Players will have to run the Gauntlet of Shar present underneath the northern edge of Reithwin in the Shadow-Cursed Lands to finish Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3. Even if you do not use Shadowheart, you will need access to the portal that heads to Shadowfell, which holds the source of Ketheric Thorm’s immortal powers.
That is why players must go through the Gauntlet of Shar in BG3, and the following guide will help players finish it.
BG3: Gauntlet of Shar Location and How To Complete
Getting Started
Players will come up against a statue of Shar at the entrance point, surrounded by glowing purple runes. You cannot move ahead as you will be thrown back via the force present, and even the door at the opposite end has a magical seal.
The aim is to touch the Umbral Gem present ahead of the statue, so you must head into one of the smaller rooms on the left or right side. The most important thing here is to ensure you have Astarion in front, who can diffuse traps.
The rooms have a lever to bring down two of the Mystic Thuribles that bring light into the main chamber. Interact with them to switch them off, and after all of them are gone, a different bunch of purple runes start glowing.
Now, you can have a team member make their way around the runes to touch the Umbral Gem that unlocks the door.
Managing Balthazar
After you unlock the entrance, there are three undead warriors. A necromancer speaks through them, opening up a lot of Umbral Portals, which leads to a bunch of undead Dark Justiciars rushing through.
The portals will keep allowing more and more Justiciars as long as they are open, so demolish them quickly.
Any warriors still left will move to the west, and as you go behind them, there is also a bunch of Umbral Portals here. Take down the bigger Umbral Portal present in the middle as it gives life to the other Dark Justiciars and mini Umbral Portals.
After fighting through all these, the necromancer, Balthazar, unlocks the door to his chamber. He will ask you to lead the way to the heart of the temple, no matter if you are connected with the True Souls or not.
You can choose to agree and then strike him or pass him by. Players who wish to confront Balthazar will have to check his pockets initially.
This is because his ability allows him to go first and not be shocked, along with drinking a Potion of Speed in the first round. Considering his attachment to the Cloudkill spell, taking down Balthazar is not easy.
Once you have managed Balthazar as you want, go through the other rooms. The northern room is a vault with a sturdy lock and many valuables, while the southern room is a passage to a dining place plus a cave filled with mushrooms.
The Silent Library and Spear of Night in Gauntlet of Shar
The next step is to visit the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint and head north. Go down the stairs, letting the side doors be.
There is an elevator and a broken level after you move south into the lower hall. You can use the elevator to head up and keep the lever near the lever base.
The Silent Library entrance sits north of the elevator in the side room with a white magical field. You will be at the start of the Silence effect, and no verbal spell can take effect here as it is littered with Dark Justiciars.
You will have to demolish The Librarian to finish the effect. The Librarian is a unique Umbral Portal in the middle. No more Dark Justiciars will be coming by doing this, so this should be achieved urgently.
Once done, focus on the bookshelves, four on the north and one on the south wall, all trapped. Three shelves have books that will give you information about the significant challenges of the Gauntlet of Shar, while the remaining shelf is needed for use in the Library.
There is a giant metal portcullis which you have to unlock. There is a pedestal in the cage room with the Riddle of the Night, “What can silence the Nightsong?”
You must keep the Teachings of Loss: The Nightsinger book on the pedestal. If you fail, the several gas pit traps will get activated, but if you are successful, the secret door to the other side is unlocked. Additionally, get all the spell scrolls from this room too.
You will come across an altar having the Spear of Night with a suit of Dark Justiciar Half-Plate below it. The Spear of Night will come in handy later in BG3, while the suit is perfect for Shadowheart. There is also a rare Dark Justiciar Helmet from the gilded chest hidden beyond the altar.
BG3: The Faith-Leap Trial
You will find this as you move through the door of the lower hallway. The rule in the book is “Tread where Lady Shar bids you,” as otherwise, you will be harmed.
Get together at the entrance and move the camera to the dark region beside the altar to reveal purple blocks between the three statues. These blocks vanish if you go near, so keeping in mind where they are located holds the key to traveling in the room unharmed.
If you move into a gap area, you will be teleported to the nearest base of a statue and lose a third of hit points. If this repeats three times, you will end up dying.
You can jump around the safe spots, but too many times will also be seen as a loss.
The solution is in the floor mural right before the altar. Keep checking it as you advance but do send only a single person.
The far corner has the Umbral Gem, and you have to grab it before using the Umbral Transporter to get back to the altar.
BG3: The Self-Same Trial
It is a mirror fight, and to begin, go in through the north door of the upper hallway and spill blood on Shar’s altar. Get to the arena near the altar and follow the given instructions:
- Every member is given a mirror copy in the arena. You will have to make a Perception check to find them.
- Copies have fewer hit points and basic spells while on the same class levels and equipment as the members.
- Every member has to strike their copies only, and if you hit anyone else, you will get a -1 penalty to all saves, checks, and attacks until the upcoming long rest.
- It is for damaging one copy a minimum of one time only.
- So if you harm a copy three times, you will get -1, but if you strike all four together, you will receive a -3 penalty.
- You can also send a party member on their own to sneak up on the copy to get a surprise round.
After every copy is defeated, you will see an Umbral Gem show up at the highest point of the area, and the Umbral Transporter will bring you back to the entrance.
BG3: The Soft-Step Trial
The last trial involves stealth and taking care of traps, so start with Astarion or a rogue with loads of Stealth and Sleight of Hand.
You will have to make your way past many observers on patrol and plenty of marble plate traps. You will be transported back to the start with no damage if caught.
You will have to use many levers to shift walls and unlock doors, a table key, and different traps. One lever is pulled via a window too.
Once you complete it, there is an Umbral Gem atop the Umbral Transporter, so fetch it to finish the trial.
Managing Yurgir
With three Umbral Gems already in your possession, you need just one more. Return to the Pedestal of Reckoning and move east past the broken stairs. There is a displacer beast, and it will head north first before moving right. You have two options now, whether to go after the beast.
If you follow, you will see the Umbral Gem on the ground ahead of a gory throne. Watch out for the devil Yurgir and his six merregons on the floor above with crossbows.
The trap is set, and you will start a dialogue that you will be able to talk through. However, if you do not follow the displacer and want to attack Yurgir and his party, jump to a different broken staircase as soon as one of you does.
You must avoid the grenades that Yurgir and his group use heavily. After Yurgir is damaged enough, a dozen grenades are dropped by him so you can go back and spread out.
The fight can be complete, of course, and the second option of going direct at the ambushers is easier.
The other option includes you wanting to help Yurgir against Raphael. Astarion hates this plan the most among your team members, mainly because he has a deal with Raphael to learn about the scars on his back.
Yurgir will have to defeat all the living Dark Justiciars in the Gauntlet of Shar, but that is not all. This is where the rats come into the picture, and you have to talk to them after learning to Speak with Animals.
Kill three of the rats across different places and go to the base of the giant statue. The hordes of rats keep striking, and your best bet is to use damage spells like Hunger of Hadar or Spirit Guardians.
After the group is defeated, the final rat changes into Lyrthindor, the only remaining Dark Justiciar. You can kill him to finish Yurgir’s contract and get Justiciar’s Scimitar and Justiciar’s Greatshield.
Finally, Raphael will still get his demands, with Astarion losing out. Players who are stuck between what to do and choosing Lyrthindor should know that this will end Astarion’s mission. Nevertheless, players will get the final Umbral Gem.
Get all four, along with the Spear of Night to the Pedestal of Reckoning and the Ancient Altar behind it, to Shadowfell to get the source of Ketheric Thorm’s immortality.
Thus, that is all the information players will need to finish the Gauntlet of Shar. You will need it to progress in BG3, so make sure you are treading carefully.
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