Baldur's Gate 3 Search the Cellar quest walkthrough (2025)

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Looking to resolve Search the Cellar in Baldur’s Gate 3? As one of the trickier quests in the game, players have been looking about to discover its secrets. The sprawling RPG from Larian Studios has stuffed its D&D Forgotten Realms setting with plenty of loot and gear.

If you’re just getting started with the Dungeons & Dragons game, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 character creation guide. Baldur’s Gate 3 Dank Crypt is the first challenge most players will come across so we’ve got the puzzle and loot covered. And with that, let’s see how to proceed with Search the Cellar.

Search the Cellar quest walkthrough in Baldur’s Gate 3

The Search the Cellar quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 tasks you with investigating a cellar in the Blighted Village to find and unlock an Ancient Tome. Parts of it might not seem obvious so this guide will help you clear its enemies and find some exotic loot. It’s easy to miss fun content in a game of this scale. Read on to clear the mystery around the Search the Cellar quest.

How to find Blighted Village Cellar

Here’s a step-by-step guide to finding the Blighted Village Cellar:

• Enter the building to the left of the Blighted Village waypoint. Reading the Apothecary’s Ledger will trigger this quest.
• You’ll find a wooden hatch behind the counter. Just follow the mission marker to the first room (coordinates X:32 Y:379). Move the crates to the left of the bookshelf to find a hidden lever. Pull it to move the bookcase and reveal a hidden passage.
• Defeat the guardian undead enemies. They’re easy to defeat if you fight from a distance with Shadowheart’s spells.
• Raid the caskets, then read Dark Journal and A is for Azuth and Other Gods II. This gives you extra dialogue options in the next part of the quest.

How to clear Ornate Mirror

Proceed further and you’ll spot an Ornate Mirror. Interact with it to begin a dialogue. It functions as a locked door of sorts. The wrong answer can cause massive damage to your party with an exploding construct so be careful. Pick these choices to get past the Ornate Mirror:

• (Any non-aggressive response).
• “Yes, an ally! I’m an ally of your master’s.”
• “Szass Tam is a foul, wretched creature.”
• “I read a doctor’s journal – he used balsam ointment to clean a wound.”
• Any answer except “I’d see the ones I love.” This also be related to the worm or parasite in your brain.

This will let you enter the laboratory of Ilyn Toth, where you can find Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay. You’ll find a Rusted Key at a book shelf that lets you enter the lab. But be careful as there’s a pressure plate trap right next to it that you need to disarm. Fireball traps can be lethal to your Baldur’s Gate 3 companions.

Ancient Tome explained and where to find it

The Ancient Tome book in Baldur’s Gate 3 needs a Dark Amethyst to open it. This book is the Necromancy of Thay. It might not be apparent to players that this key isn’t in the cellar. It’s in the old well in the Blighted Village. Here’s a step-by-step guide to finding the Dark Amethyst in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Exit the necromancer’s lab, then the cellar, and climb down the old well in the town square at the Blighted Village. You can also choose to head to the basement of the building opposite the apothecary house.
• This sends you to the Whispering Depths. It’s a cavern filled with Phase Spiders so expect plenty of combat. Be careful with the cobwebs as you need to make saving throws to avoid being Enwebbed. A chamber at the left from the entrance has Spiderstep Boots that grant immunity from the Enwebbed condition.

• Sneak past them or take them out as you head to the west, the deepest point of the Whispering Depths. You’ll see the Phase Spider Matriarch boss. Sneak past her or defeat her and her monsters.
• To the west of the pit that the Phase Sider Matriarch was circling, you’ll find the glowing purple Dark Amethyst. The Rogue class is particularly adept at stealth checks.
• Use the Dark Amethyst to open the Necromancy of Thay. Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 Necromancy of Thay guide to figure out what to do with the book.

How to beat Phase Spider Matriarch

This boss is particularly lethal if you don’t have fire spells and defensive abilities ready. Prepare for the fight in advance by casting spells that boost attacks and defences. Here’s how to swiftly beat the Phase Spider Matriarch in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Phase Spider Matriarch is level 4, has 138 health points, can teleport, spit toxic acid, and attack with her legs. If you choose to fight her, destroy the Phase Spider eggs near her first. Then work through the eggs on the platform next to the boss.
• The Phase Spider Matriarch will teleport to one of the cobwebs. Using a Fire Bolt at the cobwebs will push her to the ground in the Prone condition. In addition to fall damage, your next few attacks will do particularly well against a Prone opponent.
• After beating her, loot her corpse to find a rare Poisoner’s Robe. The robe has 10 Armor, +3 to Dexterity, and adds 1d4 damage from Poison to Poison attacks.

That covers everything you need to know about Search the Cellar in Baldur’s Gate 3. Read up on Baldur’s Gate 3 races before diving into the vibrant world of Faerun. This open-world RPG has plenty more secrets that we’ll uncover as Baldur’s Gate 3 release date approaches.

How do you open the cellar in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Move the crates to the left of the bookcase by pressing down on the mouse while your character stands near them to reveal the cellar in Baldur’s Gate 3.