How To Unlock The Ancient Tome In Baldur's Gate 3
The Ancient Tome in an enigmatic book in Baldur’s Gate 3. Unlocking it takes multiple acts in different locations, but grants new necromantic magic.
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A hidden item called the Ancient Tome can be unlocked to give your character extra magic in Baldur's Gate 3. This book is derived from taboo necromancy and draws upon forbidden knowledge to show the darkest secrets of the arcane. You can find this artifact fairly early in the game, but you must complete a few tasks to harness the power of the Ancient Tome.
Gaining benefits from the Ancient Tome will only happen if you pass multiple skill checks required to actually read the book. You need to pass Arcana checks and Wisdom saving throws in Baldur's Gate 3 to peer into dark knowledge without losing yourself. These rolls' Difficulty Class (DC) can be lowered if you play a class more connected with this magic, such as the Wizard or Cleric.
Certain class and background combinations have a distinct advantage when passing checks related to the Ancient Tome. For example, the Sage and Acolyte backgrounds pair well with the Wizard or Cleric to add a big bonus to magic-related checks.
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The Ancient Tome is in the basement cellar under the Blighted Village, which you can reach during Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3. Those looking to reach the cellar could use Sleight of Hand to pick the lock leading to the basement or speak to the Ornate Mirror to receive the Rusted Key. You will have to pass a dialogue skill check to convince the Mirror to hand over the cellar's Key.
Going downstairs reveals the Ancient Tome, also called the "Necromancy of Thay" in Baldur's Gate 3. The book is in a place guarded by spider enemies, including a powerful Phase Spider Matriarch boss that can be difficult for your party to beat. Killing this creature will reward you with the Dark Amethyst or an item that helps fully awaken and unlock the Ancient Tome.
Once you open the Tome for the first time, you can only read the initial section by passing three skill checks. Any character that successfully passes these rolls will learn how to cast the Speak with Dead spell at will without using a spell slot. You will also receive a buff that allows your character to have a +1 bonus to Wisdom saving throws in Baldur's Gate 3 permanently.
How To Reawaken The Ancient Tome
The Ancient Tome shuts until you reach Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3 and find a way to awaken the full power of the Necromancy of Thay. Those who want more power from the book should head to Philgrave's Mansion after reaching the main city. Picking a few locks here or destroying the main doors should let you enter this space without any issues.
Talk to a figure called the Mystic Carrion in the Mansion and convince them you have the same goals by passing a few Persuasion or Deception skill checks. This NPC reveals that another book named the Tharchiate Codex can reveal stronger magic from the Tome in Baldur's Gate 3. Your party must steal the Codex from the inner vault of the Sorcerous Sundries magic shop in the city.
The vault will have a large circle of many doors that will teleport the party around. You must pass through them in this specific order: Silverhand, Evocation, Wish, Gate, and lastly, Illusion. You can now enter Elminster’s Vault, where the Codex lies among the books.
Any character that uses the Codex with the Necromancy of Thay gains the unique spell Danse Macabre. This magic allows you to summon up to six undead creatures that will fight with your party in combat. An army of the undead that stands against your strongest enemies makes all the effort of unlocking the Ancient Tome more than worth it in Baldur's Gate 3.
Baldur's Gate 3
Released August 31, 2023 Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Related Topics About The AuthorncG1vNJzZmirk6eyprrRmqWtZpOkunCuwKWbrqqjYrSiwMRmamatnqG8pLeMmqWcoZWjwW7AzqacaA%3D%3D