The Gauntlet of Shar in Baldur’s Gate 3 consists of three distinctive trials, which you need to conquer to descend into the depths of the temple and confront the Nightsong. To drive a knife into the guts of Ketheric Thorm’s immortality, you will want to gather 4 Umbral Gems—three of them come from the trials, whereas the fourth Umbral Gem has been stolen by an Orthon who has a historical past with everybody’s favorite satan, Raphael.
As soon as you have both lockpicked or puzzled your manner by the mausoleum and entryway, you will uncover a central elevator that results in a central platform lacking its gems. Financial institution left to discover a waypoint for the temple itself.
Earlier than you descend down the steps, it is value turning left from the waypoint and assembly the necromancer Balthazaar. Whereas he isn’t a glowing conversationalist, chatting with him does have an opportunity of netting you a bell, which you’ll later use to summon an undead monstrosity that will help you in fight. Return to the waypoint, then head down the steps to start the Gauntlet of Shar. This is the whole lot it is advisable to find out about it.
First gem: the Mushy-Step Trial
Each trial begins with a blood sacrifice at a ritual bowl. When you have Shadowheart accompanying you, let her provide her blood at every bowl for a free bump of approval.
The Mushy-Step Trial is a small maze patrolled by Shadows. You may must skulk to the tip of the maze with out being noticed, so ship in your stealthiest get together member. When you have the spell Improve Capacity obtainable, it is value utilizing Owl’s Knowledge on them to assist them spot traps.
Alternatively, if you do not have a rogue, Invisibility will do the trick simply high quality. I like to recommend getting into turn-based mode for this, nevertheless, because the Invisibility spell solely lasts for 10 turns, which passes by lots sooner exterior of fight.
Head by the center entrance, then flip to the correct. Pull the lever to maneuver two partitions, revealing a hidden room containing a desk with a Mushy-Step Key on it (as with all gadgets, you possibly can maintain down ALT in your keyboard to search out it simpler). If you wish to skip the important thing, the door it opens will also be lockpicked.
Seize the important thing, then navigate in the direction of the tip, avoiding each traps and the roaming shadows. Ignore the hallway with a locked door—the important thing will not work on it—and proceed to the massive gate on the finish of the trial. When you’re teleported again to the beginning, you do not have to select the important thing again up once more.
Alternatively, when you’ve got entry to the spell Dimension Door, you possibly can bypass the trial fully. The leftmost entrance offers you simply sufficient line of sight to solid the spell by a window. Have your caster teleport themselves and somebody with Thieves’ Instruments proficiency in the direction of the tip of the puzzle, then lockpick the ultimate gate. Declare your Umbral Gem and proceed to the subsequent trial.
Second gem: the Self-Similar Trial
You might be your personal worst enemy—on this case, actually. The Self-Similar Trial forces you right into a mirror-match with your personal get together. To succeed in it, head down the identical hall and switch to the left. Earlier than you work together with the bowl, get bare. It will assist, belief me.
The trial creates copies of your get together, sporting the whole lot you may have geared up. When you occur to be butt-naked earlier than getting into battle, they will be bare too. You’ll be able to re-equip your gear earlier than getting into the combat, which appears unfair, however Woman Shar would most likely approve of those underhanded ways.
When you have a method of seeing invisibility, it is value making ready it for this battle, as your clones will be capable to dip out and in of the shadows. Even with out garments on, this could make the combat last more than it has to.
Through the combat itself, you will every be tagged with the Mirror Trial debuff. This buff offers a stacking curse that reduces every one among your potential scores by 1 each time you hit another person’s mirror. Nevertheless, killing a clone rids the actual get together member of the debuff, permitting them to affix the combat correct.
Earlier than you seize your Umbral Gem and bounce, be sure to select up the Killer’s Sweetheart ring. This factor is almost best-in-slot for Paladins, Barbarians, and Rogues, permitting them to financial institution an on-demand essential as soon as per Lengthy Relaxation.
Third gem: the Religion-Step Trial
The Religion-Step trial is the final of the gauntlet’s direct challenges. To seek out it, go downstairs and head by the primary door you see. Donate your pound of flesh to Woman Shar within the ritual bowl, as is customized.
The room can be plunged into darkness. Earlier than you do anything, take a fast detour to the choices menu and switch your brightness up. There are platforms right here, however they vanish the nearer you get to them, requiring you to memorise the route. I like to recommend taking a screenshot or, even higher, utilizing the one I’ve supplied above.
When you have entry to Dimension Door, I’ve obtained nice information for you: you should use it to cheese this trial as nicely. Whereas the stone platform on the finish is shrouded in magical darkness, you possibly can nonetheless goal one of many additional invisible walkways. From there, it is only a matter of leaping.
When you have a method of leaping or flying—comparable to having a Barbarian in your get together—you possibly can merely leap throughout the stone platforms with Woman Shar’s statue on them. Make sure that to step onto the invisible walkways first, as leaping instantly from the ritual bowl will get you teleported again.
Navigate the void, stare into the abyss, and you’ll declare the subsequent Umbral Gem.
Fourth gem: the Orthon
The fourth Umbral Gem might be discovered within the Orthon’s lair, and may simply be missed your first time by. Return to the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint, then flip proper. Leap down the ruined staircase and head additional down till you come to a big chamber teeming with corpses.
When you merely waltz into the chamber, you will be ambushed by the Orthon and its minions. This creature is a long-time enemy of Raphael, and killing it is going to earn his good favour and progress your storyline with him and Astarion.
Luckily, when you’ve got a silver tongue, you possibly can keep away from this combat fully by getting him to kill his minions, his displacer beast, after which himself. The problem of those checks is pretty excessive, so I like to recommend casting Improve Capacity (Eagle’s Splendour) on whoever’s doing the speaking.
Then it is only a matter of retaining him chatting in regards to the contract binding him right here till you unlock a persuasion examine to get him to slaughter his viewers. Issues snowball from there, and with somewhat luck, you will depart the room suffering from corpses with out even elevating a finger.
Whether or not you brawl with the Orthon, ambush it, or discuss it into dying by its personal hand, you’ll choose up the Umbral Gem on the staircase subsequent to its throne.
With that, you will have the whole lot it is advisable to go and combat the Nightsong. Make sure that to pay a go to to the Silent Library earlier than you allow, although—doing so is important for Shadowheart’s questline.