Baldur's Gate 3's seventh—and final—major patch released yesterday, bringing with it a smorgasbord of delightfully fiendish endings: Spoilers to follow.
Whereas before, your character's heel-turn would simply render them smiling diabolically on the Absolute's throne, these new terrifying finales give you a wide range of options ranging from becoming a tyrannical conqueror to inflicting ultraviolet madness on the populace.
One such ending, however, appears to have been considered, fully animated, and then abandoned in the game files, as discovered by YouTuber SlimX.
This 'screw it, I'm going home' ending sees your character—now emboldened with the Absolute's power—simply tear their tadpole from their skull and slow-walk out of frame, while those who you were about to subjugate stare on, absolutely baffled, as you have a last-minute change of heart and vacate your new seat of power. We've all been there.
Alas, this scene is flagged as "IMPOSSIBLE". As SlimX has discovered before, Baldur's Gate 3 has a breadth of forbidden moments gated behind this tag, stopping them from ever seeing play. These range from sequestered optional companion dialogue to Karlach's infamous fourth wall break.
I can sort of see why, in this case. Actually becoming the Absolute requires a betrayal of the highest order—slipping into the literal seat of power you've been trying to thwart the entire game. Simply giving up and walking away doesn't make a mind flayer tentacle's lick of sense when you actually consider it.
It also leaves a giant hanging brain of Damocles over the city of Baldur's Gate—as in, who the hell is gonna clean up that thing? Is it going to go on a mindless rampage without a psychic master? Is it going to regain control, go 'oh, well, back to taking over the world', and kill you anyway? Will it sink into the bay like the world's saddest balloon? Is it just gonna float there and become a tourist attraction?
While this whole thing's giving me worldbuilding brain rot, imagining an entire ecosystem springing up around the inert brain (the Elder Brain miner's union is not to be trifled with)—it's not exactly a sensible or satisfying ending for someone who's already walked the path of darkness. Besides, the bloody butchers of Baldur's Gate 3 are already spoiled for choice.
