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Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the video games with many choices to make, which can lead to consequences that may impact the gameplay in the short or long term.
While going through the Prologue area of Baldur’s Gate 3, you may come across a talking brain that asks you to save them from this place and set them free.
Without any clues about the intentions of the Psionic Presence inside the brain, it is hard to tell which choice is the best to make.
As such, in the following Baldur’s Gate 3, we will enlist all the choices that you will have to make and how each choice affects your gameplay if you remove or kill the brain.
Where To Find the Psionic Presence Brain in BG3
The mysterious brain can be found right at the start of the game, immediately after you interact and go through the first sphincter.
You will hear a voice calling for help somewhere in this part of the Nautiloid ship.
Step on the platform in the middle and interact with the Neural Apparatus to reach an upper section, where you will find Myrnath, a dying man with his brain exposed.
After the short cutscene with the brain asking for you to hurry and set it free, you’ll be prompted with a couple of options to choose from.
Should You Free or Destroy the Brain in Baldur’s Gate III?
If you have enough Intelligence points and select the “Who I am talking to – a man or a brain?” dialogue option, you can identify the creature as an Intellect Devourer – a servant of the Mind Flayers who have taken you captive.
After inspecting the brain, choose the “I think you’re past the point of saving. Tell me what to do.” dialogue option, which will let you decide the fate of the brain:
- [INVESTIGATION] Inspect the exposed brain.
- [STRENGTH] Break the skull.
- [DEXTERITY] Gently prise the brain from the skull.
- Destroy the brain.
- Leave.
The most straightforward option out of all is to destroy the brain on the spot. If you hate the Mind Flayers and don’t want to associate in any form with them, you can pick this option.
But you can also remove the brain from the skull and set it free.
The first dialogue option will let you inspect the exposed brain and learn more about its state after you pass an Intelligence check.
Going through this investigation successfully gives you another option, “[MEDICINE] Attempt a cerebral extraction, staying mindful of the swelling.“, which allows you to extract the brain once you pass a Wisdom check.
All the first three options allow you to extract the brain from the skull after you pass an attribute check: Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom.
Depending on your race and class, select the dialogue option where you have more attribute points to extract the brain from the skull successfully.
For example, if you play a warrior-type class, select the [STRENGTH] dialogue option or the [DEXTERITY] if you play a rogue-type class.
After successfully passing the attribute check, you will be holding the brain in your hands, and you will be given two options:
- [DEXTERITY] Mutilate the brain.
- Spare the creature – any injuries might weaken it.
If you select the first dialogue option, you can cripple the brain and make it weaker before releasing it from your hands. There is no real benefit to mutilating the brain, so don’t pick this one.
But if you select the second dialogue option, you’ll free the creature without crippling it.
After releasing the brain, you can take it as a companion to help you fight your wait through the Nautiloid ship.
So what’s the best choice to make? When deciding what to do with the brain, it’s important to consider your role-playing character and what path you want to take.
However, our recommendation is to free the brain rather than cripple it. This decision will provide an additional companion during the Prologue, making that section much easier.
Having the brain accompany you in combat has no drawbacks, and it will leave once you’ve finished the Prologue in the video game developed and published by Larian Studios.
If you enjoyed this guide, feel free to visit our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wiki Hub Page for more helpful information.
You get Us as a companion regardless of if you cripple it or not. It actually doesn’t respond to, or apparently even feel the crippling. Unsurprising tbh, since brains don’t actually feel.