Have you found a mysterious Mirror of Loss in Baldur’s Gate 3 and wondered how to use it and get a bonus? Here are the answers!
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Mirror of Loss offers a unique method for permanent stat adjustments. Found in the Chamber of Loss, the deepest part of the House of Grief, this mirror requires the completion of Shadowheart’s questline and some strategic thinking to utilize its benefits.
What Is a Mirror of Loss, and What Does It Do?
The Mirror of Loss in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a unique in-game feature in the Chamber of Loss, the deepest part of the House of Grief in the Lower City in the Chamber of Loss, available after completing Shadowheart’s Daughter of Darkness quest, in Act 3.
Mirror’s Functionality: The process involves passing Religion and Arcana checks, praying to the mirror, and offering specific memories based on different stats.
Understanding the Mirror: Once successfully activated, it offers a method for permanent stat adjustments by allowing characters to sacrifice memories, decreasing two points in one stat and increasing two points in another. So, the mirror applies a curse that can be removed (2 points decrease), leaving the character with a permanent ability score bonus (+2 boost to a chosen stat). In Short, Use the mirror of loss to get the permanent +2 bonus to any ability score in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Important Note: You only have one attempt; failing will permanently prevent you from earning the bonus unless you load the save. Below, we have included the best way to obtain the bonus with almost 100% success. Every character in your team can activate the mirror once and earn the bonus. However, you cannot increase the stat above 24. Ensure that you save the game before interacting with the mirror!
Where to Find the Mirror of Loss in Baldur’s Gate Lower City
From Rivington, you need to go to Baldur’s Gate, a natural progression in BG3, and the next step is to get Viconia’s Walking Fortress from House of Grief and a bonus from Mirror of Loss. It’s also part of a Shadowhart quest, so take her with you to get more background about the companion and complete the Daughter of Darkness quest.
From the Basilisk Gate, head northwest until you reach the House of Greef (X:-269, Y:-4), situated west of Baldur’s Gate. You should cross a wooden bridge to get there (check the map for reference). Inside, you’ll encounter Mirie behind the counter. If Shadowheart is at your party, she will recognize her instantly. Mirie will inform you about the Mapping of the Heart test, leading you to a back room through a double door.
Sit on the stone bench, a cutscene will begin, and the hooded feature will ask about your purpose in House of Grief. Let Shadowheart take the Mapping of the Heart test. The conversation between the two women will reveal it’s only a projection of Mother Superior Viconia DeVir. Because she is a recognizable character from previous Baldur’s Gate 1&2 games, there will be additional dialogue if you have Minsc or Jaheira in your party.
As soon as she disappears, you’ll notice an Exposed Secret Stairway. Now, you can locate Mother Superior in person to acquire Viconia’s Walking Fortress. After the fight, check the back room directly behind mother superior, where you will find the Mirror of Loss and will be able to get a +2 permanent bonus to the ability score of your choice.
How Do You Activate The Mirror Of Loss?
In Short, to earn the bonus from Mirror of Loss, you must follow the following steps:
- Warning: you have only one chance! Save the game.
- Interact with the mirror and first pass a DC25 Arcana check to activate the mirror.
- Pray to the mirror by passing a DC20 Religion check before offering a memory.
- Sacrifice a memory and receive the curse of -2 in one ability score.
- Pick the ability you want to receive a +2 bonus.
- Wait for the verdict!
- Load the save, repeat the process if possible, and try again if you haven’t received the bonus.
- Congratulations, you received the +2 bonus to the ability of your choice.
That’s how you use the Mirror of Loss and get The Bonus in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there is an easy method to increase your chances and get the bonus easily—described below.
Dialogue Options and its Corresponding Abilities
When you interact with the Mirror Of Loss, you will first be presented with a selection of abilities to sacrifice. Next, what ability increase would you like to get? As a result, your dialogue options will look like this:
Here are all available options for the Memories to Sacrifice and corresponding abilities:
- Strength – Offer memories of your strength – times when you triumphed, thanks to your raw power. (-2 Strength)
- Dexterity – Give up memories of your youth, when your heart was carefree and your limbs were nimble. (-2 Dexterity)
- Constitution – Relinquish memories of fortitude and well-being, when body and mind held fast against all challenges. (-2 Constitution)
- Intelligence – Surrender valued knowledge gleaned from books, scrolls, tablets…words that left a mark on your mind – but no more. (-2 Intelligence)
- Wisdom – Let go of some wisdoms that time has bestowed upon you – old wounds, touch lessons, and fond memories alike. (-2 Wisdom)
- Charisma – Give away memories of when your charm stood to you – the applause of the swayed, the smiles of the beguiled, the kisses of the seduced. (-2 Charisma)
Here are all available options for the +2 permanent bonus and corresponding abilities:
- Strength – Claim memories of strength from a long-dead general, who marched under the banner of a vanished kingdom. (+2 Strength)
- Dexterity – Help yourself to the memories of a seasoned thief’s most daring exploits. (+2 Dexterity)
- Constitution – Seize the memories of a barbarian, whose mind and body were tempered against hardship. (+2 Constitution)
- Intelligence – Glean the secrets of a wizard who once stalked the library of Candlekeep. (+2 Intelligence)
- Wisdom – Turn to the wisdom of a drow. Once of Lolthe, then of Shar. (+2 Wisdom)
- Charisma – Warm to the guile of a bard who could charm even a dragon. (+2 Charisma)
What Should I Choose?
Sacrifice the ability that your class or playstyle needs the least, but focus on getting the +2 bonus to your primary ability or any ability that will increase your combat effectiveness and performance. Don’t worry about the curse too much, as its effects can be easily removed.
When we tested the mirror, we used Sorcerer as an example. On max level 12, the ability score increased feat, and with the Birthright hat, we managed to increase our character charisma up to 24 Ability Score, which is the maximum in the game. It’s called Bard’s Memory and can be found in your character’s Ability Score tooltip. Charisma is a primary ability that Sorcerers, Bards, and Paladins use for spellcasting. As a result, our sorcerer’s spell damage and overall power increased significantly.
The Best Trick to Earn Mirror of Loss Bonus
To get the Mirror of Loss +2 bonus, you must pass a DC25 Arcana and DC20 Religion checks, which are skills associated with intelligence. As a result, the higher the intelligence, the bigger the chances of receiving the permanent buff. However, many classes and builds don’t have high intelligence. Still, there is a cheap method to ensure that you will easily receive the bonus without needing to reload the save repeatedly.
Honur Mode Difficulty: Also, if you play on Honur Mode difficulty, you can’t endlessly reload the saves, so applying the below method will significantly increase the chances of receiving the Mirror of Loss Bonus on every character.
Best Tricks Class: As mentioned, you need high intelligence, every spell cantrip, and possible means to increase your score and chances. We discovered that the best class for this task is a bard, with a high intelligence score, both feats into intelligence ability score, Luck Feat, and Arcana and Religion Skills. Bard can reach the highest skill bonuses in the game and invest in almost all skills without restrictions. This makes the class the best choice for high Arcana and Religion checks.
Best Character Build and Tricks All Steps
As soon as you find the Mirror, return to your camp and respec your characters using Withers at the camp for 100 gold. You can safely return to your previous build without losing the +2 bonus from Mirror of Loss.
Here are tips on how to build the best character to earn the Mirror of Loss bonus:
- Pick Bard, class.
- Put 16 points into the intelligence ability score.
- Select the College of Valour Subclass
- Learn Guidance Cantrip or have another companion with it (For Example, Shadowheart, Druid, or Cleric).
- At levels 4 and 8, select Intelligence Ability Improvement Feats, and if you have already reached level 12, select the Luck Feat, which can aid in ability checks.
- Each time, you will choose new skills, put points into Arcana and Religion if possible.
- Choose the Disguise Self and Seeming group Spells if you own the Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring to increase your chances.
- Rest doesn’t matter. Level your character as you please.
Once you set your character up, leave the camp and return to the Mirror of Loss. Equip the Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring, and disguise yourself or your group for extra buff if you have it. Interact with the mirror and ensure you apply all the possible bonuses to your dice roll checks: Guidance, Bardic Inspiration, Mark of the Shifter, Skill proficiencies, Luck feat, and so on. You should have many bonuses. Proceed with the dialogue as described and earn the bonus.
How To Remove The Course
The Mirror of Loss can alter your stats by increasing one by two points. However, this process applies a curse, which decreases another stat by the same amount. The curse can be removed using the Remove Curse spell or by doing a long rest in your camp, leaving you with a permanent +2 to a stat of your choice.
- Removing the Curse: Perform a long rest or use the Remove Curse spell from, for example, a cleric character such as Shadowheart to eliminate the -2 in your chosen ability score (Stolen Vigour condition).
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