Should You Side With Sovereign Glut or Sovereign Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3?
Sovereign Glut and Sovereign Spaw are two major characters who present a branching path in Baldur's Gate 3, and choosing which one to support can be a tough choice. You'll encounter these two Myconid sovereigns in the Underdark, the subterranean realm you can access in Act 1.
Sovereign Spaw leads a Myconid circle seeking protection from (and vengeance upon) Duergar aggressors. Sovereign Glut, on the other hand, lost his own circle to the same Duergar intruders and has taken refuge in the colony that Spaw oversees.
Baldur's Gate 3 is packed with decisions that can change the story and characters. So knowing which choices align with your desired outcome is important. Depending on which side you take, the dispute between the two Myconid sovereigns can get you some loot and open up some interesting narrative paths. Of course, as with most choices in Bg3, these choices can also result in some pretty tough fights. And there's always a chance Glut could die in battle, which abruptly ends the storyline.
You Should Side With Sovereign Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3
Sovereign Glut is more than willing to help the party take on the intruders. This lets you recruit him as a follower who will join in combat. Glut could still fall in battle, but if he survives the main encounter with the Duergar, his true ambitions will be revealed. Sovereign Glut holds a grudge against Spaw for refusing to help Glut's circle when they were in need, leading to the destruction of the entire circle. Glut will request the party's help in fighting Spaw to gain control of the colony. This choice doesn't leave much room for negotiation.
There are valid reasons to side with either Sovereign Glut or Sovereign Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3. But refusing to join Glut's cause is generally the best path to take. From a practical standpoint, it's easier to refuse and fight Glut instead of Spaw. Although Glut has a decent chunk of health, he acts alone against the entire party. This makes for a somewhat one-sided encounter. A well-equipped party can manage it in a single round of attacks, making it one of the easier triumphs in a game that can occasionally throw some devious challenges at you.
The one downside to fighting Glut is that this battle can come right after the party has already taken some hits from fighting the Duergar. So it's best to check your party's preparedness as the prior encounter wraps up.
Fighting Spaw, on the other hand, can be significantly more difficult. Challenging him will bring the wrath of the entire Myconid circle he leads, filling up the turn order and making it harder for the party to survive. Only Spaw needs to be killed to win the fight, but failing to do so quickly can spiral into a tough battle. Either approach is manageable for a party that knows how to strategize. But the more widely appealing and straightforward option is definitely taking out Glut.
It's also possible to get some help in killing Glut. By agreeing to go along with his plans, the party can lead Glut back to Spaw and reveal his treachery then. Spaw and the rest of the Myconid colony will join the party in attacking Glut, making the encounter very difficult to lose. Unfortunately, however, there's no use in taking Glut by surprise at any other moment because killing him outside a combat encounter won't yield the same rewards. Waiting for him to reveal his plans is necessary to get everything that supporting Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3 has to offer.
Rewards for Helping Sovereign Spaw in Baldur's Gate 3
The loot received from killing Glut is more substantial than what you can lift off of Spaw's corpse. Glut has a decent range of items on him, including a couple of useful Baldur's Gate 3 spell scrolls and several Underdark ingredients. Killing him in front of the other myconids will still treat looting him as theft, however. So getting everything off of his corpse will require killing him away from the colony (which is generally inadvisable due to sacrificing the secret room rewards) or taking a particularly stealthy approach to looting.
Although Glut's loot makes for some nice perks, the bigger rewards come from reporting his betrayal and death to Spaw. He will then open a secret room for the party to access. In addition to more scrolls, ingredients, and gold, this area contains the Shadow of Menzoberranzan. This is a helmet that allows the wearer to activate invisibility once per long rest. The helmet is only one of many ways to get invisibility in Baldur's Gate 3. But it can be particularly useful for rogues or rangers with the strategic acumen to take advantage of its positioning opportunities.
Advantages to Siding With Glut in Baldur's Gate 3
Although killing Glut is generally a more attractive option than joining his quest for power, taking the latter route still offers some unique benefits in Baldur's Gate 3. The major unique reward is a pair of Winters Clutches, which are gloves that inflict 2 turns of encrusted with frost on a target. This can be a major draw for a wizard relying on ice spells. But it does have trouble stacking up against the Shadow of Menzoberranzan the party gets from siding with Spaw, which offers a more versatile appeal that makes it well-suited for essentially any party.
The loot players collect from Spaw's body actually matches what can be found on Glut. The only real difference in rewards comes in receiving the Winter's Clutches from siding with Glut or the contents of the secret room, including the Shadow of Menzoberranzan, from siding with Spaw.
Killing Spaw may also be more difficult than killing Glut. However, the right setup and a bit of luck can make it the easiest way to solve this quest. Spaw can be knocked over a ledge with either a shove or a knockback spell. Utilizing a powerful Baldur's Gate 3 spell like Thunderwave can send him immediately into the abyss, essentially skipping the entire encounter. This does have the consequence of not being able to loot his corpse, so splitting the difference by knocking him to a lower level and dealing some damage is a reasonable compromise.
How Choosing Glut or Spaw Changes the Story in BG3
Unlike some feuds in Baldur's Gate 3, the split between the two Myconid sovereigns doesn't cause a major story divergence. If the party sides with Glut, the Myconid colony will fall under his influence once Spaw is dead. This stabilizes the situation quickly and simply swaps out their leader. Both Spaw and Glut will request the head of the next enemy to vanquish in the Underdark. This makes the two paths come together again. As exhibited by their gifts, both Sovereigns will appreciate the help. However, their different personalities lead them to thank the party in different ways.
The biggest narrative impact of siding with Glut or Spaw might lie in its influence on the opinions of companions. Astarion, for example, will be pleased by siding with Glut and killing Spaw. However, Karlach will take offense at it. Considering the ethics of these characters, this isn't surprising. Although Glut's anger at Sovereign Spaw is at least somewhat justified, it's fairly obvious that lust for revenge and control motivate his actions. It isn't necessarily a completely evil choice, but it is the more underhanded of the options.
Like all the choices in Baldur's Gate 3, it's also perfectly reasonable to go in either direction for roleplay reasons. A custom character built around a backstory of revenge might be more likely to side with Glut inherently. The difference in rewards isn't significant enough to make this a terrible decision. A typical good-aligned party, on the other hand, is generally more likely to simply stick with Spaw. The extra rewards are just the cherry on top.
The lack of large-scale story branches makes the choice between Sovereign Glut and Sovereign Spaw ultimately one of minor consequences. But that doesn't mean the two options are equal. Despite both avenues offering reasonably similar rewards, the advantage in combat and slightly improved loot that sticking up for Shaw offers are enough of an edge to make it a generally more viable decision. A focus on ice attacks, a romance with Astarion, or an evil playthrough could each be a possible reason to side with Glut. But otherwise, choosing Spaw's path in Baldur's Gate 3 makes the most sense.
