Balthazar's Room in BG3: Bookcase Puzzle, Ancient Altar a... (2024)

This page details everything you need to know about Balthazar’s room in Baldur’s Gate 3, including how to solve the bookcase and ancient altar puzzle and where to find the Moonlantern. We’ll also offer information on the best dialogue options for the Ritual Circle in his secret necromancy room!

How to Get into Balthazar’s Room¶

After infiltrating Moonrise Towers and speaking with General Thorm, you’ll be required to head up the stairs and speak with Disciple Z’rell. You’ll need to gain her trust a little in dialogue first and then she’ll task you with finding Balthazar and the relic he went down to fetch from the Thorm family mausoleum.

Even if you have a Moonlantern from killing Kar’niss during the Harper ambush, she’ll still assume you don’t have one and tell you to grab Balthazar’s lantern from his chambers. Then, she’ll hand over a key to his room.

You can, of course, bypass all this and lockpick the door but you might find it tough not to get caught as there are a lot of people around.

How to Solve Balthazar’s Bookcase Puzzle¶

Balthazar’s room is found on the east side of the tower. When you first come into Balthazar’s room, you’ll probably be inclined to do a bit of looting. In fact, as you approach the bookcase on the left wall, one of your party members might do a successful perception check that shows several Protruding Books. Depending on which you click on, you’ll get varying results. If you click on the upper right Protruding Books and you’ll unlock the altar next to the bookshelves (which you’ll need to use if you want to advance). Click on the other Protruding Books and you’ll first reanimate two of the corpses in the room as zombies, and if you try the other books, the spikes in front of the bookshelves will activate and deal a bunch of damage to your party members.

Ancient Altar Item¶

Click on the upper right Protruding Books, then interact with the Ancient Altar to the right of the bookshelves. You’ll need to put something inside the altar and that something is a heart! There’s no shortage of hearts around the area so pick the one you like the look of the most (they’re all the same) and place it on the Ancient Altar.

When you place a heart on the ancient altar it’ll open up a hidden passageway behind the bookcase! Inside, you’ll find Balthazar’s secret necromancy room. If you don’t have Gale with you, return to camp quickly and pick him up as you’ll get a unique interaction with him in the necromancy room!

Balthazar’s Ritual Circle: Gale Dialogue Outcomes¶

Once you’re inside, interact with the Ritual Circle. When you do, Gale will tell you he can engineer the broken Moonlantern into a Shadowlantern - which can conjure up the shadows rather than dispel them! You’ll get the option to either let him do what he likes, tell him to craft the Shadowlantern, tell him to destroy it, or you try to destroy it yourself. If you choose the first two options he’ll craft the Shadowlantern but his goddess Mystra will not be happy that he dabbled with dark magic.

We recommend telling him to destroy it (destroying it yourself requires a DC30 check!). If Gale does destroy it, Mystra will be pleased and grant him a permanent buff, giving him advantage on Concentration checks, which is very powerful for a spellcaster who has Concentration spells!

How to Find Balthazar’s Moonlantern¶

The Moonlantern is found next to the wooden desk near the telescope! If you already have a Moonlantern you don’t need to pick it up but it’s always handy having a spare!

With the Moonlantern, you’ll now be able to traverse safely in the Shadowlands. You may have realized that a normal torch also works but the Moonlantern’s area of effect is much larger and will help keep the whole party safe.