Should You Sell Soul Coins In Baldur’s Gate 3?

Soul Coins are interesting items to find in Baldur’s Gate 3, but it isn’t immediately obvious what they can be used for. A description blurb notes that Soul Coins can be used to power Infernal Engines, but the specifics of what this does aren’t established early in the game. With a price tag of 100 gold, ignoring the questionable benefits of holding onto Soul Coins and opting to sell them for a quick burst of cash can be a tempting proposition. However, the ultimate utility of Soul Coins makes this decision a little more complicated.

Soul Coins can be acquired in a number of ways in Baldur’s Gate 3, although they certainly don’t litter chests in the same way as less appealing items like rags or rotten food. The Dank Crypt in Act I of the game is one place to find several soul coins, even if it won’t be possible to use them immediately upon acquisition in a normal playthrough. Luckily, holding on to them for a while won’t prove any threat to encumbrance, as Soul Coins weigh almost nothing despite their value in gold.

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You Shouldn’t Sell Soul Coins In Baldur’s Gate 3

Soul Coins have enough utility in Baldur’s Gate 3 to make selling them an unappealing choice overall, no matter how much the offer of 100 gold might beckon. One of the Infernal Engines mentioned in their description exists in the place of Karlach’s heart, powering the Tiefling Barbarian even as it threatens to overheat her when her emotions get the better of her. Once the option arises in game, giving Soul Coins to Karlach allows her to get an extra boost of power in combat, which could be the deciding factor in a tight battle with a Baldur’s Gate 3 boss or a last stand against hordes of enemies.

Consuming a Soul Coin gives Karlach the Infernal Fury buff, which acts an extra 1d4 fire damage to her attacks when she is raging or below 25% health. Although this isn’t likely to make or break an encounter based on a single attack, it’s a significant enough buff to turn the tide overall when used throughout an encounter. The significance of this advantage diminishes as the story progresses and characters level up, but the value of 100 gold may likewise seem more trivial as more treasures are amassed, making it best to avoid selling Soul Coins unless truly strapped for cash.

Soul Coins Lack Other Uses In Baldur’s Gate 3

Outside of financial remorse, there’s no need to feel any practical hesitation about handing Soul Coins over to Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3. By all appearances, Soul Coins lack any other applications in the game, with no appearance of other Infernal Machines that the party might want to empower and no specific applications in trade. Whatever value in-game vendors place in Soul Coins doesn’t appear to derive from any avenue extended to the protagonist, making Karlach an effectively singular solution for putting them to use.

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Soul Coins do have other uses in Dungeons & Dragons, the source material for the Baldur’s Gate games. The D&D 5e adventure book Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus takes players on a journey into the underworld, where Soul Coins have more specific value. Outside of acting as the general currency of the Nine Hells, D&D Soul Coins can be used to interact with the souls within to gain possibly cryptic knowledge. The souls can also be siphoned away for temporary hit points or freed in an act that will destroy the coin. None of these avenues, however, are available in Baldur’s Gate 3.

When Selling Soul Coins In Baldur’s Gate 3 Is Worth It

Although the value offered by Soul Coins in combat is generally worth giving up the gold acquired from selling them, not every campaign will be able to make full use of this feature. It’s very possible to avoid recruiting Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3. Unlike the companions found immediately around the starting area, Karlach is harder to find in Act I, requiring traveling a bit further north on the map. Gaining Wyll as a party member makes it easier to find Karlach, but going to war with the Druid’s Grove can easily close off the avenue of recruiting him as well.

Some parties with Karlach might still not make much use of her in combat, as the excess of companions available in Baldur’s Gate 3 means a number will always have to be left behind at camp if a majority are recruited. Soul Coins might not be worthwhile if Karlach rarely spends much time in battle. The other possible reason to avoid using Soul Coins in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a moral concern, as each contains a distinct soul that will be consumed. Although there’s no established downside to doing this in terms of mechanics or story, refusing to allow this destruction could still be considered the high road.

Soul Coins Could Get More Options In Baldur’s Gate 3

Although Soul Coins can only be used by Karlach or sold at the moment, that doesn’t mean that Baldur’s Gate 3 will never add any additional utility for them. Plans for Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC are currently unclear, but an expansion that journeys into Avernus would be one way that Soul Coins could easily gain some other uses similar to their application in D&D. Considering the many branching opportunities in Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s also not entirely impossible that there’s an extra hidden use for them in the game already, although the lack of any discoveries in this regard makes the possibility generally unlikely.

For the time being, at least, deciding whether to sell Soul Coins in Baldur’s Gate 3 mostly comes down to a simple choice of balancing combat utility against additional funds. Like with many potions and spell scrolls, these two features go hand-in-hand, ensuring that the promise of additional power is given the appropriate weight when trading with a vendor. There’s not necessarily any wrong decision to make with Soul Coins in Baldur’s Gate 3, but for most campaigns, hanging onto them is the best way to avoid missing out on their unique advantages.