Should you deal with Raphael in Baldur's Gate 3?

In Baldur's Gate 3 Raphael is a devil who appears at a certain point to offer to take out the tadpole from your head, showing up again at later points in the game - but is he trustworthy? What should you say to him? And when compared to the horror of turning into a mind flayer, surely making a deal with the devil can't be that bad? I'll explain how to handle Raphael in BG3 below, and what you should say to him when he finally offers his deal...

What should you say to Raphael in Baldur's Gate 3?

Baldur's Gate 3 Raphael in devil form — (Image credit: Larian Studios)

You can trust Raphael in the short term, sure, but later in the game you'll want to decline his deal made in Act 3, where he offers you a specific weapon, and work to steal it from him instead.

He's a devil by nature and by trade, instinctively cunning and controlling. Using his wit to one-up others and coerce them into unfavorable contracts, you're right to be suspicious of Raphael's intentions. He does, however, play an important role in BG3 companion Astarion's personal quest line, among others.

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In exchange for killing Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar in Baldur's Gate 3, Raphael promises to tell Astarion what the scars on his back mean. We won't spoil what he finds out exactly, but in this instance, there is no harm in helping Raphael out with his Yurgir problem in exchange for some very valuable information.

Raphael will also make an appearance in Act 3, once you reach Baldur's Gate itself. Upon meeting him in the upper rooms of Sharess Caress in Wyrm's Crossing, Raphael will offer you a deal in exchange for removing the tadpole in your head: he wants the Crown of Karsus.

Even if you accept his deal, there is a way out of it. Simply speak with Helsik at the Devil's Fee and arrange free passage to the House of Hope, where your contract is stored, in exchange for bringing back a magical item for her from Raphael's demonic inventory - or alternatively, pay a large fee to simply have her send you to the House of Hope.

Once you do this, you'll be able to free Orpheus from his confines in the Astral Prism during the final encounter with the Elder Brain and retrieve the crown for yourself, Gale, or Mystra.

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she started her games journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and Tech Radar Gaming before joining GamesRadar+ full-time in 2023. As part of the Features team, her duties include attending game previews and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional news or guides stint. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine thinking/talking about Resident Evil, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.