Destroy the Brain

Key takeawaysSpoilers

The title covers an early tutorial choice and the game's final resolution, so the correct advice depends on which brain the player has reached.

• Check which scenario you are playing The Nautiloid encounter concerns freeing or harming Us, while the Act Three objective concerns the Netherbrain and the fate of Baldur's Gate.
• Removing the captive brain recruits Us temporarily Choosing to remove the brain from Myrnath allows Us to become a temporary ally during the tutorial rather than ending the encounter immediately.
• The finale has more than one resolution The party can pursue destruction of the Netherbrain, consider Gale's Orb-based sacrifice, or choose domination instead.
• Ending choices are consequential Destroying the Netherbrain ends the Absolute's threat and leads into the epilogue, while domination functions as the game's evil ending.

Destroy the Brain overviewSpoilers

Destroy the Brain is not a single uninterrupted objective in Baldur's Gate 3. The phrase applies both to an early Nautiloid encounter involving a captive Intellect Devourer and to the Act Three endgame confrontation with the Netherbrain.

During the prologue aboard the Nautiloid, the player encounters a sentient Intellect Devourer named Us trapped inside a skull. The captive is identified as Myrnath, and the player can decide whether to destroy the brain, mutilate it, or remove it. Removing the brain allows Us to survive as a temporary ally and companion for the remaining tutorial section, making this an early choice with an immediate practical consequence.

The second and more consequential use of the objective belongs to Act Three's Confront the Elder Brain. At that stage, the party's goal is to destroy the final Netherbrain and save Baldur's Gate from the threat of the Absolute. The decision occurs at the climax of the main conflict, so this section should be read with major ending spoilers in mind.

The finale also presents alternatives to directly destroying the Netherbrain. Gale can offer to use the Orb in a self-sacrificial attempt to destroy the brain, while the player may instead choose to dominate the Netherbrain. Destroying it resolves the central threat and permits the game's final epilogue scenes; domination leads to a substantially different, villainous conclusion.

Where this sitsSpoilers

RequirementsSpoilers

The two scenarios have different access conditions: one is confined to the opening Nautiloid sequence, and the other is reached through the Act Three finale.

• RequiredNautiloid prologueReach the captive Intellect Devourer during the opening sequence to receive the destroy, mutilate, or remove choice.
• RequiredAct Three progressionAdvance to Confront the Elder Brain to reach the final Netherbrain objective and its ending decisions.
• OptionalGale present for his alternativeGale must be available to present the Orb-based self-sacrifice option described for the finale.

ObjectivesSpoilers

1. Resolve the captive brain encounter on the Nautiloid.Choose whether to destroy, mutilate, or remove the brain associated with Myrnath.
2. Preserve Us as a temporary ally.Remove the brain if the goal is to have Us join the party during the tutorial.
3. Destroy the final Netherbrain.In Confront the Elder Brain, pursue the outcome that saves Baldur's Gate and ends the Absolute's threat.
4. Decide how to handle the final brain.Consider direct destruction, Gale's Orb-based self-sacrifice, or domination of the Netherbrain.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Find the captive Intellect Devourer.

   Reach the captive brain on the Nautiloid

   During the prologue, explore the Nautiloid until you find the sentient Intellect Devourer trapped inside a skull. The captive is associated with Myrnath, and this is the early encounter to which the destroy-the-brain wording can refer.

   Location: Nautiloid

2. 02

   Resolve the Myrnath encounter.

   Choose the brain's immediate fate

   Interact with the captive and select among the available options to destroy, mutilate, or remove the brain. Destroying or mutilating it ends the opportunity to use Us as the tutorial companion, while removing it preserves that possibility.

   Location: Nautiloid

   Watch outThis decision is confined to the opening Nautiloid sequence and cannot be treated as the Act Three finale.

   Missable
3. 03

   Allow Us to become a temporary ally.

   Remove the brain to recruit Us

   If you want the temporary companion outcome, remove the brain rather than destroying it. Us then becomes a temporary ally for the remainder of the tutorial section, giving the party additional support before the opening sequence ends.

   Location: Nautiloid

   TipThe removal choice is the useful outcome when the priority is keeping the sentient Intellect Devourer with the party.

4. 04

   Reach the Netherbrain finale.

   Advance to Confront the Elder Brain

   The endgame version of the objective does not occur during the tutorial. Continue the main story through Act Three until the party reaches Confront the Elder Brain and the final confrontation with the Netherbrain.

   Location: Act Three

   Checkpoint
5. 05

   Select an approach to the Netherbrain.

   Assess the final destruction options

   At the climax, the party must determine how to resolve the threat posed by the final brain. Gale can offer to use the Orb in a self-sacrificial attempt, creating an alternative to the party handling the final confrontation in the usual way.

   Location: Act Three finale

   Watch outGale's proposal carries a self-sacrifice consequence and should not be accepted without considering its effect on the ending.

6. 06

   Determine the game's final outcome.

   Destroy or dominate the Netherbrain

   Choose destruction to resolve the main conflict, free Baldur's Gate, and proceed toward the final epilogue scenes. Choosing to dominate the Netherbrain instead produces the game's evil ending rather than ending the Absolute's threat in the same way.

   Location: Act Three finale

   Watch outThis is an ending-defining decision with major spoilers for the conclusion.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

The key mechanic is that identical wording can describe two very different interactions. In the Nautiloid, the brain is a captive creature and the decision is about its immediate treatment. Removing it changes the encounter's result by allowing Us to function as a temporary ally; this is a tutorial-scale companion choice rather than a conclusion to the main plot.

In Act Three, the brain is the Netherbrain and the objective is part of the game's endgame resolution. The player is not simply completing a normal combat objective: the available decision can determine whether the Absolute's threat is destroyed, whether Gale uses the Orb at the cost of his life, or whether the Netherbrain is dominated instead.

Because the two situations are separated by the whole game, guides should identify the location and act before giving advice. A player searching for the Nautiloid encounter needs the Us outcome, while a player at Confront the Elder Brain needs ending guidance and should expect major spoilers.

What works and what does notSpoilers

Encounter phasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Captive brain decision

   Starts: Approaching the sentient Intellect Devourer inside the skull during the Nautiloid prologue.

   Not specified in the available source material.

   The encounter is primarily an interaction with branching choices rather than a documented boss fight. The player can destroy, mutilate, or remove the brain associated with Myrnath.

   • Choose removal if the aim is to keep Us as a temporary ally.
   • Treat this as a missable prologue decision, not the final Netherbrain objective.
2. 2

   Netherbrain endgame decision

   Starts: Reaching the finale of Confront the Elder Brain in Act Three.

   Not specified in the available source material.

   The party confronts the final Netherbrain and decides whether to destroy it, accept Gale's Orb-based self-sacrifice, or dominate it. The outcome determines how the main conflict concludes.

   • Save the decision for a deliberate ending choice because it carries major spoilers.
   • Destruction leads toward the epilogue, while domination is the evil-ending route.

Netherbrain encounterEnding spoilers

• Location
  Act Three finale, during Confront the Elder Brain
• Health
  Not specified in the available source material.

The available facts establish the narrative objective and the ending alternatives, but do not provide reliable combat instructions, attack patterns, or mechanical weaknesses. For the story outcome, pursue destruction of the Netherbrain, or evaluate Gale's Orb proposal as an alternative involving his self-sacrifice.

Choices and consequencesEnding spoilers

• Destroy the captive brain in the Nautiloid

  The early brain encounter ends without Us becoming the temporary tutorial companion.

• Mutilate the captive brain

  The player takes a different harmful resolution to the Myrnath encounter rather than removing the brain for Us.

• Remove the brain from Myrnath

  Us survives the interaction and can become a temporary ally during the tutorial section.

• Accept Gale's Orb-based self-sacrifice

  Gale uses the Orb in an attempt to destroy the brain, with his life placed at stake.

  Spoiler
• Destroy the Netherbrain directly

  The Absolute's threat is ended, Baldur's Gate is freed, and the game proceeds to final epilogue scenes.

  Spoiler
• Dominate the Netherbrain

  The choice functions as the game's evil ending rather than resolving the threat through destruction.

  Spoiler

ChecklistSpoilers

• Identify whether the guide is referring to the Nautiloid or Act Three.The same phrase covers two distinct scenarios.
• Decide whether Us should become a temporary ally.Removal of the captive brain enables this outcome.
• Remember that the Myrnath choice is limited to the prologue.It is missable once the Nautiloid sequence has passed.Optional
• Reach Confront the Elder Brain before making the final decision.The Netherbrain objective belongs to the Act Three finale.
• Consider Gale's Orb proposal carefully.The option involves his self-sacrifice.
• Choose destruction or domination deliberately.The decision determines the broad ending direction.Optional

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• The Nautiloid sequence ends before the captive brain is resolved.The opportunity to choose the fate of Myrnath and recruit Us as a temporary ally is tied to the prologue encounter.
• The captive brain is destroyed or mutilated.Those choices prevent the removal outcome that allows Us to become a temporary companion.
• The player chooses domination at the finale.This does not produce the destruction outcome that frees Baldur's Gate and ends the Absolute's threat.
• Gale's proposal is accepted without accounting for its cost.The Orb-based route places Gale's life at stake through self-sacrifice.

RewardsEnding spoilers

• Us as a temporary ally
  Removing the brain from Myrnath allows Us to accompany the party during the tutorial section.
• Resolution of the main conflict
  Destroying the Netherbrain ends the central threat of the Absolute.
• Freedom for Baldur's Gate
  The destruction outcome saves the city from the final brain's threat.
• Final epilogue scenes
  Destroying the Netherbrain leads into the game's concluding epilogue material.

Characters in this missionSpoilers

• GaleProvides the Orb-based self-sacrifice alternative in the endgame scenario.

AftermathEnding spoilers

Trivia

• The phrase destroy the brain is unusually ambiguous in Baldur's Gate 3 because it can refer to a tutorial encounter and an ending objective.
• The early captive brain is sentient and named Us after removal, while the associated captive identity is Myrnath.
• The two scenarios span the opening Nautiloid sequence and the Act Three conclusion, placing the same broad idea at opposite ends of the campaign.

Relationships