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Discover how to break into the Counting House and open all of the High Security vaults in this complete Baldur’s Gate 3 Guide!
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers players a vast, immersive world full of secrets, treasures, and challenges. One of the game’s most intriguing and potentially rewarding locations is the Counting House bank and the many locked vaults within. For adventurers eager to uncover its riches or simply seeking to learn how to navigate its many obstacles, this guide is here to help. Whether you’re looking for loot, secrets, or just trying to survive the intricate traps and puzzles, our comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the Counting House vaults.
Counting House Vault Guide Overview for Baldur’s Gate 3
The Counting House is a bank location in the Lower City that you’ll absolutely want to visit during Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 because of all the treasures and end-game gear you can find. There are three different types of locked repositories you can find in the Counting House:
- Safes – Generally only contain treasures, gold, and a few basic pieces of gear
- Vaults – Similar to the Safes, these mostly contain treasure, gold, spell scrolls, art, and alcohol.
- High Security Vaults – In addition to the usual treasures and jewelry, some of these 9 vaults will have unique weapons and armour.
Additionally, the Counting House is also where you can find the final possible companions of the game, Minsc. It’s highly recommended that you visit Nine-Fingers Keane in The Guildhall first and bring Jaheira with you, as well. This will give you some background into what is going on with the Stone Lord in the city. Significantly, you must have recruited Jaheira in Act 2 in order to fully recruit Minsc in Act 3. Without her, getting Minsc as a companion will not be possible.
In the Counting House Guide below, we will cover all of the steps you need to get to get a bank pass, reach the first level of safes and vaults, how to solve the floor puzzle beyond that, and finally how to open all of the high security vaults in the basement.
How to Get a Bank Pass for the Counting House in BG3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Counting House can be found in the south-central portion of the map, along the shoreline. While you can enter the bank without any issues, to get down into the vault area of the bank you’ll need to present a Bank Pass to Cashguard Captain Faril.
Here are three different ways to get a Bank Pass in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Purchase one from Head Clerk Meadhoney for a lot of gold.
- Succeed on an Insight check and a Persuasion check (both 18DC) when talking to Meadhoney to persuade him into giving you a pass.
- Steal a pass from the first room upstairs. Also, while you’re there, read a note on the desk about something that happened in 1356. This number is the code for a later vault door you’ll need to get past.
Additionally, if you’re feeling aggressive, another option is to fight and kill all of the guards. However, there are a lot of guards so this is not a very efficient method. We highly recommend just getting a pass.
How to Unlock the Safes and Vaults in the Counting House BG3
From the main floor of the bank, head down the stairs, past another set of guards, and through a vault door to reach the first set of safes and vaults that the Counting House holds. From the center of this passageway, there are two different rooms. The Counting House Vault n°1-6 can be found in the room to the north. Furthermore, Counting House Safes n°1-8 are found in the room to the south.
To open the Counting House safes follow these steps:
- Bring a high Sleight of Hand character like Astarion in the party to lockpick the doors.
- Bring with you 5 ways to cast Misty Step. This can be through spell slots or scrolls.
- The safes are divided up into four cages. There three safes on each side, and one each in the two cages in the middle.
- Have Astarion cast Misty Step to get into each cage and unlock the safes.
- Each safe will require you to pass a 20 DC Slight of Hand check.
To open the Counting House vaults follow these steps:
- Bring a high Sleight of Hand character like Astarion in the party to lockpick the doors.
- Stand just outside the rim of the Arcane circle traps that automatically send you back into the hallway.
- Look for a button in the center of the wall on each side of the room.
- Take a ranged weapon and shoot both buttons.
- Now you are free to move around the room.
- Send Astarion or a Rogue to unlock all of the vaults.
- Each vault will require you to pass a 25 DC Sleight of Hand check.
How to Solve the Counting House Vault Floor Puzzle in BG3
At the end of the hallway where the safes and regular vaults are held, you will find another locked vault door along with some numbered tiles on the floor. To open the door, you will need to step on the numbers in a specific order to turn the lights above the door blue. The bank vault floor puzzle code is: 1356.
Additionally, we highly recommend unchaining your party for this puzzle because otherwise your party members may step on incorrect numbers and mess things up. First, step on the top left ‘number’ 1, then walk over to the right to step on the number 3. Then diagonally down one row to step on 5 in the middle. Lastly, move over to the right one more for number 6. The door will open, and you can step through and then click to move down the Passage.
How to Open the High Security Vaults at the Counting House BG3
The first time you enter the large room where the high security vaults are located you will automatically trigger a cut scene where you will see head banker Rakath Glitterbeard getting in over his head with a plot to thwart the Stone Lord. Following the scene a fight will begin immediately, and you will have to defeat a lot of assassins using invisibility.
Finally, once the fight is over you can speak to Rakath and investigate the separate room where vault 9 is located. This will prompt you to continue the search for Minsc in the Lower City Sewers. However, you are now free to start looting the High Security Vaults, if you prefer. Because Rakath and other guards may still be in the vicinity, you’ll need to hide the character who will be picking the locks.
To open the High Security Vaults in the Counting House follow these steps:
- Bring a high Sleight of Hand character like Astarion in the party to lockpick the doors.
- Bring six Arrows of Darkness or some other way to cast Darkness or Invisibility.
- Have a character shoot an Arrow of Darkness in between two vaults so that the radius of darkness covers both.
- Send Astarion or a Rogue to unlock the first vault.
- Each vault will require you to pass a 30 DC Sleight of Hand check.
- Loot the first vault, then move to unlock the second while still shrouded in darkness.
- Repeat the process in front of all 9 high security vaults.
Locations of all Vault Keys in Baldur’s Gate 3
Every safe and vault in the Counting House has an individual key that will automatically open the door so that you do not have to pick all of the locks. However, these many keys are scattered all over the entirety of the Lower City, and collecting them all can be an incredible challenge. Consequently, it is much easier to simply use a high Sleight of Hand character to open them for you. However, this guide would not be complete if we didn’t include a full list of all the Counting House keys and where to find them.
| Safe or Vault Number | Key Location |
|---|---|
| Counting House Safe n°1 | Opulent Chest in the Szarr Palace (X: -1308, Y: 1020) |
| Counting House Safe n°2 | Sold by Skittle at Heapside Prison in the Basilisk Gate Barracks |
| Counting House Safe n°3 | Found in a locked Heavy Chest in the basement underneath Bonecloak’s Apothecary (X: 1459, Y: 841) |
| Counting House Safe n°4 | Stolen from Head Clerk Meadhoney in the Counting House |
| Counting House Safe n°5 | Stolen from Harvard Willoughby at the Elfsong Tavern |
| Counting House Safe n°6 | Found in a Backpack locked a locked Hatch (X: 61, Y: -123) |
| Counting House Safe n°7 | Stolen from Oliver Tefoco at Beehive General Goods |
| Counting House Safe n°8 | Found in a mailbox above the entrance to the Guildhall (X: 65, Y: -95 ) |
| Counting House Vault n°1 | Stolen from Captain Grisly in The Blushing Mermaid |
| Counting House Vault n°2 | Stolen from Oloric Witmirth in Elfsong Tavern |
| Counting House Vault n°3 | Stolen from Alan Alyth in Elfsong Tavern |
| Counting House Vault n°4 | Stolen from Roger Highberry in Highberry’s Home |
| Counting House Vault n°5 | Stolen from Avery Sonshal in Felogyr’s Fireworks |
| Counting House Vault n°6 | Stolen from Omotola at The Glitter Gala |
| High Security Vault n°1 | Inside a Display Case in Ramazith’s Tower ( X: 4972, Y: 704) |
| High Security Vault n°2 | Stolen from Lady Jannath in Lady Jannath’s Estate |
| High Security Vault n°3 | Inside Cazador’s Sarcophagus in Cazador’s Dungeon (X: -1926, Y: 947) |
| High Security Vault n°4 | Inside an Opulent Chest in Water Queen’s House (X: -246, Y: -249) |
| High Security Vault n°5 | Inside a Safe hidden behind a painting on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress (X: -34, Y: 203) |
| High Security Vault n°6 | Inside an Opulent Chest in the Iron Throne (X: -48, Y: 102) |
| High Security Vault n°7 | Stolen from Nine-Fingers Keene in the Guildhall |
| High Security Vault n°8 | Found in a Jewellery Box in the Cloister of Sombre Embrace (X: -398, Y: -1591) |
| High Security Vault n°9 | Reward for completing Return Rakath’s Gold (or can be stolen from Rakath) |
All Unique Gear Pieces Found in the High Security Vaults BG3
There are 7 unique weapons and armour pieces that can be found within the 9 high security vaults in the Counting House of BG3. Additionally, High Security Vault n°6 has Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen, along with some books, gold, and ingots.
| Vault Number | Gear Name | Traits |
|---|---|---|
| High Security Vault n°1 | Nymph Cloak | Free cast of Dominate Person |
| High Security Vault n°2 | Jannath’s Hat | Advantage on Persuasion and Deception |
| High Security Vault n°3 | The Long Arm of the Gur | Bonus damage against Undead |
| High Security Vault n°4 | Trident of the Waves | Inflict Wet and water surface |
| High Security Vault n°5 | Ravengard’s Scourger | Commander’s Strike class action |
| High Security Vault n°7 | Knock Knuckle Gloves | Free cast of Knock |
| High Security Vault n°9 | Elegant Studded Leather | Advantage on Stealth, bonus to Initiative |
Tips & Tricks for Opening all Vaults in the Counting House in BG3
The best way to open all of the safes and vaults in the Counting House of Baldur’s Gate is by bringing a Thief Rogue or other high Dexterity build with the Sleight of Hand skill. This is because you will need to pass some very high difficulty checks in order to successfully lockpick all of these repositories.
- Safes – Pass a 20 DC roll
- Vaults – Pass a 25 DC roll
- High Security Vaults – Pass a 30 DC roll.
Additionally, you can boost your chance of lock-picking success in other ways:
- Use the Guidance cantrip for a +1d4 bonus to all Ability checks.
- Use Bardic Inspiration for a bonus to the next Attack roll, Ability check, or Saving throw.
- Have your Rogue equip:
- The Graceful Cloth – increases Dexterity by 2.
- Smuggler’s Ring – increases Sleight of Hand by 2.
- Gloves of Thievery – Advantage on Sleight of Hand Checks.
- Bring plenty of Disarming Traps for second attempts.
FAQs About Counting House Vaults in Baldur’s Gate 3
How many safes and vaults can be found in the Counting House of BG3?
Answer: There are 8 safes, 6 vaults, and 9 high security vaults on the basement floors of the Counting House in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Do you have to use the keys to unlock the safes and vaults in the Counting House?
Answer: No, you do not have to use the individual keys to unlock all of the safes and vaults in the Counting House. The keys will open the vaults automatically, but you can also pick all of the locks so long as you have a party member with a high Dexterity score and Sleight of Hand skill.
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