part but still, I'd imagine it still comes down to "I'm free but a major threat to my existence is now free, one I can probably not fight on my own" vs "I lose my free will but there's a better chance to stop the end of my species by joining forces with the Brain to stop Orpheus."

Either way, it seems to be a choice he had to make and was willing to sacrifice his own free will to stop what he saw as a far bigger threat.

I have never seen it anywhere in-game where the emperor cares about mind flayers. so I have to disagree again (unless I missed something). I do agree with the gith part. but the story itself sees the gith praising the mind flayer saver.

we can have a discussion and support both ends on this. but that's not the point. we need to remember that this is a video game. and the more choices the better especially when the game itself states that it requires a mind flayer to end the fight. like, have difficulty 20 rolls or something to convince the emperor. you can do a lot more stupid stuff with a lot less difficulty dice roll in this game.