Reaching Avernus in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a dramatic and pivotal moment that ties directly into the game’s deep lore and character-driven storytelling. Avernus is the first layer of the Nine Hells, a place of fire, war, and infernal power. Getting to Avernus BG3 is not part of the main path for all players it depends on your decisions, character background, and how you approach certain quests. This journey opens a unique plane of existence with powerful enemies and deep narrative consequences. Understanding how to unlock this journey, what steps are needed, and what role companion quests play is essential if you want to experience this hellish detour.
What Is Avernus in BG3?
Avernus is the first layer of Hell in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. In Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s referenced as a place of great power, corruption, and significance particularly for certain characters. This fiery wasteland has appeared before in Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, and in BG3, it’s tied mainly to the companion quest involving Karlach, a tiefling barbarian with a heart of infernal machinery. If you’re interested in entering Avernus, understanding Karlach’s storyline is key.
Why Go to Avernus?
There are multiple reasons players may want to reach Avernus:
- To fully explore Karlach’s personal quest and fate.
- To uncover more of the infernal mechanics at play in Faerûn.
- To experience an alternate ending with emotional and moral weight.
- To engage in unique story content tied to the Nine Hells and the infernal engine inside Karlach.
However, not every player will be able to access Avernus, as it requires following specific choices throughout the game especially in Act 3.
The Role of Karlach’s Questline
To access Avernus, you must recruit and follow the companion questline for Karlach. She is first encountered near the Risen Road in Act 1, battling a group of paladins. Once she joins your party, you’ll learn about the infernal engine implanted in her chest an engine that burns too hot for the mortal plane. Throughout the game, she searches for ways to survive and control her infernal heart.
Key Moments to Progress Her Story
- Speak with Dammon, the infernal mechanic in the Last Light Inn (Act 2).
- Supply Dammon with infernal iron to help him stabilize Karlach’s engine.
- Meet Dammon again in Act 3, where he can make final adjustments.
- Continue checking in with Karlach to deepen your relationship and understand her emotional struggle.
How you respond to Karlach’s dilemmas, and whether you support or dismiss her concerns, impacts how her story ends and whether the Avernus path becomes available.
Decisions That Unlock Avernus
Near the end of the game, when you’re facing your final confrontation in Act 3, you will be presented with options regarding Karlach’s fate. Her engine can no longer be sustained in the material plane, meaning she must either perish, remain in pain, or return to Avernus where the infernal energy is stable. If you’ve been kind to her and completed her companion storyline, she may offer the idea of going back to Avernus to survive. Here, you face a critical decision.
Three Main Endings for Karlach
- She diesif no support or upgrades are given, her body fails after the final battle.
- She chooses to stayliving her final moments with her friends in Baldur’s Gate.
- She returns to Avernusif the right choices are made, Karlach opens a portal to Hell, and the player may choose to go with her.
The option to go to Avernus yourself comes only if you express a willingness to join her. This is a one-way decision and ends your character’s story in a dramatically different way. It reflects a bond with Karlach so deep that you’re willing to follow her into the flames of Hell.
How to Get to Avernus
To summarize the steps required to access Avernus in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recruit Karlach early in Act 1 near the Risen Road.
- Give Dammon infernal iron to help stabilize her engine (Act 2).
- Ensure Dammon survives through the Shadow-Cursed lands.
- Meet Dammon again in Act 3 and complete his upgrades to Karlach’s engine.
- Develop a strong relationship with Karlach by siding with her emotionally.
- Choose to go with her during the final conversation after the final battle.
There is no traditional portal you manually activate. Instead, the journey to Avernus is narrative-based, occurring during a critical cutscene after the game’s climax. If conditions are met, Karlach will propose opening a portal, and you can choose to step through with her ending your story in Hell.
What Happens in Avernus?
Avernus itself is not a fully explorable area like other parts of Baldur’s Gate 3. Rather, it functions as a narrative destination and a conclusion for certain characters. Once you decide to go to Avernus with Karlach, your fate is sealed. The game wraps up your journey with unique dialogue and cinematic scenes showing you enter the infernal plane together.
While players do not engage in traditional exploration or combat in Avernus, the emotional payoff is significant. It feels like a bold, tragic, yet romantic finale for those who want a different kind of ending one that sacrifices comfort for love or redemption.
Other Characters and Infernal Themes
While Karlach is the primary route to Avernus, other elements of the game explore infernal lore. Characters like Raphael, the devil who offers contracts throughout the game, provide side quests that delve into the nature of the Nine Hells. His House of Hope is one example of a space that visually and thematically echoes infernal design. However, these areas are not considered part of Avernus itself.
If you’re interested in infernal politics, demonic bargains, or fiendish enemies, exploring Raphael’s story and reading in-game lore provides a deeper context. But make no mistake Karlach’s storyline is your only direct route to entering Avernus in the narrative sense.
Is It Worth Going to Avernus?
Whether or not you should go to Avernus depends on your character’s roleplay, your emotional attachment to Karlach, and what kind of ending you seek. For some players, it is the perfect bittersweet ending. For others, it feels like a tragic but meaningful sacrifice.
If you want a more traditional victory, you might choose to stay in Baldur’s Gate. But if your journey with Karlach has been central to your experience, and you’ve grown close to her character, then stepping into Hell together can feel like the right way to end the story.
Getting to Avernus BG3 is not a guaranteed part of every playthrough. It requires attention to detail, emotional investment in a companion, and the willingness to explore narrative branches that are off the beaten path. While Avernus may not be a full map like the city or Underdark, its presence is deeply felt and incredibly important for those who care about the fate of Karlach. Making it to Avernus is about more than just reaching a location it’s about completing a story of struggle, survival, and unexpected love in the face of damnation.