When first starting in Baldur's Gate 3, there is a somewhat major decision that occurs early in the game. A high-pitched voice will squeal for help at players as they pass by. Should the gamer take the elevator up to see what is yelling at them, they'll find the voice is coming from a brain.
The brain then requests a release from the skull that it is in. This is an immediate moral dilemma and a strange one at that. It won't be the last one in Baldur's Gate 3 but gamers who want o adhere to a strict moral code may want to make sure they get this first one right.
This article divulges consequences within the game and reveals information the player's character may not know. Gamers that are committed to role-playing may wish to stop reading and find these things out for themselves.
What Is The Brain?
The talking brain is an intellect devourer, something the character may find out with an automatic Arcana check when they engage with it. In this universe, they are evil entities. This specific one is named Us. A purely good Paladin or Cleric may wish to destroy the brain on the spot.
As players are learning about the Nautolids (the type of ship they're riding), they will also be learning about this thing. It can communicate to the other larval intellect devourer in the character's brain. Myrnath, the poor soul whose brain has been taken over by the intellect devourer, will perish no matter what, so do not let saving him be an influence on the decision.
Destroying The Brain
By destroying the intellect devourer, there isn't much that happens. The character never meets Us and asks any questions of it. Also, some dialogue options change but not in a way that alters the overall story. It's usually just other characters noticing the brain with legs following the player's character around. Destroying the intellect devourer is also a free roll, so there is no need to be inspired before crushing the brain, it is an automatic success.
As mentioned before, this may be a good choice for characters trying to follow a good alignment. Those who don't bargain, negotiate with, or accept help from evil entities may find some satisfaction in giving no quarter to these monsters.
Helping The Brain
If players release the intellect devourer, they are gaining a temporary companion during the prologue. It is a combatant that believes the player is a friend due to the intellect devourer parasite in the player's brain so it will kill evil entities despite being an evil entity itself. This is one way to get some help if not enlisting friends to join in on the fun.
The intellect devourer will disappear after a certain event in the story and its whereabouts are unknown. Because the creature is evil and will serve mind flayers, this may mean the player has created another minion for the enemy. But it could also be a friend in a dire situation later on in the campaign.
There is an option to cripple the intellect devourer while removing it which will make it weaker. This will make it a worse companion but, if it winds up being an enemy, it could also be less of a threat in the future.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available in Early Access on PC and will be available on August 3rd, 2023. The PlayStation 5 version will be available on September 6th, 2023. A version for Xbox Series X/S is still in development.