Some of Baldur's Gate 3's new evil endings are so nasty they're hard to watch, and there's a unique variation for each origin character

If you're anything like me, you greeted the news of Baldur's Gate 3's expanded evil endings in the mammoth Patch 7 with a «Oh, that sounds interesting, but there's no way I could stomach actually unlocking them.» Luckily for us soft-hearted roleplayers, those bad boys are on YouTube in force, and they're well-worth seeing⁠—even if it's just to give some added weight to your «canon» happy ending. Spoilers ahead for Patch 7's new endings.

There's the basic binary choice at the end of the game where you either destroy or enslave mind flayer superbrain The Absolute, with the new ending variations all flowing from the latter choice. There are a ton of different ways it can play out, with your character achieving the ending as a mind flayer or not, and with or without the support of the Emperor. If the Emperor's still around, you have the choice to either play second fiddle to him or betray him at the last second, usurping control as in the other evil endings.

One thing that surprised me was the possibility of turning into an illithid against your will after taking control of the Absolute: You have to pass a Constitution check based on how many mind flayer tadpoles you ate throughout the game, with failure causing you to graphically undergo ceremorphosis and get a unique ending where the illithid «Grand Design» begins.

Pass that check, though, and you get a fun little option to «exercise your will,» directing the newly-enslaved people of Baldur's Gate toward a selection of evil guy activities, with a unique cutscene for each one. The evil scenes include:

The last option is particularly sick, and doesn't seem to have been available during Patch 7's extensive playtest. Each origin ending feels like a believable, satisfying conclusion to the respective character's arc⁠—no mean feat given BG3's extensive cast. Karlach, now preserved by the Absolute's magic, rips out her failing machine heart before sicking devils on the town. Lae'zel begins her war on Vlaakith bolstered by an