BG3: Should You Side With Redhammer Or The Waveservants In “Avenge The Drowned?” (2024)

There are many possible allies for players to meet in Baldur's Gate 3's final act, but among them, Redhammer the Deviser is one of the more morally scrupulous. Redhammer is a Dwarf tinkerer and pilot of a submersible in the Lower City. He works for Lord Enver Gortash, transporting prisoners down to his underwater torture chamber and prison, the Iron Throne.

Redhammer is not a Banite or enemy of the Iron Throne's prisoners; rather, his personal notes express that he does this job for gold and out of fear of what would happen should he turn Gortash down. Either due to greed or cowardice, Redhammer is a willing cog in Gortash's machinations to gain control of the city. Not only that, but his trips in the submersible have accidentally caused the death of a Waveservant of Umberlee, whose sisters now want revenge.

Redhammer Does Atone For His Actions In Some Ways

He Can Help You Save Many Of The Iron Throne Hostages

By all means, Redhammer is not a good person. His actions have caused the death and pain of others, and he acts for his own personal gain. Yet players can still use his help to save prisoners from the Iron Throne, and his personal notes indicate he is looking for a way out of helping Gortash. This makes the decision of how to handle Redhammer's fate pretty morally gray.

When the players meet Redhammer, he is working on his submersible in a hidden chamber below Flymm Cargo. He will be suspicious of why the party is there, but players have a broad selection of Charisma checks they can perform to either deceive Redhammer into thinking they work for Gortash, or convince him to help them regardless. Especially if players know that the waverservants of Umberlee want Redhammer dead, their promise to protect the Dwarf will convince him to take the party down to the Iron Throne.

There, players can attempt to quickly and efficiently get as many prisoners onto the submersible as possible, including Duke Ravengard and the Mind Flayer, Omeluum. Yes, Redhammer is the one who took these people down there in the first place, but it is undeniable that his actions with the player helped to save many of the hostages from a watery grave.

Granting The Will Of The Waveservants Leads To Redhammer's Death

The Sisters Now Want To Avenge The Drowned

However, upon returning to the surface, the waverservants of Umberlee will be waiting. They express anger that the player worked with Redhammer, and want them to turn the Dwarf over so they may punish him. Even if players had promised Redhammer their protection, they can turn him over in exchange for the Wavemother's Robe, a clothing item that grants some powerful boons.

This, predictably, leads to Redhammer's violent and unpleasant death in the sanctum of Umberlee, where his body can later be found. Redhammer was a bad person, but this treatment might be a bit harsh, especially considering disobeying Gortash would put his own life in danger. Not to mention that in some cases, this would involve players going back on their word, which some companions will dislike and some paladin oaths like even less.

Protecting Redhammer From Umberlee's Wrath

A Hard Moral Decision Where There Is No Right or Wrong

Alternatively, players can refuse to turn over Redhammer, and instead fight the Waveservants to the death in order to protect him. Doing this starts a difficult fight, but winning it not only yields a gold reward from Redhammer, but also a weapon from one of the waverservant's bodies, the Wavemother's Sickle. The sickle is undoubtedly worse than the robe, but it comes with gold as well, and a key to one of the high security vaults at the bottom of the Counting House.

Redhammer is not innocent, and the morality of killing several Waveservants to protect him from some form of justice is certainly lacking. Not only that, but this could also be seen as the player breaking their word if they had previously promised the Waveservants to help catch Redhammer. Ultimately, there is no right choice in this quest, and both options come with their share of loot. It is up to the player and what they consider to be the right thing to do, whether to allow Redhammer to be killed or to kill his accusers instead in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3

Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.

RPG

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Number of Players

1-4

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only