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I was only a few hours into my first run in Baldur's Gate 3 when I made a terrible choice. In fact, this choice was so bad that it still haunts my current playthrough. In the leadup to release on PS5, I had made a conscious effort to avoid knowing too much about the story and characters of Larian's adventure. This meant that when I crash landed into Act 1 among the ruins of the Nautiloid ship, I was as clueless about what was going on as my half-elf bard appeared to be, but that was exactly how I wanted to experience it. As I was enjoying the magic of discovering everything for myself, I arrived at the Emerald Grove pretty early on. Going on instinct alone, I chose to do what I thought was best… but, as it turned out, this decision royally messed things up with a potential companion I was so excited to meet: Karlach.
Word had apparently spread fast about what had gone down at the Grove, and Karlach let her anger at me known upon our first meeting. I thought I had done right by the Tieflings, that I had picked the lesser evil, but it had spectacularly backfired on me and now I'm missing out on a companion I was dying to get to know. Now, every time I see an empty tent in my camp where I assume she would reside, I can't help but think of what could have been had I done things differently.
Once I went too far past the point of going back to correct my past wrongs, I had to accept my Karlach-less fate and move on. But I'm still not quite over the fact that I'm missing out on her companionship during my first playthrough. I've spent a lot of time digging into this particular choice to avoid making the same mistake the next time around, but if nothing else, the whole experience surrounding it speaks to why I adore Baldur's Gate 3 so much.
Mistakes were made
In hindsight, I can appreciate that I was a little gung-ho when it came to deciding on what to do in the Emerald Grove. After speaking to various notable NPCs there, you'll learn it's having its share of problems with goblins, and tensions are rising between Tiefling refugees and the druids trying to protect the Grove. I was already determined to help the Tieflings, but it's how I went about it that made all the difference. I spoke with Zevlor, the leader of the Tiefling refugees, who told me I needed to put a stop to the acting head of the druids, Kagha.
Sure, I had the option to go find Halsin, the First Druid, but speaking with Kagha made me think she wouldn't see reason, no matter what I did. So, before I knew it, I was fighting her in the name of the Tieflings, unaware of the other routes that were open to me. Little did I know this would turn the entire Grove hostile and cause quite a bit of bloodshed that would go on to turn my would-be companion against me for good.
Once everything had gone down at the Grove, I set off for pastures new, and finally stumbled upon the fiery fan-favorite. My excitement at adding another companion to my party was quickly snuffed out when Karlach immediately expressed her anger at my action. I was admittedly very confused, thinking I'd helped the Tieflings and done the lesser of what I thought was two evils. It was at this very moment that I got my very first proper taste of how meaningful the choices are in Baldur's Gate 3. I was only a few hours in at this point, but my decisions were already bearing considerable consequences.
After all, I'm all about companions in adventures, and knowing I had blocked one off from joining me left me quite despondent… especially since I was so looking forward to getting to know her. Even after passing a persuasion check and attempting to apologize, there was no saving this situation. Any time I tried to speak to her after that, I would be met with her chiding words that still echo in my mind now: "Pretty sure I told you to f*** off, mate".
I would lose count of the amount of times I heard her say that cutting line after our initial confrontation. Each time I put more quests behind me following my stint in the Grove, I kept finding myself returning to the Risen Road where you find Karlach in the hopes I could still turn things around. Alas, I always got the same response. The fiery Tiefling truly wanted to have nothing to do with me… and I'm still cursing myself for it just as she does. If only I could turn back time and right what I did wrong, but it's already given me something to look forward to in my next playthrough.
And isn't that just the beauty of Baldur's Gate 3? Sometimes things will go wrong, even if you have the best intentions, and you'll never quite know how things will go down. It perfectly illustrates how meaningful the choices are in Larian's adventure, with so much scope to shape and mold the direction of it depending on how you play. A roll of the dice can determine your fate, or cement your path, and I can't get enough of it. I'm still sad I'm missing out on Karlach's company, but I can't wait to get her on my side the next time around. I'm certain I'll appreciate every moment I spend with her all more because of how things have turned out. For now, though, I'll just have to accept my lot and try to avoid wistfully looking at the empty tent she could have found a home in.
For more Baldur's Gate 3-shaped capers, check out our very own Joe Donnelly's experience: I'm late to the Baldur's Gate 3 party, so I've decided to ruin that party by being an absolute bastard to everyone I meet
