The Absolute’s army inBaldur’s Gate 3is made up of a disparate collection of groups that, under normal circumstances, would never get along. From hordes of goblins to mercenary dwarves to nobles of drow society,many of these factions would typically be at odds, andBaldur’s Gate 3’s world of the Forgotten Realms is certainly no stranger to constant strife. Despite this potential for conflict, however, all of these entities are one under the Absolute.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3.]It’s no surprise that a group centered around mind-controlling tadpoles and an imprisoned Elder Brain would be good at forcing people to unite. Theillithids being used to create this army are a hive mind, after all, and many agents of the Absolute are so-called True Souls, hearing psionic instructions through brain parasites. But some of the larger groups in this antagonistic force were recruited with a bit more subtle political manipulation, and the game makes it clear how exactly each faction was swayed to the Dead Three’s side.
Manipulating The Goblins Through Their Religious Practices
From Maglubiyet To Mind Flayers
Very few of the goblins in the Absolute’s army are actually infected with a mind flayer parasite. The forces of the Absolute were able to take advantage of the faith that goblin groups put in their priests and priestesses, who traditionally lead them in worship of Maglubiyet.Maglubiyet is considered an evil god,whose followers conquer and kill in his name, and morally, this already lines up well with what the Absolute wants from the goblins.
How To Poison The Goblin Party In Baldur’s Gate 3
Learn how to make one of the toughest fights in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act One, the Goblin Camp, easier by poisoning the drinks at their party.
A text found within Moonrise Towers, called “The Maglubiyet Gambit,” outlines howthe Absolute’s agents invited seven high-ranking goblin religious leaders to a dinner meeting. There, they were paralyzed with poisoned drink and infected, causing them to become devoted followers of the Elder Brain. When they returned home, their beliefs became those of their tribes, and the goblins' loyalty was gained.
It’s clear that not every goblin went this easily into thearmy of the Absolute, since characters like Brakkal are still loyal to Maglubiyet. For the most part, however, this strategy paid off. The goblins make up scouts and shock troops with the army, appearing mostly in the early as low-level enemies that players must fight past. And despite the numbers that the goblin hordes bring, it’s clear thatother troops were more often used as leaders.
The Duergar Work For Gold In Baldur’s Gate 3
The Simplest Motivator For Any Group
When it came to the Duergar employed by the Absolute within the Underdark, a much simpler strategy was taken up. Thanks to powerful backers within Baldur’s Gate, the Absolute had gold to spend andhired dwarven mercenaries from a clan called Flameshade. These mercs can be found in the Grymforge area, trying to reach the adamantine forge and supply the Absolute’s forces with more powerful weapons.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Beat Grym (Adamantine Forge Boss)
To forge Adamantine gear in Baldur’s Gate 3, you must defeat Grym first. However, you can use certain tricks to tip the odds in the party’s favor.
These duergar seem to largely be neutral or even hostile towards the Absolutists, but they value their coin enough to work with them. There aresome duergar more loyal to the Absolute faith, like Sergeant Thrinn and Corsair Greymon,but others like Elder Brithvar are willing to betray the Absolute if it pays better than being loyal.Baldur’s Gate 3doesn’t clarifywhy several Duergar are more loyal than others, since none of them appear to be infected, but it’s possible they anticipated rewards beyond gold if they stuck with the Absolute.
Many True Souls end up with unique powers, like the ability to psionically influence others or kill indiscriminately, and this may have been what some duergar wanted. Alternatively, they could have been promised control of the Grymforge, which would make them very rich in the long run as a unique facility for crafting highly valuable equipment.
All in all,the duergar seem somewhat similar to the Zhentarim in terms of their shaky loyalty to the Absolute. The player can see evidence in many interactions with Roah Moonglow that the Zhent leader has no love or loyalty to the Elder Brain, but works with its followers for gold. The Zhent also stand to gain power in Baldur’s Gate from their partnership with the Absolute, since it could help them take over the city’s criminal underworld.
Minthara’s Story Sheds Light On How The Drow Were Recruited
The Pride Before The Fall
Many leaders within the Absolute’s army, such as Nere and Minthara, seem to be drow nobles. It makes sense that these soldiers would be fit for leadership, given theirhierarchical society in Menzoberranzan and their status as higher-ranking nobility. What isn’t immediately clear is why these drow would work with the Absolute at all; many are sworn to Lolth, the Spider goddess, and would not betray their goddess lightly.
While Seldarine drow are considered distinct from Lolth, both Nere and Minthara are Lolth-Sworn drow, with Minthara even having been a paladin of Lolth.
In the case of Minthara, she can actually tell the player exactly how she came to join the Absolute’s army. She was lured to Moonrise Towers when they sent missionaries into Menzoberranzan, an act that the drow saw as disrespectful and boldly arrogant. When the drow planned to attack Moonrise, they were instead invited to dine with and be honored by Ketheric Thorm. It was during this dinner thatmost of Minthara’s soldiers were poisoned or slain by Orin the Red, and she herself was captured and infected.
Rare Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 Dialogue Proves That Minthara Has A Heart
Minthara is known as one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s coldest companions, but a new piece of dialogue added in Patch 7 proves that she has a heart.
Most of the drow in the Absolute’s army are probably “True Souls,“since they’d be unlikely to follow an Elder Brain or be put in positions of power if they weren’t. All told, it would seem that the Absolute inBaldur’s Gate 3targets groups typically perceived as frightening or evil by Baldurians and unites them through a mix of mind control and manipulation. This gives them a powerful army and plays into Gortash’s fear tactics, which allow him to seize power in the city inBaldur’s Gate 3.
