So, about the Emperor... [spoilers]

[arrgh]

The fact that he is Balduran seems so... idk, unnecessary? forced? out of nowhere? I mean the one guy who helps us and happens to be an illithid is also the guy who founded the damn city? Isn't it a bit much?

On a side note, when he joins the Netherbrain in the end if you refuse to give him the stones[/spolier]... dude has zero integrity, lmao. I mostly enjoyed the writing in this game, but this character is kind of a mess, really.

[cfehunter]

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

Originally posted by cfehunter:

I'm not sure he joins the Netherbrain willingly.
Remember, you freed Orpheus and the only reason any of you are able to resist is because of Orpheus's power. I gather Orpheus just stopped giving The Emperor his protection and he fell back under control of the brain.

He joins the brain before you even free orpheus and doesn't even wait to hear orpheus out. It makes no sense.

No he doesn't? You free Orpheus, the emperor tells you that you're done, teleports out and you don't see him again until the final battle.
Unless there's an alternative path?

[Dr. Sinclair]

Originally posted by cfehunter:

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

He joins the brain before you even free orpheus and doesn't even wait to hear orpheus out. It makes no sense.

No he doesn't? You free Orpheus, the emperor tells you that you're done, teleports out and you don't see him again until the final battle.
Unless there's an alternative path?

the scene i had he went off to join the brain because i wanted to free orpheus, not because i freed him. i only freed him after the fact.

[カミナ]

Originally posted by cfehunter:

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

He joins the brain before you even free orpheus and doesn't even wait to hear orpheus out. It makes no sense.

No he doesn't? You free Orpheus, the emperor tells you that you're done, teleports out and you don't see him again until the final battle.
Unless there's an alternative path?

Im saying you hadn't literally broken orpheus' bonds he wasnt under control of the brain.

Also orpheus clearly shows he can prevent you being controlled just by being in your presence so the stuff the emperor said is literally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

[videomike_Ultimate_Plushie]

I have read the spoiler. Now excuse me I need to call jesus because im about to go to Larian and commit several major sins

[GorishiDan]

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

Originally posted by cfehunter:

No he doesn't? You free Orpheus, the emperor tells you that you're done, teleports out and you don't see him again until the final battle.
Unless there's an alternative path?

Im saying you hadn't literally broken orpheus' bonds he wasnt under control of the brain.

Also orpheus clearly shows he can prevent you being controlled just by being in your presence so the stuff the emperor said is literally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

true but at least he doesn't betray you if you hand him the stones or use them yourself. he fights at your side all the same which to me was surprising given the sinister soundtracks that played a few times while i was talking to him

[cfehunter]

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

Originally posted by cfehunter:

No he doesn't? You free Orpheus, the emperor tells you that you're done, teleports out and you don't see him again until the final battle.
Unless there's an alternative path?

Im saying you hadn't literally broken orpheus' bonds he wasnt under control of the brain.

Also orpheus clearly shows he can prevent you being controlled just by being in your presence so the stuff the emperor said is literally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

When you free Orpheus you yourself are getting overwhelmed until he *chooses* to protect you. Though if what people are saying and there's a conversation, before Orpheus is free, where the emperor explicitly joins the brain then I concede the point. That's just stupid.

[aramintai]

What irks me the most, besides shoehorning him for clear namedropping sake, is that nowhere in the game is explained how he, a regular human, not a Mystra's Chosen or god spawn or whatever has managed to survive for hundreds of years before turning into an illithid (a relatively new development).

[cfehunter]

Originally posted by aramintai:

What irks me the most, besides shoehorning him for clear namedropping sake, is that nowhere in the game is explained how he, a regular human, not a Mystra's Chosen or god spawn or whatever has managed to survive for hundreds of years before turning into an illithid (a relatively new development).

According to Baldurs Gate 1 and TotSC, he ended up becoming a Werewolf. No idea how he managed to live for ~400 years though. He was 300 years in the past in BG1 and BG3 is 100 years after BG2.

[aramintai]

Originally posted by cfehunter:

Originally posted by aramintai:

What irks me the most, besides shoehorning him for clear namedropping sake, is that nowhere in the game is explained how he, a regular human, not a Mystra's Chosen or god spawn or whatever has managed to survive for hundreds of years before turning into an illithid (a relatively new development).

According to Baldurs Gate 1 and TotSC, he ended up becoming a Werewolf. No idea how he managed to live for ~400 years though. He was 300 years in the past in BG1 and BG3 is 100 years after BG2.

Yea, what's up with that?

[arrgh]

Originally posted by GorishiDan:

Originally posted by arrgh:

Minthara seems okay as a character. She's just messed up, got captured, tadpoled, messed up again, and then discarded. Nothing special about her in that sense.

Minthara's story seems very unfinished. which is weird for a character that requires you to ditch 2 (potentially 3) other companions just so she can be added to your rooster.

There's apparently a lot unused content related to her (voice lines, etc.) in the game files, and I saw some screenshots of devs acknowledging that she's simply bugged and her story/romance doesn't trigger properly after Act 2. So maybe they'll fix her before PS5 release or in one of the following major patches.

[Daliena]

Originally posted by aramintai:

What irks me the most, besides shoehorning him for clear namedropping sake, is that nowhere in the game is explained how he, a regular human, not a Mystra's Chosen or god spawn or whatever has managed to survive for hundreds of years before turning into an illithid (a relatively new development).

Many ways, given how absurdly wealthy he was stated to be if he could hide away several Artifact-tier items. Potions of Longevity and a fair bit of luck. Commissioning spellcasters to create Clones for him.

[カミナ]

Originally posted by cfehunter:

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

Im saying you hadn't literally broken orpheus' bonds he wasnt under control of the brain.

Also orpheus clearly shows he can prevent you being controlled just by being in your presence so the stuff the emperor said is literally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

When you free Orpheus you yourself are getting overwhelmed until he *chooses* to protect you. Though if what people are saying and there's a conversation, before Orpheus is free, where the emperor explicitly joins the brain then I concede the point. That's just stupid.

Emperor joins BEFORE you free orpheus and ♥♥♥♥♥ off and says "well I'm joining the netherbrain then if you want to free orpheus"

this is BEFORE you free him.

[Zef]

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

Originally posted by cfehunter:

I'm not sure he joins the Netherbrain willingly.
Remember, you freed Orpheus and the only reason any of you are able to resist is because of Orpheus's power. I gather Orpheus just stopped giving The Emperor his protection and he fell back under control of the brain.

He joins the brain before you even free orpheus and doesn't even wait to hear orpheus out. It makes no sense.

Exactly, it's proven after we free Orpheus that he can put his ilithid hate aside to work together to defeat the brain.

Hell he even offers to BECOME ONE if you or another party member refuse.

If the emperor wasn't such a ♥♥♥♥ he could have received the netherstones from me but only on the condition that we freed orpheus afterwards.

[Tootsy]

Originally posted by Zef:

Originally posted by コツメカワウソ:

He joins the brain before you even free orpheus and doesn't even wait to hear orpheus out. It makes no sense.

Exactly, it's proven after we free Orpheus that he can put his ilithid hate aside to work together to defeat the brain.

Hell he even offers to BECOME ONE if you or another party member refuse.

If the emperor wasn't such a ♥♥♥♥ he could have received the netherstones from me but only on the condition that we freed orpheus afterwards.

Not only that it is shown that Orpheus's powers are still working regardless, Emperor was seriously eying that brain.

[カミナ]

Originally posted by Tootsy:

Originally posted by Zef:

Exactly, it's proven after we free Orpheus that he can put his ilithid hate aside to work together to defeat the brain.

Hell he even offers to BECOME ONE if you or another party member refuse.

If the emperor wasn't such a ♥♥♥♥ he could have received the netherstones from me but only on the condition that we freed orpheus afterwards.

Not only that it is shown that Orpheus's powers are still working regardless, Emperor was seriously eying that brain.

Well its even worse because apparently if you choose the emperor he just destroys the brain anyway and doesn't even try to control it lmao. His character is a joke