The world of Baldur's Gate 3 has many gods that indirectly influence its events and happenings. Despite the command that they do not directly interfere in the events that shape the world of mortals, many of them manage to find loopholes to this command. From patron deities to the meddling of the Dead Three, the gods in Baldur's Gate 3 play a large part in shaping the future of Faerun.

Understanding the gods is vital to understanding the story and, when creating an original character to explore Faerun, knowing what gods exist and their role in the lore plays a vital part in understanding the player character's perspective on it, which is all the more important if they're a cleric in Baldur's Gate 3. Clerics rely on their patron to grant their magic, and worship of them is crucial to keep the connection open. The choice of god to worship can influence dialogue choices outside of combat, and can provide insight into situations other characters would miss.

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This article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.

Patron Deities in Baldur's Gate 3

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Below is a list of the deities that clerics, NPCs, and so forth worship in Baldur's Gate 3's setting.

  • Selune - The Goddess of the Moon and Shar's twin sister. Plays a large role in Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3 and in Shadowheart's story.
  • Bahamut - The Dragon-God of Justice and brother to the evil goddess Tiamat.
  • Tempus - A God of War and soldiers.
  • Tyr - The God of Law and Justice.
  • Helm - The God of Guardians.
  • Ilmater - The God of the Oppressed.
  • Mystra - The Goddess of the Weave. Mystra plays a large role in Gale's story.
  • Oghma - The God of Invention.
  • Moradin - Worshipped by the dwarves, Moradin is the God of Smiths, Artisans, and Miners.
  • Kelemvor - The God of the Dead and the Afterlife. Clerics of Kelemvor have some interesting insight when speaking to Withers.
  • Corellon Larethian - The Creator of the Elves and the head of the Elven pantheon.
  • Garl Glittergold - The Gnomish God of Trickery and Humor.
  • Yondalla - The Halfling God of Nature.
  • Lolth - The Spider-Queen Goddess of the Drow in the Underdark. Lolth marks her followers with red eyes and has established a strict hierarchal matriarchy. Lolth-sworn Drow clerics can only worship Lolth. Giant spiders found throughout the game also worship Lolth.
  • Gruumsh - The Orcish God of Victory.
  • Tiamat - Sister of Bahamut and almost universally considered one of the most evil gods.
  • Vlaakith - The lich-queen of the githyanki with power that rivals the gods.
  • Eilistraee - Goddess of Moonlight, Dance, and Beauty. Many Drow who don't follow Lolth follow Eilistraee instead, who seeks to free all Drow from Lolth's tyranny.
  • Lathander - The God of Dawn.
  • Talos - The God of Nature.
  • Tymora - The Goddess of Luck.
  • Mielikki - The Goddess of Forests.

All the above gods provide clerics with access to magic, no matter the cleric's subclass or alignment in Baldur's Gate 3. There are some limitations, such as Lolth-sworn Drow clerics are only able to worship Lolth, while non-githyanki races cannot worship Vlaakith. Clerics will receive special dialogue options depending on the domain of their patron, and NPCs will react to them differently depending on their view of their chosen deity.

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Other Gods in Baldur's Gate 3

Shadowheart in the Temple of Shar in Baldur's Gate 3

Aside from the above list of gods, there are other notable gods that play a role in Baldur's Gate 3 such as Shar, Sylvanus, the Dead Three, and Jergal. While not available for a cleric to worship, most Druids worship Sylvanus, the Oak Father and God of the natural world.

Shar is first mentioned by Shadowheart, who confesses that she's a cleric of Shar. Known as the Lady of Loss, she is the twin sister of the moon goddess Selune and is opposed to everything Selune stands for. The worship of Shar is controversial because of her followers' fanatical devotion to loss, which inevitably brings death and ruin wherever Shar worship is found. This is particularly evident in Act 2, where Shar is responsible for the Shadow-Cursed Lands that plague the area around Moonrise Towers. Not only is Shar opposed to Selune, but her dark version of magic, the Shadow Weave, opposes the Weave of Mystra, making Shar worship unpopular with wizards and other magic-users.

The Dead Three play a major role in Baldur's Gate 3 and, indeed, the history of the titular city. They are grouped together as they embody the concept of death: Bhaal, the Lord of Murder; Bane, the Lord of Tyranny; and Myrkul, the Lord of Bones. These three are bound by more than death; all three were originally mortal and elevated to godhood. Bhaal in particular has been a recurring antagonist in the Baldur's Gate series, appearing in Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2, and doesn't have a good reputation in the city of Baldur's Gate.

Withers' Role in Baldur's Gate 3

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Jergal is the Lord of the End of Everything and is the predecessor to the Dead Three. It's said that, when he was challenged for his position, he willingly gave up his role and instead became a seneschal to record the numbers of the dead. In an amusing move, it's highly likely that Withers is actually Jergal, who chose to oppose the Dead Three in Baldur's Gate 3 thanks to their misuse of their power and their schemes with the Absolute.

This is because the Dank Crypt Withers is found in is likely a Temple of Jergal, indicated by the symbols of Jergal in the tomb. Withers asks the player, "What is the worth of a single mortal's life?," a question mentioned in a book about Jergal, and Withers brings companions back to life from the dead at full health. Charging gold for his services would be the loophole that would circumvent the directive that gods don't interfere in the mortal world.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC, releases on PS5 on September 6, and will release on Xbox Series X/S by the end of the year.

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