Baldur’s Gate 3 players split over “tempting” Raphael deal in Act 3
Larian Studios Raphael is one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s most elusive characters, making many deals with you along your journey. One of the biggest choices is whether or not to give him the Crown of Karsus, and some players think it may actually be the right decision to take this deal.
Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 revolves around preparing the party for the final showdown against the Netherbrain. Of course, you have a few options to make sure you’re ready for the battle.
One of these is getting the Orphic Hammer to free Orpheus, and there are two ways this is possible. The first is breaking into the House of Hope and stealing it, and the second is taking a deal with Raphael where he gets the Crown of Karsus and you get the Hammer.
Players have often felt that the right choice is to not take the deal because giving the Crown of Karsus to Raphael seemed like a bad idea. One player felt so strongly about it that they took to Reddit to voice their opinion.
“Without ANY prior knowledge about Orpheus, who I have to assume will go apes**t immediately on anything that even vaguely smells like squid, but PLENTY of knowledge that Raphael is a f**king b**tard who can’t be trusted…why the f**k would I make that deal?” user OldManMoment shared on Reddit.
Some players in the comments felt differently, for multiple reasons. Some believed that it was a good choice depending on what kind of character you were roleplaying. “While tempting, binding yourself to a contract is not something my characters will love to do,” a player argued.
On the other hand, others said it was a good idea to look at it from the perspective of someone who is actually living out the reality in that situation.
“I’d think about it this way – if you really put yourself in your character’s shoes, NOTHING is guaranteed. Your character can’t save scum to get a different result if things go badly,” one Baldur’s Gate 3 player explained.
This argument resonated with many, especially considering that your character technically has no idea what will happen if they take the deal.
As one fan pointed out, the deal may actually seem like the better choice for the greater good of Baldur’s Gate. Either way, Tav has to make sure the Netherbrain is stopped, and the chances of breaking into the House of Hope and surviving are slim.
“If you die trying to steal from a powerful devil who has been watching your every move, you are sacrificing your whole city to the Dead Three and/or the Netherbrain along with you. Everyone will be tadpoled and controlled,” they explained.
Whichever side of the argument you agree with, it can’t be denied that Raphael makes things a lot more complex than they need to be. As we all know, that’s just the nature of Cambions.
If you want to read more about Baldur’s Gate 3, you can check out how to solve the Brain puzzle and why you should play Paladin in your next run.