Search the Cellar - Baldur's Gate III Guide - IGN (2024)

Search the Cellar is a side quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 where a simple note in an apothecary leads to darker secrets. There are a few tricky situations to work through, in addition to a major decision to make, so this walkthrough will guide you through the consequences of each choice, in addition to the rewards for doing so.

Search the Cellar Walkthrough

Looking for something in particular? Use the links below to jump to...

• How to Start Search the Cellar
• Secrets in the Cellar
• Choices and Consequences: What Should You Do With the Ancient Tome
  • Destroy the Ancient Tome
  • Unlock the Ancient Tome

How to Start Search the Cellar

When you enter the Blighted Village, enter the building in the southeast. Inside, you’ll find an Apothecary’s Ledger on the counter. Read it to learn about some ‘specially requested’ plants in the cellar; this will add the quest to your quest log.

Secrets in the Cellar

Head down the hatch behind the counter and move some boxes in the corner to reveal a lever. Activate the lever to cause one of the shelves to slide sideways, revealing a hidden passage.

In this next room, most of the moldering coffins will contain a skeleton that will spring to life to fight, so be prepared!

The stalactites on the ceiling can be attacked to deal massive damage to the skeletons, but don’t drop them on the coffins, because they will protect the skeletons while they’re still inside. Once they’re all defeated, head to the southeast corner of this room to interact with the ornate mirror.

You can intimidate it, or you can convince the mirror that you’re an ally of its master by renouncing Szass Tam, stating that Balsam ointment is for cleaning wounds, and that you want to remove the tadpole from your head. It will allow you to head through into yet another secret room. This room is full of books and artifacts about necromancy.

On the east side of the room is a cage door and a couple of traps. Try to disarm the traps and unlock the door, or use the Rusted Key found in the room on the west side. Behind the cage door you’ll find an evil looking book that looks like a face, called The Necromancy of Thay. While you can’t do anything with it quite yet, picking up the book unlocks two paths for this quest to take.

Choices and Consequences: What Should You Do With the Ancient Tome

While the book is clearly evil in nature, you can definitely use all the help you can get when dealing with Illithids and the parasite in your head. Unless your character is specifically deadset against using any evil artifacts, such as a Paladin, or for roleplay reasons, I would suggest unlocking the tome, as the +1 bonus to Wisdom Saving Throws and Ability Checks can come in handy over the course of your adventure.

Destroy the Ancient Tome

If you want to destroy this unholy book, you simply need to use holy magic on it. It’s immune to other sources of damage, like physical attacks, and even fire does nothing to harm it. Hopefully, you’ve got Shadowheart or someone else to smite it.

Before you destroy it, it’s important to note that doing so will summon three Shadows, powerful undead enemies that can sap your strength and deal heavy damage when doing so. Once again, Shadowheart or any holy damage is especially effective against these creatures.

If you’re ready, drop the book and blast it with a Guiding Bolt or other similar spell, then get ready to fight. Once you’ve defeated the newly spawned enemies, the quest is over, and your reward is experience and the satisfaction of knowing you destroyed such an evil artifact.

Unlock the Ancient Tome

Your other option is to read the book. It's a risky prospect, but successfully reading it can give your character a useful buff. Since it's a more involved process than simply destroying it, use this link to read how to open and read the tome.

Use the links below for more Side Quests in the area:

• Save Mayrina
• Rescue the Gnome
• Finish the Masterwork Weapon