Very little is as it seems in Baldur’s Gate 3. What may initially look like a fun jaunt through a desolated village infested with goblins, ogres, and worgs could very quickly become a magical side quest involving necromancers, physics-defying spiders, and sentient literature.
It’s all in a day’s work as a True Soul, and if you don’t solve the world’s problems, nobody will. Heck, if you don’t pilfer every last scrap of loot then you’re just leaving it to get all dusty and forgotten. One of the larger side quests in Baldur’s Gate 3’s early game involves a mysterious cellar hinted at whilst exploring an infirmary. Let’s walk through it.
Note: Due to the length of this quest we aren’t going to waste time telling you to loot every square inch of every location. Unless an item is pivotal to your advancement, we are going to assume you have stashed everything in your backpack.
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How To Find The Cellar In Baldur’s Gate 3
One of the main locations you will find early in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Blighted Village. You can find this place west of the Druids Grove and if you are following the Main Quest, you will almost certainly end up here by default.
In the Blighted Village, you will find an apothecary’s infirmary. Inside, you can find a ledger that mentions there are some rare potions stashed in the cellar. This starts the ‘Search The Cellar’ quest.
Behind the counter, you will see a wooden hatch. Climb down the hatch to access the basement. Once here, move to the back of the room towards three stacked boxes. Move/Throw/Destroy these boxes to reveal a lever. Pull it, and a bookcase to your right will move revealing a hidden passage.
Dealing With The Talking Mirror
You will end up in a small area filled with caskets. These caskets are nearly all carrying powerful undead warriors. If you disturb a casket, one skeleton will spawn. As part of the AI, this skeleton will run to break other caskets, therefore freeing more skeletons. This fight can be quite tricky as these enemies have high HP and can quickly gang up on you if you aren’t careful.
There is only one casket you need to break to continue, however, and that is the casket at the back of the room behind the stone pillar. This casket contains the Dark Journal, and this has the information necessary to continue your quest.
Near the entrance to this area is an enchanted mirror. It is enslaved to its master and asks you a series of questions.
Pick the following answers:
- Claim to be his master
- Claim to be an ally
- State that Szass Tam is a Wretch
- Balsam Ointment treats burns
- Seek a Spell
This will cause the Mirror to open a secret door to the main chamber of the doctor/necromancer. If you are playing as a Bard, that last question has a Class-specific response that also allows you to pass through the mirror. If you can, we recommend picking that option for the narrative interest that we aren’t spoiling here.
The Necromancy Of Thay
In the main chamber, you will find all sorts of journals detailing the horrors of necromancy and the madness of the necromancer who used to live here. In the back, you will see a steel gate. Approach it, but don’t open it. If you have Asterion in your party you should detect a trap under the gate. Use Asterion to disarm it and then unlock the gate.
On the table is a book called ‘The Necromancy Of Thay’. This book is required to continue the quest, however, the table it is resting on is trapped. You have two options, either disarm the trap and then take the book, or, use Mage Hand to throw the book out of the trapped room and into the main chamber. Whichever is easier for you.
With the book in hand, you will be met with a cutscene that showcases the evil of the book. You will have a few options here, open the book, destroy the book, leave the book, or give it to Asterion.
Destroying The Book
Destroying the book is the morally correct thing to do since this book is quite clearly evil. However, this book itself is impervious to all damage…all damage besides Radiant. Use one of Shadowheart’s miracles to destroy the book and receive a hefty chunk of EXP. Do be warned, destroying the book will spawn three powerful Shadows to kill you. If you aren’t at least level 3, we recommend just holding onto the book for now.
With the Shades dead, you won’t receive anything for your troubles. You did the right thing though.
How To Open The Necromancy Of Thay In Baldur’s Gate 3
Opening the book is far more complicated and filled with all kinds of peril. Firstly, you can’t open the book because it’s missing a Dark Amethyst. If you want to open it, you are going to have to track one down. Thankfully, there is one nearby.
Leave the Cellar and head back to the Blighted Village. Near the infirmary is a well. Interact with it and use Investigate to uncover a secret dungeon. Make your way to the western part of the dungeon, being careful not to get overwhelmed by the Phase Spiders.
You will come across the mighty Phase Spider Matriarch and we highly recommend you don’t try and kill her. She is high-level, has a lot of HP (at this stage in the game), is surrounded by Phase Spiders, and can even summon more. She is a monstrously powerful foe, and you don’t need to kill her.
Instead, use Asterion to Jump down to the bottom floor, hide, and then sneak towards the purple glow under the Phase Spider Matriarch. This is the Dark Amethyst. Sneak back to your party and then get to safety.
Read the book once more, and this time, insert the Amethyst. You will quickly realise your mistake as this book will curse you if you fail a Skill Check. As far as we are aware, there is no benefit to opening the book besides possibly learning how to commune with the dead. This is a tad redundant when you could have found a necklace earlier in the game that bestows the same thing without risking a curse.
That’s all we have for Baldur’s Gate 3 for now. Be sure to check out our other guides and lists for more Baldur’s Gate content.
