One of the hottest games on the market right now is Baldur’s Gate 3. The much-awaited sequel for the Dungeons and Dragons-based action RPG saw fans jump right into the game, with no shortage of content. A big part of this content is the different dungeons fans can complete, yet one dungeon seems to have players beat.
With The Gauntlet of Shar being the bane of fans, here is a guide on how to get through The Gauntlet of Shar, also known as Shar’s Sanctum in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to get to this dungeon in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Finding the dungeon itself is not difficult. There are several quests that direct your path toward Shar’s Sanctum. To get into the sanctum, enter the Thorm Mausoleum and proceed to the first puzzle. Once finished, you should arrive at the Sanctum. Here, there are a few quests available for players: finding the Nightsong, killing Raphael’s Old Enemy, or finding Thorm’s relic.
Each of these quests presents a challenge in itself, but once you finish them, you are able to proceed to the next level of puzzles for Shar’s Sanctum. This is done by collecting Umbral Gems as a reward for completing the quests.
In order to access these quests, players must first enter the chamber, coming to a statue of Shar shrouded in a purple glow, alongside an Umbral Gem. Leave the statue as it is, or you will be hit by an invisible force.
Essentially, there are four rooms in the chamber, each with a lever to be pulled. The correct lever in each room is on the wall closest to Shar’s statue. Each of these levers is connected to two lanterns in the main room. Once you correctly pull all levers, eight lanterns should come down in the main room. Interact with each one of them in order to snuff them out. Once all lanterns are snuffed out, there is a secret path that emerges that leads to the Shar statue along with an Umbral Gem. This also leads you to the starting point of the quests.
Unlocking the main area
Going into the secret path you found, you will come upon the Reconstituted Duelists. Do not worry about them. Your problem will be the Dark Justiciars that spawn in. Each time they appear in the gauntlet, you will have to fight them. Based on the choices you make about the Duelists, these Justiciars may or may not continue to appear.
However, it is recommended you simply ignore the Duelists and continue working your way through the Justiciars. Radiant spells are quite useful here, as well as Spirit Guardians since the Dark Justiciars are weak against both of them.
Ending the gauntlet gives you a range of choices for what to do next. You can either head off to finish Raphael’s Old Enemy and then find Thorm’s relic, or head in the other direction towards the Shar trials, Umbral Gems, and more. For now, let’s stick to the main quests.
Killing Raphael’s old enemy
Choosing the direction of the quest first leads you into a trap set by a Displacer Beast. Fret not; you do not have to fight him. You can either chase him or trace your steps back and trigger an encounter with Yulgir at the top of the stairs.
Once you do so, there are three ways it can play out. You can fight him to the death. Otherwise, you need to persuade Yulgir either to let you help him break his contract, or for Yulgir to kill himself and his minions. Battling him is a daunting task, so if you do so, get ready to have a tough fight.
Alternatively, if you choose to persuade him to break his contract, you must talk to the rats. You will find this in the marked area on your map. At coordinates X:-709, and Y:-723, you will find a broken effigy and near it will be a book titled ‘One Becomes Many’. Finishing this quest will be simple. A rat spawns hereafter along with a Justiciar. Kill both and return to Yulgir.
Finding Thorm’s relic
Enter the western wing after you pass Shar’s Sanctum. Say hello to the Reconstituted Duelists once again. After you finish talking to them, Dark Justiciars appear, in far bigger numbers this time, and swarm you. In addition to them, a Justiciar Crusader also appears during the second wave of enemies.
Keep their numbers low with Radiant spells, especially since they tend to swarm you. Eliminating the Justiciars gives you access to Balthazar. While you do have the choice to fight them, it is not the best idea to do so as the room is quite congested.
Instead, talk to them and work on Balthazar’s storyline. Advance his storyline by working on the Shar Sanctum Trials, taking place as you head down the stairs from the Waypoint. At the Faith Leap Trial, there is a shortcut elevator you need to fix in the Silent Library. Once you do so, complete a puzzle that rewards you with a unique item.
Just when you think it was too easy, you will be met with Dark Justiciars and an enemy called The Librarian to fight. Once you finish the enemies and the puzzle, you will find the item waiting for you.
Finding the Nightsong
Proceeding to the Nightsong will get you grinding. Complete all of the Shar Sanctum Trials. If you face difficulty in doing so, books in the Silent Library contain hints for each of the trials. Additionally, collect all Umbral Gems and then make your way to the top of the grand sanctum.
In the room to the right of the Shar Sanctum Waypoint, there will be a device containing an Umbral Gem. Put one gem into a slot and you will see the platform disc Shar holds move to you. Jump and interact with the crystals it contains. This may take a while to get right since this part is a little buggy. It should work after a couple of tries.
You need three gems to fill three devices. Repeating the steps results in the doors opening. This is the way to Shadowfell. This is just to get to the Nightsong, mind you.
Once inside Shadowfell, jump from island to island. This should not be a problem, especially since you have Feather Fall as a passive ability. The glowing area is the base camp. The base camp has Aasimar, the Nightsong, and Balthazar waiting for you. Balthazar wants to take Aasimar to Kethric to further his plots. You can either let him do so or take on an incredibly tough fight.
Make sure you have a good cleric on your side. There is also a cheese for Balthazar. Push him off the platform and let gravity do your work for you. If you thought the end of Balthazar settles it, you are in for a surprise.
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Once Balthazar is dealt with, you are faced with a choice, either to spare the Nightsong, defying Shar in the process, or kill the Nightsong with the Spear of Night. Regardless of the choice you make here, it settles the Gauntlet. Use the portal that appears right in front of you to exit. It will drop you right outside the entrance to Thorm’s Mausoleum.
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