Convincing Karlach to go to Avernus in Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most emotionally resonant choices a player can make during the endgame. Her story is filled with pain, rage, and a desire for freedom that never truly comes easy. As a companion and potential romantic partner, Karlach’s final moments challenge the player to consider morality, mercy, and the consequences of every decision. If you’re wondering how to guide her toward Avernus while maintaining the heart of her character, this guide explores the dialogue paths, emotional triggers, and narrative implications behind that crucial choice.
Who Is Karlach?
Karlach is a Tiefling warrior with a fierce spirit and a powerful infernal engine burning inside her. This engine, installed by the archdevil Zariel, grants her great strength but is also slowly killing her. Her journey throughout BG3 is a quest for hope hope that she might live a normal life, find peace, or at least die on her own terms. She quickly becomes a fan-favorite for her blunt honesty, boundless energy, and heartbreaking circumstances.
Her Connection to Avernus
Karlach once served in the Blood War under Zariel’s command. Escaping from Avernus was both a victory and a curse. While she left the hellish plane behind, the infernal engine remained. As it malfunctions throughout the game, returning to Avernus becomes one of the only options left for her to survive though survival means going back to a war she despises.
Understanding the Choice
In the game’s final act, players are presented with a few ways to deal with Karlach’s deteriorating condition. These include:
- Letting her die on the Material Plane
- Allowing her to ascend with another character
- Convincing her to return to Avernus
The third option convincing Karlach to go back to Avernus may seem cruel, but it’s often viewed as the survivor’s path. Players who choose this must walk a delicate line, supporting Karlach’s strength while respecting her pain.
How to Convince Karlach to Go to Avernus
Build a Strong Relationship
Your ability to influence Karlach’s final decision relies heavily on your relationship with her. High approval is essential. You’ll need to:
- Support her choices throughout the game
- Encourage her independence
- Avoid siding with devilish entities like Raphael
- Romance her if possible (optional but adds emotional weight)
Dialogue choices that validate her strength and acknowledge her trauma will raise approval. Stay honest with her even if the truth hurts and she’ll respect you more for it.
Reach the Endgame with Compassion
In the final sequences, Karlach will speak about her engine overheating. There will be dialogue options that let you reflect her feelings back to her. One of the keys to convincing her to go to Avernus is not to push or force her but to present the option logically and with empathy.
Lines like We can go together or You don’t have to go alone open a pathway where she sees it as a noble choice instead of exile. This is especially effective if you offer to accompany her or suggest that she could make a difference there by helping others or fighting back.
What Happens When She Goes to Avernus
The Narrative Impact
If you convince Karlach to return to Avernus, you’ll witness a bittersweet but powerful conclusion to her arc. She reclaims agency over her life, even if it means heading back to a hellish place. This option shows her as someone who continues fighting, not just for herself but for others trapped in the infernal conflict.
She may express fear and sadness, but she’ll also show resolve. It’s a moment of painful triumph, reminding players that heroism often comes at great personal cost.
The Visual and Emotional Payoff
The game’s cinematics for this ending are charged with emotion. Whether or not you follow her into Avernus depends on your class, choices, and companions. In some endings, the player character walks beside her. In others, she faces her fate alone, her last words shaped by how much you meant to her.
Should You Convince Her to Go?
From a mechanical standpoint, sending Karlach to Avernus doesn’t impact gameplay stats or rewards significantly it’s a story decision. But narratively, it’s one of the most significant and difficult choices you’ll face in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros:
- Karlach survives
- She remains true to her resilient nature
- She may fight back against the infernal forces that once controlled her
- The ending is powerful and thematically rich
Cons:
- She’s forced back into a war she hates
- It can feel like a betrayal if framed poorly
- She’s separated from friends and possibly the player character
Your role is to help her frame the choice as empowerment, not punishment.
Alternate Options and Their Emotional Weight
Letting Her Die
This option, while tragic, grants her a peaceful death among friends. She thanks the party for the love and freedom they gave her and dies with dignity. It’s painful but often chosen by players who can’t stomach sending her back to Avernus.
Ascension or Multiversal Endings
If the player chooses endings involving godhood or alternate realms, Karlach may become something more than mortal or simply fade from the story. These routes offer less closure and may feel unsatisfying unless very specific conditions are met.
Best Dialogue Approaches for Avernus Ending
Here are some examples of dialogue tones and approaches that work best when trying to convince Karlach to go to Avernus:
- Empathetic: You’ve always fought, Karlach. You can keep fighting and this time, on your own terms.
- Reassuring: I believe in you. You’ve survived so much. You can survive this too.
- Supportive: You won’t be alone. I’ll find a way to come back to you.
- Inspirational: Maybe you can help others down there. Be the light in that darkness.
Steer clear of dismissive or detached tones. Karlach responds best to honesty, loyalty, and compassion.
Convincing Karlach to go to Avernus in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a moment that tests your bond with her, your understanding of her pain, and your ability to offer hope in a hopeless place. It’s not about tricking her it’s about helping her see that she still has purpose, even in hell. Whether you see it as a tragedy, a triumph, or a mix of both, this ending stays with players long after the credits roll. Choosing this path means embracing Karlach’s story as one of survival, strength, and the courage to face the fire again, not because she wants to but because it’s the only way forward.