Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower Guide

Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Arcane Tower | Elevator, Arcane Turrets, and more

Pack plenty of Invisibilty scrolls.

The Arcane Tower is located in the Underdark near the Selunite Outpost to the east. It’s not a hard location to find, but solving all its mysteries is another matter. The location is riddled with Arcane Turrets and an elevator that doesn’t seem to work at all. But not to worry, here’s everything you need to know about the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Recommended Videos

Baldur’s Gate 3: Arcane Tower

We’ll work through the steps necessary to reach the main boss of the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3. Additionally, I’ll be sure to point out anything of note as we work our way up to the top of the Arcane Tower. For reference, I’m approaching the Arcane Tower from the Selunite Outpost. To make the guide slightly less confusing, try to get to approach the tower from there.

How to get past the Arcane Turrets in Baldur’s Gate 3

The Arcane Turrets on the outside and on the third floor of the tower itself are a real pain. You most likely don’t have the means to outright destroy these so we’ll need to find clever ways past them instead. I found the easiest method to be rather simple. I detached my main character from the party and used the level 2 Illusion Invisibility spell. With this, you can simply walk past the turrets without issue. You won’t need the entire party with you until we fix the elevator anyway. So if you’ve got Invisibility, make full use of it and enter the tower through the ornate door.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower 1

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Alternatively, you can use the rocks and debris for cover from the turrets on your way into the Arcane Tower. Invisibility really is the simplest solution though, so even if you don’t have the spell, double-check that you don’t have a scroll for it anywhere.

How to turn on the elevator in Baldur’s Gate 3

Now once you get to the Arcane Tower there’s an Ornate Door at the top of the stairs. Unfortunately, it’s locked but can Lockpick it, or bash it down with weapons or magic. But once inside there’s not much we can do. There are two Arcane Turrets on either side of the room, and the elevator in the center doesn’t work. So we instead need to be a bit clever.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower 2

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Head into the tower and enter the door to the left that’s on the south side. You’ll notice that there are giant mushrooms growing on the side of the tower. And we can actually jump on these to get to the lower floors. So jump down to each mushroom until you get to the bottom. Cast Feather Fall to avoid fall damage here, but we won’t be fighting any enemies for a while so don’t worry too much.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower 3

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Once at the bottom, walk along the path until you reach a small area behind the tower. It’s a bit like a sorcerous patio, and there’s a plant here that we need to pick up. Head toward the glowing blue tree and you’ll see two Sussur Blossoms. These block out your magic abilities, but we only need them for a short while. Grab both of them and enter the Arcane Tower via the back door behind you.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower 4

Screenshot by PC Invasion

From where you enter the room, you should see a massive generator on the left-hand side. Walk around it until you reach the front and you’ll see a small interactable grate. We need to put one of the Sussur Blossoms in here to power the elevator. And once that’s done, you’ll be able to move from floor to floor as you please. Plus, all of the turrets in the area will be deactivated allowing you to explore freely.

Chests and loot

Before we tackle the boss of the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3, let’s look for some loot. On the bottom floor where the generator is, there’s a small chest just at the top of the stairs. For me, this contained a necklace that allowed me to cast Detect Thoughts.

The next floor up doesn’t have a great deal of loot aside from some alchemy ingredients. Collect all the ingredients you can find though just in case you’ll need them. Afterward, move up another floor and you’ll find yourself back in the room with the two turrets. They’ll be deactivated so we don’t have to bother with them anymore.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower 5

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Head over to the north side door to find a chest on the balcony. Normally it doesn’t have much to offer besides some junk. But there’s actually some kind of spell that’s hiding its true contents. And this is where the second Sussur Blossom comes into play. Approach the chest with the character that has the Sussur Blossom in their inventory and the spell will break. This gets us a very nice pile of loot. Afterward, recall your party and toss the Sussur Blossom on the ground then continue to the next floor.

The next floor has a bunch of containers littered everywhere. Check all of these and you’re bound to find some good loot. I’ve found a few potions, rings, and some Thieves’ Tools here. Plus, if you’ve got Lae’Zel with you, check the bookshelf in the southeastern corner. On the top shelf, there’ll be an Engraved Githyanki Disk that reveals some lore of her people. Besides that, there’s not much else on this floor besides a button that seemingly does nothing. In reality, this button works in tandem with a collar you can find in a grave nearby the Arcane Tower in the Underdark. The button is essentially a feeder for the dog that used to live in the tower.

Don’t head up to the next floor just yet after this, not until you know what you’re facing. Take a short rest here to replenish health and spell slots.

Note: You can also read The Roads to Darkness book on a desk on a lower level. When you meet Bernard, you can recite the book and he’ll be friendly to you. Books aren’t completely useless in Baldur’s Gate 3.

How to defeat Bernard in Baldur’s Gate 3

The boss of the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3 is called Bernard and he’s on the floor above you. Bernard is a Construct that can deal some serious damage. My level 4 party struggled with this fight for quite a while due to the high AC of each enemy and the amount of damage they all do. My best advice for this fight is to move your ranged attackers to a higher level immediately. The height advantage will give you a much higher chance of landing attacks, and the Constructs will have a harder time hitting you.

Baldur's Gate 3 Bernard

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Bernard is by far the biggest threat thanks to his Static Overdrive attack. He’ll eventually use this which creates an area around him that deals electric damage to those stuck within it. It’s essentially certain death for anyone that’s trapped inside. So melee attackers won’t be much good in this fight. My strategy for this encounter was to move Shadowheart and my Warlock to a higher level and pick enemies off slowly one at a time using ranged attacks. This took a long while but after good dice rolls and lots of healing, I managed to do it. But at level 4 this battle is a struggle and I’d recommend waiting until your party is at least level 5 before coming here yourself.

Basement

The final area of the Arcane Tower is the basement, accessible after beating Bernard and pressing the button on the elevator. You can find a chest of loot on the balcony just up the staircase in this room. And on the desks near to this chest you can find Tongues of Madness and Timmask Spores, which are needed for another quest nearby. So be sure to pick these up before advancing.

Baldur's Gate 3 Arcane Tower Basement

Screenshot by PC Invasion

That about does it for the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3. This is a tricky location to navigate and it houses a really tough encounter. However, it’s very much worth doing once you feel ready. I strongly recommend coming here when you’re level 5, but it is doable at level 4 with some patience and tenacity.


PC Invasion is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Sam Robins
Sam Robins
Sam is a Contributing Writer at PC Invasion. For just over 5 years, he has been writing about all areas of gaming from news and guides, to reviews of the latest titles. When he's not writing, he's usually sinking time into an RPG or trying to convince his friends to play The Legends of Heroes series. He can usually be found lurking on Twitter (@GhoolyTV) most days.
twitter