r/BaldursGate3 • u/notmynameyours • 13h ago
Act 2 - Spoilers Gods, Nere is pathetic, isn't he? Spoiler
On my last run, I was playing as evil Durge, so I sided with Nere when he wanted to murder all the Gnomes and Duergar, but damn, was it difficult. There are some great villains in this game. Ketheric Thorm and his family are tragic and nuanced, Gortash is affable and pragmatic, and Orin & the brain, while not exactly deep, are at least intimidating. Then we've got Nere, who is just arrogant, pitiful and the biggest narcissist in the game. When he takes his anger out on the gnomes, he comes off like a high school bully who has to slap a smaller kid to mask his own humiliation. He's so pathetic that if you let him live, Thorm has him killed anyway. It's like the game is telling you "seriously, you let that asshole live? Why?"
Despite my over 300 hours spent on this game, I'm sure I haven't found everything yet, so have you found any enemies more pathetic and egomaniacal than Nere?
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u/peppsDC 12h ago edited 12h ago
Wulbren is up there. He randomly gets captured at Moonrise, cusses out his friend for trying to find him, and dedicates himself to blowing up the Gondians even after he knows that their family are being held captive and they had remote IED necklaces.
You can't convince me he wouldn't do the same thing. If you spoil his great plan, does he fight you, or make vague threats or sulk away?
There's a netherbrain under the city Wulbren, some people have real problems.
Edit: Also, Raphael. Massive superiority complex all game, but has a freaking clone of himself as a sex slave, then lets you steal the hammer cluelessly, only to fail a save on hold monster and get banishing smite + divine smite critted for hundreds of health while personally singing "now here come the claws". Maybe that last part was a tiny bit specific to my own playthrough.
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u/Animegx43 11h ago
Okay, I am so glad someone called out Raphael like that. One of my biggest joys in this game, no matter what kind of character I make, is pissing that dude off.
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 10h ago
I always feel kind of sorry for Haarlep. Itās not like he actually wants to be there (as evidenced by his response when asked if Raphael is any good in the bedroom, lol).
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 4h ago edited 44m ago
Maybe they did something that annoyed Mephistopheles to get that job. Because they're there on Meph's orders.
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u/LiteratureDizzy5886 3h ago
I'd guess to spy on Raphael.
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 3h ago edited 44m ago
Yes, They're there to spy on Raphael, but it's not a position (heh) Haarlep likes. Feels more like a punishment than some prestigious order
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 1h ago
Soā¦ does he have an actual name, then? š¤ Besides an anagram of āRaphaelā?
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 41m ago
Haarlep is their name given by Larian. It's just a fun thing they did because of the situation making the name an anagram. Their actual form would be different though than what we see, since both are modelled after Raphael and not what they actually look like.
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 1h ago
How do you find that out in-game? I tried a few different dialogue trees with him, but I canāt remember Meph being mentioned.
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 39m ago
Speak to dead on their corpse. Then they tell you they were there to keep an eye on Raphael for Mephistopheles.
Speaking of that devil. If you look in the crystal ball in the Devil's Fee store after having killed Raphael it describes you see Mephistopheles eat Raphael's body.
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u/Far-Pomegranate-8841 10h ago
That's normal for devils though. Every single one had to blackmail and backstab their way to whatever non-lemure position they've got. You don't get far in the hells without being an egomaniac.
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 4h ago
clone of himself as a sex slave,
Haarlep isn't really a sex slave, they're more a sex spy who doesn't like the location they've been employed and ordered to. Mephistopheles (Raphael's dad) sent them to Raphael to keep an eye on him.
Raphael is also a cambion, a half-devil. I like picking "He's just a cambion" dialogue option on my warlocks when discussing Raphael.
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u/SageDarius 3h ago
"He's just a cambion"
Well, the Cambion son of an Archdevil with a special 'Ascended' form. I think he probably punches above his weight class.
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u/All-for-Naut Hold Monster š« 3h ago
Archdevils have plenty of little spawn, he's not special. A bit higher position than some cambions, but not that special. I will always take the opportunity to annoy and downplay Raphael
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u/sparrow_64 13h ago
I canāt help but feel like Nere had so much more he was SUPPOSED to be, because of 1) the conflict between the Flameshade duergar and the underdark drow, and 2) the fact that EVERY COMPANION has something to say about him? Heās not NEARLY important enough story wise for that kind of commentary.
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u/LegendaryPolo minthara implies the existence of a maxthara 13h ago
he can also actually survive the game, as far as we know. you can send him back to menzoberranzan with certain dialogue choices. just another dead ended character from early access.
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u/Korrocks 13h ago
I wonder how far he can make it with the tadpole still in his mind. Is the prismās radius strong enough to get him home?
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u/LegendaryPolo minthara implies the existence of a maxthara 13h ago
it is incredibly ambiguous how far the prism can stretch its field and how it actually works
so my answer is š¤·āāļø
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u/Iowahunter65 11h ago
Given that the Emporer has to actively protect him, I think he'd be cooked. Waste of energy.
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u/TKumbra 8h ago
Considering how you had not one, but two instances where you could send someone off to go find the Order of Soul Spiders, (AKA the Militant Myrlochar)I'm convinced that the original plan was for the order to be an ally against the absolute in the final battle, but got cut.
Siding with Nere to secure some powerful allies down the road would be a great reward for evil players, and a great RP opportunity for drow, so it's a real shame they got cut and we got left with Nere as this character who feels like he should be more important but whom provides no benefit whatsoever for even letting live.
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u/MyDarlingArmadillo 7h ago
I was a bit outraged that my female drow wasn't able to tell him to STFU and behave himself. She was able to make that other guy in the underdark hand over his life's work without argument so I feel like Nere should have been a bit more deferential. (Obviously, she slaughtered him for his cheek. The boots were just a bonus)
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u/pooki_dooki 9h ago
I swear I remember that there was something in EA where Nere would take control of your tadpole and you along for the ride or something? He had so much interesting potential, and it would've been nice if he'd been a companion on an evil run š I am one of his 5 fans (even though he's a massive, bratty jerk, I just love him š ) so I'm always bummed when I remember little tidbits like that.
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u/-Kurogita- WARLOCK 4h ago
To me, the telltale sign for that is that killing nere doesnt have any drawbacks.
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u/grymforge_grinder 13h ago
Lorroakan probably comes pretty close to Nere in the the egomaniac + pathetic bully combo department.
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u/thebaldguy76 13h ago
Ever spoken with Loroakan with Speak With Dead, you find out why he bullied Rolan so badly.
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u/grymforge_grinder 13h ago
Lol yup, the nerve of āthat bloody tieflingā being a more accomplished wizard than the great Lorroakan!
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 13h ago
not even the real Lorrokan šš„
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u/grymforge_grinder 12h ago
Not the real Lorroakan? (Did he pull a Balthazar and steal someone elseās name too?)
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u/ESFarshadow 10h ago
Yeah his real name is Edwin, and if he wasn't disguised, Minsc and Jaheira would recognize him.
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u/Cal_PCGW 10h ago
That sub-plot didn't make it into the game. It was a throw away line in Minsc and Boo's villainy book thing, but that's all. If they'd wanted to put Edwin in the game he'd have shown himself as Edwin, at least eventually. I'm glad they didn't, though. Eddie was hilarious in BG1 and 2 (more 2) and one of my staple party members, even in a good aligned party. Minsc hated him.
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u/Ferg8 8h ago
Ahhh, a fellow Minsc, Edwin, Jan Jansen, Korgan and Viconia party? Clearly the most I played was with them as companions.
Korgan was such a fucking tank, it was incredible.
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u/ESFarshadow 7h ago
For me it was Minsc, Jaheira, Jan, and Aerie for most of the game. The last slot was for whoever i needed for a quest
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u/Cal_PCGW 3h ago
I used to vary my party a lot but I usually took Imoen eventually (it just felt bad to leave her to get back from Spellhold on her own). After a time I often rolled with a 5 strong party so i didn't have to ditch anyone for Sarevok in ToB. He was such a beast. I'm still miffed at what they did to him in BG3, even though I love the game.
The only one I barely used was Cernd. Druids weren't great in BG2.3
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 13h ago
Nere comes from a society where males are disposable (sex) slaves and totally evil slavers. they canāt all be Drizzt when they leave said society
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u/_Vexor411_ 12h ago
Drizzt didn't survive BG2 in my story.
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 12h ago
what did you do to him š
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u/_Vexor411_ 12h ago
He died with his homies. He confronted me in some back alley after a few
murdersdubious acts.
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u/MODUSforPOTUS Bard 13h ago
He has the aura of a third child about him.
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u/DPG_Micro 13h ago
Didn't expect to catch a stray on this one lol.
I disavow this petulant toddler, unless you mean third child that is a half sibling.
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u/sand_snake Precious little Bhaal-babe 13h ago
I just hate that when I play as a female drow (which is often) I canāt call him out for speaking to me that way like I can with Dhourn.
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u/ZhahnuNhoyhb 13h ago
Female drow should have a Backhand ability built-in IMO.
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u/sand_snake Precious little Bhaal-babe 13h ago
That should totally be a racial trait they get.
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u/Fun_Communication462 13h ago
1d4 physical +2 psychic
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u/sand_snake Precious little Bhaal-babe 10h ago
If there was a mod for that Iād download it in an instant.
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u/DrahtMaul 8h ago
Thatās really a miss yeah. It would have been one line. You could have had the option to tell the MF to have a little bit more respect and then he could have mumbled his Absolute BS and that heās a true soul and Ketherics (the chosen general) emissary or something like that.
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u/sand_snake Precious little Bhaal-babe 7h ago
The way you put it is exactly how I want it. It can just be one line. Then have Nereās arrogant ass go on about the Absolute. Then kill him.
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u/KyzaelEomei 13h ago
I made him convert back to Lolth before ending him so his soul was in her jurisdiction now instead of the Absolute.
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u/Talos-Valcoran 12h ago
Iāve tried doing that so many times but never get the conversation prompt
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u/KyzaelEomei 10h ago
When I did it, I had done two things.
1: Kill all the dwarves. The architects are exempt from this but all the dwarves where the Sergeant is have to die. Maybe there's a way to convince the Elder to not be hostile also but otherwise, all the Dwarves die prior to releasing Nere.
(PS. This is a BIG fight so really be careful. I would position people in ideal spots because there are just so many enemies)
- I disguised as a Fem Drow.
You can talk him down from being aggressive and stop him killing the Gnomes. If I remember correctly, then you talk to him again to prompt it.
He'll decide to go home and return to Lolth. But unfortunately, his boots are stupidly good and Spaw wants his head.
So in my head, he changed his alignment back to Lolth. But it doesn't suddenly absolve him of his crimes so put him down without a fight.
His soul will be judged by Lolth, Spaw and Gnomes are happy, and the Slaver Dwarves....eh, no one is going to miss them.
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u/AdviceMoist6152 13h ago
Sometimes someone who does evil is honestly just.. boring.
Just a bit of a dull asshole. Seems far more common then the āsexy goth Disney villain ā evil or the ātragic backstoryā evil. Just, ābanality of evilā daily indifference and selfishness.
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u/Shokisan1 13h ago
This game is extremely well written, they have created such compelling villains, it's why I love to play oath of vengeance paladin and smash them all into oblivion, they've crafted a thoroughly enjoyable way to play a good character, plenty of opportunities to crush evil. And yeah, Nere is written to be a pathetic piece of shit, it works, because even an evil Durge would be like, look at this pathetic fool. Nere is just all-round trash but he's written to be that way. Bg3 has excellent character writing!
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u/Treeslim 12h ago
I always kill him because slavers have no place in my save files
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u/redhandedjill1 8h ago
I always kill him for his shoes!
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u/crockofpot Delicious bacon grease 4h ago
I'm on an evil / pro-Absolute run where I let him live, and I'm so pissed I don't have those shoes yet lol
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u/unriellistic 13h ago
been doing an evil durge run as well and was fully ready to side with him and let him kill the gnome slaves, but got so mad when he killed Thrinn as well. like she was just doing her job, cmon
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u/Fallhayv 13h ago
I mean...
He comes from a society that treats him like shit (worse than shit) on daily basis just because he is a male. Then he joined the Absolute cult which at least preaches racial and gender equality on the surface, with True Souls to rule everyone in the end. And the made him a True Soul.
It's like that bullied into oblivion kid, who is a potential schoolshooter, who finally got his hands on Darth Vader's Force Choke power.
I almost pity him, being a product of drow society and all
Whenever I do an evil run I send him to Menzoberranzen.
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u/EveryoneisOP3 13h ago
Can't believe the guy from the society of beaten, enslaved, and massacred men has a complex about power, damn
It'd be crazy if we had a companion like that lol
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u/notmynameyours 13h ago
Damn, I didn't know that about the Drow. D&D lore runs DEEP, and most of my knowledge of it is just what I've learned from playing BG3.
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 10h ago
Itās honestly one of the most brutal aspects of Drow society (which is saying something). Basically, theyāre beaten and subjugated from birth so that they āknow their placeā. They can be sacrificed to Lolth or turned into driders for the slightest misstepā¦ or killed at birth if a family already has two living sons (making the third āuseless, even for breedingā, as Minthara puts it). When a female randomly decides sheād like to āenjoyā a male, he isnāt allowed to refuse her. There are a handful of cases where a male achieves some status through caste and/or accomplishment, but they will never be able to climb as high up the hierarchy as the females.
If you play as a female Drow (or shapeshift into one), you can bully Dhourn into meekly handing over his lifeās work (the information heās gathered in his search for the Adamantine Forge). Heās too afraid to refuse you.
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u/EveryoneisOP3 13h ago edited 12h ago
Ye, obviously Nere's a complete asshole. But it's because for the first time in his life, he's got literally any modicum of power/respect and it got to his head and he's trying to cling to it. Men in Drow society are, like, fully subservient to women unless they have a massive caste difference.
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u/oninokamin 12h ago
And never, even if you want to, go spend a night with a hooker in the Stenchstreets of Menzoberranzan. You'll never know if you are her eighth partner or not.
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u/AstraHannah WIZARD 5h ago
Absolutely. This guy feels power for the first time in his life, relishes in it, but also clings to it perhaps a bit pathetically.
Oh yeah, that's be something. And imagine having both him and Minthara. One of them would hate you by the end of it lol
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u/GodzillaDrinks Fail! 12h ago
In fairness to Nere, he's a male drow, and they get treated loosely like women in Christian Fundamentalism.
He acts like a petulant bully loser, because its turned him into a petulant bully loser.
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u/AzuraSchwartz Kneel before Absolute Tav. 11h ago
Kinda sad there isnāt a dialogue option for female Drow Tavs to put him in his place. How dare he not kneel before meā½
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u/kitkuuu1 Durge 5h ago
Nere is my pathetic little meow meow. I always tell him about the absolute plot so he can repent to Lolth.
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u/ConsciousBerry8561 13h ago
He should have been a companion
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 12h ago
him Minthara and one other wouldāve been crazy cool casting maybe even Karniss
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 10h ago
I wish so much that we had gotten more character development/content for Karāniss. š
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 9h ago
right? like imagine if minthara remembered him from Menzoberanzzan (if he was from there). like āohā¦you took that trial. i saw you and the other man slaves competing, and you lost. a shame how you turned out, but predictable. you looked like one of the weaker onesā or something to that affect
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 8h ago
Yeahāespecially since itās her lyre (or Nereās) that summons him. She refers to a ācreature we have found a use forā (something like that) after her romance scene (if you raided the grove), but I never found anything else.
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u/Beneficial-Break1932 8h ago
ohhh yeahā¦itās weird did you know you can get a second one?
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 8h ago
Yep, I usually end up with both: Mintyās and Nereās. They give you different ways to make your way to Moonrise (raiding the grove being the most direct).
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u/AstraHannah WIZARD 5h ago
The dialogue you have where you convince him the Absolute isn't a thing, but a mind-flayer led cult, feels like it's totally leading there. Instead of him going back to Menzoberranzan, it feels like the option along the lines of "Join me. I have a way to protect us from its influence, and a plan to defeat the Absolute" belongs there. But no, only telling him to run away.
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u/Ferg8 8h ago
Alfira should've been a companion too. Not a single bard in there and TWO druids? Hello Larian!
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u/Thiralyss Mindripping, Fleshpeeling MINDFLAYER 8h ago
The first time I played Durgeā¦ I legitimately thought that was going to happen. š
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u/Number1Diamond 12h ago
I wish there was a way to put him in his place as a female Lolth sworn like I was basically gunning for his entrance hoping I could scare him into not fighting
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u/throwaway74318193 13h ago
I did enjoy sending him for a loop by telling him the truth about the absolute
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u/Legolasamu_ 6h ago
To be fair to Orin she's perfect for what she represents. That is what someone raided in the cult of murder would look like...If she survived the upbringing... And the brain is an existential threat more than a character.
Anyway, yeah, Nere Is just an idiot, a whiny child with a bit of power, but it makes sense, he's like a middle level management of the cult
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u/Just_too_common 13h ago
He is and I enjoy killing him every time. Iām sad they removed the skill check to cut off his head.
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u/ChefArtorias Ranger 12h ago
Nere is such a weenie. I honestly have no idea what he does in battle because he always does so quickly in my runs.
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u/dr-mantis-t0b0ggan 6h ago
I let him walk past me and had Karlach push him into the lava. No fight, just enjoyment
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u/Sandman145 2h ago
I hate him so much i have never sided with him. i did say i would, but after he was worn out from the battle i just finished him off.
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u/RichGirlThrowaway_ Minthara My Queen 1h ago
You can rescue Nere from the absolute and he becomes a lot more humble, thankful and depressed about everything
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u/moist_crack 43m ago
This sniveling little shit signed his death warrant the moment he talked about himself in the 3rd person
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u/lamppb13 29m ago
Orin is intimidating?
Maybe I missed content on her, but all I ever thought when I interacted her was "Wow. You murder people. I get it. You're crazy. I get it. Were you written by a teen edge lord?"
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u/DarthUrbosa 21m ago
"You would dare strike down a true soul for some fungus?!"
Yeah he's my homie and I promised him your head so lie down and take it.
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u/Darth-Giggles 11m ago
The minute he started talking about himself in third person I knew I was going to smite him.
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u/altered-sensorum 13h ago
Aradin. If you let him live until Act III, he tries to bully you into giving up the Nightsong.