Can you save Alfira as Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?

Alfira is a young tiefling that you can meet in the Emerald Grove, but if you’re playing through Baldur’s Gate 3 with the Dark Urge origin, her story can take a horrifying turn. 

Note: Spoilers follow for the Dark Urge plot line in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Alfira is a burgeoning bard, who studied with a musician named Lahala before she was killed. In the Emerald Grove, Alfira struggles to finish a song that her teacher was working on. Normally, you can help her along with the tune before catching up with her later in the game at the Last Light Inn.

The Dark Urge origin changes so much about the game, and it brings a significant twist to Alfira’s story. Whether or not you meet Alfira in the Emerald Grove, when you take your first long rest after discovering the location, Alfira shows up at your camp. She asks if she can travel with  your party, and you’re free to let her stay the night or to tell her to hit the road.

The choice, it turns out, is fake. No matter how you respond to Alfira’s request, when you wake up in the morning you’ll find her mutilated corpse in the center of your camp. Your Dark Urge took over, and you can decide to try and hide your misdeeds or confess to your other party members.

The murder shows just how intense the Dark Urge can be, and afterwards your entire party is a little uneasy around you. Alfira’s death also locks you out of a great Act 2 quest reward called the Potent Robe. Fortunately, there is a way to save Alfira, and it’s worth doing.

Dark Urge, my hero

To save Alfira in your Dark Urge playthrough, you have to find her in the Emerald Grove before taking your long rest. She’s working on her song on a cliff overlooking the Sacred Pool. You can reach her by taking a left at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Pool. From there you’ll follow a short dirt path up the hill to Alfira’s spot. Next, you’ll want to toggle non-lethal damage before sneaking up and knocking out Alfira with a big hit.

From there, you’re safe to rest without her turning up in your camp. A different bard will show up

Assuming you save the Grove and help the tieflings move on, you’ll be able to meet Alfira again in Act 2. She’s at the Last Light Inn, and speaking with her will kick off the “Rescue the Tieflings” quest. There’s a number of tieflings trapped at Moonrise Towers, and if you manage to save one named Lakrissa, Alfira will give you the Potent Robe, which is an incredibly useful piece of armor. It adds your Charisma modifier to the damage of your cantrips, grants temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier at the start of every turn, and raises your AC by one. 

Congratulations, you’ve done it! Alfira is alive, your reward is secured, and you don’t have blood on your hands. Yet The Dark Urge background provides plenty of surprises throughout your journey, and Alfira’s story is just the tip of the iceberg.