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Baldur’s Gate III – Shadow Cursed Lands Quests

by NightlyGamingBinge in

The Shadow Cursed Lands is the first area you’ll come to during Act II of Baldur’s Gate III. This guide will cover the quests you can find in the Shadow Cursed Lands along with what you’ll need to do to complete them.

Find Arabella’s Parents

You’ll get this quest after finding Arabella just west of Mason’s Guild in the cemetery. She’ll ask you to help find her parents and then ask if she can stay with you until then. If you agree, most of the party will approve. Travel west of the cemetery to reach the House of Healing then head inside. Speak with Sister Kidwin to locate her parents. Return to your camp and speak with Arabella to let her know what happened. You’ll then need to wait a bit then check up on her in camp. When you return, Withers will be speaking with her. Talk to them both and Withers will say she needs to leave in order to learn how to control her power. If you agree with him, then he will show the girl her future which makes her happy. The quest will be completed and she’ll then reward you with an uncommon ring.

Find Mol

After the attempted kidnapping of Isobel, Mol will be taken during the fight. Speak with the kids near the kitchen and tell them you’ll get her back. This quest will be updated during the Defeat Ketheric Thorm main quest. Upon searching the area under the castle, Mol is nowhere to be found…

This quest will be carried into Act III. While exploring the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, you’ll come to the Guildhall (in the Lower City Sewers) while following Jaheira’s companion quest or if you pick up the Aid the Underduke quest. It is there where you’ll learn about the fate of Mol finally completing this quest.

Find the Nightsong

This quest is a continuation of the Act I quest with the same name (you can view the first part here). During the main story quest objective, Infiltrate the Cult of the Absolute, Disciple Z’rell will task you will backing up Balthazar in Mausoleum. If you use the key to enter Balthazar’s room, you can head over to the bookshelf and look for the Protruding Book on the bottom right side. Interact with it to unlock the altar to the right of the bookshelf. Next loot the corpse in the room or Viscera’s pile of flesh for a heart then interact with the altar and combine the heart with it. This will open a secret door behind the bookshelf. Head inside and read the Research Notes. This will tell you that Balthazar was sent to the Mausoleum to find the Nightsong giving you this objective.

To push forward in this quest, you’ll need to complete the Chosen of Shar objective for Shadowheart’s Daughter of Darkness companion quest. You can check out the guide for it here!

When that is done, you’ll find the next part of this quest in Baldur’s Gate during Act III. Click here for our guide on it!

Find Zevlor

Head to Last Light Inn and speak with Cerys there to learn that Zevlor is missing. This will trigger the quest. You won’t be able to find Zevlor until you start the Defeat Ketheric Thorm main quest near the end of Act II. Check here for its guide where we’ll cover how to find Zevlor.

Kill Raphael’s Old Enemy

Travel to the Mausoleum Entrance located in the southwestern part of the Shadow-Cursed Lands near the Moonrise Towers to find Raphael. Speak with him (make sure to bring Astarion if you still have him) to learn that his old enemy is nearby and that you should not try to reason with it, but kill it. When you’re ready, head through the Mausoleum Entrance. To complete the quest, check out the Kill the Orthon objective in our Pale Elf guide here.

Lift the Shadow Curse

When you reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands, travel to your camp and speak with Halsin there. Bring up the curse to learn more about it also triggering the quest. Halsin will also tell you we need to find Thaniel if the curse is to be lifted. To start, travel to Last Light Inn and enter the inn. Head into the room on the north side of the building to find Art Cullagh lying on a bed. You’ll need to complete the quest Wake Up Art Cullagh before you can proceed. When that’s done, head back to Halsin and tell him about Art then meet him at Last Light Inn where you’ll speak with Art together. After the conversation, meet Halsin at the lakeshore on the northern side of Last Light.

Head to Halsin and speak with him to learn what must be done. He’ll go through a portal while leaving you and the party behind to protect and keep it open. During this period, you’ll be attacked by multiple waves of Shadows and Shadow-Cursed enemies with the goal of keeping the portal open. Make sure to bring a couple of companions that have AOE attacks to deal with multiple enemies at once. Once Halsin returns, he’ll have Thaniel and take him back to camp. Clean up the enemies then meet them there. Halsin will say that Thaniel is missing part of himself and to heal him, we need to find it. You’ll also be able to add Halsin as a party member.

Our next destination is an old house up the eastern path next to the Shadowed Battlefield. If you’ve been there already, you’ve played hide-n-seek with Oliver already. If not, then you might have to do that first (we already did beforehand). Afterward, you can speak with him in the house and tell the lad you know who he really is, trying to convince him to come with you. He’ll say no and jump through a portal. You’ll need to follow after him which leads to a battle. Oliver will be under a Nightdome and surrounded by shadows. You’ll need to defeat the Shadow to damage the barrier. Taking out a Shadow Fiend deals 10 damage while defeating Mummy and Daddy will deal 60 damage each. Once the Nightdome’s HP reaches 0 you’ll be thrown into dialog with Oliver where you’ll have to convince him to return to Thaniel. Just be nice to him and speak with him like the child he is to convince him to return.

Head back to camp and speak with Halsin and Thaniel. In order to finally complete this quest, you’ll need to defeat Ketheric Thorm. It won’t officially updated to completed until you begin Act III.

Punish the Wicked

To start this quest, you’ll need to speak with He Who Was southeast of the Camp in the Shadow-Cursed Lands (east of Last Light Inn). The raven will deem you strong enough to help and request that you travel to the Waning Moon to locate a leger belonging to a killer.

To find the Waning Moon, you’ll need to head to the southwestern corner of the map near the Moonrise Towers.

Once there, enter the tavern and make your way down to the lowest level. Approach the counter with Thisoblad Thorm behind it to start up a conversation. When prompted choose one of the first two options and the proprietor with invite you to drink with them. You’ll either need to drink and pass a skill check or decline. If you choose to decline, you’ll have to battle against Thisoblad and the other patrons. If you go the drinking route, you’ll have to pass a series of skill checks while drinking back and forth with the abomination. After a few turns, he will drink too much and burst. You’ll then be free to head behind the counter. There will be some loose planks under the beer tap that houses Madeline’s Ledger. You’ll need to pass a perception skill check to find it. Once it’s in your possession, deliver it to He Who Was.

He Who Was will tell you that it’s up to you to be the judge while he channels her into his body. You can speak with Madeline to learn what happened then render your judgment. If you forgive her, then the quest will compete and He Who Was will get angry and attack you along with his Raven. If you deem her guilty and tell her to stab herself, He Who Was will attack you. If you tell her it’s her fault and that she’s a monster then He Who Was will feel her agony and be pleased, awarding you some gold and the rare Raven Gloves which allow you to summon Quothe the Raven.

Rescue the Tieflings

** PLEASE NOTE – This quest is time sensitive and doing a couple of long rests will move it forward. You can save the Tieflings (and Wulbren) while only slightly moving the story forward.**

So the prerequisite to get this quest is to save the grove from the goblins. After doing that, once you reach Last Light Inn, you’ll find some of the tieflings from the grove are taking shelter there. Speak with them (Vex, Alfira, Rolan) to learn about the attack and that some of them were taken to Moonrise Towers. Please note that your past actions might impact who is here or not. We helped Alfira finish her song and convince Rolan to stay and help the grove which could affect their being at Moonrise Towers.

When you reach Moonrise Towers, make your way to the prison in the basement (the stairs are through the back right door when facing the throne). Down there you’ll find Lia, Cal, Lakriss and Danis in a cell. Speak with them to learn the gnomes are up to something. If one of the guards catches you talking to the prisoners, you’ll have to pass a skill check or fight them. Whatever you decide, you’ll need to complete Rescue Wulbren before you can proceed with this quest. When that’s done, return to Last Light and speak with Rolan, Alfira and Vex to complete this quest. They will each give you their own set of rewards.

Rescue Wulbren

** PLEASE NOTE – This quest is time sensitive and doing a couple of long rests will move it forward. You can save Wulbren (and the tieflings) while only slightly moving the story forward.**

This quest is started after rescuing the gnomes at the Grymforge from Nere towards the end of Act I. Speak with their leader and you’ll learn that Wulbren was taken to Moonrise Towers, but that gnomes are too weak to go after him. Thus it falls to us (or not).

If you have been helping Barcus Wroot up to this point, he can be found at Last Light Inn in Act II. Speak with him there and he’ll promise to make you something remarkable if you save Wulbren.

When you reach Moonrise Towers, make your way to the prison in the basement (the stairs are through the back right door when facing the throne). In the basement, locate Wulbren and speak with him (make sure to check in on the tieflings along the way). Tell him you’re there to break him out and he’ll say he needs some things to make their escape. Enter the Warden’s Office and speak with her to learn that the prisoner’s effects are being kept in a room at the top of the ladder. Climb up and head over the furthest table to find Wulbren’s Hammer on it. Grab the hammer and bring it back to the gnome keeping an eye out for the wander eye. As an FYI, this area is considered restricted so the Warden might show up and confront you. You can try to talk your way out of it or take down the warden. In addition, it’s possible for other guards to show up as well. You can also try convincing them you are supposed to be there or settle the matter in glorious combat.

When that’s done and you have the hammer, take it back to Wulbren who will then wait for your word to execute the plan. When you say go, they will break a hole in the wall and head over to free the tieflings. While this is happening, a guard will make a b-line to the Warden’s room to flip the switch opening the cells and allowing them to pursue the prisoners. You’ll need to stop the guards from doing this and fight them off long enough for the prisoners to escape. To make it easier, deal with the guards first before telling the gnome to begin the escape. When the guards are no more, open cell 2 and head through the hole in the wall. **Please Note – If a guard flips the switch, it’s best to defeat them all and not attempt to close the cell. Doing this might bug the quest and gnomes might leave without saving the tieflings** Approach the boat at the dock to speak with Wulbren then send him to Last Light. The next time you go there, find Wulbren drinking at the inn and speak with him to complete the quest.

Wake Up Art Cullagh

The quest will be triggered upon finding Art during the Lift the Shadow Curse quest. If you pass a perception check after interacting with Art, you’ll notice a note under him. Pick it up and read it to discover he was sent by the Duke. It will also mention he was to investigate the House of Healing. To reach the House of Healing, travel to the southwestern part of the map, west of the Mason’s Guild.

Once there head inside and make your way to the northern part of the building. If you come in through the front door, you’ll be stopped by Sister Sinda and have to pass a skill check to pass. Approach Malus Thorm in the middle of training the sisters. This will trigger a cutscene leading to some dialog. If you pass some skill checks, you can have him become the test subject for the sisters resulting in his death, otherwise, you’ll need to fight all 5 of them. Once he’s dead, loot him to find a Battered Lute. Take that loot back to Art and interact with him. Choose the option “Pull out Art’s lute and play” to wake him and complete the quest.

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Baldur’s Gate III – Infiltrate Moonrise Towers

by NightlyGamingBinge in

Infiltrate Moonrise Towers is the first quest of Act II in Baldur’s Gate III. Having reached the Shadow-Cursed Lands, the party’s mission is to infiltrate the cult of the Absolute to learn more about them.

Objectives

  • Reach Moonrise Towers
    • Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse
    • Resolve the Abduction
    • Find Ketheric Thorm’s Relic

Reach Moonrise Towers

Coming from Underdark

For this section, we arrived in the shadow-cursed lands from the Underdark. Follow the main path until a cutscene with a group of Harper triggers. After a couple of dialog options, you’ll be thrown into a fight against a group of Shadows. Defeat them then one of the Harpers will mark Last Light Inn on your map as a place of refuge.

Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse

Make your way to the Last Light Inn which will be west from where you met the Harpers. As soon as you enter the town a cutscene will trigger and you’ll be interrogated. Mol will come to your rescue if you saved the grove (and will even bring up you saving her friends from the harpies and the snake… if you did). You’ll then have the option to show the artefact to your interrogator and tell her everything that’s happened. As long as you don’t attack her, you should be permitted to stay in the town. Feel free to look around and speak with the people there. When you’re ready to proceed with the story, locate Jaheira and speak with her. This will kick off a conversation where she toasts your health. If you pass a Medicine skill check, you’ll notice truth serum has been added to your drink. She’ll ask you to drink anyway but the choice is yours. If you comply, your whole party will disapprove. Refuse to drink and most of your party with approve. Jaheira will then ask if she can trust you. The choice is yours! (We said she could trust us). Toward the end of the conversation, she will send you upstairs to speak with Isobel. Make sure you are healed up first because this is going to lead to a fight. (See Resolve the Abduction below for more info).

After the fight, head to the entrance of the town and speak with the Harpers standing on the bridge. They will tell you about an ambush to get what the cultists are using to move through the shadows. Agree to meet them there, then set out for the ambush site south of the town.

Approach them to trigger a cutscene with a group of enemies walking along with a lantern. One of them will notice you giving you the opportunity to attack them. You can also pass a series of skill checks to make them give you the lantern and bugger off (that’s what we did). Head over to the lantern and pick it up. Inside, causing it to glow is a pixie. She’ll say if you don’t free her, she’ll die. If you choose to keep her in the lantern she’ll be super salty and you’ll have safe passage through the shadow. If you release, you can ask her for help with the shadow curse. She will then give you a bell with a permanent blessing to ward it off. You’ll now be free to reach Moonrise Towers. Continue on with the Infiltrate the Cult of the Absolute objective below.

Resolve the Abduction

Enter Isobel’s room then head for the balcony to find her there. Speak with Isobel to being a cutscene leading to a conversation with the cleric. As the end of the conversation nears, someone shows up to kidnap her. You’ll have the choice to stand with Isobel or side with Marcus. For now, we are siding with Isobel. This leads to a fight against Marcus and a handful of Winged Horrors. You’ll need to defeat all of the enemies before they reduce Isobel’s health to 0. This will cause her to get knocked out and they will leave with her. Make sure she stays healed and take out the enemies as quickly as you can.

Infiltrate the Cult of the Absolute

Once you reach Moonrise Towers, you’ll be greeted by another True Soul. As long as you don’t attack them you’ll be allowed entry. You can also sell out the Harpers but we aren’t doing that this playthrough. Head inside to reach the entrance hall then pass through the Absolute’s Door to trigger a cutscene. When prompted, do with the goblins what you will (note that Disciple Z’rell which check later) then head up the stairs behind the throne to find Z’rell and speak with her. After reviewing how you dealt with the goblins, she’ll assault your mind to see if you are a true believer of the Absolute. You’ll need to pass a skill check to distract her. She’ll then say she has a mission for you and sends you to the Mausoleum. (You also have the option to attack her here, but we are playing the role of spy for now).

Before heading off to the Mausoleum, head to Balthazar’s room past the library where Z’rell is and use the key she gave you to unlock the door. Head over to the bookshelf and look for the Protruding Book on the bottom right side. Interact with it to unlock the altar to the right of the bookshelf. Next loot the corpse in the room or Viscera’s pile of flex for a heart then interact with the altar and combine the heart with it. This will open a secret door behind the bookshelf. Head inside and read the Research Notes.

Investigate the Thorm Mausoleum

So there are a couple of ways you can start this objective. The first is by following the story and speaking with Disciple Z’rell who will send you here on your first mission. The other is by talking with the Brewer at the Waning Moon near Moonrise Towers and questioning him in a drinking game. Once you get this objective, make your way to the Mausoleum north of Moonrise Towers and head inside (if you haven’t been here yet, Raphael with waiting. Make sure you bring Astarion with you as it’s needed for his companion quest).

Once inside make your way to the northern part of the area to find a sarcophagus belonging to Isobel Thorm. There will be 3 portraits with buttons under them that you’ll need to push in the correct order. That order is SW (tower), SW (Thorm with wife) then N (Thorm sitting on Thorn). This will open a secret path in the northern wall. Follow the newly opened path and use the traversal gem at the end to reach the Gauntlet of Shar. (You also might want to have Shadowheart in your party as this is tied to her companion quest).

Follow the path north and through the doorway at the end to reach a room with a statue of Shar in the middle with a gem in front of it protected by an invisible barrier. There are also a ton of traps scattered around the room that you’ll need to watch out for. To pass forward, you’ll need to reach and interact with the gem. Start by heading to the four crypts (watch out for the floor traps in each one) on both sides of the statue then flip the levers in each one. This will lower 4 Mystyic Thuribles from the roof to surround the statue putting the total number of thruibles to 8. You’ll then need to interact with each one to put the flame out to cause the barrier to appear. You can now follow the path to reach the gem, but you’ll want to ungroup a single character and use them to do it.

Please Note: If you have someone equipped with the Blood of Lathander mace, then the light it sheds will prevent the barrier from showing.

You can pass through the door north of the statue leading to a hallway. Head up the stairs and to the left to find a group of skeletons who will speak with you. After a couple of lines of dialog, you’ll be attacked by shadows. Focus on destroying all 3 Umbral Termors first to stop them from spawning in more skeletons then focus on the remaining enemies. After the battle, follow the path west past the Ancient Sigil Circle to find another group of skeletons. Approaching them will trigger an event leading to another battle with the dead. As before focus on the Umbral Tremors first, except this time a few more will spawn each turn for a few turns. Once that fight is done, the door the skeletons were guarding opens allowing you to speak with Balthazar.

During this conversation, you can either present yourself as an ally or take him out! For now, we chose to play along. He’ll send you to search for the Nightsong. To reach it, follow our Daughter of Darkness guide here as it relates to Shadowheart’s companion quest. Your choice with the Nightsong determines how the rest of the act plays out.

Assault Moonrise Towers (Saved Nightsong)

Having saved the Nightsong, the assault on Moonrise Towers has commenced. Beforehand, you can stop off at Last Light and speak with Isobel there to tell her what’s happening. After that, head to Moonrise Towers and enter the fray! Approach the tower to catch up with Jaheira via a cutscene where you’ll be able to tell her the plan of attack. You can also convince her to join your party as a secondary member if you want and you’ll also want to loot the dead to find a couple of tadpoles if you’re using their powers.

Head inside to start a battle with Disciple Z’rell, Glourik, a small army of zealots and Lann Tarv. If you freed the gnolls in the kitchen earlier, they will also join as allies. After the battle head up to the next level where you’ll have to face Radija and her undead minions. If you kill one, she’ll use an incubation spell that explodes and summons another one. Once they are dealt with, head through the Ornate Door.

You’ll now be face-to-face with Ketheric and dialog with ensue. No matter what choices you make, you’ll have to fight the boss man. He’ll also be joined by his faithful hound, Susdera and a handful of Necromites. When his health gets low, a cutscene will trigger where Ketheric will be teleported away. You’ll have to mop up any stragglers before you can pursue. Also, make sure to loot the Bone Key off of Susdera and use it to loot the chest near where Ketheric was. This quest will also be completed.

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Baldur’s Gate III – Defeat Ketheric Thorm

by NightlyGamingBinge in

Defeat Ketheric Thorm is the final story quest for Act II in Baldur’s Gate. During this quest, you’ll need to discover where the boss man fled and end his reign of tyranny for good!

Follow Ketheric Thorm

Still on the Moonrise Towers Rooftop after Thorm fled, head to the northeastern tower where the tentacle came from to find Jajeira. Speak with her there and you’ll once again be able to get her to join the party if you want. It’s also worth noting that you can rest now on the rooftop. You also may want to bring Wyll with you as the next area is where the demon and possibly the Grand Duke can be found. When you’re ready to pressure Throm, interact with the Hollow Tower near Jaheira and select yes when prompted to leap in.

Search the Colony for Ketheric

When you regain control of your party, you’ll be in the Mind Flayer Colony. There are a couple of things to do here before pursuing Thorm and they will be listed below. Another thing to keep in mind, if you follow that path east from where you started, you’ll end up by an elevator leading forward for the story quest. Near it will be a Restoration device that will heal your party to full health along with restoring their spell slots. You can use this device multiple times as needed.

The Blade of Frontiers – Rescue the Asset / Find Zevlor in the Tadpoling Centre

The first stop on our trip to the colony is the Tadpoling Centre. To reach it, head east from where you start in the area and take the first left (after keeping left at the fork). Interact with the Neural Apparatus in the room to learn that some pods have Mind Flayers while others have captives yet to be implanted. To save them (and the asset for Wyll), you’ll need to release the pods and fight off a horde of Mind Flayers and Intellect Devourers. Luckily the other captives will also join in the fight and aid you. A word of caution, the Mind Flayers swarmed my party ignoring the others. so you have that to look forward to. After defeating them, you’ll begin a conversation with Zevlor. Regardless of what option you pick, he will help survivors escape all the same and the Find Zevlor side quest will be completed.

Before leaving the room, head to the northern section of it to find Mizora in a pod. Interact with the pod (while Wyll is in the party) to learn that she is the asset you were to free. You’ll then have to either pass a Strength skill check to smash the pod or connect your mind to the machine. If you choose the device on the left then Mizora will be purged and Wyll will be killed along with her. Activating the device on the right will free her from the pod. She’ll then tell Wyll that she will free him within six months per his contract. If you pass the Persuasion skill check asking for a reward, Mizora will give Wyll the very rare Infernal Rapier. You’ll then want to speak with him afterward.

Deal with Kressa and her Goons

Head directly east of the Tadpoling Centre to find Kressa giving her goons a pep talk. Approach her to trigger a dialog event where you can convince her you were sent to help if you pass a Deception skill check. After that, you can attack her and get extra exp.

Deal with the Death Shepard in the Necrotic Laboratory

You can find the Death Shepard in the southcentral area of the colony. You’ll be thrown into combat upon entering the room it’s in with the Death Shepard, a few Winged Horror and a whole lot of zombies. The Death Shepard will also keep spawning enemies each turn as well. Once you defeat them all, head to the southwestern part of the room (you’ll have to jump twice to reach it). Interact with the console then solve the brain puzzle. You’ll have to link each brain to its counterpart at the other end. Doing so will open a door allowing you to interact with the Desecrated Relief.

Free Us

Remember at the beginning of the game when you had the option to pull the brain out of the body? Well if you did (and you weakened it to make it subservient) then you can find the little guy locked in a cage heading south down the path where you started on the ship.

Speak to Us and it will ask for help freeing it from its cage. To do this, take care of Chop (who has the key) and the immediate intellect devours. You can then use the key to open the cage freeing Us. It will then join you as a Summonable Cantrip.

Kill Ketheric Thorm

When you’re done exploring, head to the elevator mentioned in the first section of the guide and use it to descend. Follow that path at the bottom to reach a door and beyond it, the Absolute! After a very interesting cutscene, approach Thorm to trigger a conversation. If you can pass a persuasion check, he’ll off himself bringing you to phase two of the fight. If not, then you’ll have to face him and his army of Mind Flayers, Necromites and Intellect Devourers. To damage him, you’ll need to free Nightsong from her chains by running over to her and helping her up. Once he’s dealt with, a level 11 Apostle of Myrkul will enter the fray. If you convinced Ketheric to off himself, you’ll skip right to the Apostle and still have to free Nightsong to damage it. As soon as the Apostle of Myrkul goes down, the fight will end triggering a cutscene. You’ll then be able to loot Ketheric and grab the stone he was wearing to trigger another cutscene with the Dream Visitor. Loot Ketheric again after the cutscene, then use the portal to return to the surface. The quest will also be completed.

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Baldur’s Gate III – Optional Things to Do During Act II

by NightlyGamingBinge in

In this Act II Things To Do guide for Baldur’s Gate III guide, we’ll list as many of the optional things you can do during Act II that we come across. I say as many because this game is huge! We’ll also link things to our other guides if you need some more info where it makes sense to do so. Happy Adventuring!

  • Side quests
    • Shadow-Cursed Lands
  • Last Light Inn
    • Speak with Alfira (sided with Grove in Act I)
    • Buy the Tower-Shaped Key from Mattis (sided with Grove in Act I)
    • Speak with Mol and Raphael (sided with Grove in Act I)
    • Interact with His Majesty
  • Ruined Battlefield
    • Play hide-n-seek with Oliver near the Shadowed Battlefield fast travel point
      • Do not kill him
  • Near Moonrise Towers
    • Explore the Mason’s Guild
    • Save Arabella
    • Deal with the Toll Master in the Tollhouse
    • Save Rolan from the Shadows
    • Explore the Waning Moon
    • Find the Lover’s Caress and True Love’s Embrace rings
      • True Love’s Embrace can be found on a skeleton behind the counter on the left side of the room past the main entrance of the House of Healing.
      • The Lover’s Caress can be found on a skeleton in the graveyard directly northeast of the House of Healing
  • Moonrise Towers
    • Get the three soul coins from Lann Tarv
      • Requires Karlach in the party
    • Free Barnabus in the kitchens
    • Make a deal with Araj Oblodra near the kitchens
    • Speak with Araj Oblodra with Astarion in your party
      • Get a potion that gives +2 strength if you do it
    • Explore Balthazar’s room
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Baldur’s Gate III – The Pale Elf

by NightlyGamingBinge in

The Pale Elf is the companion quest for Astarion in Baldur’s Gate III. You’ll receive this quest automatically after allowing this dashing nobleman to join your party shortly after escaping from the Nautiloid.

Where to Find Astarion

To find Astarion you’ll need to head west from the beach where your character wakes up and through the Nautiloid wreckage. He’ll be standing along a dirt path there near the coordinates X:183 Y:272.

Map of where to find Astarion

Approach him to trigger a cutscene leading to a little tussle with him. Pretty much all of the options end with the Intellect Devourer connecting you both together stopping the fight. You’ll then be able to recruit him or tell the guy to hit the road. Choosing the latter results in you not getting this quest.

Continue traveling with Astarion

When you first get his quest, there isn’t much you can do with it yet. You’ll need to rest a couple of times to learn more about Astarion. One time he can be seen sneaking away and another he’ll try to bite your neck revealing himself to be a vampire. You’ll be given two options: To talk through it or to try passing a skill check where you’ll stab him through the heart with a stake. Doing the latter will result in him dying thus completing the quest.

If you take the first route, you can ask him some questions about his affliction. He will even suggest that you let him drink some of your blood so he can be stronger for the fights ahead. If you agree to this, you’ll have 2 chances to pass a skill check otherwise Astarion will drain the life from you. You’ll also get the bloodless debuff that gives you -1 to Attack Rolls, Saving Throws and Ability Checks. Do this or saying no will end the day. Speak with him again in camp to see the rest of the group’s reactions to learning what he really is.

if you travel to the Riverside Teahouse where Auntie Ethel calls home, you’ll meet a monster hunter named Gandrel. If you can pass a persuasion or intimidation skill check, you’ll learn that he is hunting Astarion. If you press him as to why, he’ll say that their children were stolen by vampires and that Astarion knows about it. You’ll have a choice. You can tell him where to find Astarion or protect the team’s resident vampire. When pressed, the option to attack also becomes available. For this playthrough, we chose to tell the man that Astarion was under our protection. Speak with Astarion the next time you’re in camp and mention Gandrel to learn a bit more about him.

In Act II when you’re nearing Moonrise Towers, the Grand Mausoleum will be nearby. Bring Astarion with you as you approach the area (I was controlling him). You’ll run into Rapahel there and the two will have a conversation. Astarion has some infernal runes carved into his back and would like to know what they say. Raphael said he would tell Astarion, but first, he would need to do him a favor by killing an Orthon.

Kill the Orthon

Head into the Grand Mausoleum and work your way to the Gauntlet of Shar, specifically the Gaunlet of Shar Ancient Sigil Circle. From there follow the path heading east then northeast to reach the domain of Yurgir. Follow the Displacer Beast there to find Yurgor, the Orthon we’ve been sent to hunt. He’ll smell Raphael on you and demand to know where the devil is. This will present you with a couple of options. You can attack him (and his followers) leading to a tough fight, offer to help him break free of the curse or persuade him to kill all of his followers and them himself. (We chose the last one!). Once the demon is dead, this objective will be completed.

Map of Gauntlet of Shar Ancient Sigil Circle

Await Raphael’s Next Appearance

With the Orthon dead, it’s time to meet with Raphael. You can do this by heading back to camp and taking a long rest. This will trigger a cutscene where the devil will show up and tell you about the runes on Astarion’s back. Please note that you might have to do a few long rests for this cutscene to trigger.

Travel the road to Baldur’s Gate

After learning about the runes on his back, Astarion is ready to take Cazador out of the picture. Speak with him at the beginning of Act III before reaching the city in camp and he’ll tell you that we should seek out his fellow spawn to learn about Cazador’s plans.

Reach Cazador’s Palace

In Act III when you reach Rivington, head northeast of Arfur’s Mansion to find a camp (and make sure to bring Astarion with you). Speak with Ulma there and she will ask that Astarion save their children from his old master. You can make whatever choice you like, but we told Astarion that he owes them revenge if nothing else. You’ll also gain the Investigate Cazador’s Palace quest.

Next stop on the tour to head to Fraygo’s Flophouse across from the South Span of Wyrm’s Crossing. Again make sure you have Astarion in your party then go up to the second floor. You’ll find Dalyria and Pale Petras there. Interact with them to learn Cazador is hiding. Please note that if you rest a couple of days Astarion’s siblings will show up in the middle of the night and try to take him by force. This of course leads to a battle no matter what choices you make during their conversation!

To reach Cazador’s Palace, travel to the Lower City Central Wall waypoint in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate. Enter the Central Watch Tower building that the waypoint rests on then climb up the stairs to reach the top of the wall. Follow it north to reach Cazador’s Palace. Along the way, you’ll run into some guards. If you tell them that you’re there to kill their master, they will of course attack you! To avoid combat, opt for the intimidation or deception checks. Afterwards, you’ll be able to continue. If you chose to fight the guards, make sure to loot the key from one of their corpses. Keep following the path to reach Szarr Palace.

Once inside, follow the red carpet through the curtain doorway. You’ll then reach the Sinister Door. Interact with this door to get a couple of skill checks. Passing them will tell you that there is a small slot in the door that something can fit in. From this point, feel free to explore the rooms. To continue the quest, you’ll need to head to the Door to the Kennel on the lower level. Head inside for Astarion to begin a conversation with Godey. You’ll need to defeat Godey then loot the Szarr Family Ring. This is the ring that you’ll need to insert into the Sinister Door to open it. Another thing to note is that there is a book in the guest room on the south side of the hallway from the kennel. It will be admitting a necrotic aura. You’ll need to get past the aura by jumping then loot the Mahogany Wardrobe to the left of the bed to receive the Kozakuran Dictionary which might help you understand the Sinister Door.

After opening the Sinister Door, you’ll enter the throne room immediately triggering a fight against some giant rats, bats, wolves and werewolves. If any of the thralls are nearby, they will join in the fight, too. Once you defeat everyone, you can explore the area or head directly to the Office Hall, which is on the southwestern side of the throne room. This will bring you to the Dais. Use this to descend under the palace to Cazador’s Dungeon.

Upon entering Cazador’s Dungeon, follow the hallway north. When you get to the end, there will be 3 doors. Head through the one on the left then cross over the bridge and interact with the glowing door. Use the ring to unlock it then head inside. Straight ahead you’ll see a skull on a pillow. Interact with it. During the interaction, you’ll need to pass multiple skill checks. When you’re done, you’ll receive the Black Mass Scroll. Make sure to read it to learn about the ritual that Cazador is trying to complete.

Next, return to the hallway with 3 doors then head through the northern door, which you’ll need to unlock using the ring. When you reach about halfway to the next door, a cutscene will trigger with a prisoner. After the cutscene, interact with the gate on the other side to find the Hunter kids.

Afterwards, continue north to find Cazador. Approach him to trigger a cutscene. If you brought Astarion, he’ll be captured and you’ll have 3 turns to free him using the Help command before he’s disintegrated and Cazador ascends. If you want to make the fight easier, bring some that knows telekinesis and throw Cazador into the abyss surrounding the area. This will finish him instantly, allowing you to focus on all the other enemies. Once Cazador’s HP goes to 0, he’ll be sent to the coffin in the middle of the arena. Approach the coffin as Astarion to trigger an event.

During this event, you’ll need to make a choice on whether to let Astarion complete the ritual or not. If you would like to talk about it, you’ll need to pass a persuasion check. If Astarion is prevented from ascending, he becomes happier. If he ascends, he’ll become cruel and unfriendly.

Next, you’ll need to make a choice about Cazador’s staff and the cells it controls. You can either kill the people in the cells, release them or leave them. If you release them, they will be sent to the Underdark where they’ll be free to live without harming the souls of Baldur’s Gate. Astarion will later tell you that he feels this option is the correct choice and it’s hinted that he might potentially become their leader/protector after the Absolute is dealt with. The Hunters will not be happy about this choice but they will back off once you mention that their children are among those sent to the Underdark. If you leave them there, then the Hunters will come in and take care of them all. If you kill them, then Astarion will regret the choice but the Hunters will say you did the right thing. This choice will complete The Pale Elf! On the way out, you’ll run into Ulma and the rest of the Hunters who will make a comment on your choice.

For more guides on Baldur’s Gate III, click here!

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Guides

Baldur’s Gate III – Escape the Nautiloid

by NightlyGamingBinge in

Escape the Nautiloid is the opening quest to the highly anticipated video game, Baldur’s Gate III. During this first quest, you’ll need to escape a besieged Nautiloid ship by fighting your way to the helm. Along the way, you’ll come across a number of potential allies that can assist you. This guide will cover the Escape the Nautiloid objectives and what you’ll need to do to complete them.

Escape the Nautiloid Objectives

  • Find a way off the Nautiloid
    • Speak with Us
    • Speak with Lae’zel
  • Reach The Helm
  • Connect the nerves of the transponder

Find a Way Off the Nautiloid

When you gain control of your character, interact with the nursery in the center of the room. The game will then introduce you to its Skill Checks mechanic and you’ll have the option to take it for a spin. When you’re done, make sure to check out the room for any goodies. Specifically, you’ll want to loot the dead Mind Flayer to receive a miscellaneous ore.

Head into the next room where you’ll hear a voice calling out to you. Walk onto the Neural Apparatus in the center of the room and interact with it. This will take you up to a platform with Myrnath strapped to a chair. Interact with him to begin conversing with an Intellect Devourer. There will potentially be two sets of skill checks here:

  • Gently prise the brain from the skull.
    • Strength, Dexterity, Medicine, etc
  • Mutilate the brain
    • Dexterity


You can choose to destroy the brain and then continue on your merry way. If you decide to try and save the brain, you’ll get the first skill check by pulling the brain out of the skull. Passing this check will net you the temporary companion Us (the Intellect Devourer) who you’ll lose after completing the prologue. If you fail, then you’ll either have to put them out of their misery or just leave them there. After passing the first check, you’ll then be given the option to cripple Us making it more subservient. If you fail the check, then the creature flees and you’ll miss out on this temporary companion. Passing the check will help you later on if you decided to try for a special weapon during the fight in the helm. After the Multilate the brain skill check, the Intellect Devourer will tell you to head for the helm thus giving you your next objective.

Now if you are 100% against using the Intellect Devourer because of being abducted and implanted with a little parasite of your own (which is understandable) you can kill the brain and press on. Shortly you’ll be introduced to Lae’zel who will also tell you it’s imperative to reach the helm.

Reach The Helm

The path to the helm is pretty much linear, so keep pressing on after fighting the Imps with Lae’zel. Just before reaching the helm, you’ll reach a room with a big red device in the center of it with four chairs hooked up to it. In this room on the northern side, you’ll hear someone calling out for help. If you speak with her, you’ll receive the Rescue the Illithid’s Captive quest. Completing it will give you the opportunity to add Shadowheart to your party which can help out in the upcoming fight at the helm. You can check out what you’ll need to do to free her here. If you aren’t planning on saving her, it’s still worth exploring the eastern room where you’ll find a chest containing some potions and a Dead Thrall with a Golden Key that unlocks a locked chest in the same room as Shadowheart on the southeastern side. When you’re ready to proceed, go through the southern doorway in the room with Shadowheart. This will take you to a small room leading to the helm. There will also be a healing device if you need to top off before the battle ahead.

Connect the nerves of the transponder

When you reach the helm, a Mind Flayer fighting Commander Zhalk will instruct you to hurry over to the transponder and use it before the ship crashes. You’ll have 15 turns to do this, but before that turn your attention to the Commander. If you can manage to take him down, you can loot the two-handed sword Everburn Blade off him. Just be careful because around turn 9 two Cambions will show up to aid the commander.

Also note that when you kill Commander Zhalk, the Mind Flayer will turn hostel and start attacking you. If the Cambions are nearby, he will focus on them instead. If you didn’t injure the Intellect Devorour earlier and recruited it, that creature may also turn against you as well. Keep in mind that once you interact with the transponder combat ends so use that to your advantage. You can also loot some of the fallen enemies on the field to receive additional equipment and items. The Escape the Nautiloid quest will complete following a cutscene that triggers when connecting the transponder nerves.

For more guides on Baldur’s Gate III, click here!

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Game Guides

Baldur’s Gate III Guides and Walkthroughs

by NightlyGamingBinge in

Welcome to our main guides and walkthroughs page for Baldur’s Gate III! On this page, you’ll find all of our guides and walkthroughs for Baldur’s Gate III. We’ll be covering mostly quests and what can be found in each area.

**PLEASE NOTE** – We will be playing a borderline hero character making mostly good or neutral decisions so the guides will be tailored to that at first.

Companion Quests

Main Quests

Personal Quests

How To Do Things

Act I

Act II

Act III