There is a lot of turmoil and strife in Baldur's Gate 3, with characters just trying to survive in the face of rival groups, omnipotent entities, and monsters around every corner. And that goes for the Myconids in the Underdark, a group of fungal-like creatures that have an entire colony up and running.
When you meet them, everything seems okay as the colony is being run by Spaw, who all share one mind. However, as you continue to work with them, you will start to see that another Myconid, Glut, is looking to get rid of Spaw and his leadership in order to put in one that he views as better. You can choose to help either of them in this butting of heads, and you will want to know what consequences come with each decision.
Updated by Shane Black on August 25, 2023: This guide was updated to include the rewards you can get for siding with either Spaw or Glut to give more clarity on the outcomes of each decision. Also added more links to relevant guides to help players in their games.
Which Side Should You Choose?
This will be the ultimate question in this scenario, and there will also be significant consequences for your story and the other Myconids in the colony.
What Happens When You Side With Spaw
This is what can be viewed as the "good" option in the game. If you side with Spaw, you will only need to take out Glut before he can do any more damage to the colony. You put Glut down, and the rest of the colony will continue on as they were before.
Further, Spaw will give you access to a secret area with some decent loot. Even though it is reachable without this option if you are using Misty Step or a Potion of Invisibility, it is still worth it for characters who don't have access to either of those.
Siding with Spaw will also help you level up faster, as he will continue his fight against the Duergar, a race they have been battling against for a while. With these fights continuing to go on, you can join in and rack up the experience to level up your character.
In terms of loot, you will be given the Winter's Clutches gloves, which deal 2 turns of Encrsuted with Frost damage upon the target when using something that deals Cold Damage. So for any character that is relying on cold-based attacks and weapons, these gloves can be a real help in boosting your damage output.
What Happens When You Side With Glut
Glut can be considered the "evil" option, and for good reason. If you side with Glut, not only will you have to kill Spaw in order to make room for new leadership, but you will also have to kill the rest of the colony. Doing so will also take away your ability to finish any quests you may have with other colonists.
Choosing Glut will more or less cause the Myconid presence in this area to be wiped out, and even though Glut is still alive, it's not looking very good for them.
The loot that Glut drops is certainly larger than if you side with Spaw, with the entire loot drop being Scroll of Blur, Scroll of Hold Person, Lump of Myconid Flesh, Hastening Spores, Rogue’s Morsel, Bonecap, Nightlight Frond, and Poison Spores. That's a lot more than Spaw has to offer, and can give you a big helping hand in many situations.
The one advantage is that Astarion will approve of the move, so if you are trying to increase your relationship with him or romance him, then this is a choice that can help with that.
Which Is The Better Choice?
With all of this information, it's time to answer the question: which one should you side with? Obviously, the answer is Spaw. There are just far more advantages to choosing Spaw than there are with Glut, though if you're aiming for an evil playthrough, or you simply want to get closer to Astarion, choosing Glut might be your better move.
Even pursuing those goals, is it worth the extinction of the colony? Ultimately, keeping Spaw in charge will give you access to way more activities, quests, and access to some more loot.