Baldur's Gate 3 Free Orpheus Quest Walkthrough

Baldur's Gate 3 revolves entirely around the choices you make on your journey. Every small decision is a critical puzzle piece in a grand tapestry. However, few pieces are as significant and challenging to place as the liberation of the Githyanki Prince Orpheus from the clutches of the Astral Prism.

If you wish to advance both Orpheus' and, in a broader sense, Lae'zel's questlines, you will want to be engaged from the very beginning to obtain the complete picture. And as the picture comes together and all the smaller pieces fall into place, what will you do when the choice to free Orpheus brings about betrayal?

How To Begin The Orpheus Quest - Optional Prerequisites

There are several interactions that initiate this questline, but the only fixed prerequisites for this quest are:

1. Obtaining the Orphic Hammer
2. Betraying the Emperor

You can also progress Lae'zel's questline, "The Githyanki Warrior," as an optional undertaking. This questline includes:

• Finding the Githyanki Creche at Rosymorn Monastery
• Encountering Vlaakith
• Hearing Voss out and siding with him

Regardless of what you have done up to this point, the formal liberation of Orpheus begins by paying a visit to Raphael and, potentially, Voss at Sharess' Caress.

How To Obtain The Orphic Hammer - Make A Deal With Raphael

The easiest way to obtain the Orphic Hammer is to make a deal with Raphael at Sharess' Caress. You will find him on the third floor in the northernmost room (accessible via the balcony).

Upon entering the room, you can engage in a conversation with Raphael, who proposes a deal: Give him the Crown of Karsus in exchange for the Orphic Hammer.

There are no direct in-game consequences if you agree to it, but the story is influenced in several significant ways:

1. Gale's questline cannot end since he will no longer be able to retrieve the Crown of Karsus, dooming him to live with the Netherese Orb until he eventually explodes.
2. Raphael will attempt to dethrone Zariel and take Avernus, and eventually all Nine Circles of Hell, for himself.
3. It is implied you will have to serve Raphael eternally as a Debtor, losing your soul and living in eternal damnation.

You can completely avoid these endings if you accept this offer and choose to break into the House of Hope. By freeing Hope from her prison, you will be able to kill Raphael and completely thwart the deal.

How To Steal The Orphic Hammer

To steal the hammer, you must first enter the House of Hope. This is achieved by performing a ritual at the Devil's Toll, a shop located in the Undercity.

It is a dungeon area, and stealing this hammer will lead to a boss battle with Raphael.

Once you are inside the house, you should inquire about the weapon to the astral projection of Hope in the first room. You can agree to use the weapon to free her, but agreeing to it does not necessarily mean that you have to follow through with it.

With the disguise of the debtor that she provides you, you will be able to freely explore the house.

Upon entering the house, either proceed through the locked door on the left or bypass the hallway to reach the West Wing without needing to pick any locks. Hope will be waiting before your destination, the archives.

If you ask Hope for further information, she will tell you that the Archivist fears Verillius Receptor, the High Inquisitor of Zariel.

These pieces of information can also be obtained by reading the thoughts of the Archivist on the guest list.

Inside the archives, you will catch sight of the hammer behind a magical force field. You cannot free it from there just yet, so first, speak to the Archivist.

You can either deceive the Archivist and make him believe that you are Verillius Receptor (DC 15), or steal from him to obtain the invitation to the Boudoir.

The Boudoir, located on the north side of the house, holds the password needed to lower the arcane field surrounding the hammer. However, on your way to the secret location of the password, you will encounter an incident involving the incubus Harleep.

You can either accept Harleep's proposition and sleep with them or attack and kill Harleep. In either case, it will lead to the location of the password, which is behind a portrait of Raphael on the west side of the bed.

Refer to our guide to determine whether you should accept Harleep's proposition.

With the password, you will be able to steal the Orphic Hammer. However, once you remove it, you will have to fight against all the residents of the House of Hope, including Raphael himself.

Having the Orphic Hammer also means that you will have the opportunity to free Hope.

At this point, no further deals with Raphael will be possible. This decision also appears to anger the Guardian, the Emperor. Therefore, those who have entered a romance with them should exercise caution when making this decision.

Sidequest: Where To Find Voss After Obtaining The Orphic Hammer

After obtaining the Orphic Hammer, you can find Voss in the sewers of the Undercity.

He will be speaking with someone. After their conversation, you should speak with Voss while having Lae'zel in your party and the hammer in your inventory.

Keeping Voss informed about the hammer is necessary to win the Githyanki as potential allies in the final battle and to update the quest "Unite Your Allies!"

Furthermore, informing him about the Orphic Hammer with Lae'zel in your party will advance her questline. Voss will grant you the Silver Sword, a legendary weapon perfectly suited for the Githyanki.

Silver Sword of the Astral Plane	Legendary greatsword; two-handed. +3 Enchantment. Deals damage equal to 2d6 Slashing + 1d6 Psychic (Conditional) + Strength modifier.
	Githborn Psionic Weapon: Githyanki wielding this weapon grants it a bonus 1d6 Psychic damage.
	Githborn Psionic Resistance: Githyanki wielding this sword have Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws. They also gain Resistance to Psychic damage and immunity to the Cursed condition.
	Soul Breaker: As an action and once per short rest, potentially stuns the enemy on a failed Constitution saving throw. Deals 2d6 Slashing + Strength modifier + 1d4 Fire + 3 Psychic damage.

How To Free Orpheus

With the Orphic Hammer, you must progress towards the end of the game. This means you must have collected all three Nether Stones and ventured into the Lair of the Elder Brain.

After your brief encounter with the Elder Brain (if you fail to pass all three checks to dominate it), you will be drawn into the Prism Room with the Emperor.

Make sure to have the Orphic Hammer in your inventory, not in the camp, before encountering the Elder Brain. Otherwise, you will not be able to free Orpheus.

When the Emperor declares his intention to consume Orpheus and asks about the Nether Stones, decline and say:

There is another way - we will free Orpheus.

Continue to insist that you choose Orpheus and do not trust the Emperor. This will cause him to leave and become an enemy in the final boss battle.

After the Emperor has left, equip the Orphic Hammer. Destroy both crystals on each side of Orpheus' prison.

With the destruction of both crystals, Orpheus is now free. However, a new problem arises: there must be an Illithid present to use the Nether Stones and control the Nether Brain. This leaves you with three options:

1. Orpheus becomes an illithid.
2. Your character becomes an illithid.
3. Karlach becomes an illithid.

Karlach can only become an Illithid if she is in your active party and her approval of you is high enough. There is also a known bug that if Gale is in the party, he talks about Karlach and prevents her from offering herself as an Illithid.

Regardless of which option you choose, Orpheus will now be free. He will join your party for the remainder of the act and fight alongside you in the final battle.

With Orpheus by your side, the future of Baldur's Gate and the Githyanki people has never been more promising.