Search the basement Baldur's Gate 3 is a side mission that appears in the Quest Log after interacting with the apothecary's notes found on a tabletop in one of the location's dilapidated houses "Dead Village".
The guide below will show you how to search the basement in Baldur's Gate 3: tell you how to answer the Ornamented Mirror's questions, as well as explain how to open an ancient tome and find a way to complete Thai's Necromancy.
How to start the quest "Search the basement" in BG3
In order to get the task "Search the basement", you need to find the item - pharmacist's records. Enter the dilapidated house (X:36, Y:380) at the rune circle "Dead Village" and inspect the counter.
Next to the daggers, find the diary of the former owner of this abandoned shop, from where you will learn about rare herbshidden in the basement.
![Search the basement in Baldur's Gate 3: how to start the quest [guide]](https://wotpack.freeanime.info/wp-content/s/2023/08/4.-Obyskat-podval.jpg)
Before proceeding further, it is recommended prepare a detachmentby selecting the most suitable satellites. Pay attention to the following characters:
- Gale - magicians capable of ing the team with long-range attacks.
- Lae’zel - a fierce warrior, skillfully wielding a bow and melee weapons.
- Astarion - A rogue with a high "Agility" score, who can detect any traps, levers and buttons in pitch darkness, as well as sneak behind enemies.
If you are playing on a high difficulty level, you should take Shadowheart, who can heal and apply buffs to allies.
How to search the basement in Baldur's Gate 3 and find the Necromancer's Book
In the process of exploring the basement, the protagonist will have to face and deal with the magical secrets associated with the tome, which contains forbidden knowledge.
Find a cellar
The entrance to the basement is located next to the counter: go to wooden hatch (X:35, Y:378) located by the broken buffet and interact with it to go down to the lower level of the location.
Explore the basement and find a secret age
Once inside the basement, explore the room: inside barrels, chests and boxes you can find many useful ingredients, healing potions, and poison resistance elixirs. From the desktop it will also be possible to pick up doctor's diary, which contains records of patients and their ailments.
Once the room has been inspected, go to the crates located next to the "Tiger Mist" painting. Behind them you will find рычаг: Interact with him to open a secret age behind the bookcase.
Kill tough guards
Follow the linear tunnel until you come to an open area littered with moldy coffins. Approaching them, awaken strong guards who will immediately rush into battle.
Fight them to replenish your "Inventory" with such useful items as:
- Scroll of Chilling Cold (×1);
- Ilmater's arrow (×1).
In addition, after examining the contents of whole moldy coffins, you will get:
- scroll "Summon quasit" (×1);
- dark diary - A quest item that will update the current quest objective to "Find the Necromancer's Book».
the Ornamented Mirror check
Once you've finished inspecting the moldy coffins, head to the southeastern part of the area and interact with Decorated with a mirror. A cut-scene will start, during which choices will be offered:
- Repeat the name from the read book - "Ilin Toth", - the mirror will understand that the protagonist is lying.
- Call your name, - the mirror will answer that it has never heard this name before.
The considered lines will not have a serious impact on the behavior of the NPC, but will give the main character the opportunity to declare himself an ally of Ilin Toth:
- Yes, I'm an ally! Your master's ally, — the mirror will start asking questions, on which further progress on the task depends.
- I don't have time to play with you. let me through, - the mirror will answer that only a true ally of the owner will be able to continue the journey, and will also begin to ask questions that will determine further progress on the assignment.
- Intimidation: open up or I'll smash you to smithereens, no matter what the misfortune, - if successful, the mirror will open the age. In addition, get pts. Approvals from Astarion, if he is in the squad. Some companions will also increase their Inspiration.
- (other activities related to karmic cubes), - On a failed save, the mirror will summon a dark orb that deals high area damage and also summons tough guardians that immediately attack the intruders.
Correct answers to the questions of the mirror in the basement
- What do you think of the zulkir known as Shaas Tam?
Right answer: Shaas Tam is a scoundrel and a scoundrel.
- Tell me, why do you need balsam ointment?
Right answer: I read a doctor's diary: he used balsam to clean the wound.
- If I reflected something, what would you like to see?
Right answer: Any spell that will get rid of this worm in my head.
If the question is answered incorrectly, the Ornamented Mirror will also summon a dark sphere and tough guardians to attack the protagonist and his team. If you are playing on hard difficulty, then the explosion of the dark sphere will instantly kill the squad.
Explore the secret laboratory
Before looking for the main quest item in this area, it is recommended to pay attention to the following places for interaction:
- gilded chest to pick up rare protective bracers;
- wooden chest to get the scrolls Mist Step (x1), Cloud of Mist (x1), Blindness (x1), Chilling Cold (x1).
When the bag is filled with the above items, go to the west wing of the location and collect rusty key.
Find Thai's Necromancy
Approach the rusty iron gate (east wing of the location), which is guarded by the Marble Slab floor trap. Defuse it using sapper kit, and open the age to the necromancer's book.
In order to safely get Thai's Necromancy, turn on "Travel mode" and, controlling only one character, take the artifact.
Otherwise, if you have not neutralized the statues of gargoyles, you will encounter a non-stop fire salvo from their side.
How to open an ancient tome in Baldur's Gate 3
In order to open Thai's Necromancy, you will have to find a gem key, and then successfully three Wisdom checks.
Find the Gem Key
Use the lever located in the west wing of the secret laboratory to open a fast age to the exit from the basement.
Leave the pharmacist's house and go to welllocated in the central square of the village. Climb down the rope with the bucket: find yourself in a spacious cave, referred to as the "Whispering Abyss".
Exploring the linear tunnels, look for student's diary and read it to find out which part of the cave is supposed to contain the gem key that opens the book.
Then go in search of the mini-boss of the location, phase spider matriarch. He is a fairly strong opponent not only at a high level of difficulty, but also at an average one.
The reason is that the cave creature is surrounded by smaller minions, taking away the attention and moves of satellites.
Once an enemy is defeated, loot them for a Uncommon poisoner's mantle.
Then, go down to the lower level of the location, using the knotty roots.
Keep heading north until you come across an object with a purple glow.
dark amethyst - the same key-gem that can open the book.
the Wisdom Test
Once you've obtained the Gem Key, interact with Thai's Necromancy again and select the dialogue: "Insert the amethyst into the slot in the book cover", and then - "open book».
After a short cutscene, a Wisdom check will start, which must be completed with Luck. three times in a row. As soon as this happens, the book will close before the protagonist has time to get acquainted with all the forbidden knowledge: now you need to figure out how to read the tome to the end.
The main reward at this stage of the quest is a spell "Conversation with the Dead".
How to complete Thai's Necromancy in Baldur's Gate 3
In order to continue the age of the task "Search the basement" and find a way to finish the "Thai Necromancy", you must get to Baldur's Gate.
What else can you do with Thaya's Necromancy
In addition to the above path, interaction with the book can also lead to other forks.
Destroy the book with a spell
When touching Thai's Necromancy for the first time, while still in the apothecary's basement, while watching the cut-scene, select the line: "Throw a sinister tome with the intention of destroying it».
Then, use the Guiding Beam spell on the book and fight the awakened opponents - shadows (3 pcs.). As a reward, you will receive a total of 330 points. Experience.
Give the book to Astarion
When interacting with the book for the first time, Astarion will be extremely surprised at the found artifact and will ask the protagonist to make him responsible for the future of the item.
As soon as you find the Gem Key and insert it into the cover, an additional action will appear: "Give the book to Astarion". Thus, get extra pts. Companion approval.
Give the book to Gale
Gale is an unusual companion who suffers from "Magical Hunger". To satisfy it, he must consume magical energy on an ongoing basis. "Thai Necromancy" can be given to the wizard, as in the case of Astarion, after the dark amethyst is inserted into the cover. Thus, the book will be destroyed, and the task will be completed.
Hopefully, thanks to our guide, you learned how to search the apothecary's basement in Baldur's Gate 3 and open Thai's Necromancy. If you have any questions regarding the material of the article, write them to comments. In the relevant section of our website you can also find other BG3 guides.
If you decide to fully reveal the secrets of the book, do not give it to Astarion, add it to your inventory, otherwise you will not be able to finish studying it, since there will be no access from Act 3 to Act 1.