Destroy the Elder Brain

The Netherbrain sinks into the Chionthar River.

Destroy the Elder Brain is a sub-quest of the quest Confront the Elder Brain in Act Three of Baldur's Gate 3.

Objectives

Destroy the Netherbrain.

• The Netherbrain is too powerful to let live. Destroying it may be the smartest thing to do.

Quest Complete

• We destroyed the Netherbrain.
• We chose to dominate the Netherbrain instead of destroying it.

Walkthrough

During Act Three, multiple scenes and conversations allow the player to contemplate what they will 'do' with the Elder Brain once they finally have all three Netherstones and confront the Elder Brain. Conversations with specific characters may lock the player out of some options, such as a situation where an option provided by a friendly character will be lost if a decision causes them to become permanently hostile. More contemplative scenes - such as camp conversations with multiple different "speaking" characters, or "internal monologue" style scenes where the narrator is mostly the sole speaker - have not been confirmed to lock or unlock the player from pursuing other ending outcomes.

The true choice on what to do with the Elder Brain occur at the very end of Confront the Elder Brain. Once the Elder Brain, now a Netherbrain, is defeated using Karsus' Compulsion, a cutscene plays where the illithid in the party uses the Netherstones to destroy the Brain.

Depending on the player's decisions prior to passing the "point of no return", the exact choices available to the player in this interaction will vary heavily. Only a few specific choices will result in the destruction of the Netherbrain, and the text of these choices is reasonably self-explanatory. The resolution of this quest - whether the player actually destroys the brain or not - will technically move this quest into the "Completed" section of the player's journal.

• Go ahead. Command the brain to destroy all tadpoles and then itself.
• Command the brain to destroy all tadpoles and then itself.
• Go ahead, Karlach. This moment's yours (if Karlach transformed)
• Dominate the brain. Become the Absolute. Conquer the world.
• Betray the Emperor. Dominate the brain. Become the Absolute.
• Betray Orpheus. Dominate the brain. Become the Absolute.
• Betray Karlach. Dominate the brain. Become the Absolute.
• Implore the Emperor to dominate the brain and rule the world, with you by his side.

Choose the first option and the Netherbrain is destroyed; it falls into the Chionthar River and explodes. The party manages to safely wash up on the docks, starting the epilogue.

The Dark Urge will have slightly different options:

• Defy your Father. Command the brain to destroy the tadpoles and then itself.
• Defy your Father. Tell Orpheus to command the brain to die.
• Defy your Father. Tell the Emperor to command the brain to die.
• Defy your Father. Tell Karlach to command the brain to destroy itself.
• Claim the Absolute in the name of Bhaal.
• Claim the Absolute in the name of Bhaal. Kill the Emperor.
• Claim the Absolute in the name of Bhaal. Kill Orpheus.
• Claim the Absolute in the name of Bhaal. Betray Karlach.

Achievements

Hero of the Forgotten Realms
Save the day: kill the Netherbrain and destroy the Absolute tadpoles.