Choices made in Baldur’s Gate 3 have a huge impact on your adventure and how other NPCs and even your own companions interact with you. One of the major choices that can affect one of your companion’s questlines presents itself in the quest “Kill Raphael’s Old Enemy”. Players need to decide whether or not to kill Yurgir the Orthon in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to deal with Raphael’s Old Enemy in BG3
During your journey in Act 2, players have to enter the Gauntlet of Shar. However, you can meet with one of the most interesting NPCs in BG3 before this, Raphael. Raphael can be found in the Las Light Inn before you fight Isobel and Flaming Fist Marcus, and just outside the Thorm Mausoleum.
When you talk to Raphael in both these locations, Raphael brings your attention to the markings on Astarion’s back, and you will get the quest “Read the Infernal Markings on Astarion’s back”. As it turns out, the only person who can help you read the markings is Raphael himself. He will do it in return for a favor, you need to kill Raphael’s old enemy Yurgir the Orthon in BG3.
Raphael explains that Yurgir the Orthon is a powerful foe and can be found in the lowest part of the Thorm Mausoleum. If you defeat him, Raphael will translate the infernal markings on Astarion’s back.
Should you Save or Kill Yurgir in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Thorm Mausoleum leads players to Gauntlet of Shar. To complete the gauntlet, players need Umbral Gems rewarded for completing different Trials of Shar. However, one of those gems is being held by Yurgir so an encounter with him is unavoidable.
After players solve the first puzzle in Thorm Mausoleum and enter the actual Gauntlet, players can find a Displacer Beast leading them somewhere. You can either kill the beast or follow it to be taken into an ambush prepared by Yurgir. However, you don’t have to necessarily fight Yurgir in BG3.
If you follow the Displacer Beast, it will take you to Yurgir the Orthon. Here, you can decide either to save Yurgir from his deal with Raphael or kill the Orthon in BG3.
The question arises, whether you should save or kill Yurgir the Orthon. If you decide to save Yurgir, Yurgir will become an ally for you later in the game. Yurgir is quite a powerful NPC and can help out in a lot of encounters. This will also allow you to collect the Umbral Gem peacefully.
However, this will not stand well with Astarion as sparing and saving Yurgir means that Astarion has lost his only chance of learning what the Infernal Markings on his back mean. This will impact Astarion’s questline and omit Astarion as a romance option in BG3.
If you kill Yurgir, either by tricking him or fighting him, you will please both Astarion and Raphael. This allows you to further Astarion’s story and learn the truth about Astarion’s master. It will also allow you to romance Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 at a later stage. Furthermore, players can also loot Yurgir’s corpse after killing him to get the Infernal Iron and Hellfire Hand Crossbow, both excellent items.
Even if you kill Yurgir here, you have one more chance to recruit him to your cause at the end of House of Hope before you fight Raphael.
The entire decision depends on the players. If they need the extra manpower and a powerful NPC to help them, they can decide to help Yurgir get free from his contract. If players value their relationship with Astarion, they should focus on killing Yurgir and helping Astarion learn about his markings.
Following Yurgir’s death, you can meet Raphael at your camp during a long rest. He will then explain what Astarion’s markings mean.
