Should You Side With Glut Or Spaw In Baldur’s Gate 3?

Summary

• Choosing to side with Sovereign Spaw or Sovereign Glut is one of the many decisions adventurers face in
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• Employing help in killing Glut by going along with his plans and leading him back to Spaw can make the encounter difficult to lose.
• The loot received from killing Glut is more substantial when reporting his betrayal and death to Spaw to unlock a secret room full of rewards.

Sovereign Glut and Sovereign Spaw are two major characters who present a branching path in Baldur’s Gate 3, and choosing which one to side with can be difficult. These two Myconid sovereigns can both be encountered in the Underdark, the subterraneum realm accessible in Act 1 of the game. Sovereign Spaw is the leader of a Myconid circle seeking protection from (and vengeance upon) Duergar aggressors, while Sovereign Glut has lost his own circle to the same intruders and has taken refuge in the colony that Spaw oversees.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of decisions that can alter the story and characters, so knowing which choices align with a desired outcome is important. Depending on which side players land, the dispute between the two Myconid sovereigns can net the party some loot and allow for some interesting narrative paths. Of course, as with most choices in BG3, these choices can also result in some pretty tough fights. And there’s always a chance Glut will die in battle, which puts a sudden end to the storyline.

You Should Side With Sovereign Spaw In Baldur’s Gate 3

Supporting The Reigning Myconid Just Makes More Sense

Sovereign Glut is more than willing to help the party take on the intruders, making it possible to recruit him as a follower that will join in combat. Glut can still fall in battle, but if he survives the main encounter with the Duergar, his ambitions will be revealed. Sovereign Glut holds a grudge against Spaw for refusing to help Glut’s circle when they were in need, leading to the destruction of the entire circle. Glut will request the party’s help in fighting Spaw to give him control of the colony, a choice that leaves little room for negotiating alternatives.

There are valid reasons to side with either Sovereign Glut or Sovereign Spaw in Baldur’s Gate 3, but refusing to join Glut’s cause is generally the best path to take. From a practical standpoint, it’s easier to refuse and fight Glut instead of Spaw. Although the rogue sovereign has a decent chunk of health, he acts alone against the entire party, making for a somewhat one-sided encounter. A well-equipped party can manage it in a single round of attacks, making for one of the easier triumphs found in a game that can occasionally provide some devious challenges.

The one downside to fighting Glut is that this battle can come right after the party has already taken some hits from fighting the Duergar, so it’s best to take stock of the party’s preparedness as the prior encounter comes to a close.

Fighting Spaw, on the other hand, can be significantly more difficult. Challenging him incur the wrath of the entire Myconid circle that he leads, filling up the turn order and making it harder for the party to stay alive. Only Spaw needs to be killed to win the fight, but failing to do so quickly can spiral into a difficult battle. Either avenue is manageable for a party that knows how to strategize, but the more widely appealing and straightforward option is definitely taking out Glut.

It’s also possible to employ some help in killing Glut. By agreeing to go along with his plans, the party can lead Glut back to Spaw and reveal his treachery then. Spaw and the rest of the Myconid colony will join the party in attacking Glut, making the encounter very difficult to lose. Unfortunately, however, there’s no use in taking Glut by surprise at any other moment, because killing him outside a combat encounter won’t yield the same rewards. Waiting for him to reveal his plans is necessary to get everything that supporting Spaw in Baldur’s Gate 3 has to offer.

Rewards For Helping Sovereign Spaw In Baldur’s Gate 3

Spaw Is Generous To His Allies

The loot received from killing Glut is more substantial than what can be lifted off of Spaw’s corpse. Glut has a decent range of items on him, including a couple of useful Baldur’s Gate 3 spell scrolls and several Underdark ingredients. Killing him in front of the other myconids will still treat looting him as theft, however, so getting everything off of his corpse will require killing him away from the colony (which is generally inadvisible due to sacrificing the secret room rewards) or taking a particularly stealthy approach to looting.

Although Glut’s loot makes for some nice perks, the bigger rewards come from reporting his betrayal and death to Spaw, who will open a secret room for the party to access. In addition to more scrolls, ingredients, and gold, this area contains the Shadow of Menzoberranzan, a helmet that allows the wearer to activate invisibility once per long rest. The helmet is only one of many ways to get invisibility in Baldur’s Gate 3, but it can be particularly useful for rogues or rangers with the strategic acumen to take advantage of its positioning opportunities.

Advantages To Siding With Glut In Baldur’s Gate 3

Unique Gauntlets Are The Main Draw

Although killing Glut is generally a more attractive option than joining his quest for power, taking the latter route still offers some unique benefits in Baldur’s Gate 3. The major unique reward is a pair of Winters Clutches, which are gloves that inflict 2 turns of encrusted with frost on a target. This can be a major draw for a wizard relying on ice spells, but it does have trouble stacking up against the Shadow of Menzoberranzan the party gets from siding with Spaw, which offers a more versatile appeal that makes it well-suited for essentially any party.

The loot players collect from Spaw’s body actually matches what can be found on Glut. The only real difference in rewards comes in receiving the Winter’s Clutches from siding with Glut or the contents of the secret room, including the Shadow of Menzoberranzan, from siding with Spaw.

Killing Spaw may also be more difficult than killing Glut. However, the right setup and a bit of luck can make it the easiest way to solve this quest. Spaw can be knocked over a ledge with either a shove or a knockback spell, and utilizing a powerful Baldur’s Gate 3 spell like Thunderwave can send him immediately into the abyss, essentially skipping the entire encounter. This does have the consequence of not being able to loot his corpse, so splitting the difference by knocking him to a lower level and dealing some damage is a reasonable compromise.

How Choosing Glut Or Shaw Changes The Story In BG3

Neither Option Has Severe Story Consequences

Unlike some feuds in Baldur’s Gate 3, the split between the two Myconid sovereigns doesn’t cause a major story divergence. If the party sides with Glut, the Myconid colony will fall under his influence once Spaw is dead, stabilizing the situation quickly and simply swapping out their leader. Both Spaw and Glut will request the head of the next enemy to vanquish in the Underdark, making the two paths come together again. As exhibited by their gifts, both Sovereigns will appreciate the help, although their different personalities lead them to thank the party in different ways.

The biggest narrative impact of siding with Glut or Spaw might lie in its influence on the opinions of companions. Astarion, for example, will be pleased by siding with Glut and killing Spaw, while Karlach will take offense at it. Considering the ethics of these characters, this isn’t surprising. Although Glut’s anger at Sovereign Spaw is at least somewhat justified, it’s fairly obvious that lust for revenge and control motivate his actions. It isn’t necessarily a completely evil choice, but it is the more underhanded of the options.

Like all the choices in Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s also perfectly reasonable to go in either direction for roleplay reasons. A custom character built around a backstory of revenge might be more likely to side with Glut inherently, and the difference in rewards isn’t significant enough to make this a terrible decision. A typical good-aligned party, on the other hand, is generally more likely to simply stick with Spaw, with the extra rewards just being the cherry on top.

The lack of large-scale story branches makes the choice between Sovereign Glut and Sovereign Shaw ultimately one of minor consequences, but that doesn’t mean the two options are equal. Despite both avenues offering reasonably similar rewards, the advantage in combat and slightly improved loot that sticking up for Shaw offers are enough of an edge to make it a generally more viable decision. A focus on ice attacks, a romance with Astarion, or an evil playthrough could each be a possible reason to side with Glut, but otherwise, choosing Shaw’s path in Baldur’s Gate 3 makes the most sense.