The Ultimate Act 3 Showdown: Should You Kill Gortash or Orin First in Baldur’s Gate 3?
THIS IS THE ULTIMATE ACT 3 DILEMMA IN BALDUR’S GATE 3 AND PICKING THE WRONG CHOSEN WILL TOTALLY LOCK YOU OUT OF ESSENTIAL QUESTS! 😱🗡️💥
Are you rushing straight to the Temple of Bhaal to rescue your kidnapped companion, or are you taking down Lord Enver Gortash and the Steel Watch first? The community is fiercely divided over whether Orin’s hostage ultimatum forces your hand, or if taking down Gortash first locks you into the most chaotic city state imaginable… Did you make a deal with the tyrant or strike straight into Bhaal’s murder lair? 👇
Upon entering the bustling streets of the Lower City in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3, players are immediately caught in a deadly political vise. Two remaining Chosen of the Dead Three—Lord Enver Gortash (Chosen of Bane) and Orin the Red (Chosen of Bhaal)—hold the final Netherstones needed to control the impending Netherbrain threat.
Both antagonists approach the player with proposals to form a temporary alliance against the other. However, deciding which Chosen to eliminate first represents one of the most critical narrative and mechanical branching points in the entire campaign. As discussions on Reddit’s r/BaldursGate3, Discord servers, and strategy guides demonstrate, targeting Gortash versus Orin carries vastly different quest progression consequences, companion hostage dynamics, and city-wide impacts.
Path 1: Eliminating Orin the Red First
For the vast majority of players—particularly on good-aligned or blind playthroughs—targeting Orin the Red first is the most common route.
Key Triggers & Hostage Dynamics
Shortly after arriving in the Lower City or entering the sewers, Orin shapeshifts into a party member and kidnaps one of your companions (Lae’zel, Gale, Halsin, or Minthara, prioritizing those not in your active party; or the orphan NPC Yenna if all companions are active). She delivers an ultimatum: kill Gortash and bring his Netherstone to her, or she will murder her captive inside the Temple of Bhaal.
Pros of Killing Orin First:
Immediate Companion Rescue: Confronting Orin in her sewer lair lets players rescue their kidnapped ally directly. High Persuasion or Deception checks (or playing as The Dark Urge) prevent her from executing the hostage.
Safe Exploration with Gortash’s Truce: Players can accept Gortash’s temporary truce proposal during his coronation at Wyrm’s Rock Fortress. As long as you don’t breach the Iron Throne underwater prison or attack the Steel Watch Foundry, Gortash’s Steel Watchers and Flaming Fist guards will remain completely neutral, making city navigation safe and easy.
Cons of Killing Orin First:
Requires navigating the Murder Tribunal questline (confronting Sarevok Anchev) to obtain the Amulet of Bhaal for temple access.
Path 2: Eliminating Lord Enver Gortash First
Taking down Gortash first appeals to players seeking to fulfill Orin’s demand or those eager to resolve companion personal quests involving his political tyranny, such as Karlach or Wyll.
Pros of Killing Gortash First:
Fulfilling Orin’s Deal: Bringing Gortash’s Netherstone directly to Orin satisfies her demands, keeping the kidnapped companion completely safe on her altar without requiring a speech check to prevent their execution.
Karlach’s Narrative Resolution: Defeating Gortash allows Karlach to witness the fall of the man who sold her into hellish servitude to Zariel, delivering her most poignant emotional scenes in Act 3.
Unlocks the Iron Throne & Steel Watch: Taking down Gortash usually requires infiltrating the Iron Throne (rescuing Duke Ravengard and the Gondian families) and destroying the Steel Watch Foundry, clearing major Act 3 side quests.
Cons of Killing Gortash First:
City-Wide Aggro: Destroying the Steel Watch or attacking Wyrm’s Rock turns the Flaming Fist and remaining city guards hostile.
Post-Gortash Chaos: Defeating Gortash weakens the Netherbrain’s containment, causing tremors and spawning mind flayers in the city streets, raising environmental hazards.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| GORTASH VS. ORIN KILL ORDER COMPARISON |
+--------------------------+-----------------------+----------------------------+
| Target Priority | Major Advantages | Major Drawbacks |
+--------------------------+-----------------------+----------------------------+
| Kill Orin First | Saves hostage early; | Requires Murder Tribunal; |
| | keeps city guards | must pass speech check to |
| | neutral via truce | save companion on altar |
| Kill Gortash First | Fulfills Orin's deal; | Turns Steel Watch/Guards |
| | satisfies Karlach's | hostile; triggers city |
| | story revenge arc | tremors and Mind Flayers |
+--------------------------+-----------------------+----------------------------+
The Dark Urge Factor & Meta Recommendation
For players running The Dark Urge origin, the choice carries deep personal lore. Confronting Orin in the Temple of Bhaal initiates an official 1v1 duel for the title of Bhaal’s Chosen, offering unique dialogue and mechanically isolating the fight from her ritual cultist adds.
“Accepting Gortash’s truce initially to navigate the Lower City peacefully while you clear side quests, then taking down Orin in the sewers, and finally returning to dismantle the Steel Watch and destroy Gortash right before the finale is the smoothest pacing for Act 3,” noted one popular guide on r/BG3Builds.
Final Verdict
Ultimately, there is no wrong choice, as both Chosen must fall before the party can face the Netherbrain. However, for most good-aligned runs, accepting Gortash’s temporary alliance, defeating Orin to rescue your companion, and then turning on Gortash after disabling his Steel Watch offers the most satisfying narrative arc and cleanest quest progression across Act 3.
