Vlaakith, the undying Lich Queen of the Githyanki, is a potentially deadly adversary in Baldur’s Gate 3, depending on whether the party obeys or disobeys her commands. The leader of the Githyanki is just one of the many gods and goddesses players can encounter. However, the decisions made when interacting with Vlaakith can shape the fate of your companion, Lae’zel, and the game's ending.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]When journeying through Act One of Baldur’s Gate 3, the party will have the opportunity to visit the Githyanki Crèche Y’llek in Rosymorn Monastery. The Githyanki may have a cure for mind flayer parasites, and players can opt to negotiate with them to find out more. However, it’s also possible to skip Creche Y’llek entirely and miss out on an encounter with Vlaakith herself.
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Baldur's Gate 3: You Shouldn't Skip The Githyanki Crèche Questline
The Githyanki Crèche questline in Baldur’s Gate 3 is part of Lae’zel’s companion quest, but it offers plenty of information to discover.
Should You Obey Vlaakith In Act One Of Baldur’s Gate 3?
After failing to find a cure at Crèche Y’llek, players can seek out Inquisitor Ch’r’ai W’wargaz, who is visiting the Crèche to further his search for the Mysterious Artefact. The artefact in question is the Astral Prism in the party’s possession, which protects them from being dominated by the Absolute. When meeting the Inquisitor, you can try to hand over the Prism or battle to keep it for yourself.
The battle against the Githyanki Inquisitor can be challenging, so make sure to take a Short or Long Rest before continuing.
Regardless of what you do, Vlaakith will appear as a massive projection and demand that the party enter the Prism to slay its inhabitant: the Dream Visitor and Guardian. You can greet her and show deference or wave (although doing so earns disapproval from Lae’zel). In summary, you should obey Vlaakith’s command to enter the Prism. At this stage, disobeying Vlaakith by refusing or asking her to do it herself or showing her too much disrespect will cause her to cast a spell that kills the whole party instantly. This leads to a Game Over screen.
This is one of the worst decisions you can make in BG3's Honor Mode, as it’s guaranteed to end your Honor Mode run.
However, once you've met the Dream Visitor inside the Prism, you can leave them alone or attempt to kill them. It's worth noting that trying to kill the Dream Visitor has no effect, as they simply disappear. At this point, you can exit the Prism to find that Vlaakith has betrayed Lae'zel and branded her a traitor. Engaging with Vlaakith has consequences for Lae'zel's companion quest, The Githyanki Warrior, which leads into Acts Two and Three.
If players don’t visit Crèche Y’llek, Lae’zel will continue to be loyal to Vlaakith, who only appears in Act Three.
Should You Side With Kith’rak Voss In Baldur’s Gate 3?
If Vlaakith betrays Lae’zel, your party camp will be visited by Kith’rak Voss during your next Long Rest. Voss will attempt to convince Lae’zel that Vlaakith is a usurper who stole the throne from Orpheus, the Githyanki prince and rightful heir. Voss will head to Baldur’s Gate following your conversation.
The party can encounter him later in Act Three, attempting to bargain with the devil Raphael in Sharess' Caress. This conversation is important, as it can cause Lae'zel to start doubting her faith in Vlaakith.
Should You Obey Vlaakith Or Follow Voss And Orpheus In Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3?
Once players start Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3, Vlaakith will appear over your camp once you Long Rest in Rivington. At this point, she demands that Lae’zel slay Orpheus, promising to make Lae’zel the commander of her armies if she does so. Your decisions here can influence Lae’zel to declare her support for Orpheus or stay loyal to Vlaakith, and it is a significant turning point in her companion quest.
You can obey Vlaakith or choose to side with Orpheus, and your decision will change Lae’zel’s fate at the end of the game. Generally speaking, you shouldn't force Lae'zel to obey Vlaakith. If she goes against Vlaakith, Lae'zel leaves for the Astral Plane at the end of the game and leads a rebellion to save her people. If she sides with Vlaakith, Withers implies that she meets a much darker fate during the epilogue party.
Persuading Lae’zel to side with Vlaakith requires passing a tough Persuasion check, which seems to imply that Lae’zel’s canonical path is to side with Orpheus and Voss.
If she sides with Voss and Orpheus, Lae'zel will want to enter the House of Hope to find the Orphic Hammer to free Orpheus; if not, she will want the Hammer so she can free him and then kill him. Ultimately, players will have to choose whether to side with Orpheus or the Emperor:
- The party can free Orpheus and side with him instead of the Emperor. However, the Emperor will join the Absolute, and either the player character, Orpheus, or Karlach will have to become a mind flayer to defeat the Absolute.
- The party can refuse to free Orpheus, allowing the Emperor to consume him to gain his abilities.
Your choice will have lasting consequences on Baldur's Gate 3's ending. However, as long as your characters obey Vlaakith during your first encounter, you can deal with her however you like in subsequent interactions.
Baldur's Gate 3
RPG
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
