Out of all the mysterious characters you will meet during your adventures, He Who Was will stand out from the uncanny bunch in Baldur’s Gate 3. With his pale skin, eyes as black as the night, and a white raven by his side, He Who Was has a unique design. This justice-seeking Drow necromancer will make you raise an eyebrow when you meet him.
You will meet He Who Was during Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3 while exploring the Shadow Cursed Lands. He Who Was will be at the coordinates (X: 123, Y: 104) and speak to a dead person, Madeline, and it would seem like He Who Was is torturing her.
When you interact with He Who Was in Baldur’s Gate 3, you will get to know that the dead person ratted on his friends. That ultimately led to their untimely and grizzly deaths. He Who Was is seeking justice for them as an act of revenge. This will automatically start the “Punish the Wicked” side quest in the game. But the main question is, should you side with Who He Was or Madeline during Punish the Wicked quest in Baldur’s Gate 3?
What happens if you side With He Who Was (kill Madeline) in BG3
When He Who Was conjures the soul of Madeline inside of him, you get different choices. If you go with the second choice, you will ridicule Madeline, taunting them. This will eventually lead to her feeling very guilty and sad.
- [Persuasion] Pathetic. You murdered your friends. You are a coward.
After Madeline has finished crying and starts to regret their decision, He Who Was will reclaim his body. You will see him rejoicing the moment, smiling. He then will tell you he enjoyed her screams and anguish. You will receive rewards from Who He Was for helping him through the process.
What happens if you side with Madeline (forgive her)
If you decide to side with Madeline, you must pick the third choice. When He Who Was conjures the soul of Madeline in Baldur’s Gate 3, you must comfort her and tell her that it was not her fault. Doing this will put Madeline at ease and make her feel peace. This will give her some comfort as she finally passes on.
- [Persuasion] There is nothing you need to do. This wasn’t your fault – I promise.
However, He Who Was will snap and attack you if you do this. This will start a fight with He Who Was in Baldur’s Gate 3, and you must defeat him. He will do this because you “robbed” the dead of justice. The battle with him is not that difficult. Kill him, and you will get decent loot from his corpse.
Tell Madeline to stab herself in BG3
There is a third choice also available. This is the most thrilling and fun one. By choosing this, you will kill two birds with one stone if you choose the first option. You will tell Madeline’s soul to stab herself while she is possessing He Who Was in Baldur’s Gate 3. Select the following dialogue options.
- [Persuasion] Anything? Then, hurt yourself as Ben and Mark did. Stab yourself.
- Start stabbing, and don’t stop until I say so.
- [Persuasion] Keep going.
She then inhabits the body of He Who Was, as you command. But then you will get another option: tell her not to stop until you say so. This will cause her to stab herself repeatedly, killing He Who Was in the process. You still get the loot, and technically, you delivered the most poetic justice. However, you will need to defeat his Raven in an easy-to-win fight.
