Based on the classic pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons, it shouldn’t surprise you that Baldur’s Gate 3 has tons of dungeons to explore. Inside, you will find plenty of monsters, traps, and loot, but perhaps most terrifying of all, puzzles. Most of the game is determined by your character’s stats and rolls, but puzzles fall completely on your own ability to solve them. The Gauntlet of Shar, for example, is a dungeon you can find in a couple of different ways, and it’s important for both Shadowheart’s main Daughter of Darkness quest, as well as Astarion‘s Palke Elf quest, so there’s no avoiding it for too long. There are two main puzzles you hit right away in this dungeon, so let us be your Dungeon Master and guide you through.
How to solve the Mausoleum puzzle
Your first puzzle will appear when you come to the Thorm Mausoleum and involves three paintings. There’s a book in this room that gives you a hint as to what to do. It reads “From splendor, to tragedy, to infamy.” This is informing you in which order you should interact with the paintings in the room with the coffin. Before you attempt this, go around and disarm all the traps in this room to be safe.
Here are the paintings you should interact with in order:
- The painting of the Moonrise Towers (southwest wall)
- The painting of Thorm weeping with his dead daughter (southeast wall)
- The painting of Thorm on this throne (north wall)
Once done, the doorway will open and you can take the elevator straight to your next puzzle in the dungeon proper.
How to solve the statue puzzle
After exiting the elevator, you will see a statue holding a sphere that you are unable to approach. You need to go around the exterior rooms and interact with the levers to remove the lanterns. Be warned that, again, this room is littered with deadly traps you’d do well to avoid. Once all the lanterns are gone, purple markings around the statue will appear in two broken rings. Select a single character from your party, and have the others remain where they are. The character must carefully walk to the center through the gaps without touching the edges and then interact with the orb. Touching it will unlock the next door to go into the dungeon and finally do some combat.
The remainder of this dungeon is mostly combat, but with some fun mechanics thrown in, such as facing a group that mimics your party, a stealth section, and even a bit of platforming in the dark.
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