Raphael has endlessly used your help in Baldur’s Gate, and now he waits for you at Sharess’ Caress so he can offer you a helluva deal. This deal has a ton of story implications, so we’ll answer whether it’s worth agreeing to Raphael’s deal or not.
Should You Accept Raphael’s Deal in BG3?
The short answer is yes, you should agree to the deal with Raphael and sign the contract. Either way, you can undo your decision following the conversation at Sharess’ Caress in Baldur’s Gate 3. But the main difference is how you start either scenario after accepting the deal or refusing it. In our experience, signing the contract makes your life easier.
To be very clear, you should not honor your deal with Raphael. That is the last thing you need for the citizens of Baldur’s Gate, and your entire party will be disappointed. However, agreeing to the deal and honoring it are two different things. You can always rip up the contract.
As soon as you sign the contract with Raphael, you will be given rewards that can make the trip to the House of Hope much more manageable. Regardless of your choice, you should go to his realm, and the deal is a massive boon.
What Happens if You Agree to Raphael’s Deal in BG3?
When you sign the contract from Raphael, you are immediately given the Orphic Hammer. This is necessary for anyone that wants to free Orpheus and keep him in one piece. Lae’zel will be happy, and if you recruited Voss, he also gives you an incredibly powerful Legendary Greatsword for Lae’zel. Both of these items are major bonuses for the House of Hope.
If you sign the deal and go to the House of Hope, you begin with an overpowered sword and the Orphic Hammer. That means you can also free Hope, who acts as a fifth party member with overpowered spells in the fight against Raphael.
Here’s everything that happens if you accept Raphael’s deal in BG3:
- Raphael gives you the Orphic Hammer.
- Voss gives you the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane.
- Players can break their contract (and Mol’s) by infiltrating the House of Hope.
- If the contract remains in tact, Raphael will be true to his word and players will get a secret post-credits cutscene.
- If the contract remains in tact, Gale will be unable to make use of the Crown of Karsus.
- Your party, including the Emperor, will disapprove.
Can You Trust Raphael?
The answer to whether or not Raphael is trustworthy is a complicated and middling “yes and no.” As you might expect, and as BG3 likes to explain to you on several occasions, devils love their deals, and they love to surprise you by withholding information. Raphael is no different—there’s a reason we recommend you break your contract after accepting his deal.
If you don’t break your contract after accepting Raphael’s deal, he’ll make good on his word at the end of the game. This will be revealed to you in a post-credits scene where he explains his process of dominating Hell. This is all well and good, but the problem is, he doesn’t stop there.
So yes, Raphael honors his deal, but only at a high cost to the world at large.
What Happens if You Don’t Sign Raphael’s Contract in BG3?
Raphael won’t attack you if you refuse his deal, and you can always go back to his room at Sharess’ Caress if you change your mind. However, you won’t be given the Orphic Hammer, and you will have to complete more steps before getting Lae’zel’s sword.
You can still go to the House of Hope and steal the hammer, but it becomes more of a challenge this way. Of course, if you don’t care about the hammer, you can just refuse Raphael and skip his house as well. The House of Hope is one of the best parts of Baldur’s Gate 3 though, and it’s another way to increase your allies for the Gather Your Allies quest in BG3.
Here’s everything that happens if you don’t accept Raphael’s Deal in BG3:
- Raphael will continue to hangout in Sharess’ Caress for players to still accept his deal if they so choose.
- Players can infiltrate the House of Hope to steal the Orphic Hammer.
- Players will have full choices available to them during the endgame.
- Your party, including the Emperor, will approve.
Getting the Orphic Hammer Without Raphael’s Contract
If you decided to refuse Raphael’s deal in BG3, getting the Orphic Hammer will require you to steal it from Raphael’s home, the House of Hope. To get to the House of Hope, you first need to find a Diabolist. You’ll find this person at a shop called Devil’s Fee in the northern part of Lower City. Their name is Helsik, and you can convince them to help you get into Raphael’s house if you offer something in return. If not, you’ll need to gather a few items to open up a portal on the Devil’s Fee’s second floor.
We have a full in-depth guide for you on how exactly to get the necessary items, set up the portal to enter the House of Hope, and steal the Orphic Hammer. But here’s the quick notes version:
- Gather a skull, a diamond, incense, an infernal marble, and a coin of mammon and place them around the blood sigil on the Devil’s Fee second floor.
- Enter the portal and talk to Hope.
- Get the Orphic Hammer key from the Boudoir.
- Steal the Orphic Hammer.
- Free Hope (if you want).
- Defeat Raphael.
It’s a lot of steps and concludes in one of the toughest boss battles in the entire game, but well worth the experience. In some ways, going this route is a safer option if you plan on going to the House of Hope anyways. That’s because you’ll have to pass a few fairly high dice checks to get to the contract you signed if you accepted Raphael’s deal.
The Silver Sword of the Astral Plane Stats
Whether you agree to Raphael’s deal or not, you can get the legendary Silver Sword of the Astral Plane for Lae’zel from Voss upon obtaining the Orphic Hammer. And it’s well worth getting even if you don’t plan on using the Orphic Hammer as it’s easily the best weapon for Lae’zel. Just check out some of the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane’s stats below:
- Weapon Enchantment +3.
- Damage: 2d6+Strength Modifier (slashing), +1d6 psychic (conditional upon use by a Githyanki).
- Special Effects: Githborn Psionic Weapon, Githborn Psionic Resistance.
- Weapon Skills: Pommel Strike, Lacerate, Cleave, Soul Breaker.
- Proficiency: Martial.
- Properties: Two Handed, Greatsword.
- Weight: 2.7 kg.
- Value: 1,300 gold.
The Silver Sword of the Astral Plane is a legendary greatsword that, when equipped on Lae’zel (or you if you’re playing as a Githyanki), will have the wielder deal an extra 1d6 of psychic damage. It’ll also make them resistant to psychic damage, immune to charm, and give them advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Funny enough, you can actually get this sword as early as Act 1 if you cast Command Drop Weapon on Voss when you first come across him at the Mountain Pass. But chances are, you’re probably past this point and will need to obtain the Orphic Hammer to come into possession of this legendary weapon.
Following Raphael’s deal in BG3, find out if you should side with Raphael or Yurgir in Baldur’s Gate 3.
