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Discover everything you need to know about how to complete “Explore the Ruins” quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 and what rewards you earn.
Explore the Ruins in BG3 is a side quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 that takes players into one of the game’s earliest dungeons, providing several options for handling a few battles. Find Withers in the sarcophagus in the Dank Crypt. But before you need to fight your way through the various packs of enemies, bandits, and undead and then pass a perception check to unlock his crypt and sarcophagus. Whiters remains in your camp throughout the entire game, offering his knowledge and advice. In this guide, we’ll discuss all the necessary steps required to complete the “Explore the Ruins” quest in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Explore the Ruins Quest Overview in Baldur’s Gate 3
Explore the Ruins is a quest in Act One of Baldur’s Gate 3. It can be started by approaching the ruins north of the Overgrown Ruins waypoint, or by reading the Disintegrating Journal. The players delve into the Overgrown Ruins near the Ravaged Beach, offering encounters and valuable rewards. From encountering Shadowheart, reading the Disintegrating Journal to Approaching the Bandits, you need to complete all these initial steps.
The Chapel Entrance, Ancient Door, Wooden Hatch, and Cracked Floor are the multiple entry points into the Overgrown Ruins. You’ll find a central sarcophagus surrounded by traps within the Dank Crypt. Interacting with the richly adorned sarcophages and the Withers will offer a chance to revive dead party members.
How to complete Explore the Ruins in BG3
Here are the steps you need to follow to complete the Explore the Ruins in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Initiate the quest
Explore the Ruins leads the players to the earliest dungeons in the game with several ways to win the battles. Interact with the Shadowheart to receive this quest. However, consider freeing her from the pod in the prologue if you haven’t freed her yet. You can find her north of your landing site after the Nautiloid crash. The other way to initiate the quest is by speaking with the bandits exploring the area outside of the ruins.
Entering the Ruins
You can find the Overgrown Ruins in the north of the Ravaged Beach. The game offers several different ways to enter this area. All of these distinct ways involve heading up the cliffs to the higher level of the structure. While heading toward the wreckage of the Nautiloid, you may face Intellect Devourers. So, get ready to deal with them as they can be pretty dangerous. Turn north from the wreckage and once you are out move to the east. You can rescue Lae’zel from the predicament when move towards the north.
The first option you have is to pick the lock on the Ancient Door near the Overgrown Ruins. You must have a set of Thieves’ Tools to do this. You need to roll a 20 to crack the lock. Bards can check due to their Sleight of Hand skill. The party enters the chamber in Dank Crypt when you pick the lock.
The second option you can avail is to make an entry to the Chapel through the Ancient Door. Instead of special rolls, you will encounter a band of wandering bandits. You can convince to back off based on your character’s class and skills.
The third option involves moving through the Chapel Entrance. Follow a short path along the cliffs to the right of the Ruins. You will see a locked hatch that takes you into another chamber in Dank Crypt once you reach the end.
The Dank Crypt Location
After the prologue on the ship, you wake up on the Ravenged Beach, and Withers is just to the north behind the locked door to the crypt. You can try to open it using thief’s tools from this side but it may be problematic early in the game, however, you can find the first entrance to the Dank Crypt just next to the Overgrown Ruins portal on the Beach. If you managed to open the ancient door, skip to Find Withers in the Dank Crypt Guide section.
Second and the back entrance to the Overgrown Ruins is further to the north. Head straight to the North, you can also gather some companions along the way, if you haven’t done it already.
- Defeat them: Even if you just woke up you shouldn’t have much problem defeating them. Ensure you have a full party of four with you and focus on the caster and range enemies first. Your melee companions such as Lae’zel or Shadowheart can focus on the rest.
- Convince them to leave: If your character is proficient with persuasion, deception, or intimidation, you can also attempt to convince bandits to leave the ruins peacefully. If so, choose the special dialogue options.
Regardless of your choice, you can now enter the ruin’s door. Straight when you knock on the door, another bandit will ask you to explain yourself, again you can enter with the performance, or deception dialogue option or use the thief’s tools to open the lock and get inside. The free Thief tools should be in one of the containers in the area, barrels, and backpack. Now you can enter the Overgrown Ruins, and you are a step closer to finding Withers.
Find Withers in the Dank Crypt
Withers sarcophagus is much deeper into the ruins so we need to find our way there now. Inside will be only one guard so you can easily deal with him. Loot the area, also fans of Divinity: Original Sin 2 will find one of the paintings on the wall very interesting…
Behind the closed door is a group of enemies, two range characters, a spellcaster, and a few melee. Make sure your spellcasters have remaining spell slots and your team has at least 3/4 hit points left because this fight can be difficult depending on your level, experience, and game’s difficulty. Try to approach this fight in stealth, surprise the enemy, and force them to skip their first turn. Let your most survival character enter the next chamber behind the door first. Meantime your casters and range characters can deal damage from far away and hide behind walls and columns to avoid being hit.
When the fight is over, search the area, the chamber far to the south has a hidden switch with the scull on the wall, upon approach your characters should pass an automatic perception skill check and discover hidden treasures. When you finish exploration progress deeper into the crypt through the door to the west.
Find Withers Sarcophagus
Ensure to save before you proceed further. After entering the next location, there are several crucial places to investigate, including the Enchanted Book located in the back room of the main chamber. Another important spot to check is the sarcophagus with The Watcher’s Guide Spear, a good early-game weapon for clerics or druids, including Shadowheart. It’s located to the left of your current location, but be warned, there are gas traps and puzzles to solve. Now, let’s go to the Crypt located on the left from where you entered, north on the map, find Withers, and invite him to join your camp.
Once you’re inside the crypt to the north you can scan and loot the area. Enemies will not engage in battle until you press the button and open the Whiters sarcophagus. Save the game and your first step is to go up the stairs behind the statue covered in sun rays. Upon approach, you will see above your team’s heads the easy automatic perception check. You should pass it with no issues and discover a button on the wall just next to the closed crypt door. After you press it you’ll be attacked by many undead warriors and spellcasters so make sure you are prepared.
Fight with Undead
The best strategy involves positioning your team at the top of the stairs and waiting for enemies to approach you. To draw ranged casters closer, hide inside the now open room, which offers a convenient choke point to kill them easily. Utilize crowd-control spells and area-effect abilities like grease to slow them. While there is just one strong melee undead, try to stun them or put them in a prone status effect. Additionally, a few casters may drop the Silence to disrupt your spellcasting, but you can easily move out of the affected area.
Open Withers Sarcophagus
After defeating all the opponents in the Dank Crypt, you can open Withers’ Sarcophagus, which is located in the small room behind the big statue at the center of the chamber. A short cutscene will play, introducing you to Withers for the first time. Engage in a conversation with him, as he is a captivating character, and then recruit him. Now, you can respec your character and your companions class whenever you want.
Rewards for completing Explore the Ruins Quest in BG3
The reward for completing the Explore the Ruins in Baldur’s Gate 3 is The Amulet of Lost Voices. The Amulet of Lost Voices is a rare Amulet that allows the wearer to cast Speak with Dead once per Long Rest. You also gain a spear obtained from the central sarcophagus soul coins and the Book of the Dead Gods found in the northwestern room’s sarcophagus.
FAQs about Explore the Ruins in Baldur’s Gate 3
How do I start the “Explore the Ruins” quest?
Interact with the Shadowheart, the “Explore the Ruins” objective will be added to your journal.
How to Open Withers Sarcophagus in BG3?
Find the button on the wall at the end of the Dank Crypt to open the Withers’ sarcophagus in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How do you get into the ruins in Baldur’s Gate 3?
You can jump straight into the ruins through the hole in the floor if you have shot the Coiled Rope to release the rock.
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