Should You Help Marcus or Isobel in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)?

If you made it to the Last Light Inn and received the blessing from Isobel in Baldur’s Gate 3, that means it’s time to face off against Flaming Fist Marcus, who is potentially working with Ketheric. Within moments, you must choose whether you help Marcus or Isobel, and we’re here to help you decide.

Where Are Isobel and Marcus in Baldur’s Gate 3?

You’ll find Isobel and Marcus at the Last Light Inn during the Act 2 main quest Infiltrate Moonrise Towers. After starting Act 2, you’ll briefly explore the Shadow-cursed Lands before meeting up with a group called the Harpers.

Following a battle with some wraiths, the Harpers will take you to the Last Light Inn where you’ll meet Jaheira. And after a tense chat in the Inn, Jaheira will tell you to meet the Cleric Isobel at the top floor of the Inn to receive Isobel’s blessing and curb the Shadow Curse. Once you talk to Isobel, Marcus will interrupt your conversation. This is when you’ll need to make a decision.

Should You Kill Marcus in Baldur’s Gate 3?

You should side with Isobel and kill Marcus when the small skirmish in the Last Light Inn begins. It all depends on how you want the story to play out, but most players will want to keep Isobel safe at the Inn.

While you speak to Marcus at the Last Light Inn, you need to be very careful about how you interact with him. Even if you don’t agree to help the Flaming Fist, communicating through the tadpoles can screw up the whole confrontation. Speaking telepathically will cause Isobel to believe you are a spy and another True Soul. In that case, Isobel will be hostile, and you have no choice but to help Marcus. As long as you address him out loud, you should be fine.

Of course, you can always go down the dark route and help Marcus in Baldur’s Gate 3 because you want to help Thorm. To each, their own.

Siding With Marcus

If you allow Marcus to fly away with Isobel, the Inn and all of its inhabitants will be in danger, which can change the course of multiple quests, ending many of them early.

The one advantage of having Marcus kidnap Isobel is that Ketheric has more reason to trust you as a True Soul when you head to Moonrise Tower later in the story. This is just one of the many ways to defeat Thorm or infiltrate his ranks.

Siding With Isobel

If you kill Marcus, the inhabitants of the Inn will be safe, and the Harpers will help you enter Moonrise Towers. This will be the best course of action for the average BG3 player and will ensure that many of your quests won’t end early.

The moment you side with Isobel, Marcus will attack. Your highest priority here is to defend Isobel. If her health reaches zero, Marcus will take her, so you’ll want to make sure you have the ability to heal as well as casting defense spells like Mage Armor. Marcus is a beefy boy, so you’ll want to focus on him first. You can take him out of the equation with a polymorph spell, sleep, or hold person, or tackle him head-on by barraging him with high-damaging spells.

Once you deplete Marcus’s health bar twice and take care of all the demons on the field, the Harpers will be grateful and help you along to the next step of your quest. Marcus is a tough fight, but he’s worth taking down to keep your journey on the right track.

Isobel also happens to be one of the solutions to the Shadow Curse effects, which you should definitely get familiar with in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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