Should the player release or purge the pods containing innocents and Mind Flayers in BG3?
Baldur’s Gate 3 has proven itself to be a wonderful game, giving the players a large world to explore. This world is complex and gives the player many challenges to take on, and thought-provoking decisions to take, some of which can change the course of their game.
One choice that doesn’t hold all that much weight will be tackled by the player is on a quest to find Zevlor, or simply exploring the Mind Flayer Colony and stumbling across a few pods with Mind Flayers and uninfected people inside, giving the player an option to release them all or kill them.
Find Zevlor Side Quest
This side quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 will ask the player to search and find the former leader of the Tieflings, an individual known as Zevlor.
To get his quest, the player must first talk to Cerys in the Last Light Inn where she’ll retell to the player what happened to the Tieflings and how they were captured.
When the player goes to Moonrise to save the Tieflings, they will find quite a few imprisoned in the Moonrise Towers Prison. However, there is no sign of Zevlor. This means he’s held somewhere else, and that place in fact not too far from where the player currently stands. This is the quest that will lead the players to a bunch of pods that will give them the option to release or purge.
Where To Find The Pods
To find the pods, the player must, of course, first make it into Baldur’s Gate 3’s Act 2. Beyond that, the player must already head to Moonrise and fight Ketheric Thorm for the first time, where he will escape down into a Mind Flayer Colony.
Once down there, the player will have quite a large area to explore, with many interesting things to find and discover. If the player has Wyll recruited, then his patron, Mizora, will ask him to save someone there. In the location where her quest leads the player to the Mind Flayer Colony, the player will find a room close to where there are people stuck in pods. However, some of them are still uninfected, but some are already lost and turned into Mind Flayers. The exact location is around X: 700 and Y: 20.
Connecting With The Device
Once the player reaches this room with the pods, they’ll quickly notice Neural Apparatus, a glowing red device that the player can control. This gives one the ability to either release the pods, purge the pods, or just leave it be. Of course, if the player just leaves it be, nothing will happen, but it can be assumed that eventually the uninfected will turn into Mind Flayer or die somehow. Still, players might wonder as to which the best option out of the other two remaining ones is.
Purging the Pods
The easiest thing to do here is perhaps to just purge the pods. If this is to happen, then everyone, including the uninfected individuals, which includes people like Zevlor, will die. This will also kill the Mind Flayer, however, which prevents a fight against some powerful enemies for the player.
Purging the pods doesn’t have a huge impact on the game. Zevlor is the most important character present there, but even his death won’t change the player’s game much.
So overall, if the player doesn’t feel like engaging in a fight, this option isn’t too bad. The worst that could happen is some companions disapproving of the player’s action. It’s also a good option for someone playing an evil run.
Releasing The Pods
If the player, on the other hand, doesn’t want to let some innocents die or get turned into Mind Flayer, then the best option is to release the pods. However, this shouldn’t be without preparation, as the player will not only release innocent people, but also a bunch of Mind Flayers who are quite strong. The Mind Flayers will also not be the only thing attacking the player, as a bunch of intellect devourers will aid the Mind Flayers and become hostile the second the pods are released.
What's good for the player is that the people they release will assist them in the fight, and that includes three individuals: Zevlor, Gauntlet Yeva, as well as Manip Shuurga. Every single one of them is a capable fighter who will make victory possible as taking down 4 Mind Flayers is no easy task.
The player can also deal with the intellect devourers prior to releasing the pods, as they are significantly weaker and easy to defeat, which would make the main fight a lot easier.
Note: If the player accidentally hits one of the allies they just freed, they could turn on the player, so one should be careful with wide-range spells.
After winning this fight, the player will be able to talk to the people they just saved, as well as loot the bodies, even though there isn’t much great loot to be found.
Which Option is Better?
Overall, neither options matter much in the grand scheme of things, so it is definitely based on the player’s preference. If the player is going for an evil run, then purging the pods is the way to go, but if not, the player should definitely give saving Zevlor and the others a try, as, with their help, the fight won’t be too much of a challenge.
The player will also be rewarded with experience points upon defeating the Mind Flayers, which can definitely come in handy when considering the boss fight that’s to come, where the player will need to be at their best to have a chance at taking down Ketheric Thorm at his full power – something that is sure to be a tough challenge. The player can also attain additional information from Zevlor if they do save him. Zevlor will also make a comeback in Act 3 if he is saved.
Speaking To Zevlor
Platform(s) PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X Publisher(s) Larian Studios How Long To Beat 30 Hours Metascore 96
