The Most Difficult Choices To Make In RPGs

Summary

• Difficult game decisions impact player attachment to story and characters, leading to real-life consequences within the game world.
• In RPGs like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, choices can have unforeseen, life or death consequences for beloved characters.
• Players face tough dilemmas in games like Fable 3 and Skyrim, questioning morality, ethics, and loyalty in immersive storylines.

Making decisions can be fun, but sometimes, it can also be incredibly difficult. That is a fact about real life, but it can also be true in video games. RPGs are particularly known for providing you with tough decisions that can impact your entire adventure.

One or two mistakes can kill your favorite character or lock you into a terrible ending to the story. Therefore, you have to take every choice seriously and think about the possible consequences before making a decision. This is made much tougher when a game presents you with an extremely hard decision, like the following examples.

Updated on December 17, 2024 by Ben Jessey: Many RPGs force you to make very difficult decisions. We put some of the toughest on this list. Yet, plenty of really difficult ones had to be left out. So, we’ve now updated the collection to add some of them to it.

15 Choose Who To Be A Mindflayer

Baldur’s Gate 3

At the end of Baldur’s Gate 3, you have a chance to bring down the Netherbrain, which is the main villain of the entire game. Unfortunately, you can’t do that as a human, dwarf, elf, Githyanki, or any other regular species. Only a Mindflayer is capable of doing it.

If you have The Emperor with you, then they can step up as they’re already a Mindflayer. However, if you decide to betray them, then you have to choose someone to transform into a Mindflayer. It can be yourself, your loyal ally Karlach, or the last hope for the Githyanki race, Orpheus. It’s a very tough decision because it isn’t just a physical transformation. There’s a risk that the transformed character will get a hunger for brains and begin to lose who they are. So, you either lose yourself, lose Karlach, or pretty much doom the Githyanki race.

14 Side With Solomon Reed Or Songbird

Cyberpunk 2077 (Phantom Liberty)

Solomon Reed and Songbird are the main characters you meet during the Phantom Liberty DLC. Both of them are very interesting and likable people. Therefore, it’s a shame that you’re forced to go against one of them during the story.

Songbird is dying and is desperate to save herself. In the process, though, she betrays some of the wrong people, including the US President. The said President orders Solomon Reed to find Songbird and bring her in. Songbird, on the other hand, has other plans and is desperate to get to the Moon since there is a piece of tech there that can save her life. You can’t please them both, so you’ll eventually have to pick a side.

13 Kill Or Free The Spirit In The Tree

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

During The Whispering Hillock quest in The Witcher 3, you meet a Spirit that’s trapped in a tree. The old Crones from Crookback Bog want you to kill it, while the Spirit wants to be free. Neither party is very trustworthy, though. After all, the Crones are essentially holding a group of kids captive with plans to eat them, while the Spirit is clearly killing people.

This is a rare video game decision where knowing the consequences makes it an even more difficult choice. This is because if you free the Spirit, then it will save the group of children from the Crones, but the innocent woman who was looking after them will be severely punished, and the Spirit will wipe out a full village of people. Alternatively, killing the Spirit means dooming the children and sending the innocent woman mad, but she has a chance at survival, and the village will be fine. So, there are pros and cons to either choice.

12 What To Do At The Well Of Sorrows?

Dragon Age: Inquisition

In this instance from Dragon Age: Inquisition, all you know going in is that drinking from the Well of Sorrows will bestow power upon you. Depending on the companions you bring, you get different amounts of information. For example, Cole tells you that you will always be hearing voices. Sera thinks the water will possess you. Solas wants nothing to do with it and will not elaborate as to why, either.

You have the choice between you or Morrigan drinking from the well, and Morrigan is more than willing. So not only are you measuring the consequences on both of these characters, but you also have to decide whether you trust Morrigan with the power or not.

11 Which House Should You Pick?

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

While there were a few people who already picked out a favorite leader from the marketing, it’s probably fair to say that most people had no clue who to choose when it came time to pick a house in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Every choice is equally good, and each brings with it a whole host of fascinating friends to make.

The fact that you get to spend time getting to know each of the leaders while also going around to speak to the various students lets you see who you’ll connect best with. If you’re like most people, you just don’t want to have to leave a cool friend like Bernadetta or Ingrid out of all the fun.

10 Who Takes Risks On The Suicide Mission?

Mass Effect 2

The Mass Effect series is filled with difficult decisions that have huge unforeseen consequences down the road. While a list like this could be home to more than a few of those decisions, one of the absolute toughest is actually a series of decisions that come at you rapid fire in the Suicide Mission.

Forget a single choice; the final segment of Mass Effect 2 throws multiple choices at you that directly impact who will live and who will die. Considering most Paragon Shepards aren’t going to want to lose any of their crewmates, delegating which member will undertake which job becomes an unnerving affair.

9 To Pacifist, Or Not To Pacifist?

Undertale

Most people may not think of Undertale as one of those games filled with difficult choices, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Considering the game has a number of endings to experience based on your actions, it’s clear that making the decision to either be a maniacal murderer or an expert conversationalist won’t be easy.

At this point, Undertale has become famous for the unique ways you can play it, leading many players to weigh their options. Whether it is best to experience the game as peacefully as possible or better to play it as you would any other RPG is a question that only you can answer, but it’ll be a struggle.

8 Save Everyone Or Let Them Die?

Fable 3

A huge ethical question humanity has dealt with is, “Do the ends justify the means?” Fable 3 took that question and made it the driving force of the game’s plot. The decision is an umbrella over a bunch of little decisions. All you know is a devastating threat called the Darkness is coming to Albion, so you need gold to fund Albion’s defenses.

The easiest way to get gold is through obvious evil choices, such as destroying land for gold or turning an orphanage into a brothel. If you make a good decision, you lose gold, even if it’s better for the world. By the end of the game, you may not even be sure if the choice you made was the right one.

7 Who Should You Marry?

Stardew Valley

Pretty much everyone who picks up Stardew Valley ends up falling in love with the game sooner or later. While there’s a lot to love from a gameplay standpoint, there’s all the more to love about the many town inhabitants and their unique stories.

As you make the best farm this side of JojaMart, you’ll begin befriending the many villagers and, eventually, find you have some affection for them. Deciding exactly who you should put a ring on is no easy task, thanks to just how wonderful the whole cast of characters ends up being.

6 Who Should You Romance?

Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is packed with choices, big and small, that greatly impact the story’s direction. The options for exploration and decision-making feel nearly limitless, but one of the toughest decisions revolves around choosing a romance partner.

With numerous companions available for romance, it can take longer than expected to decide who to pursue. Each player’s preferences shape this choice differently as they consider what qualities they seek in a romantic partner. While it may seem like a small decision, choosing a romance profoundly influences the relationship dynamics between the characters. Trust us, it’s a big deal.

5 Vernon Roche Or Iorveth?

The Witcher 2

This choice from The Witcher 2 is about whose companionship is more desired. Geralt has to choose between two fan-favorite characters, Roche or Iorveth, to spend a solid chunk of the game with. What makes this decision difficult is that it determines many of the things that happen to you throughout the game.

Your choice will take you to a completely different area with unique characters and quests for you to find. Besides choosing different paths, which guy do you like hanging out with more? Then there’s the question of which cause is more righteous. Is helping the oppressed elves or advancing Temerian interest more important to you?

4 Should You Kill Paarthurnax?

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

The real decision behind whether or not you kill the mighty dragon Paarthurnax in Skyrim is really whether you want to hang out with the Greybeards or the Blades. It’s also worth pointing out that there is a bit of a moral implication in the choice as well. Paarthurnax has committed horrific acts against humanity in the past, and the Blades think that he should pay for those crimes.

However, Paarthurnax mentions that he is a changed dragon in his attempts to sway you. In his attempts, he poses an interesting question: is it better to always be good or to be transformed from bad to good? If you kill him, the Greybeards will no longer speak with you. If you do not kill him, the Blades will no longer speak with you.

3 What Would You Do When It Comes To Love?

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden

Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden is the latest game from DONTNOD, known for crafting story-driven experiences filled with choices that shape the narrative. In this game, decisions span from the very beginning to the end, but one pivotal choice stands out: whether to bring back your beloved Antea from the dead after she turns into a ghost or will you let her ascend like other ghosts?

Each choice carries consequences, making this decision particularly challenging. Will you let go and move forward with your life, or will you risk everything, including the lives of others, to perform the ritual and resurrect her? It’s a tough call that will truly test your resolve.

2 What Should The Fate Of The Institute Be?

Fallout 4

The first part of the plot in Fallout 4 is to find your son, who was taken by the Institute, a highly advanced group that influences the wasteland from the shadows. Throughout your base-building journey, you learn of the many atrocities they committed, like the small matter of murdering entire settlements.

However, when you find your son, you learn that he is now an old man and the leader of the Institute. With that sudden revelation, you are left with a tough choice. Do you now join your son, who was your entire reason for braving the wasteland? Or do you take down the Institute and make your own son your enemy?

1 Delete Your Game?

Nier: Automata

Once you get the true ending of Nier: Automata, you get to take on a heavy choice as a gamer. Do you delete your save file and all the progress you have made in order to help other players beat the game? This could be easy for some players.

Those who do not pick up a game again once they beat it probably won’t have an issue with such a move. However, it can be hard for others who like to keep a game’s progress as complete as possible. Deleting your saved data goes to a good cause, as the ending of the game is severely difficult to uncover without help from other players, but you might now be ready to make such a sacrifice.