Can you save Karlach from dying in Baldur’s Gate 3? All Karlach endings, explained

In Baldur’s Gate 3, your companion Karlach has a few different ending possibilities. But the real question is: can you save Karlach from dying?

With the fires of Avernus burning in Karlach’s heart, her infernal engine will eventually burn her for good if she doesn’t return to Avernus. But she escaped a war she didn’t want to fight, so why should she have to go back? We detail all her possible endings in this guide.

All possible endings for Karlach in BG3

In short, yes, you can save Karlach from dying by fixing her infernal engine. You can do this by finding Infernal Iron scattered across your adventures and giving them to Dammon, the Tiefling blacksmith found in the Druid Camp and later Last Light Inn, to help fix Karlach.

I recommend finding and using all the Infernal Iron with Dammon to get the best endings with Karlach. But Karlach doesn’t have just one ending. There are a few more ways Karlach’s story can end in Baldur’s Gate 3. Regardless of the ending you pick, make sure you’re using the best Karlach build.

Karlach goes back to Avernus

Although you’ve fixed her infernal engine, this is just temporary; she must still return to Avernus to keep from burning up. There are a couple of different variations to this ending, depending on the decisions you’ve made throughout your playthrough.

• Karlach goes to Avernus with you if you romanced Karlach.
• Karlach goes to Avernus with Wyll if Wyll becomes the Blade of Avernus.
• Karlach goes to Avernus with you and Wyll if you romanced Karlach and Wyll became the Blade of Avernus.

Saving Karlach at this point depends on whether you’ve romanced her or if Wyll made the deal to forever serve Mizora and save his father. If you didn’t do either of these, you may end up with a much sadder ending.

Karlach burns and dies while you watch

If you decided not to romance Karlach, and Wyll never restruck a deal with Mizora, Karlach’s ending here will simply be her burning up in front of you and dying. This is also if you decide to temporarily fix her infernal engine since she’ll have enough time to say her goodbyes.

Karlach burns and dies while no one notices

This is probably the saddest of all the endings. If you never romanced her, Wyll never became the Blade of Avernus, and you didn’t help her on her quest to save her infernal engine, she’ll die without anyone noticing. This is because, after the final battle, she didn’t have enough time to say her goodbyes since you didn’t progress her quest.

Karlach turns into a Mind Flayer

This is an interesting ending and the one I decided to go for. Before the final battle, someone must step up to become an Illithid and consume Orpheus’ powers. She gives herself up for the task, and if you allow it, Karlach will evolve and permanently turn into an Illithid.

While this may seem like a bad ending, it’s honestly one of the better ones. Her infernal engine disappears, meaning she can still live her life freely in Faerun. Now, she just looks like a Mind Flayer and even has their abilities. Karlach is also proud to say she saved Baldur’s Gate.

The Dark Urge Endings

If you haven’t started a Dark Urge playthrough, we definitely recommend it because of the different choices available within the game. Among them are two other dark endings for Karlach. They depend on whether she becomes a Mind Flayer or not and if you decide to not romance her.

• Betray Illithid Karlach: As Karlach’s about to destroy the Absolute, you can kill Karlach instead.
• Karlach is enthralled: You can enthrall Karlach as the new Absolute if you betray the Emperor while he tries to destroy the Netherbrain.

There you have it: all the ways to save Karlach. However, you’ll never save Karlach if you don’t find a way to get her on your side first. Luckily, we’ve got a guide just for that.