A Comprehensive 3 Man Honor Mode Walkthrough

This is a build guide and walkthrough for a 3 man Honor mode run. Play it safe. Leave someone at home.

Introduction

This guide has been updated for Patch 8. I think. Feel free to let me know in the comments.

I like my quicksave button, and Honor Mode is scary. One false move and your whole save file gets wiped? Frightening, especially in such a complicated game with so many ways to unfortunately die. So I got to building a path through Honor Mode that minimizes risk and gets it done fast. On top of that, I plotted a course through the game that lets you run a 3 man party. That way, if something goes wrong, you can simply resurrect the fallen at camp with your 4th party member and try again.

Some might call it cheese. I call it risk management.

I built this guide on Tactician and tested it on my own Honor Mode run. It’s not very well optimized, and there are probably better ways to get through the game. Still, if you’re interested in a safe, simple path through this challenging mode, you’ve found the right place.

I promise; it’ll be a blast.

How to Use this Guide

This guide assumes that you have finished the game at least once on Tactician mode, and know how to find most encounters in the game, as well as the basics of buffing and battle. I strongly recommend that you play through the game at least twice before attempting Honor Mode.

It also assumes that you are diligently looting everything that you can and selling it off to fund your necessary purchases. Required items are listed as they are available. In nearly all cases, it should be obvious which character wants the item.

The attached walkthrough isn’t just for 3 man parties - it will work just fine if you want to run a full party of 4 and forget the risk. You’ll just have to build the final character yourself - I’d strongly recommend a Tempest or Light Cleric that makes use of Luminous Armour and Spirit Guardians.

The path chosen allows for short resting after EVERY fight and long resting as required. If you are looting and shopping with food in mind, you will end the game with way more than you could possibly need. None of the builds listed require any specific consumables except the Potion of Hill Giant Strength - there are opportunities to farm this potion from vendors in the early game, and you can upgrade to Potion of Cloud Giant Strength in Act 3.

I have not factored stealing into this guide at all. If you’re comfortable stealing, by all means, spec a companion for the job and steal to your heart’s content. It isn’t required to afford anything.

I highly recommend that you save your inspiration for conversations that are listed in this guide, or for conversations with companions.

You will also notice that the builds listed only go to level 10 - that is because you are likely to finish the game at that level using this guide. Who needs level 12?

Builds

A Note on Tadpoles

As you’re probably expecting, we like tadpole powers on this run. You want all three characters to have Favourable Beginnings and Luck of the Far Realms at the least. Later, Black Hole is a good choice. Mostly, though, you’re into tadpoles for the ability to Fly, which gives unmatched mobility. Convince your companions that worms are great, actually.

A Note on Strategy

The ideal way to pilot these builds changes a little bit over the course of the run. In the beginning, your monk is extremely tanky and your bard not so much. By the end of the game that situation reverses itself. In essence, though, your strategy remains the same throughout - everyone does crowd control, everyone does damage, everyone can take a hit. Short rest between fights, and you'll have all the resources you need to keep up the punishment.

Without further ado, here are the builds...

Bardadin Tav

The party face, crowd control, and tank. Early game you’re a regular swords bard, but in Act 2 we stack some items and become a real spellsword. Respecing to put your first level in Paladin at level 7 grants heavy armour proficiency. Shar’s Spear of Evening and Black Hole let you create your own little darkness death zone. You’re chaining Slashing Flourish into an irresistible Hold Person. You’re smiting for crazy damage. You’re smashing every conversation check. Your AC is nice and high. You even provide an extra short rest. This build does it all.

Overview

Name	Any
Race	Any. I like Human for the early shield proficiency, Halfling for no natural 1s, or Gnome for saves. Choose what you like.
Background	Entertainer
Skills	Athletics, Perception, Deception , Persuasion

Starting Stats

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17	14	10	8	8	16

Levelling Guide

Level:	Take:
1	Bard
2	Bard
3	Bard - College of Swords, Dueling Style
4	Bard - Ability Score Increase: STR/STR
5	Bard
6	Bard
7	Respec - 1 Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) 6 Bard. Dump Dex and increase Con.
8	Paladin - Protector
9	Bard
10	Bard - Savage Attacker

Spell Priority

Cantrips	Friends, Mage Hand, Light
Level	Bard Spells
1	Sleep, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Faerie Fire, Disguise Self
2	Hold Person, Calm Emotions
3	Glyph of Warding, Hypnotic Pattern
4	Confusion, Dimension Door

Open Hand Thief

The damage powerhouse. Does two things very well - punch things and pick locks. Ki points refresh on a short rest, so you can Flurry of Blows everything you meet. We take a few levels in rogue for the extra bonus action to grant even more flurries. You’re incredibly mobile with an unmatched damage output, and you're pretty great on defense too, with Shield of Faith from your camp squatter. Nothing fancy about this one - but make sure you use a Potion of Hill Giant Strength at all times.

Overview

Name	Shadowheart
Race	High Half-Elf (free Fire Bolt is fine)
Skills	Acrobatics, Stealth

Starting Stats

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8	16	15	8	17	8

Levelling Guide

Level:	Take:
1	Monk
2	Monk
3	Monk - Open Hand Path
4	Monk - Tavern Brawler: CON
5	Monk
6	Monk
7	Rogue
8	Rogue
9	Rogue - Thief
10	Monk

Sorlock

Another power-gaming favourite, this is your reliable ranged damage and utility. An Eldritch Blast bot who can Twinned Spell Command and Hold Person, basically. Keep Armor of Agathys up and get to blasting. You can take Quickened instead of Heightened for metamagic if you like - I prefer more reliable casts of Hold Person, but Quickened will let you blast faster.

Overview

Name	Gale
Race	Human (bomb)
Skills	For Warlock: Investigation and Nature. For Sorc: Insight and Religion

Starting Stats

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8	16	14	10	10	16

Levelling Guide

Level:	Take:
1	Warlock - The Fiend
2	Warlock - Agonising and Repelling Blast
3	Respec Sorcerer 1 (Draconic Bloodline: Bronze) Warlock 2
4	Sorcerer - Distant and Twinned Metamagic
5	Sorcerer - Heightened Metamagic
6	Sorcerer - Ability Score Increase: CHA/CHA
7	Sorcerer
8	Sorcerer
9	Sorcerer
10	Sorcerer - Ability Score Increase: CHA/CHA

Spell Priority

Cantrips	Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand, Ray of Frost, Light
Level	Warlock Spells
1	Armour of Agathys, Hex, Command
Level	Sorcerer Spells
1	Magic Missile, Shield, Feather Fall
2	Invisibility, Hold Person, Misty Step
3	Haste, Counterspell
4	Dimension Door

Camp Squatter

This is the character that you leave to sit in camp while the other three do all the dangerous stuff. Cleric levels allow for plenty of healing between fights if you want it (saving you potions). Camp squatter builds can vary, but the most important thing the character does is cast Aid at the highest level available on everybody after a long rest, and cast Warding Bond on your bard or monk. That means three levels in cleric, and keeping full caster progression.

I’ve provided the build for the camp squatter I ran, but you can splash druid, or more levels of wizard, or whatever you fancy. Just get that Warding Bond + Aid combo going.

Important: Use of Warding Bond will damage this character, hence the huge investment in Con. Keep a close eye on this character’s health and have them heal themselves if required. DO NOT LET THIS CHARACTER GET TO LOW HP, EVER. They are your safety net.

Overview

Name	Any (I used Lae’zel, but the halfling hireling is a good choice too)
Race	Any
Skills	Medicine, Religion

Starting Stats

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14	10	17	8	16	8

Levelling Guide

Level:	Take:
1	Cleric - Life, Any Deity
2	Cleric
3	Cleric
4	Wizard
5	Wizard - Transmutation
6	Cleric - Ability Score Increase: CON/CON
7	Cleric
8	Cleric
9	Cleric
10	Cleric - Durable

Spell Priority

Level	Cleric Spells
1	Shield of Faith, Healing Word
2	Warding Bond, Enhance Ability, Protection from Posion, Prayer of Healing, Aid
3	Protection from Energy, Remove Curse
4	Death Ward
Level	Wizard Spells
1	Longstrider, Mage Armor

Walkthrough - Act 1

I’m going to assume that you can get yourself off the Nautiloid. True min-maxers can try and grab Zhalk’s blade, but it’s entirely unnecessary, so don’t stress yourself over it.

First things first - rounding people up. Grab Shadowheart, then jump up the cliffs to Gale. It is VERY VERY IMPORTANT that you do not speak with Gale after you recruit him. Just don't do it. He'll talk to you when he wants something, and you should be neutral towards him.

Head down the path, kill the dying mind flayer from range, and pick up Astarion. With a full party, you can rescue Lae’zel safely (use Friends). Level everyone up and use Astarion to pick the locked door on the beach (using Guidance and Bardic Inspiration). There’s a spare set of tools on the beach - if you fail this check, I’d restart.

Inside, pick up The Watcher’s Guide, a good starter weapon for your Tav. Head through to Withers, being sure to loot all the skeletons before you press the button. The nearby Protection from Evil and Good scrolls can be helpful here.

Go to camp and respec everyone. I made Gale the sorlock and Shadowheart the monk, with Lae’zel as my camp squatter. If you’d like to make different choices, that’s fine - just keep in mind that you’ll need Shadowheart for her quest, and Gale needs to be along to skip the last fight of the game, so you’ll be swapping people around a bit. Remember that you can steal your money back from Withers with no risk.

To collect the other party members, we gotta head to the grove. Once you’ve killed your way inside (and nabbed the Gloves of Power), buy Hill Giant Potions from Ethel. Buy these every long rest and level up, as Shadowheart is hungry for them. Threaten Zorru with Lae’zel and recruit Wyll. On the way out, convince the three arguing tieflings to stay (Friends is safe to use, but don’t hang around).

Hit the main road, talk to Arodin at the bridge, grab Scratch (Intimidation check with Friends, then pet him), and jump across the river to Karlach. While you’re here, pick up the Smuggler’s Ring from the bushes nearby. You can now head back to the grove.

Grove Tour	Interesting Loot
Chat with Zevlor	Gloves of Missile Snaring	Sold by Arron. Pricey, but good for a while.
Save Arabella	Whispering Promise	Sold by Volo. Works with healing potions.
Chat with Nettie	Mind Flayer Parasite	Nettie's chambers.
Rob Kagha's Chest	Komira's Locket	From Arabella's parents. Feed this to Gale.
Get Rath's Quest	Cap of Curing	Found near Alfira. Can be fed to Gale.

When you’re done with the above, head outside. Jump up the nearby cliffs for the Silver Pendant - a very useful item. Next, use Disguise Self and become a drow. This will allow you to enter Blighted Village and Goblin Camp without trouble.

Goblin Tour	Interesting Loot
Bluff Your Way In	Haste Helm	Locked chest in Blighted Village main square.
Chat to Volo	Swiresy Shoes	Sold by Grat.
Shop at Grat's	Hide Armour + 2	Sold by Grat.
Get the Brand	Crusher's Ring	Kiss Crusher’s foot with Shadowheart.

Meet with Gut in private and let her capture you. Don’t attempt to break out so Korilla has to do the heavy lifting. Loot the Amulet of Misty Step and the Mind Flayer Parasite from the priestess’s chambers. If you’re human, she drops a useful shield, too. Then duck around the corner and solve the Selunite puzzle. Downstairs, bait the minotaur into the gate, and then shatter the crystal and open the door. You can now grab Phalar Aluve - put on your Tav immediately. Phalar Aluve: Sing is yet another short rest resource for the party. At this point Gale may be hungry, so feel free to feed him The Watcher’s Guide.

Teleport to the goblin camp, head back inside, and free the torture victim (using your fake drow face). Next door, submit to the ritual of pain and put on a good performance for a permanent buff. DON’T use Friends here as he can break your concentration. You may need a healing potion between swings. Finally, free Volo with your illithid powers for a camp vendor. Head to camp and take a long rest to advance some story markers if you haven’t rested yet.

Wilderness Encounters 1

So, you’re halfway to level 4 and that was all combat free. Gale’s been fed, and when he gets hungry again you have the Cap of Curing ready to throw at him, or Komira’s Locket. There’s just one easy gear piece left to grab, and it’s at Wakeen’s rest. Head there from Blighted Village. The burning building can be stressful - just use Tav and free the ‘Counsellor’ ASAP. Afterwards, take The Spellsparkler. You can then rescue Benryn and complete his quest - keep the dowry or don’t.

It’s finally time for some violence! Head back to the Overgrown Ruins. As a general rule, start every encounter you can from stealth for the surprise round advantage, and keep this habit for the whole game. Remember to leave your 4th party member in camp for wipe recovery. Best of luck - may the dice be kind. And if they’re not, there’s always Withers.

Nautiloid Devourers

Extremely easy.

Jergal Ruins - Outer

Easiest to scare them off in conversation, but if for some reason you’d rather not you can always shoot the foundation block and turn things into a 2v3.

Jergal Ruins - Inner

Mildly threatening. Easier if you shoot down the foundation block and go through the front door, as they begin clustered around some barrels.

Bugbear Assassin

Found in the Druid grove, near the wall. Fun to push.

Owlbear Cultists

Ask about their fallen brother, then send them after the owlbear. You’ll need their help later.

Blighted Village Lovers

The bard check is a pretty reliable way to defuse this situation, but if it fails, the safest course of action is to power down the bugbear. The ogre is very dangerous, so try and keep her prone. Afterwards, kill the drunken bugbear nearby for some free xp.

Blighted Village - Alchemist’s Basement

First, duck into the Forge basement across the street for the Masterwork Sussur quest and a ton of Thieves’ Tools. Then break into the Alchemist Basement. Pick up Scroll of Summon Quasit from the coffin immediately on the right as you enter the grotto - Gale can use this to gain a permanent familiar if you use it right, but it’s not required. Break each coffin in the room one by one for an easy fight.

To pass the mirror, give the following answers: you're an ally, you hate the lich, balsam treats wounds (which you can learn from the Healer’s Log upstairs), and you'd free the mirror. Grab the Bracers of Defense from the chest here and the evil book from its vault. The Basilisk Oil on the bench will come in handy later, too.

Free Sazza/Save Findal

You can do both by freeing Sazza first and then coming back for Findal. If you’re feeling immoral, it’s actually more profitable to kill Findal and loot him. Either way, you’ll have to kill four goblins. Another very easy fight, as long as you turn off the statue in this room. Keep Sazza out of danger if you're with her - she can die FAST.

Drunk Goblins

There are two groups - one near the entrance to Goblin Camp and the others above the main entrance, near the teleporter. The first group are easily blown up with the nearby barrels, and the second group easy to get the drop on.

You’re probably level 4 by now, so it’s rest time. Buy some Hill Giant Potions from Ethel before AND after a long rest - you should have a nice supply going by now. If you’re NOT level 4, you can go kill some of the wandering goblins in Blighted Village.

Harpies

Assuming you’re level 4, the solution to this fight is Calm Emotions. Cast it before the fight for an easy win. Cross your fingers that the kid lives or blow another spell slot on saving him - protecting him isn’t crucial. Assuming you managed to save either Mirkon or Arabella, you can go pick up Mol’s quest now. Hang onto it for later.

Gnolls + Hyenas

Be absolutely sure to do this in two pulls - you don’t want a hyena fetching a gnoll or vice versa, things are hard enough. Best way is to surprise the gnolls from the west, then stomp the first hyena you meet before it can transform. Calm Emotions is useful for shutting off the Seething Fury on the Gnoll Hunters. Afterwards, loot every Hyena Ear you can get your hands on - save these for later.

Save Barcus

Found in Blighted Village. To avoid violence, ask the goblins to release the gnome. If you have the brand from Priestess Gut, the Deception check is a measly 5 - and you can cast Friends for advantage. If by some disaster you fail the check, there’s a lot of enemies. No problem - you should have the gold for resurrects at this stage.

Ethel’s Swamp/Decrepit Sanctuary

Side with Ethel when you run into her - no point annoying our Hill Giant Potion vendor. That means killing the two lads, unfortunately. With this party, there’s a very real chance that you fail the Investigation check to reveal the true nature of the swamp. It’s not a problem. Pick up the teleporter and go chat to Ethel at home, but be polite.

Decrepit Sanctuary can go wrong very easily - go in with full Ki Points and try to attack from stealth for a surprise round. Focus your fire on the Ancient Mud Mephits and try not to let Gale get surrounded. Pick up the evidence against Kagha and The Sparkle Hands when you’re done.

Kagha
Much easier if you can sway Kagha back to the light - Friends isn’t safe to use here without angering all the druids, though, so you may want Enhance Ability from your camp squatter. Put Gale on the platform near the entrance for the high ground bonus. On the way out, drop a Fog Cloud on the Idol of Silvanus and you can grab it without issues. Hand it into Mol for a Ring of Protection. You can also talk to Zevlor for xp and Hellrider’s Pride.

Wilderness Encounters 2

Encounters get a bit nastier from this point, but this is why we’re three manning it. We’ll begin with the remains of the goblin camp - I’ve given a suggested method, but you can slaughter your way through here however you like. Just make sure to free Halsin before killing all three leaders.

Minthara

One of the few characters that can take you from full health to dead in one round - handle with extreme care. Before the fight, use Mage Hand to collapse the bridge and drop the Scrying Eye into the chasm. You can also collapse the bridge yourself and pay the fine instead. If Sazza is present, say nothing as she’s dragged away, then start the fight through dialogue. This’ll make Sazza friendly (and with a little luck, Minthara will waste Hold Person on her). Make sure that nobody reaches the drum on the platform - use an action to destroy it if you feel you have to.

When you’re done, loot Spider’s Lyre for later. I like to use it as my bard’s instrument. There’s also Spidersilk Armour and a parasite on the body.

Worg Pens

Kill the guards outside before going in.

It’s really important that the goblin children don’t escape, otherwise you’ll have to brute force the Ragzlin fight. Start the fight through conversation and Halsin will kill one - position Shadowheart to clean the rest up as they flee. The rest of the room shouldn’t give you too much difficulty.

When the fight is over, ask Halsin to wait here.

Dror Ragzlin

There is a path through his conversation that requires no roll. Take the bard options to run the interrogation yourself. Ask ‘What were you doing in Faerun?’ followed by ‘Why were the gith chasing the ship?’, finishing with ‘Who killed you?’. This will get you through.

Once you can move about freely in the throne room, go pay the smokepowder storage down the hall a visit and send every barrel you can grab to camp. Then move them into Dror Ragzlin’s room.



Climb up into the rafters, put Gale in the middle, and throw a firebolt with Shadowheart to get things exploding. Your barrel placement should destroy the drums - destroy them yourself if the explosion didn’t get them. Razglin should be easy enough to isolate and defeat as he comes up to you. Don't knock him into the spider pit - Patch 7 gave him a spider mind-control power, so he'll just make new friends in there.

Once Razglin is dead, the whole camp turns hostile. You can kill them all now or leave them for later. Meet with Halsin in the Worg Pens or the Grove for quest hand-ins.

Blighted Village Underground

Protection from Poison (from an elixir or your camp cleric) is useful here. I like to enter from the forge basement and lure the ettercaps over by intentionally triggering a web with Scratch. The phase spiders can teleport through the wall, but they seem to take a while to realize that they can. Splitting the pull makes it much easier.

False Paladins

Another fight where you can be killed from full health. Paladins really don’t mess around in this game. It’s a lot easier if you ambush the trader when she goes outside to the balcony. When Anders runs to you, smash him down. When you’re done, you’re rewarded with Sword of Justice, which lets your camp squatter cast Shield of Faith without needing it memorized. Loot all the nearby gnoll corpses for Hyena Ear.

Flind

Take the trapped corridor near the false paladins to find the missing shipment. I find it easiest to just set off the traps with Fire Bolt, and the Amulet of Misty Step gets your sorlock over the gap that they can’t jump.

This is a hard fight as the action economy isn’t in your favour, but Calm Emotions can help you out yet again, and there’s some useful high ground.. Don’t be discouraged if you wipe as long as you kill some enemies - especially the Fang or Flind. Ideally, your ‘allies’ die in the fight. If they don’t, kill them afterwards. Then pick up the missing shipment chest (don’t open it) and as many Hyena Ears as you can grab.

Zhentarim Hideout

You can now take the shipment off to the Zhentarim Hideout. It doesn’t matter if you have to kill their door guard, but don’t have Shovel summoned when you visit as it makes everyone hostile. I wouldn’t risk using Friends down here, either.

Delivering the shipment to Zarys nets you access to the Gloves of Thievery from Brem and a big chunk of xp. Buy and free the painter while you’re here.

Ethel’s Faithful

Pick up one last Hill Giant Potion shipment before you step through the fireplace. Remember you can just walk through the door downstairs. Start from stealth and the Masks are easy prey - just watch out for the mud. Kill the Mask of Servitude first. Afterwards, head outside and face some angry Redcaps in the swamp.

Hopefully you’re level 5 by now - if not, go clear out some more enemies at Goblin Camp or Blighted Village.

Owlbear Cave

CHANGED IN HONOR MODE - there are now two owlbears. Hopefully you sent the cultists here earlier to serve as your meat shields. The most important thing to do here is stay spread out on the approach, so that Crushing Leap can’t hit multiple characters. Don’t worry about keeping the cub alive or anything fancy - just power down Mama Owlbear as quickly as you can, and Calm Emotions soothes the Owlbear’s Rage. Kill the cultists if they survived and clear out the cave when you’re done.

Underdark

Head down to the Selunite outpost. Sneak past the minotaurs (with an invisible Gale if you’re nervous) and head to the Myconid Colony, telling the truth about the parasite to enter and unlock the teleporter.

Colony Tour	Interesting Loot
Grab Omeluum's Quest	Caustic Band	Sold by Derryth
Heal Deep Gnome	Psychic Spark	Sold by Blurgh
Speak to Spaw	Boots of Genial Striding	Sold by Blurgh
Speak to Glut	Amulet of Restoration	Sold by Derryth. Good for camp squatter.

Healing the gnome isn’t required, but it’ll net you the Boots of Speed, which are a bit of a mobility boost. Derryth replaces Ethel as your Potion of Hill Giant Strength vendor. After talking to Glut, you’re locked into the Underdark until he dies or we’re finished with him, so keep that in mind. Do your best to keep him safe, so as to get the most use out of his spores.

Minotaurs

Teleport back to Selunite Outpost and use Glut to animate the dead minotaur at the gates. With your new friend, this fight should be a breeze. As you progress through the Underdark, come back here whenever you need a fresh minotaur helper.

Spectator

Disguise yourself as a femme drow and start the fight by throwing the Basilisk Oil you picked up earlier from the top ledge at a petrified drow. This’ll unpetrify him, draw the spectator in, and should prevent you from being surprised. Calm Emotions or dealing damage can cleanse the Spectator Charm from the drow if you’re getting overwhelmed.

If Dhourn lives, there’s a female drow conversation option to stop him attacking you - or you can just kill them all.

Bulette

HONOR MODE CHANGE: Has 100 temporary health. While the beastie has this extra health, hitting him will cause Shredding Scales, a 3m slashing damage AOE that can cause bleed.

This is an OPTIONAL encounter. I prefer to avoid it, but patches have made my method more challenging - you might want to search out a current method if you're fearful.

When taking it on, try to do so on the path to the Arcane Tower, as it’s easy to get the high ground with your sorlock there. There’s no complicated strategy here - just punch it in the face really hard and scare it away. On the off chance you manage to kill it, save the body for later reanimation.

Bibberbang Field

Glut doesn’t set off mushrooms. Send him in alone and use him to throw Baelen the pack. Then use him to throw the torch into the corner, away from the mushrooms.

Once Baelen has left, you can use Eldritch Blast (or any non-fire cantrip) to clear the field and fetch the Noblestalk. Run it back to Derryth for some xp.

Hook Horrors + Filro

Lead with the minotaur. These aren’t hard to separate, and they’re vulnerable to Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. Once you’re done, pick up the Sussur Bark.

Gehk Coal

If you have killed the Bulette, this is the fight to reanimate it for - send it in alone and enjoy the carnage. Without the Bulette, you can also make this fight MUCH easier by popping an invisibility potion on Shadowheart, running to where Gekh will be, and obliterating him with the surprise round - but you can handle a straight up fight, too.

If Gekh summons his zombies, Glyph of Warding or minotaur charge can clean them up swiftly. Remember that Gekh has Counterspell, so make him use his charges on cantrips or knock him prone before you cast anything important. Hold Person is great once you’re down to the last few enemies.

When the fight is done, move away from the bodies so that Glut can’t turn them against you. Dismiss Glut’s reanimated friend, if he still has one, and kill him. We have a bad habit of killing our helpers, huh? DON’T go hand in the quest for killing the duergar just yet - save it for later.

Arcane Tower

Use Invisibility and Feather Fall on Shadowheart, go turn-based, and run her past the turrets. There are mushrooms you can jump on to get you down the side of the tower to the basement. Pick the basement lock and disable the tower defenses. Jump back up to rejoin the party. Inside, grab some Timmask Spores and Tongue of Madness from the greenhouse level, then read Threadbare Book. Up on the residential level, read The Roads to Darkness. You can now calm down Bernard on the roof for some xp.

HONOR MODE CHANGE - Bernard shoots lightning bolts in an AoE splash at the first person who attacks him each round, so stay spread out. Fighting Bernard with his friends is a good way to get wiped, so gather all the Sussur Blooms you can and use them to incapacitate all but one of the automatons before you pull Bernard. Eldritch Blast is great for knocking him down a level or two if you position smart - pull him to the stairs for good results

When you’re done, you can hand in Omeluum’s quest and purchase The Shadespell Circlet.

Grymforge + Return to Wilderness

Back in the daylight, your first stop is the Blighted Village forge to make use of your Sussur Bark (weapon choice doesn’t matter).

Phase Spider Matriarch

HONOR MODE CHANGES: The big ol' spider gains a new legendary action. If you attack her spider friends, she’ll stick you in a damaging web. Burn the web off with fire or acid damage, or take a massive amount of poison damage after a few rounds.

Send Shadowheart in alone and sneak around burning up every egg with Fire Bolt. Remember that you can hold shift to see enemy line of sight. There are three piles of eggs - take care to get them all, and mind any spider guards. You can jump the web to your right to avoid setting it off, or use the Spiderstep Boots found in the previous chamber.



Once you’ve burned them all up, bring your party forward, spread them out a little bit, and burn the far web out from under the Matriarch to start the fight. If you’ve left space for her to stand, she should teleport right up to you after falling - easy prey. Stun her or knock her prone and she can’t spit at you.

Once she’s dead, pick up the Dark Amethyst and teleport back to the Myconid Colony. Hand in the quest for killing the duregar and you’ll gain the Bliss Spores buff. Use this to open and read the necromancy book. The bard checks should work out fine with all the bonuses you have available.

Githyanki Patrol

Pick up Lump’s War Horn from Blighted Village and disguise yourself as a gith before you approach these guys. With Bliss Spores and the inspiration from reading the necromancy book, the Performance check to bluff your way past Voss should be a breeze and net you a decent chunk of xp.

Of course, there’s always a chance that things go wrong, in which case, you have the war horn. Even so, this fight is infamous for a reason - better to avoid it entirely.

Auntie Ethel

HONOR MODE CHANGES: Cast a spell and she’ll make more copies of herself. Fun.

To approach, I use a combination of Feather Fall and crates from her house to plug the gas vents. DON’T have Scratch out or he’ll sniff his way into all the traps with explosive results. A few notes:

• Use an invisible Shadowheart to activate the Control Orb and get into position before the fight.
  
• If she disguises herself as Mayrina, attack the one with the fancy health bar.
  
• When she makes copies of herself, the real one will be grayed out in the turn order since she ends her turn after casting the duplicates. This doesn’t apply to duplicates created by her legendary action, but you can still tell with a bit of deduction.

You want her hair to boost your strength, so get her to low health and she’ll bargain with you on her turn. Don’t cast a spell like Friends during the dialogue or she’ll make more clones and the fight will continue. Do whatever you like with Mayrina.

Underdark Boat Ride

Disguise yourself as a drow and use the Branded Persuasion check to skip this fight. If you flub the roll, try not to get pushed into the water - and use Eldritch Blast to push them into the water.

Once you arrive, keep away from the main hall for now.

Gryrmforge Tour	Interesting Loot
Loot Dead Gnomes	Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands	Invisibility on demand.
Examine Ruins	Scroll of Confusion	On the dead Sharrans near the ruins.
Rothe Encounter	Sharran Crossbow	In a locked chest near the rothe.
Jump to Grymforge	Splint Mould (Heavy)	Found near the ancient forge portal.

For the Rothe, it’s best to encourage them to clear the blockage, but if you fail your Animal Handling roll you can use smokepowder instead.

Once you’ve dealt with the annoying platforming to reach the adamantine forge portal, it’s back to violence.

Animated Armour

Lightning orbs turn these guys into Effective Transmitters, which is bad news for them.

Mimics

Found at the Harper Stash not far from the ruins. If the mimics eat a weapon, BE VERY CAREFUL not to push them off the edge, or your weapon will be gone for good. Lucky monks can’t be disarmed. Loot the Wondrous Gloves when you’re done.

Oozes + Philomeen

Head through the doors near the dead deep gnomes to find these encounters. The oozes shouldn’t give you any trouble - Command can slow them down. For Philomeen, use Invisibility and take the whole barrel off her. We have a need for this…

Nere

HONOR MODE CHANGE: After the first hit in a round, Nere gains immunity to physical damage for three attacks. Damage him in this state and he’ll blast you with AoE thunder damage that knocks back.

The absolute safest way to do this is to kill everyone in Grymforge before you free Nere. That’s tedious, though, and there’s not much more risk if you simply cut a deal with the slavers.

First, you’ll need to have Brithvar on side. This means disposing of the Scrying Eye, which should be easy as it paths all over the place. Find a secluded chasm and toss it in, then inform Brithvar. You can take the fight now, but I prefer a more strategic approach.

Drop your runepowder close to the cave-in, but far enough away that everybody stays digging. Get your party out of danger and detonate the barrel with Fire Bolt from maximum range. Then, start the dialogue immediately after the explosion, so that any survivors can't auto-heal.



Hold Person is again fantastic, and can completely lock down Nere. You can also Eldritch Blast him into the lava if the opportunity presents itself - just avoid the lava yourself. With the slavers, your action economy is massive - pick off the enemy dwarves first and Nere falls over.

When the dust settles, collect Nere’s head, parasite, and Disintegrating Night Walkers. Brithvar might be a little touchy about you messing with Nere’s body - kill him if he causes you trouble. You can go hand in the head to Spaw right away.

Magma Mephits

You can find these on the way to the Forge, and they shouldn’t give you any trouble. The damage output is high, but their HP is very low. Pick up the ore while you’re here.

Grym

**LEAVE THIS FIGHT UNTIL LEVEL 6**

HONOR MODE CHANGE: Irrelevant.

The ‘From the Top Rope’ strategy is the safest option - and pretty funny. Respec a spare character into Moon Druid - 6 levels grants you the owlbear form. Then respec a character to Wizard or Sorcerer and take Enlarge/Reduce as a level 2 spell. Stats for these characters don’t matter. Then head to the Adamantine Forge and do the following:

• Load up the forge and send it down with a Mage Hand. The rest of the party waits above.
  
• Use the Mage Hand or fire an arrow to trigger the boss. You have to see the cutscene before he’ll be targetable.
  
• Once he’s out of the pipe (and superheated) go into turn-based, enlarge and stealth your owlbear.
  
• Use Crushing Leap, ensuring that the inner circle is touching Grym’s hitbox.

This will kill the robot instantly. It might take a few tries to get it right, but you can just use the Amulet of Misty Step to reset the encounter, or rez your kamikaze owlbear at Withers and repeat.

Afterwards, forge your Adamantine Splint Armour and return to your normal party composition. You’re not able to wear it yet, but next level you can put it on. Don’t bother long resting before traveling to the Mountain Pass, as it will force you to take one as you transition between areas for the first time.

Mountain Pass

Death Shepards

The action economy isn’t in your favour here, but the big boys are Effective Conductors and you have access to Radiant damage through your stance, so you can cut them down pretty quickly. Death Shepards first or they will chain rez everything and make your life misterable. Glyph of Warding cleans up the ghouls. Once they’re dead, pop in on Lady Esther and murder her for The Graceful Cloth.

Rosymorn Monastery

There are several minor encounters on the grounds - nothing challenging.

• The drunken kobolds on the ground floor have the Ceremonial Mace.
  
• The eagles on the roof have the Ceremonial Warhammer in their nest - you might be able to talk them down. If not, try and burst them down before they call in reinforcements.
  
• Behind an enchanted door on the second level you’ll find a Guardian of Faith and the Ceremonial Battleaxe.

Take these weapons to the altar room and place them correctly to receive Morninglord’s Radiance.

Githyanki Creche

Disguise yourself as a gith before entering the creche proper. Showing the artifact gets you in without issue. Head to the vendor and pick up Gloves of Dexterity - equip these once you reach level 7. If your Tav isn’t human (and thus isn’t using a shield yet), you can also pick up Unseen Menace.

Report to the Doctor’s Office and submit to the Zaith’isk. Once it’s over, a performance check (using Friends) will keep the doctor in the room for a quiet kill. You’re then free to steal her parasites. If you fail the check, the fight outside the room isn’t too challenging.

Kith’rak Therezzyn

On your first visit, to get to the Vlaakith conversation, simply show her the artifact and she’ll open the door.

If you’re taking the violent approach, this is a very hard fight and you’ll probably want to clear the rest of the creche before taking it on. Kill the wolves as quickly as you can so they can’t frighten Shadowheart, and spread out to avoid getting feared.

Make sure that Lae’zel isn’t your 4th party member at this point, or you’ll end up in a sticky situation when she tries to chat with the Inquisitor on the way out of the Astral Prism.

Inquisitor W'wargaz

HONOR MODE CHANGE: Complicated, but it basically boils down to ‘he summons a static weapon whenever you hit a gith’.

The ultimate test of Act 1, W’wargaz has absurd abilities and AC. His allies are no slouches either. It’s very difficult to find an entirely reliable strategy - he’s just too mobile and resistant, and it’s too easy for something to go wrong.

That’s why I skip it.

Prepare at least four sources of invisibility, (ring, Sorcerer, potions) play nice with Vlaakith, and after the conversation inside the artifact you can just go turn-based, use invisibility, and stroll on outta there.

If you decide that you want the thrill of fair combat, be advised that W’wargaz has to die in the first two rounds or you’re probably going to wipe. Knocking him prone is probably your best bet.

ACT ONE GRINDING (Optional)

Once you’re done here, you're free to kill off all denizens of Goblin Camp, Grymforge, and Myconid Colony. You can also clear out as much of Githyanki Creche as you can manage. This’ll get you a little more experience before starting the next act. There’s also the Blood of Lathander quest to get done if you really want to, but you’ll have to be sneaky to avoid the Inquisitor. This is all entirely optional, so, unless you're keen for bloodshed, feel free to skip it.

Head to the Mountain Pass and into the Shadow-Cursed Lands when you’re ready to do so.

Act 2

Congrats on making it this far. Let’s start by securing some loot.

The Road To Moonrise

Head down the road to join the cultist convoy. Take the bard conversation options and summon the drider with your Spider’s Lyre. When the ambush happens, attack the cultists. Take down Kansif right away, followed by the other cultists. Command can disarm Kar’niss, which keeps him busy. When you’re done, tell the Harpers that you’re seeking a cure and head to Last Light.

Once there, stay out of Isobel’s room. First stop is some shopping - pick up Cloak of Protection, Amulet of the Harpers, and Shield of Devotion from Talli. Then, just inside, you can score Evasive Shoes from Mattis. In the basement, bash your way through the cracked wall to find a trapped and locked chest with Coruscation Ring.

Back upstairs, chat with Jaheira for some experience, and pick up Alfira and Art Cullagh’s quests. Now it’s straight to Moonrise. Head down the road to the Ruined Battlefield and send Shadowheart alone into the curse. Use both Step of the Wind and Dash to cover a huge amount of ground - run straight down the road through the Tollhouse and to the Moonrise Towers teleporter. Who needs a lantern?

Moonrise Tower

Inside, a vendor offers you the Fistbreaker Helm. Around the corner, you’ll meet Araj Oblodra - bring Astarion here and tell him to bite her. She’ll give you a potion that grants a permanent Strength increase, and sell you the Risky Ring.

In the prison, jump across to the red glowing pit and throw yourself in (with Feather Fall up). There will be a pair of Hook Horrors to kill down here. Follow the cave system around to the docked boat and destroy the chains that secure it. To keep the guards busy, you can use Bard’s Performance (just teleport Tav out and run back to the prison). Back in the cave, split Shadowheart and Gale up and go into turn-based. Punch down one wall and Eldritch Blast the other, and all of the prisoners will run out and escape. Go with them and teleport Tav to Last Light to escape suspicion.

Upstairs, chat to the tieflings and Alfira to gain the Potent Robe - big reward for a little effort.

Continue your double agent ways by returning to Moonrise and speaking with Ketheric. Careful with the goblins - making them butcher themselves is an oathbreak for paladins. Afterwards, talk to Z’rell. If you distract her with your lust for power, no roll should be needed, though you shouldn’t struggle to persuade her at this point if you have to. You can also ask to see her power and she’ll kill her own bodyguard - nice. Then it’s off to Balthazar’s chambers to pick up your lantern at last. While you’re here, you might as well do the bookcase puzzle (pull the top right books and burn a heart in the altar) for some bonus xp.

Raven Ambush

Glyph of Warding and Magic Missile make this a breeze.

Plant Ambush

There are three of these ambushes in total - you want the one just to the east of the Ravens encounter. Don’t let them surround you as the chain reaction on a kill can be very lethal.

Spectral Dogs

Ray of Frost puts out the torches, and these puppies are no threat.

Meazal Ambush

Ambush the ambushers and use Twinned Haste here to overpower them through sheer action economy.

Plant Ambush 2

This one happens south of the stone bridge, around an alluring chest. Hypnotic Pattern can lock down four or five plants with a good roll - I like to open the fight with it. Heal up the damage Needle Blight explosions inflict with potions if you need to. The Vine Blights are much less threatening.

Thisobald Thorm

HONOR MODE CHANGES: Every time his brew changes, he does an AoE explosion that damages and debuffs. He also buffs the attacks of his allies, so you want to change his brew as little as possible.

Talking him to death as a bard is quite reliable. Failing the saving throws is inconvenient, but Enhance Ability can negate the penalty of being drunk. If you fail to impress him, you’re proficient in the backup Deception check. Once he explodes, clear out the zombies and loot Madeline’s Ledger from behind the bar.

If you end up having to fight him fairly, prepare for a nasty time. I would recommend blowing everything on killing the zombies and just accepting your death. Come back after a wipe and Thisobald will be alone and much easier. You are currently doing some combination of acid, fire and lightning damage, so consider dropping some gear to remove these damage types.

He-Who-Was

I wasn’t sure if any options here would threaten our Oath of Vengeance, so I chose to hear Madeline out and tell her to forgive herself. This angered He-Who-Was. His fear is more annoying than anything - but do be sure to smack the raven down before it can start blinding people.

Reithwin Town
You’ll find some Shadow-Cursed Harpers in the main square that you can ambush. Once they’re dead, unlock the Sharran Sanctuary (north, west, east), but DON'T enter yet. Next, head to the Mason’s Guild. Pick the secret lock in the basement, pass by the trapped chest (it has nothing in it) and you’ll come across a pack of Shadows. You can add Radiant damage to your attacks with Inquisitor’s Might and Manifestation of Soul, and your lantern can reveal any hidden Shadows to make things easier. Your reward is the Helm of Arcane Acuity.

Then head through the graveyard to the far north of town. You may encounter Raphael or Arabella on your way - be nice to both when you do run into them. Near the Thorm Mausoleum, you’ll find a beach with a LOT of cursed Kuo-Toa. The solution to this fight is Glyph of Warding. The fish are drenched, so lightning damage will clean them right up - just be careful not to get swarmed.

Gerringothe Thorm

HONOR MODE CHANGE: when she loses her armour she can use a legendary action to turn people into gold.

Gerringothe is probably the most threatening of the three lesser Thorms on Honor Mode, but she’s also the most easily deceived. Toss her a few coins and take the Deception options when they come up. You only have to make two checks for her to blow herself up - using Friends is safe. If you’ve been diligently saving, you can just give her all your gold - if it’s at least 5000, she’ll detonate herself.

If you anger her, I would flee and just avoid the Tollhouse for the remainder of the act.

Malus Thorm

HONOR MODE CHANGE: Once per round, hitting Malus will cause all of the sisters to cast Wail of Loss, which is an AoE confusion effect. He also gains a reaction called Grasping Appendage, which will pull his target 30 ft closer.

Much like Thisobald, you really want to talk Malus to death, so come in with inspiration if possible. Friends is again safe to use. Tell him you’re a student, and that the sisters aren’t ready. Suggest they practice on each other, and finally suggest he practice on himself.

If you end up fighting him (unlucky you!) you should prioritize killing any sisters that are around. Once they’re down, Malus will waste time rezzing them, and you can knock him around with Eldritch Blast and so on. He’s quite kiteable.

Grab the lute off his body when you’re done, go find Arabella’s parents, and run the lute back to Art. He’ll want to speak to Halsin, so go fetch him.

Halsin’s Portal

We have no intention of lifting the curse, and Halsin’s portal attracts overwhelming opposition. So…lose intentionally. Simply don’t attack the archers, and they’ll kill the portal after three rounds or so, netting you a huge chunk of XP as all of the active undead (and Halsin) kick the bucket. If you were using Halsin for anything, make sure you take his items off him before doing this.

Cursed Travelers

Found just to the west of the House of Healing, along with some Shadows. These shouldn’t pose a problem, though they have a surprising amount of burst damage, so be sure to ambush.

Temple of Shar

Head off to the Thorm Mausoleum and solve the portrait puzzle (Moonrise Towers, Grief, General). Downstairs, use Ray of Frost on all the lamps, then put away your Moon Lantern to reveal the path.

Umbral Tremors

In the next room, tell the skeleton Z’rell sent you and a fight will break out. Destroy the portals in the first round while the skeletons are baiting the enemy. Avoid using radiant damage on the Justiciars or they’ll get you with Radiant Retort! When you’re done, head west to the teleport and Balthazar’s room for a second round with the tremors. The same tactics apply - destroy the portals as they appear, don’t use radiant damage, win.

Afterwards, be polite to Balthazar, and ask him for any resources he might have to help. This should get you Flesh’s Bell. In the room where you were just fighting is a locked Vault Door - crack it open for the Callous Glow Ring. Combo that with the Coruscation Ring from earlier on to boost your Eldritch Blasts. Then head south.

Cloaker

Jump up and do as much damage as you can in the opening round, and ignore the Phantasms when they spawn - they die with the Cloaker. Easy kill.

Trials of Shar

Before starting the Soft-Step trial, pick the lock on the door to the left of the altar. Run through the maze and pick the locks on the two gates at the end, then leave Tav behind and head back to the altar. Start the trial with Shadowheart and the orb will be Tav's for the grabbing. If all that sounds too complicated, a Potion of Gaseous Form also works to make this trial simple - you may have picked one up somewhere along the way.

The Self-Same trial is a 3v3, but you can start with the ambush advantage. Save Counterspell for disabling things like Hold Person. Remember Cheater’s Folly - you may need a long rest after this fight.

The Faith-Leap trial can be very frustrating, especially since Patch 7 removed the cheesy method of passing. Sometimes you just die randomly during the crossing, so take a single character and avoid accidentally killing your whole party. The map etched into the floor at the foot of the altar will provide guidance, should you need it.

Silent Library

This is where we play a fun game called ‘Get Flesh killed’. Charge in and kill the Librarian - it’s vulnerable to radiant damage. Then ring the bell and run away. The more justiciars you get stuck on Flesh, the better. When his health gets low - or the amount of justiciars hitting him gets low - hit him yourself and finish him off. If you fail in this task, he'll despawn - but he's stay damaged for the Balthazar fight later.

Once you’re done killing stuff, let’s solve the Riddle of the Night. Pick the lock on the huge gate, fetch Teaching of Loss: The Nightsinger from the trapped bookcase, and place it on the altar to reveal the treasure room. Claim the Spear of Night.

The Last Justiciar

Head down to the feet of the Shar statue and read the book that you find there. Then head upstairs and kill a few rats near the elevator in turn-based mode. A third rat will approach you. Kill it, and then head back to the foot of the statue. You’ll be swarmed by rats, but they’ll struggle to hit you, so their numbers shouldn’t be a problem. A well-placed Glyph of Warding can clear them out fast. Eventually the rats will turn into a man - kill him.

This fulfills Yurgir’s contract, so head over to where he is and claim your final orb without a fight.

Return to Moonrise

Head back to Moonrise. This’ll be your last chance to shop here, so do the rounds and pick up anything you think you might find useful, such as Invisibility Potions. Then, work your way around the tower, killing anyone who isn’t near a Scrying Eye and collecting parasites along the way. If things go wrong, escape under cover of invisibility to reset and come back from a different angle.

I started with Linsella and her gnolls, moved onto the guards on the front gate, and then nipped upstairs for the group on Z’rell’s balcony. Downstairs, kill Mig and stay on her side of the room to avoid any unwanted attention as you clear the room out.
I like to next pick a fight with Zealot Brinn, near the vendor at the main doors. This angers the clerics, who will start spamming Hunger of Hadar and Guardian of Faith. Slowly kite everything back towards the main gate, so they have to walk through their own Hunger AoE. Don’t mind the Scrying Eyes, just outrange them. If you lose control, chug an Invisibility Potion to reset. This feels dangerous, but is much more reliable than doing the battle later.

When you’ve done, pick off Araj, the foes in the throne room, and Radija upstairs. If you didn’t already get into a fight there earlier, you can also clear out the prison. Finally, kill Z’rell - though a Scrying Eye may have drawn her into a battle already by now.

Balthazar

HONOR MODE CHANGES: Extensive. When struck, Balthazar turns Spectral for the rest of the round, granting resistance to Acid, Fire, Lightning, and Thunder damage, and immunity to Cold and Necrotic damage. Creatures that strike him become Bone Chilled for 2 turns. He cannot be Frightened, Paralysed, Petrified, Restrained, or made Prone. Also once per round when a creature dies, Balthazar can use his Legendary Action to create a necrotic AoE where it fell. Whew!


The last of Ketheric’s minions, we gotta stop him interfering with the Nightsong. That means attacking him in his little lab. Stick him in a fog cloud and you can chip him down quite a bit in turn-based before he even turns aggressive - though a recent patch may have corrected this weakness. If you dealt with Flesh, the fight is a bit easier. Use your monk’s radiant damage stance and Stunning Fist. With luck, you can flurry him down quickly, but he will probably fly around a bit and be annoying.

Nightsong

Head to the heart of the Temple. You’ll have to bring your full party of four in here, but don’t worry - there’s no danger. Tell Shadowheart to do what must be done and be rewarded with Shar’s Spear of Evening and the horrible deaths of everyone in Last Light. You can travel there now and kill all the zombies for another experience injection - just don’t teleport there. Be sensible and approach from the road. Darkness helps draw in the archers.

Before you head up to face Ketheric, you’ll want to read the letter in his chambers - mind the mimic in this area. You also want to be level 9 - if you’re not, check that you’ve cleared everywhere accessible of foes.

Ketheric Thorm

HONOR MODE CHANGES: Gains a legendary action where he will mark a target for his minions to focus. He can also react by throwing a hammer at the marked target. On top of this, he has an aura that will stick his allies in regenerative eggs when you kill them.

If you read the letter from Ketheric’s wife, an easy persuasion check will help simplify the Avatar fight later (you can cast Friends safely). Dimension Door gets you up close, and Shadowheart can knock him prone to lower those high defenses. I got Ketheric off the field in the opening round with this alpha strike - he leaves the field at half health. From there, kill Susdera to destroy any remaining eggs, and clean up the Necromites.

Mind Flayer Colony

WARNING: This is one of the few moments in the game where bringing your entire party is mandatory - so there’s no rezzing back at camp if you wipe. The safest and simplest choice is to bring a second Open Hand Monk, using any hireling or companion you fancy. Be sure to fully buff your chosen four with your camp cleric and any elixirs you may have.

Before entering the colony, you’ll want to visit the Sharran Sanctuary in the main square of town again. Inside, the central statue can grant Gale a big charisma buff, and the statue on the right can grant Shadowheart a big wisdom buff. These’ll help you in the battle to come - but failing the check is costly. Make sure you have some Potions of Speed too - brew these on a Transmuter Wizard for a chance at extra potions.

Once you jump in, ignore the side passages and you can avoid unnecessary fights. There’s nothing really threatening, though, so explore if you feel like it, or if you’re attached to Wyll and want him to live. If you do fight, there’s a full restore point right before the elevator to the boss, but be aware that it only works once. It should go without saying, but when the conversation happens, tell Gale that you’ll find another way and that he can’t blow you up.

Avatar of Myrkul

HONOR MODE CHANGE: The first creature to strike the avatar each round will have a necrotic ray shot at them which deals 4d8+5 necrotic damage and tries to frighten them. A successful save resists the frighten and halves damage. Remember that frighten immobilizes.

The most dangerous part of the fight is the mind flayer - a bad stun can be a real pain. Good news is, on their own, Necromites and Intellect Devourers will struggle to hit anyone. I like to move an invisible Shadowheart into position behind the mind flayer before I move anyone else into the area, so she can kill it as soon as combat starts. A recent patch may foil this approach, but the principle remains the same; kill the mind flayer quickly, win the fight.

Another persuasion check (that you can boost with Friends) will skip you straight to the Avatar stage of the fight. Edge of Darkness (from Shar’s Spear of Evening) can keep Myrkul blind for an extended period. Try to spread the ray damage out and hack him down with multiple Flurry of Blows and Smites. Loot Ketheric’s Shield when you’re done. Congrats on clearing the tensest moment of the run.

Githyanki Ambush

HONOR MODE CHANGE: Tska'an gains an ability called Soul Sacrifice - whenever a humanoid dies, she will sacrifice its soul to Vlaakith. Once 3 souls have been sacrificed, Tska'an gets a big buff.

Back on the road (and back to a party of three), we're almost done with the Act. With Shar’s Darkness to hide in, your enemies will lose the ranged damage output that makes this fight so threatening - but any gith you kill in the dark returns as an undead, so keep that in mind.

You should ambush them by coming at the bridge from the right. Knock guys off the bridge, Confusion, Haste - your bag of tricks and the Sharran buffs should get the job done. Be sure to kill Tska'an as early as possible.

When you’re finished, short rest to replenish short rest resources for the Act 3 ambush and head to Baldur’s Gate.

Act 3

We’re going to skip as much of Act 3 as possible - less chance of things going wrong that way.

Astral Prism

This act opens with an ambush while you’re sleeping, so you can’t buff beforehand. Put your camp cleric in your party before you sleep. Dimension Door gets you to the portal quickly. Once through, stay put and use your camp cleric to buff up - and then throw some weapons and armour on them, because they’re along for the ride.

The Gith monks are pretty frightening, but Compelled Duel and Confusion can help cut them down to size. Be polite to the Emperor - in fact, if you don’t have the achievement yet, you can even romance him. Say you would like to change and commune with the tadpole.

Don’t forget to loot the Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo on your way out.

Rivington

First, it's time for one of your careful conversations with Gale! Your task: Convince him that brain tadpoles are great so that he can fly. Use your inspiration on him if you have to.

Toss Yenna a few coins on your way into town and head straight to the vendor Ferg Drogher. Speak to him with Shadowheart to pick up the Hellrider Longbow and the Nymph Cloak. He may not always have the cloak in his inventory - it’s no big deal if he doesn’t.

From here, head into the circus with a simple Deception check and go to the djinn. An invisible Shadowheart should be able to pickpocket his ring. Once she has, take a spin at his wheel and you’ll be teleported to the Jungles of Chult. Bash up some dinosaurs - taking care not to pull them all at once - and loot Band of the Mystic Scoundrel from a backpack near their cave. Return through the portal.

Go around the Wyrm’s Crossing guards with Fly (or just jumping). Head to Danthelon’s Dancing Axe and purchase Horns of the Berserker and Cloak of Displacement. Then, head to the edge of Wyrm’s Crossing and Feather Fall or Fly down across the gap.

This path will lead around to a crack in the wall that gets you into the prison. Here you can smooth talk or murder the guards as you like. Then put on your best manners and go upstairs. Don’t antagonize Gortash and swear to an alliance. This will break your paladin oath, but you can restore it for a cheap price by speaking to the Oathbreaker Knight in camp - or simply remain an Oathbreaker.

Lower City

Be aware that from this point, vampires can attack you when you go to sleep for the night. Don’t try and go to bed too beaten up, at least until you’ve faced them.

Beeline to Sorcerous Sundries and pick up Birthright and the Vest of Soul Rejuvenation from Lorroakan’s Projection. Then head north and pass some simple checks at the Devil’s Fee to purchase Cloak of the Weave. You can also pick up Potions of Cloud Giant Strength for your monk here - maybe. Shop inventories in the city are somewhat randomized, so you might need to look around a bit for some.

Enter the sewers from the Basilisk Gate manhole and punch the wall down. The lever to turn off the gas is directly below you as you enter the chamber. Leaving this room by the western door, you’ll encounter some Bhaalists harassing some refugees - strike them down and keep heading west. Mind the trap in the next room. Pick the lock and head south to find a teleporter. Just to the north, you’ll find the Mad Mage - you can go around him, but if you get drawn into conversation, the Deception check is the safest option to defuse the situation. Head north from the teleporter to the Undercity Ruins and shoot the hanging corpses to open the door.

Bhaalist Gatekeepers

Well before the bridge, go turn-based and send Gale and Shadowheart invisible. Then run or fly them up to the platform shown below.


Once they’re in position, run your Tav to the bridge. Ghislev will spawn. Quickly swap to Gale and use Magic Missile to strip his Unstoppable stacks. Your monk will now eat him for breakfast. This despawns all other enemies. Head on through and grab the teleporter.

Impressing the Tribunal

It’s now time to chase Dolor about the place, so head to the Open Hand Temple in Rivington. Talk to Yannis, then use Speak with Dead to talk to Father Lorgus and ask him how he died and where. Then use the hatch in the kitchen. Pass some easy perception checks down here to reveal the buttons behind the wall heraldry. The dopplegangers within should be no challenge - loot the Flower Key from their bodies.

Take this key to the flophouse opposite the South Span teleporter and use it to open the secret room in the attic. Read and take the Bloodstained Parchment in here. Then head across the street to Valeria. He’ll direct you into town to see Devella, so trot on over there and talk to her.

The closest murder target is Cora. Head to her and warn her, then fight the Dolor duplicates. If you counterspell Dolor's escape teleport, things get a bit more intense, so I wouldn't recommend that. Speak to Cora for a reward (if she lived), then head off to Figaro in the west. Don't go too deep into the city park as you travel or you'll be drawn into an encounter you don't want.

The fight to save Figaro is a bit harder, but push on through and grab the bag of hands, the password, and the Spaceshunt Boots from Dolor’s body when you’re done.

Bhaalist Tribunal

Teleport back to Basilisk Gate and head to Candulhallow’s Tombstones. Hit the button behind the painting to reveal the door down. Use the password, then show the severed hands to the guards. Sarevok will want to have a chat, so hopefully you have some inspiration. Say that you are ready to be judged, and make any Deception check. Don’t use Friends, and don’t mess it up - if you do, Sarevok will turn hostile and you’ll be in for an intense fight, complete with Honor Mode changes. You do not want this to happen.

In the next room, speak to Sarevok again, then kill Valeria. The path to Orin is now open.

Orin

HONOR MODE CHANGE: The first person to attack Orin in a round gets attacked back, taking 8d8 damage and a 20 ft. knockback. If she doesn’t do this in a round, she’ll curse someone, making them instantly die at the end of their next turn unless they kill something before then.

The basic idea: Two level 4 casts of Magic Missile strip Orin’s defenses, and a full round of monk attacks kills her. It’s entirely possible to one-round her using this method. Confusion is a great spell for helping with the cultist clean-up.

My method: Move your Tav in to have this conversation solo. Once all the enemies have moved, bring Gale and Shadowheart forward during Tav's turn. Make sure they have the Haste buff. If you have some method of boosting Gale's initiative, that will help get the ordering of your alpha strike correct.

Once Orin falls, you’re done with the city. All that’s left now is to get to the Nether Brain.

Final Conversations

This is it. You absolutely require a few sources of invisibility for this final section - have some back-ups in addition to Gale’s spells and your ring. Potions can be bought around the city.

Gortash

Head back to Gortash in Wyrm’s Rock and have a chat. When he asks for the Netherstones, refuse to hand them over but preserve your alliance. Afterwards, teleport to the Temple of Bhaal and head north to the Morphic Pool. Your camp cleric will join you - you’re fine to use them in combat here as there's only one encounter - the intellect devourer ambush. It's underwhelming, as threats go.

Head over to Gortash and let things play out. The results of your rolls during the conversation with the Nether Brain don’t matter. Afterwards, give the Netherstones to the Emperor and agree to…’assimilate’ Orpheus. If you have Lae’zel with you, she will object to this - you can cast Friends to make her see sense.

Kith’rak Voss

The true final boss. As you come through the portal, buff up one final time. If you have any inspiration left, blow it on the Deception check in the conversation. Convincing Voss to stand down is the best possible outcome, but it’s a high check.

If you fail the roll, you’re in for a fight. I wish I could say that this was a serious boss right at the end, but Voss gets absolutely destroyed. Sad. Don’t waste any invisibility spell slots on the spare gith.

The Invisible Run

Ahead, meet with your allies - if you even have any. It’s pretty easy to end up giving a speech to an empty room, but maybe Arabella showed up for you at least. Move to the upper courtyard and let the guards run away, then jump over the flames to your right and sit your party near the Cracked Wall. Their task is done.

Load Gale up with the invisibility supplies and split him off from the group. Cast invisibility and crouch so that you can see the enemy line of sight. Fly doesn’t break invisibility, so in-turn based mode, fly up and over the wall. There is a single patrolling enemy on the wall that can see through invisibility - avoid them. Head due east, taking the low ground, and then north through the window into The High Hall. Refresh your invisibility here.

Facing the brain stem, take the right exit. Nothing here can see through invisibility, so just fly straight up and to the iron double doors. Inside, interact with the brain stem and say that you are ready to face the nether brain. This will teleport the party to Gale and start a conversation.

Boom

In this final conversation, ask Gale if he intends on going up there by himself to die alone, and then select “If this is truly what you want…”

This locks you into the end sequence. After a few cutscenes and a final chat with Withers, your achievement should pop. Congratulations on conquering Honor Mode.

Credits

I’d like to thank the posters of r/BG3builds (especially Phantomsplit and Prestigious_Juice341) for all their guidance and Larian for making such a great game.

I'd also like to thank you for reading and using my guide, and wish you well. Best of luck!

[grngrnflcn]

Aww man that is a bummer. This guide WILL get you there, don't despair. Here is what I did and that fight was very easy.

The guide advice still applies. Additional things that might help:

-You can use a darkness arrow on Myrkul. If he can't see you, he can't use his legendary. If you use arrows, remember to refresh the darkness before his attack every three rounds. Also, you don't have to hit him with the arrow and depend on a roll, just make sure the darkness blinds him if you shoot the floor nearby. No concentration needed. I had the sorlock respec to get Hunger of Hadar and positioned him up where the mind flayer was before the battle. Since Myrkul can't move and was blind, and the sorlock was well away from everyone, he didn't even get attacked. So that is another option.

[grngrnflcn]

-Have a number of summons (elementals are awesome) to spread out Myrkul's attacks / block access of the necros. However, make sure they stay back at the entrance out of sight until the battle starts so they don't kick off the battle before your conversation.

-I also made sure the cleric had spirit guardians - radiant at max level running and positioned her at the bottom left where the necros try to run up the ladder to sacrifice themselves. This was to kill any that get close. I then did a turn undead that got them all. The ones on the plateau never even joined the battle.

-For the other necros and devourerers, have Us and/or other summons just to occupy them. You don't have to kill them so much as keep them away. I haven't tried it, but you could use area of effects like web or grease to keep them out of things. They all die when Myrkul does, so distraction and delay is all that is needed.

[əˈskāp]

Everything was going great until Myrkul, didn't stand a chance. Any new details and tricks for this fight? I may have just gotten unlucky, none of the devourers or myrkulites missed their shots and lost concentration on darkness every hit time I tried it. I made sure I checked off everything on the guide list before going in so I'm not sure where I went wrong.

[grngrnflcn]

Aha, this might explain why Gale does not offer to sacrifice himself in Act 3, even without talking to him: https://bg3.wiki/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Waterdeep#Facing_the_Netherbrain . Perhaps add that as a step in the guide?

[grngrnflcn]

Hopefully, my additional comments help someone else. Even with the guide it is at times nerve wracking!!! Thanks again Dreyk and everyone else!

[grngrnflcn]

I finished and got the golden dice. Thanks Dreyk! HOWEVER, Gale did still not want to be a bomb and I had to save scum right at the brain stem to pass the DC 30 persuasion check.

I only initiated talking with Gale once or twice in Act 1 about eating magic, once by accident after being visited by Elminster, and once to add him back into my party at camp. I don't know if something changed, I did something wrong, or there is some other thing needed to trigger his sacrifice. Annoyingly, after telling him he could end it he said, "And I would die. We talked about this. At length!" when he ran around all of the third act with an exclamation mark over his head since I refused to chat with him.

So my advice is to save the game when Gale gets to the brain stem, then copy that save folder somewhere just in case you need it. With advantage from Eagle's Splendor, it took five inspirations until I got a nat 20 and passed.

[grngrnflcn]

Also, there was more than one enemy that could see invisibility on the way up to the High Hall. From the crack in the wall, going straight up I remember there is one marching back and forth on the right and one by the pavillion thing on the left near the ogre. It was nerve wracking, but I went up to a higher wall, then down to the courtyard and right up the middle by the illithid and spectator, then to the left a little bit to a place out of line of sight. Then I could fly around into the window into the safe area to recharge invisibility. Past that it is safe. Oh, you can fly around the iron doors to the brain stem without opening the doors.

[grngrnflcn]

About Orin...I summoned some elementals to help and they accounted for some of the Unstoppable levels and distracted the Slayer at times. Give Shadowheart an Elixer of Cloud Giant Strength if you can buy or have one. Give Gale an Elixer of Vigilance and have him use the Sentinel Shield if you have it to boost his initiative. I also had Lae'zel throw Death Ward on the three before battle. Make absolutely sure if you use Warding Bond that she stays alive. I just brought everyone down for the dialog. Don't have Gale concentrate on Haste. If he loses concentration, he and anyone else in his Haste are lethargic for a round, which is recoverable, but not good since you probably lost a chance to damage the slayer.

[grngrnflcn]

Use Potions of Speed instead. Remember that lethargic comes in 3 turns for the potion. If you do have him use Haste, keep him well out of battle and snipe with Magic Missile from afar. Some other useful things is to use Black Hole if you have it to concentrate the chanting cultists for a fireball or glyph of warding. If things fail, use arrows of roaring thunder or some other AoE knock back to push them into the abyss.

[grngrnflcn]

If you summon extra critters for the Acolyte of Myrkul fight, them being seen by Ketheric starts the fight and you skip the dialog to go straight to the fight and have to kill him. Invisible and sneaking did seem to not aggro him though. Even invisible Shadowheart jumping up behind the illithid didn't alert them.