Baldur’s Gate 3Act 3 gives the party an important choice regarding the city’s underworld. Players can eithersupport the established Guild led by Nine-Fingers Keene or side with the Zhentarim, a ruthless mercenary group attempting a takeover. This conflict is just part of the Stone Lord narrative, where the ranger Minsc is manipulated by the game’s primary antagonist, the Absolute. Either way, the party has to make a decision at the end of the Aid the Underduke quest, and while it seems like there’s only a moral result, there’s more to it.

Roah Moonglow,one of the best merchants, leads the Zhentarim to set the stage for the Guildhall uprising against Nine-Fingers Keene. While operating in the shadows,the Guild displays a certain codeand concern for the city’s well-being under Nine-Fingers. Zhentarim, on the other hand, prioritizes its own gain by employing violence and manipulation without hesitation. This comes to a climax beneath the city in Act 3, and the city needs an underworld, so the player has to choose a side. However,Baldur’s Gate 3seems to reward players more for one side than the other.

Roah Moonglow in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3

Benefits Of Siding With The Zhentarim In BG3

What Do You Get For Choosing The Zhentarim?

Zhentarim is clearlythe evil playthroughoption, as there’s not much redeemable about the group. However, if players help the Zhentarim take over the guild hall inBaldur’s Gate 3, they get the group as allies in the final battle against the Absolute. Specifically,this gives players two elite assassin mercenariesfrom the Zhentarim’s ranks to summon during the final battle. These mercenaries look different from the guild members, but it’s a similar outcome as siding against the Zhentarim. The main benefit is that evil parties can side with the morally corrupt side.

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If Roah died earlier in the game, then Friol will be the one leading the organization. Roah or Friol will pledge every agent they can to the player, but it just ends up being two agents during the fight. It feels like they’re mostly there to make sure there was an evil playthrough option for players, and the Guild under Nine-fingers seems to be morally dubious at best.The Zhentarim are great allies to pick for players who want to be more morally corrupt.

Astarion and Lae’zel from Baldur’s Gate 3 with the party’s camp in the background.

It’s important to be careful whendealing with Minsc, as Roah, Friol, or Minsc dying in the fight against Minsc willautomatically make the Zhentarim hostile. If the rest of the Zhentarim are already dead before the fight, then Roah or Friol will cancel the plan because they don’t have enough support. Both of these remove the option to side with them.

Benefits Of Siding With The Guild In BG3

What Do You Get For Choosing The Guild?

Siding with the Guild inBaldur’s Gate 3obviously offers the moral high ground. The Guild, while operating in the gray area of the law, has a genuine concern for Baldur’s Gate’s well-being. Aligning with the Nine-fingers Keena to defend the Guildgives players two elite assassin mercenariesfor the final battle. Another bonus comes fromlooting 10,000 gold from the Zhentarim leaderas a bribe they received from the Absolute. So, siding against them is siding against the main antagonist ofBaldur’s Gate 3but also a way to get a bunch of gold easily.

Loot the Zhentarim leader’s body immediately after the fight. It’s easy to forget if it’s left for later.

Nine-Fingers Keene in Baldur’s Gate 3.

The money is a bigger benefit for siding with the guild, as the gold can be used to fulfill the Return Rakath’s Gold quest or simply put toward purchasing equipment or items for the final battle. In a roleplaying sense, there’s an idea that the Guild wouldn’t betray Baldur’s Gate later, but as a tangible benefit, it’s really just the morally positive choice. Players who want to choose an option out of what feels like a morally gray area can rest assured that pickingthe Guild would likely be what’s best for Baldur’s Gate.

You Should Side With The Guild In Baldur’s Gate 3

This Is Who You Should Side With in BG3

InBaldur’s Gate 3, the decision to side with the Zhentarim or the Guild is more of a moral dilemma than anything else, but there is a major detail that makes one preferred.Siding with the Nine-fingers and the Guild is the better choicebecause the Zhentarim took a bribe from The Absolute, signifying that they would be willing to side against the party (even though that doesn’t come up). Defeating the leader also gives players an extra 10,000 gold after looting them, which is a great reward not given by siding against the Guild.

The way to get the best ending is to side with the Guild and tokeep Minsc alivebecause he is important to Jaheira and the Harpers. It’s also safer not to speak to Nine-Fingers as Minsc, which will lead to a confrontation where the player needs to convince Minsc not to start a fight. It’s just better for everyone involved ifMinsc stays in the background during this time, and the main player character should handle all the talking from here. This will negate any bad outcome and keep things going smoothly.

Minc smiling at the player in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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The main benefit of the situation is gaining allies, but both groups give the same result: two assassin mercenaries. It’s essentially the same core reward regardless, but one seems to be geared toward morally upstanding playthroughs, while the other is more appealing for evil playthroughs. The Guild is also the best choice for the city of Baldur’s Gate and for roleplaying reasons. The Zhentarim are a bit too evil, and it feels like they’ll turn on the player the second they benefit from it, so it’s hard to side with them and feel good about it.

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There is a third choice that players have, but it is the worst. Players can kill everyone in the guildhall and only keep the loot from the Zhentarim leader. This removes the chance to get the Guild or Zhentarim asallies for the final battle. The idea would be that the player removed the thieves from the underworld by taking out the leaders, but from a roleplaying perspective, that’s not a good idea. In this case, the vacuum of power would likely be filled by someone else who may be worse than both the potential leaders inBaldur’s Gate 3.