Should you defend Karlach from Anders in Baldur's Gate 3?

Baldur's Gate 3 offers a plethora of key decision-making scenarios as you progress through the game's story. Being a Larian Studios role-playing game, the decisions you make in moment-to-moment gameplay not only affect your custom character but also the game's world and NPCs. There are also moments in the game's story where you will have to side with an NPC, without knowing the consequences.

One such key decision-making moment in the game is when you have to choose between either the injured, one-horned Teifling - Karlach or the cultist leader Anders.

Siding with Karlach might seem to be the most natural thing to do. However, doing so comes with its own consequences, both positive and negative, since the cultists are also the Paladins of Tyr. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you choose whether you should defend Karlach from Anders in Baldur's Gate 3.

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Should you side with the Tiefling, Karlach, or the Paladin of Tyr (Anders) in Baldur's Gate 3?

The choice to either side with Karlach or Anders in Baldur's Gate 3 basically boils down to how you want your character to align. If you're pursuing the neutral alignment, saving Karlach is the best option, and if you're going for an evil-aligned character progression, siding with Anders and helping the cultists recapture Karlach is the best choice.

Neither of the two NPCs is completely honest with you. Anders and his cultists will hide their true motives and identity as Paladins of archdemon Zariel, and Karlach will hide her true intentions until you agree to help her kill the cultists.

However, despite being an unknown Tiefling, Karlach is somewhat honest with you about her being an escapee of the cultists of Zariel. As such, if you are going for a good or neutral path, helping her and going against the cultists and archdemon Zariel will seem like the most obvious choice.

However, doing so will come at the cost of losing out on the evil-path progression as well as any potential quests related to Anders and the Paladins. On the other hand, if you end up siding with Anders and kill the innocent Tiefling, you will miss out on the opportunity to recruit Karlach as your companion and also the neutral-path ending for the quest.

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Baldur's Gate 3 is now available for Windows PC, with the PlayStation 5 version scheduled to launch on September 6, 2023.