Baldur’s Gate 3 Karlach Location: Should you side with the Tiefling devil or Paladins of Tyr?
Decisions, decisions. Who will you choose?
Baldur's Gate 3 is packed to the brim with side quests and secrets to discover, and this is right from the outset. One of the earlier but rather important side quests you can discover is Hunt the Devil, which will have you choosing sides between Anders and his paladins, or the companion, Karlach.
Regardless of who you choose to side with, you’ll be able to complete this quest, but should you side with the Tiefling devil or Paladins of Tyr? Both have their benefits, and both have their own implications, but that decision is down to you and your party.
That said, we can help! Here’s our guide on whether to side with the Tiefling devil or Paladins of Tyr in Baldur’s Gate 3, as well as where to find both Anders’ and Karlach’s locations. And as ever, beware of spoilers below!
Should you side with the Tiefling devil or Knights of Tyr in Baldur’s Gate 3?
To put it simply, if you’re trying to be morally good or neutral throughout your playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll want to side with Karlach.
If you’re going for a more chaotic-evil route, then siding with Anders is best for you.
You’ll find Anders on The Risen Road, where he’ll try to recruit your help killing the 'devil', Karlach. Karlach, on the other hand, can be found near the forest, where - in an injured state - she will ask for your help taking care of Anders.
For a little more context, and to help you make the decision yourself, Karlach is merely a Tiefling Barbarian with powerful attack skills; she's no devil. As a result, she was recruited by the Archdevil Zariel to fight in the Blood War. She has since managed to escape aboard the Nautiloid ship you will have crashed earlier, and now, she’s doing everything in her power to make sure that she doesn’t return to Hell.
Anders, on the other hand, is actually a knight for Archdevil Zariel. He has pledged his soul to Zariel, and his only escape is to provide her with Karlach’s soul instead. You’ll discover this information whenever you speak with Anders, but he’ll still continue to try and convince you to help him.
If you fancy helping agents of chaos with their bidding, then side with Anders by killing Karlach. It’s worth noting that once she has been killed, you then won’t be able to recruit Karlach as a companion or romance her.
To side with Karlach, you’ll need to kill Anders. This way, you’ll be able to recruit Karlach as a companion, romance her, or finally see her befriend her other hunter, Wyll. Ultimately, it opens up more opportunities with Karlach, doesn’t serve the selfish Anders, and you’ll get a grand Greatsword from Anders’ corpse!
Once you've killed either Karlach or Anders, the Hunt the Devil quest will be completed.
Where to find Karlach’s location in Baldur’s Gate 3
You’ll first hear of Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 when you meet with Wyll at Emerald Grove. He will be on a hunt for her, and is oathbound to do so. As a result, companion quest ‘The Blade of Frontiers’ is kicked off, which has you tracking down Karlach’s location.
Leave the Tiefling Camp and Wyll behind, and for this encounter, make sure that Wyll is not a member of your party! Then, make your way through the Forest and keep north, jumping across the river here to eventually reach the quest marker on your map, as shown below.
Once you reach this location, you’ll see puddles of blood. Follow them to reach and injured Karlach.
Karlach will then explain to you how she escaped Hell, and is not, in fact, a devil. If you choose to kill her anyways, you’ll need to bring her head to the Paladins as proof. In return, Anders will give you a pretty cool sword.
Where to find Anders' location in Baldur’s Gate 3
You’ll likely run into Karlach first, and Anders can be found north of her location in Baldur’s Gate 3, on The Risen Road. Simply make your way north, over the bridge shown on the below map, and enter the hut at coordinates X109, Y562.
You’ll be greeted by a group of Paladins, with Anders stood behind the desk in this hut. Speak with him, and then you can choose to help him, or initiate combat. If you choose to kill Anders, be sure to return to Karlach afterwards and let her know.
For more on Baldur’s Gate 3, take a look at where to find Thieve's Tools, as these will help you get past plenty of locks. On the other hand, have you checked out what it takes to romance companions such as Astarion and Shadowheart?