The safest way to traverse through the Shadowlands in Baldur’s Gate 3 is with a Moonlantern because it shields you from Shadow Curse. There are three Moonlanterns in Baldur’s Gate 3 and finding them can be tricky. Here is the best way to get a Moonlantern in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Note: Moonlanters aren’t the only way to gain protection against Shadow Curse. Check out our guide to learn every way to negate Shadow Curse in BG3.
All Moonlantern locations in Baldur’s Gate 3
You only need one Moonlantern in Baldur’s Gate 3, but I’ve found securing just one to be difficult. Here are the three ways to get a Moonlantern in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Kar’niss – Take the Moonlantern from Kar’niss at the Mountain Pass. Alternately, ambush Kar’niss in the Shadowlands to take the Moonlantern.
- Nere – Take the Moonlantern from Nere in Grymdark. Do this by stealing it or killing Nere for it. If Nere is already dead, the Moonlantern will be broken.
- Balthazaar – Take the Moonlantern from Balthazaar in Moonrise Towers.
While players who chose the Mountain Pass will likely get their Moonlantern from Kar’niss and players who chose the Underdark will likely get their Moonlantern from Nere, if you don’t have a Moonlantern, you can go to the Moonrise Towers and get one from Balthazaar.
Note: If you don’t have a Moonlantern and think you’re softlocked out of getting to Moonrise Towers, I was in that same situation and discovered a safe way to get through the Shadow Curse without a Moonlantern. Check out my guide to save yourself hours of progress by loading old saves.
I went through the Underdark and found a broken Moonlantern on a dead Nere, which is useless. If you’re in this situation, you need to ambush Kar’niss on the southwest side of the Shadowlands to get his Moonlantern. If you have Kar’niss’ Moonlantern, you can keep the Pixie trapped or let it go and use the bell it gives you to bypass the Shadow Curse.
Alternately, you can use Dash, Misty Step, Fly, and other traversal skills and spells to take minimal damage from Shadow Curse on your way to Moonrise Towers. Moonrise Towers is found in the southwest section of the map, so start there, enter the Shadow curse area, and quickly make your way to the safety of Moonrise Towers which is protected from Shadow Curse by Moonshield lights. However, you’ll definitely want to take Balthazaar’s Moonlantern if you want to explore the rest of the Shadowlands.
Can you fix broken Moonlanterns in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Unfortunately, when you come across a broken Moonlantern, there is no way to fix it. No matter if you get successful Ability checks or not, you can’t fix a broken Moonlantner. You basically get three strikes with Moonlanterns, so be sure to at least secure one of them.
Though it won’t directly help you get a Moonlantern, you can learn how to save Isobel and defeat Fist Marcus because it’s the right thing to do.
