Don’t miss the Chest of the Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3, with its disguised contents hiding a gear piece and some consumables.
As 2023’s Game of the Year award winner, Baldur’s Gate 3 has been enjoying a wave of popularity with thousands of players over the last year. Its reputation is well earned, with developer Larian continuing to support the game with technical improvements, bug fixes, quality-of-life updates, as well as new content. However, sometimes those bug fixes can affect some fun exploits that enterprising players have found in the game. Some things are all in good fun and may be allowed to remain. But sometimes as a developer, Larian has to make tough calls about what is allowed and what isn’t.
The Chest of the Mundane is once such item that players found a way to get a lot of mileage out of in the early months of the game’s release. In the following guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Chest of the Mundane, where to find it, what it does, and how you can use it in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Everything about Chest of the Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Chest of the Mundane is a unique treasure chest in Baldur’s Gate 3 that players can find in the Underdark during Act 1. The Chest of the Mundane has an enchantment on it that causes anything placed inside of it to appear to be a very basic loot item. Typically, this includes mostly tableware such as a plate, spoon, mug, and other utensils.
However, when you take the items out of the chest and place them in your inventory, they will transform back into their original states. You can view the ‘new’ items in your inventory and find a new set of uncommon boots along with some consumables and treasure.
The Chest of the Mundane contains the following items:
- Mystra’s Grace (Boots)
- Gold Ingot
- Hearthlight Bomb
- Scroll of Mage Armor
- Scroll of Protection from Evil and Good
Chest of the Mundane Location in Baldur’s Gate 3
To find the location of the Chest of the Mundane you must venture into the Underdark, find the Arcane Tower, and safely get inside to reach the chest on a north-side balcony.
The best way to reach the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to use the Well in the Blighted Village. At the bottom of the well, you will find the Whispering Depths, a network of caves and tunnels full of spiders Ettercaps. Make your way to the northwest area of the caves and defeat the Phase Spider Matriarch. Then, use a Featherfall spell, scroll, or potion before jumping down into the green glowing chasm.
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After you land, you will now be in the Underdark. Head south and then west to find the location of the Arcane Tower. As you approach the entrance to the Tower there will be a lot of magical turrets that come to life and try to stop your approach. The best way to disable the turrets protecting the Tower is to target them with Lightning-based spells or arrows.
Finally, when you reach the front door and go inside you will need to disable a couple more turrets. Then, head to the right of the main door, and out onto the balcony on the north side. The Chest of the Mundane will be in the corner of the balcony on the right-hand side. It’s very dark and may be hard to see, but you can highlight it by pressing the ‘Alt’ key on the PC.
How To Use The Chest Of The Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Chest of the Mundane does not have any traps to disarm or locks to pick, so to use the chest the only thing you need to do is open it. You can use the ‘Take All’ button to remove all of the items directly into your inventory at once. Or, if you prefer to see each item change, you can pull up your inventory while you have the chest open. Then, you can drag and drop each item into your inventory one at a time.
Furthermore, if you have already found and are carrying a Sussur Bloom in your inventory, then its Antimagic Field will automatically cancel out the enchantment on the Chest of the Mundane. You will be able to see the items inside for what they really are, without having to move them into your inventory.
What to Do With the Chest of the Mundane in BG3
The best thing to do with the Chest of the Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to take the items into your inventory and then leave the chest where it is. Mystra’s Grace is a nice pair of boots that can grant the wearer the ability to cast the Feather Fall spell.
After Baldur’s Gate 3 had originally released in August of 2023, players found that they could use the Chest of the Mundane to store dozens of heavy items. If they placed a heavy item inside the chest, the Chest of the Mundane would transform the item into a spoon or plate that only weighed 0.2 kg. By placing the entire Chest of the Mundane in your inventory and the putting individual items inside of it, a character could carry around way more inventory than intended.
However, Larian quickly corrected this in the first major update, Patch 1, which was released on August 25, 2023. In its current state the Chest of the Mundane now weighs 100 kg and can only be picked up by a character with a Strength score above 20. This can be obtained by using an Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, but that will only last until your next Long Rest.
Additionally, the Chest of the Mundane no longer adjusts the weights of items placed inside. Consequently, even if a 10 kg Wooden Barrel is placed inside and transforms into a plate, that plate will still weigh 10 kg. Therefore, the Chest of the Mundane no longer offers the inventory-expanding benefits it once did.
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Tips & Tricks for Chest Of The Mundane in BG3
Here are some tips and tricks for how to find and use the Chest of the Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Use Lightning-based spells, scrolls, or arrows to defeat the turrets at the Arcane Tower.
- Bring a Sussur Bloom if you want to see the items inside the chest for what they really are.
- Or simply remove the items into your inventory to see their true nature.
- Placing items inside the Chest of the Mundane will change their appearance, but not their weight.
- Only a character with a Strength ability score higher than 20 will be able to pick the Chest of the Mundane up.
FAQs about Chest of the Mundane in Baldur’s Gate 3
1. Question: Does the Chest of the Mundane destroy items?
Answer: No, the Chest of the Mundane transforms items so that they appear to be basic spoons, mugs, or plates. This is an appearance change only, the weight of the item stays the same, and when you remove the items they will revert to their ‘natural’ forms.
2. Question: Can I use the Chest of the Mundane to smuggle or hide items??
Answer: No, as of Patch 1 for Baldur’s Gate 3, released on August 25, 2023, the Chest of the Mundane has been changed so that it is very difficult to carry and no longer lowers the weight of items placed inside.
3. Question: Is the Chest of the Mundane worth keeping?
Answer: No, the Chest of the Mundane is no longer worth picking up and keeping in your inventory. Only a very high Strength character could even manage it, and it’s not worth the trouble when the transformation of the items no longer lowers the weight.
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