Should You Kill Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Trust doesn’t come easy in Baldur’s Gate 3. This may have something to do with how a certain gray-haired vampire spawn tried to slit your throat after you first met.

As you get through Act 1, you’ll have more than one instance of betrayal. Eventually, you’ll have to decide where your loyalties lie and just cut out everyone else from your life. This is especially true if you decide to take the Underdark route. So far, everything you’ve seen down here — which can range from huge one-eyed round creatures to True Soul Duergar enslavers — has been out to get you.

Up to this point, these arcane turrets have made it impossible to traverse the Arcane Tower easily. For all you know, it’s a hostile place, so why should you spare this random robot? Let’s weigh down on whether you should kill or spare Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: All Legendary Weapons & Where To Find Them

Should You Kill Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3?

There is no reason to kill Bernard in BG3. He’s just a poetry robot who means no harm.

If you do kill Bernard, you can get his Light of Creation halberd, which does nothing but stun the wielder on each attack. 

Bernard is mostly harmless since he was created by Lenore De Hurst, the former resident of the Arcane Tower, to protect and keep her company.

Why not play the poetry game with him instead of killing Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3? To become Bernard’s friend, read the book The Roads of Darkness on the top floor’s desk. Reading this book lets you befriend Bernard with the line, “Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?.” If you choose any other dialogue options, he will become hostile.

Other books in the Arcane Tower can get you other perks (and adverse reactions) from Bernard in BG3.

BG3: All Bernard Lines of Dialogue from Books in the Arcane Tower

Here is every book you should read in the Arcane Tower to get different reactions from Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Read The Roads of Darkness on the top floor’s bedroom desk to get the line “Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?” and make Bernard passive.
• Read the Patched Parchment on the table next to him to get the line “The last of all the thoughtless gifts you gave.” which prompts Bernard to give you a Potion of Greater Healing.
• Read Theadbare Book in the first floor’s greenhouse to get the line “How can I show myself, my darkest me?” which causes Bernard to give you the Guiding Light ring.
• Read the Torn-Out Paper in the third floor’s bedroom to get the line “Please, can I hold your hands, for just a while?” which gets you a comforting hug from Bernard.
• Read the book Evil’s Ascent on the main entrance to get the line “It’s crawling t’wards the surface to survive.”, which is pretty much an AI command to make Bernard and all Animated Armours hostile.

Need more advice? Check out Gamepur’s complete Baldur’s Gate 3 guide for battle strategies, story tips, and BG3 gameplay breakdowns.