The Necromancy of Thay is a mysterious and foreboding tome that can be uncovered in Baldur’s Gate 3. This flesh-bound book protected by traps is found in a secret underground laboratory beneath the Blighted Village. To access the dark magical secrets of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay, you’ll need to locate a special key and succeed at challenging wisdom trials. This walkthrough will guide you through the entire process.
Key Takeaways
- The Necromancy of Thay is a forbidden tome bound in flesh, hidden in a secret cellar laboratory under the Blighted Village in Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Follow clues like the Apothecary’s Ledger to navigate past the Ornate Mirror and traps guarding the book.
- Grab the Rusted Key to unlock the iron door into the ritual chamber containing the Necromancy of Thay.
- Take the Necromancy of Thay, but do not read it yet without the Dark Amethyst key found in the Whispering Depths dungeon.
- Defeat the Phase Spider Matriarch boss to obtain the glowing purple gemstone key.
- Insert the Dark Amethyst into the book’s mouth to attempt three increasingly difficult Wisdom saves.
- Give the unlocked Necromancy of Thay book to either Astarion or Gale for approval, but be wary of possible consequences.
- Destroy the book with radiant damage like Guiding Bolt to spawn enemy Shadows.
- Keeping the Necromancy of Thay to yourself provides both great rewards and dangers.
What Is The Necromancy of Thay In Baldur’s Gate 3?
The Necromancy of Thay is an ancient tome filled with long-forbidden rituals and sinister magical knowledge.
Bound in warped flesh and fitted with two glimmering amethysts for eyes, this disturbing book is well-hidden in a secret underground laboratory beneath the Blighted Village. Just lifting it from its pedestal triggers a deadly trap, hinting at the nefarious power locked within its pages.
To safely open the tome and not meet an explosive end, you’ll need to find a legendary gemstone key – the Dark Amethyst. Unlocking the Necromancy of Thay allows you to attempt reading it through a series of dangerous Wisdom trials. Succeed, and you’ll gain access to dark spells and a deeper understanding of death…for a price. Fail, and your sanity may be forfeit.
Finding The Necromancy Of Thay Book
To acquire the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll first need to locate it in the underground tunnels below the Blighted Village.
Searching The Blighted Village Cellar
- Enter the first house on the left after going through the main gate of the Blighted Village. Head downstairs to find a wooden hatch concealed behind the counter.
- The hatch leads down into a cellar with alchemy ingredients and supplies. Look for the Apothecary’s Ledger book on a table and read it to unlock the next area.
- After reading the ledger, investigate the large cabinet on the back wall. Move the crates beside it to reveal a hidden lever.
- Pulling the lever opens a secret passage on the right. Proceed into this back room filled with exhumed graves.
Navigating The Necromancer’s Laboratory
- In the second cellar room is the Ornate Mirror. It would be best if you correctly answered its series of philosophical questions to continue.
- Choose answers that imply knowledge of Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay or an alliance with the mirror’s master. Alternatively, intimidate the mirror to skip the riddles.
- Passing the mirror’s test opens the path to the laboratory. Grab the Rusted Key from a shelf near the exit to unlock the iron door.
- Enter the lab and approach the pedestal holding the Necromancy of Thay. Disarm the floor trap in front of it and the traps in the gargoyle statues in the corners.
- Finally, take the Necromancy of Thay but do not read it yet. You’ll need to find the Dark Amethyst gemstone key first to unlock the book’s true power.
Obtaining The Dark Amethyst Key
To unlock the secrets of the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll need to track down the mystical Dark Amethyst gemstone. This amethyst key is hidden deep within the Whispering Depths, accessible from the Blighted Village.
Entering The Whispering Depths
- Locate the boarded-up well in the center of the Blighted Village. Investigate and enter it to reach the Whispering Depths.
- Alternatively, find the weak wall in the far house cellar. Break it down to enter the Depths from there.
Defeating The Phase Spider Matriarch
- The Dark Amethyst is guarded by the Phase Spider Matriarch boss. You’ll need to defeat her and her minions to secure the gem.
- Use ranged attacks and spells from the high ground. Target the spider eggs first so they don’t hatch.
- Once the Queen’s health is low, try to maneuver her onto a web bridge and burn it down.
Locating The Amethyst
- After the Matriarch is slain, drop down the vine wall to the west.
- Pass an Arcana check to detect the faint glow of the Dark Amethyst on a corpse. Pick it up – this gem is your key to unlocking Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay.
- With the amethyst in hand, return to the surface and use it on the necromantic tome.
Unlocking The Necromancy Of Thay
Now that the Dark Amethyst is in your possession, you can finally access the true potential of this foreboding tome. Return to the underground laboratory where you first discovered the Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay.
Interact with the book in your inventory and choose the option to insert the glittering purple gemstone into its fleshy mouth. Doing so will immediately prompt a harrowing trial – a series of three Wisdom saving throws, each more difficult than the last. It’s highly recommended you save your game progress before attempting these perilous mental challenges.
- The first Wisdom save starts at a DC of 10.
- The second increases to DC 15.
- Finally, the third save escalates to an extremely hard DC of 20.
You must pass at least two of these throws to unlock the Necromancy of Thay’s forbidden knowledge. Failure at each stage results in a stacking madness debuff, afflicting your mind with malevolent whispers from the book.
If you can overcome the mental assault, you’ll be rewarded with two powerful gifts:
- The Forbidden Knowledge buff grants a permanent +1 bonus to Wisdom checks and saves.
- The ability to cast Speak with Dead without expending spell slots.
However, the sinister teachings contained within the pages of this unholy tome may continue to haunt you on your journey through the lands of Baldur’s Gate 3. Unlocking its secrets could have perilous consequences down the line.
Alternative Uses For The Book
If you don’t want to keep the Necromancy of Thay for yourself, you have a couple of other options for how to handle this dangerous tome.
Giving It To Companions
- Astarion eagerly volunteers to take the book off your hands. Letting the vampire read it can gain your approval, building rapport and possibly even romance.
- However, Astarion may suffer unknown consequences from delving into the book’s dark teachings. And once given away, the Necromancy of Thay is gone for good.
- Alternatively, Gale can safely dispose of the book through a special ritual, but only after advancing his personal quest a few steps.
- Offering the tome to Gale gains major approval. It also removes any risk of you or another companion misusing it.
Destroying The Book
- You can permanently destroy the Necromancy of Thay through radiant damage, like Guiding Bolt.
- Doing so spawns three hostile Shadows you’ll need to defeat with magic. It’s a tough fight if unprepared.
- Eliminating the book this way only yields minor approval gains with certain companions like Shadowheart and Wyll.
- However, it does eliminate any future threat from the forbidden knowledge contained within.
In most cases, keeping and unlocking Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay for yourself is the most rewarding path if you can handle the risks. But think carefully before giving this power away or destroying it outright.
Consequences Of Unlocking The Book
While the Necromancy of Thay offers swift rewards like powerful spells and buffs, unlocking its secrets could invite severe consequences down the line.
- Companions like Shadowheart and Wyll strongly warn against using this sinister tome, as it may lead to madness or corruption.
- The book’s dark energy can adversely affect your character’s psyche and morals.
- You may attract unwanted attention from sinister forces aware of the book’s awakening.
- Your lone hero is likely not ready to contend with such dangerous metaphysical threats tied to the Necromancy of Thay.
- The corrupting knowledge could plant seeds of chaos or ruin that come to bear later in your Baldur’s Gate 3 journey, well after your initial triumph over the tome’s mental trials.
Unlocking forbidden rituals through Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay provides great short-term gains but at an unpredictable cost. Proceed with extreme caution if you elect to unravel its sinister mysteries, and be prepared to confront unintended consequences down the line. Power temptingly begets more power, but true wisdom lies in restraint.
And that concludes the quest for the Necromancy of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3. Uncover its secrets, face the trials, and choose wisely—the dark power awaits but with grave consequences. Before you go, please take a moment to explore our guides on Cleric Class and Wildheart Barbarian. They’re worth a look!
Next:
Was this article helpful?
Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. ✍
