Baldur's Gate 3 Walkthrough: Act 3 Part 2, Final Battle and the Netherbrain

This is the last part of our Baldur's Gate 3 walkthrough. You take the Netherstones from Orin the Red and Lord Gortash, gather your allies, make the big choice at the Morphic Pool and fight the Netherbrain in the Upper City. It ends with the credits.

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The whole walkthrough

1. Orin the Red

Orin is the Chosen of Bhaal, god of murder. She can take the shape of anyone, so expect tricks. At some point in Act 3 she kidnaps someone close to you. That is Orin's victim, and the quest to save them leads to her lair.

1. Go down through the Lower City sewers to the Undercity Ruins.
2. Find the Temple of Bhaal. Clear the cultists around it first if you can.
3. In the main chamber Orin holds her victim in the middle of the room. Talk, then fight.

Boss: Orin the Red

• Orin starts with stacks of Unstoppable: 7 on Balanced, 12 on Tactician. While she has stacks, every hit only does 1 damage and removes one stack.
• So the number of hits matters more than the size of each hit. Magic Missile, Scorching Ray and characters with several attacks per turn strip stacks fast.
• Her cultists chant a ritual and are protected by Sanctuary. Break their ritual and kill them, because they keep Orin strong.
• Once the stacks are gone, burst her down before she can recover.
• If you play as the Dark Urge, this fight can turn into a duel and plays differently.

Take Orin's Netherstone from her body.

2. Lord Gortash

With the Steel Watch dealt with, go to Wyrm's Rock. Gortash waits in his office inside the fortress. If you accepted his bargain, you can meet him after Orin is dead, but you still need his stone in the end.

Boss: Lord Enver Gortash

• If you disabled the Steel Watch, the fight is much easier. If not, his Steel Watchers are the real danger: they hit hard over an area and act early.
• His office is full of traps. Pull enemies out into the hall outside so you fight away from them.
• Lightning damage is the best answer to Steel Watchers.
• Focus Gortash once his guards are down. He isn't very tough on his own.

Take Gortash's Netherstone. You now have the stones of all three Chosen.

3. Gather your allies

The quest Gather Your Allies asks you to call on everyone you helped across the game. Depending on your choices, this can include the Harpers, the tieflings, the Gondians, the druids and the githyanki. Each group you win over gives you help in the last battle. Talk to everyone and finish the quests that bring them in.

This is also your last chance to finish companion quests and side content. Do it now.

4. The Morphic Pool: point of no return

With all three stones, head for the Morphic Pool. Going there starts the endgame: after it you can't long rest or visit camp. Pick your final party with care before you go.

At the pool the Netherbrain hits your party with its full power. Then comes the choice about your artefact's prisoner:

If you don't have the hammer, Raphael appears with one last offer. Lae'zel cares a lot about this choice, so expect a reaction.

5. The Upper City and the High Hall

1. You fight through the Upper City. Your allies give you a special action, Call Forth Allies, which summons help or casts powerful effects. Use it in the hardest fights.
2. If the courtyard fight is too much, the Upper City sewers are a shortcut to the High Hall.
3. Inside the High Hall, a Nautiloid keeps dropping new enemies every turn. Don't try to kill everything. Climb to the top, where you can reach the Netherbrain's stem.
4. Heal up at the restoration pod before you climb the stem.

6. Final boss: the Netherbrain

The last fight happens on the brain itself. It has two stages.

Stage 1: the Crown of Karsus

• The character carrying the Netherstones (on the Orpheus route, your mind flayer) must reach the Crown of Karsus on the far side of the brain and use it.
• They must channel for a whole turn without taking damage. If they are hit, they lose concentration and must try again next round.
• Kill the mind flayer casters first. They are the ones most likely to break your channel.
• Psychic resistance helps a lot against the brain's attacks.

Stage 2: inside the Netherbrain

• A portal opens into the brain's mind. Send two strong damage dealers through, ideally ranged ones.
• Each turn the brain destroys the platforms where characters ended their turn. Keep moving.
• There's a final check with a very high DC. A natural 20 gives the brain the Against All Odds debuff, which cuts its health.

When the brain falls, the final choices decide what happens to it and to your party, and the epilogue plays. Gale may also offer a way to end it without the fight. Think about what that costs him before you accept.

Tips for this part

• Be level 12, the cap, before the Morphic Pool. Most players get there naturally in Act 3.
• Stock up on healing potions, scrolls and elixirs. You can't rest at camp after the pool.
• Bring a party with good ranged damage and at least one healer for the brain fight.
• Keep several saves before the Morphic Pool so you can try different endings.
• Don't waste Call Forth Allies on easy fights. Save it for the brain.

My take

The final run through the Upper City is one of the best endings I've played: every choice you made comes back as help on the battlefield. I freed Orpheus on my first run, and I still argue with friends about it. Which side did you pick at the Morphic Pool?

FAQ

What level should I be for the final battle?

Level 12, the cap. You should reach it before the Morphic Pool if you do the main Act 3 quests.

What is the point of no return in Act 3?

Heading to the Morphic Pool. After that you can't long rest, visit camp or go back to finish quests.

Should I side with the Emperor or free Orpheus?

Siding with the Emperor keeps him on your side. Freeing Orpheus turns the Emperor against you and means someone must become a mind flayer, but it changes how Lae'zel's story ends. Neither is wrong.

How do you beat the Netherbrain?

Protect the character channelling at the Crown of Karsus, kill the mind flayers first, then send two ranged attackers into the portal and keep them moving.

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