In Baldur's Gate 3, you will come across a mysterious figure known as the Dream Guardian. As the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that this guardian is more than meets the eye, leading to captivating story twists. The Dream Guardian's real identity is eventually unveiled as the Emperor Mind Flayer.
There are three significant decisions concerning the Emperor:
- Githyanki Creche Encounter: At the end of Act One, players face a choice when visiting the Githyanki creche. Here, they must decide whether to attempt to kill the Dream Guardian or spare him. Killing him is not recommended as it alters the dynamics of the relationship.
- Githyanki Attack: At the beginning of Act Three, the party is summoned by the Dream Guardian to defend the Prism during a Githyanki assault. It's during this battle that the Emperor's true identity as an Illithid is revealed.
- Raphael's Proposition: Raphael presents an option to ally with Prince Orpheus instead of the Emperor. This decision is influenced by the player's relationship with Lae'zel and the overarching narrative.
Should You Help or Kill the Emperor?
When you arrive at Wyrm's Crossing and take a rest at the outpost, Githyanki Monks will ambush your party. Multiple strong monks will appear, and you must approach the portal in just three turns. If not, any character with a tadpole in their mind becomes entirely dominated by the Absolute, transforming them into a Mind Flayer and resulting in a game over.
You need to keep the Emperor alive because he is the one preventing you from total corruption by the Absolute. Attacking him leads to combat against his Intellect Devourer minions and Githyanki invaders, and killing him will make you transform into a Mind Flayer and the game immediately ends.
What Happens if You Kill the Emperor
Killing the Emperor results in an immediate game over, followed by a cinematic scene of your character transforming into a Mind Flayer. You must side with the Emperor because he is the barrier preventing your total corruption by the Absolute. Engaging him in combat means facing his Intellect Devourer minions and the invading Githyanki.
What Happens if You Help the Emperor
If you help the Emperor, you will confront only the Githyanki invaders, four of whom are present, with one positioned on an elevated platform. While the Intellect Devourers join the fray to help, their low health makes them less effective.
After you help Emeror, you will see that he is identified as the Dreamlover or Guardian, a mysterious figure appearing in the player's dreams. He was once an adventurer, and his life took a drastic turn when he became infected by a tadpole.
Despite this setback, he remained in control over himself and served as an advisor to a duke, but his true identity was exposed by Gortash, leading to his imprisonment in the Astral Plane. Further revelations include the discovery that Prince Orpheus, the deity Gith's son, is trapped. This confinement acts as a shield, preventing the Absolute from taking control of the player's mind.