In this guide we will explain how to access the Underdark in Act I of Baldur’s Gate 3. There are four different ways to enter the Underdark, which is an important location that contains many quests and items, including powerful weapons and armour at the Adamantine Forge, and it is a potential route to continue to Act II.
Below are the four locations for entering the Underdark. It’s recommended that you are at least Level 4 before going into the Underdark, as there are some tough enemies that can be very challenging if you’re not ready for them.
Enter the Underdark via the Defiled Temple
This is the most common method of entering the Underdark, as the main story points you quite strongly in this direction.
When you reach the Shattered Sanctum (the keep behind the Goblin Camp) head down into the Defiled Temple. You can defeat, sneak past or negotiate with the Giant, and you will reach a moon puzzle. Solve the puzzle or lockpick the hidden lever (Persuasion check to reveal) on the far wall to open the hidden door. This leads to a ladder which can be used to enter the Underdark.
Enter the Underdark via Zhentarim Hideout
This path is less known than the Defiled Temple. You’ll need to be in the northern end of the Wilderness map, north of the Risen Road. When you find the burning building at Waukeen’s Rest, head west from there to find the Zhentarim Hideout. You can identify it by looking for a wooden door that’s blocked by some crates. Move the crates and enter the building.
Before entering the hideout however, it’s a good idea to rescue the smugglers from the cave that’s under attack by Gnolls. You can find this encounter to the east of this area. Doing so can get you invited to the Zhentarim Hideout. If you don’t get invited this way then you’ll need to pass several checks to enter the hideout without everyone within becoming hostile.
Once inside the hideout, look for an illusory wall with two wolves in front of it. You can then lockpick the lift mechanism and use the lift to enter the Underdark.
Enter the Underdark via Whispering Depths
This entrance to the Underdark isn’t too hard to access, put it’s fairly easy to miss at the same time. Your journey begins in the Blighted Village. You need to gain access to a system of caves below the village, called Whispering Depths. The easiest way to gain access is to descend down the well in the middle of the village.
Next you need to fight your way past the Phase Spiders and Ettercaps until you reach the Phase Spider Matriarch boss. This boss can hit really hard, but you can make it much easier by shooting the web bridges with Fire Bolt when the boss stands on them. Each one will do around 40 falling damage to the boss.
After defeating the boss and looting whatever you want from the area, look out for the large hole in the middle of the room. Usually, a party member will comment something about the hole, such as sensing a breeze coming from below.
To access the Underdark you need to jump into the hole. However, you should cast Feather Fall on your party before jumping in, for obvious reasons. When you land, beware of the Minotaurs patrolling around the area. You will land at this location in the Underdark.
Enter the Underdark via Riverside Teahouse
This is the most difficult method of entering the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. You need to gain access to the hidden area beneath Auntie Ethel’s house in the Sunlit Wetlands. Once you defeat the Hag you can walk through the fire and into the hidden area behind it (Investigation Check), now walk down the wooden stairs to enter the Overgrown Tunnel area.
Now you can do it two ways:
- The Gnarled Door is an illusion and you can walk through it. You need to move the camera behind the door and then click at a random location behind it and your characters will walk through the illusion. (This might be a glitch/bug).
- Use one of the Whispering Masks to pass the Gnarled Door (cast Protection against Evil and Good to resist the effects of the mask). Progress through the area as normal, the enemies won’t attack you with the mask on.
After you jumped through the waterfall you enter the new area, the image below shows you that the next Gnarled Door isn’t far away, you can easily reach it. Now use Whispering Mask method to be able to walk through the Gnarled Door (Clicking behind it won’t work here). You can then activate a mushroom circle to teleport down into the Underdark to this location. Now you just walk through the wall, this is another illusion wall but you won’t need the mask this time.
We hope this guide about how to enter the Underdark in BG3 helped you. Luckily there are plenty of ways to enter the Underdark and you can simply pick whatever you like the most. Some locations are also easier to access than others.
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