Larian Studios loves environmental puzzles. Some block the main story, while others hide legendary loot. Use these step-by-step solutions to bypass the frustration.
1. Act 1 Puzzles
Location: Goblin Camp (Underneath Priestess Gut's quarters). Opens the path to the Underdark.
The Goal: Move all 4 black moon circles to the bottom plate (the one illuminated by the light ray).
- Top plate: Turn once.
- Left plate: Turn three times.
- Bottom plate: Turn once.
- Right plate: Turn twice.
- Bottom plate: Turn twice.
- Right plate: Turn twice.
Shortcut: If you pass a Perception check near the stairs, you can spot a hidden lever. Lockpick it (DC 15) to bypass the puzzle entirely.
Location: Blighted Village. Guards the Necromancy of Thay book.
The Solution: You must answer the mirror's questions correctly, or it will summon an explosive orb.
- "Tell it your name."
- "Yes, an ally! I'm an ally of your master's."
- "A foul lich. May he die a thousand more deaths."
- "I'd look for whatever spell will rid me of this worm in my head."
Location: Mountain Pass. Unlocks the Dawnmaster's Crest (required for the Blood of Lathander mace).
You must place four ceremonial weapons on the correct altars matching the stained glass windows:
- Dawnmaster Welki: Ceremonial Longsword (Already in place).
- Dawnmaster Vaseid: Ceremonial Battleaxe (Found down the hall guarded by a Guardian of Faith).
- Dawnmaster Seed: Ceremonial Warhammer (Found in the eagle's nest on the roof).
- Dawnmaster Stockhold: Ceremonial Mace (Found in a grave near the drunk Kobolds). Note: You can throw any normal mace onto the altar to trigger it!
Location: The Underdark. A tower guarded by Arcane Cannons that shoot you on sight.
The Solution: You cannot permanently destroy the cannons with attacks. Sneak past them using turn-based mode or invisibility. Head to the very bottom floor of the tower (outside, near the glowing blue tree) and pick up a Sussur Bloom. Enter the bottom floor, place the Sussur Bloom inside the main generator, and press combine. This permanently powers up the elevator and disables all defenses.
Location: Grymforge (Underdark). Required to craft Adamantine equipment.
The Solution: Insert Mithral Ore into the center Crucible. Insert a Mould into the Mould Chamber. Pull the Forge Lever (lowers the platform). Turn the Lava Valve to flood the floor (spawns Grym). Once Grym is dead, turn the Lava Valve again, pull the Forge Lever to smash the hammer down, and claim your item!
2. Act 2 Puzzles (Gauntlet of Shar)
To reveal the entrance to the Gauntlet of Shar, you must press the buttons below three paintings in Ketheric's tomb in the correct chronological order:
- Moonrise Towers (The majestic tower).
- Grief (Ketheric weeping over his daughter's body).
- General (Ketheric in his dark armor leading an army).
Location: First floor of Moonrise Towers. Unlocks Balthazar's secret room.
The Solution: Do NOT interact with the wrong protruding books or you will trigger traps (poison gas, spikes).
- Interact with the protruding book on the top right shelf. This reveals a hidden Ancient Altar next to the bookcase.
- Pick up a Heart (found on the nearby table or from a corpse) and insert it into the Altar to open the passage.
Soft-Step Trial (Stealth): Ungroup your party. Use Astarion. Cast an Invisibility potion or spell on him, and simply walk through the maze to the end ignoring all patrols.
Faith-Leap Trial (Invisible Path): There is a cheat for this. If you cast the Daylight spell on the room, the invisible floor tiles become faintly visible. Alternatively, ungroup a character, use the "Fly" ability or a Potion of Glorious Vaulting to jump directly from the start to the end platform.
Self-Same Trial (Mirror Clones): Strip your characters totally naked BEFORE offering blood to the bowl. The clones will spawn with no armor or weapons. Once the trial starts, re-equip your gear and easily crush your naked clones.
Location: Act 2 finale area, behind the Necrotic Laboratory. Unlocks the Blade of Oppressed Souls.
The Solution: You must connect four different mental nodes (Reason, Memory, Emotion, Speech) across a 3D grid from the start to the end without any paths intersecting. Think of it like connecting wires of the same color.
Shortcut: If you cast the Fly spell or have the Illithid flight ability, you can literally fly your character over the puzzle straight to the vault door at the end and press the unlock button from the inside!
3. Act 3 Puzzles (The Wyrmway)
Located beneath Wyrm's Rock Prison. To face Ansur the Dragon, you must prove yourself worthy in four chambers:
⚖️ Chamber of Justice
A shadowy judge obscures paintings. Cast the spell Remove Curse (or use a scroll) on the dark shadow in the center. Then, pick up the painting titled "The Cell" and place it on the empty pedestal.
💡 Chamber of Insight
You must identify the traitor among three red phantoms. If you read the flying books, you learn the truth. Use a ranged attack to destroy the phantom named Suelto.
♟️ Chamber of Strategy (Chess)
You must checkmate the Black King in 2 moves. If you have Gale in your party, he will literally tell you the exact move to make. If not, the easiest cheat is to simply blast the Black King piece with a Lightning Spell (it is vulnerable to lightning) to destroy it instantly and pass the trial.
⚔️ Chamber of Courage
No puzzle here. You must simply survive waves of elemental elementals and myrmidons for 4 turns. Use the Globe of Invulnerability spell to make this trivial.
Location: Lower City Counting House. Unlocks the High Security Vault containing Minsc.
To open the massive vault door, you must step on the floor plates in the correct order (corresponding to the Head Banker's code, 1356):
- Top Left (1)
- Top Right (3)
- Middle (5)
- Middle Right (6)
Warning: Do not step on any other plates, or the security system will zap you.
Location: The Archive in the House of Hope. The hammer is protected by a lethal forcefield.
The Solution: You need the magic password to disable the shield.
- Go to the Boudoir and deal with Haarlep (either give him what he wants, or kill him) to get his Safe Key.
- Press the button behind the large painting in the Boudoir to reveal a hidden safe. Open it to find the passphrase.
- Return to the Archive, interact with the Inert Infernal Gem, and select the phrase: "Give me my heart's desire."
Location: Hidden vaults beneath the magic shop in the Lower City. Contains legendary staves and books.
You will face a maze of wooden doors. Walking through the wrong door teleports you back to the start and triggers deadly traps. Follow these exact paths:
- To unlock the Karsus Vault: Walk through the doors named Silverhand → Abjuration → Silver. Pull the lever at the end, then return to the start to enter the newly unlocked vault.
- To unlock the Elminster Vault: Walk through the doors named Silverhand → Evocation → Wish. Pull the lever, then return to the start.
- Illusion Door Cheat: In the room with the levers, use "See Invisibility" or cast a strong AoE attack on the wall behind the lever. There is a hidden illusion wall concealing a secret treasure chest!
Location: The Szarr Palace in the Lower City. A massive door blocks the ritual chamber.
The Solution: You need two items to break the enchantment:
- Kozakuran Dictionary: Found in the necrotic-cursed guest room on the lower floor. Use the Fly spell or Misty Step to quickly grab it from the wardrobe. Read it with any character.
- Szarr Family Ring: Found in the Kennels (lower floor). You must defeat Godey the skeleton or pass a high Deception check to get the ring from him.
- Hold the ring in your inventory and interact with the Sinister Door to recite the incantation.
💬 Community Strategies & Discussion
Did you find a hidden chest? Struggling with a boss? Share your tips and questions with other mercenaries below!