The Arcane Tower is one of the optional locations you can visit and take part in side content in the Underdark. This tower is riddled with mini puzzles, guards, and other content you need to be wary of if you intend on surviving, fighting, and completing this otherwise troublesome landmark. This Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Tower walkthrough will assist you with the elevator activation, and access the basement, and how to deal with Bernard, the boss of the Arcane Tower. You will also get a guide on the Bernard content too.

Baldur’s Gate Arcane Tower Walkthrough¶

For those looking for the Arcane Tower, you can find it on the northeast side of the map, located north of the beach waypoint. When you approach the grounds, you’ll need to be mindful of the arcane turrets, which guard the grounds and the blacksmithing area of the tower, along with the floor you enter the building on. You can use something like Pass Without Trace to bypass the threats of the turrets safely, or, have a stealth character sneak through passing checks and then stealth takeout the ones guarding the turrets. Perhaps you can enter turn-based mode and fight the turrets using your characters to hit the target.

Either way, once your party is safely inside, you must take down two more turrets to progress. Now they are dealt with, feel free to explore at your leisure. Yet, one thing of interest you will find is the elevator, which doesn’t work.

Arcane Tower Elevator Activation¶

To activate the Arcane Tower Elevator in Baldur’s Gate 3, you will need to do the following:

1. Go to the southern balcony
2. Jump onto the mushrooms
3. Now jump down to the ground floor below - You will likely take fall damage
4. Go to the garden where the small Sussur tree is growing.
5. Pick up the Sussur Bloom
6. Enter the Tower again via the ground floor door or pipe
7. Place the Sussur Bloom in the Power Generator

Okay, so if you intend to explore the Arcane Tower in BG3 fully, you will need to turn on the tower’s elevator. By checking inside the elevator, chances are you will have someone succeed an Arcana check. If not, don’t worry. Basically, they say it is powered by magic, but not how.

To activate the Arcane Tower Elevator, you will need to head down to the ground floor, located on the same latitude as the beach. To get there, you need to go to the balcony, where you can find the glowing mushrooms growing from the side of the tower. You can jump onto these mushrooms and then get to the next floor.

Now you’re on the other floor. Feel free to loot it if you want. There’s also a book you may want to read called the Threadbare book, which is important later on. The next stage is to go to the ground floor level, by jumping down some more mushrooms. You will likely take damage here, so, feel free to heal or short rest when you reach the bottom.

Once you reach the bottom, pick up a Sussur Bloom from the tree in the garden area. This bloom allows the user to power the Power Generator where the elevator would be on the ground floor. You power the elevator once you insert the Bloom from your bags into the blank space. Feel free to go up the stairs in the room and interact with the elevator.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Tower: Bernard - Puzzle or Fight?¶

Now that you’ve solved the Elevator situation, pressing ascend on the elevator will bring you to the top floor. Turns out that reactivating the tower’s power generator turned on all magically powered contractions, including the magic brazier, and its magical Warforged mechanical guardians. On the top floor, you will meet chief clockwork himself, Bernard. While having a name fit for a gentleman, it is not so gentle.

The creature will make you do a check, to see if you read the books in the tower. The books you need to read are as follows:

• Threadbare Book - Found on the mushroom farming level of the tower.
• Torn-Out Paper - On a small grey table in the center of the bedroom floor (3rd floor EU, 4th floor for North Americans.)
• The Road to Darkness - on a larger grey table on the bedroom floor.

Reading all of these books gives you new dialogue options when dealing with Bernard. These will typically be in italics, representing various verses of the books you read. If you pass the first one, the creature and its droid companions are not hostile. You can then speak poetry to it from the other books you read. However, if you use the “There is Light in Every Living Thing“, the robots will go hostile again, so be warned.

You’re in for a fight if you do not get the books. You must fight a few metallic crossbowman, and Bernard himself. Bernard has 70 HP, which is not too bad. However, the boss goes through phases of high-damage windows when he Supercharges. Players must have their characters dash away and escape the boss, he will deal heavy electric damage with his aura and attacks. Bernard will be stunned when the supercharge ends, offering more windows to attack him safely.

During the supercharge window, you can have your characters run after the crossbowman on the sides of the room, and deal with those enemies instead.

Once you defeat the boss, you can acquire a powerful Halberd, the Light of Creation. This martial weapon is the only weapon better than the Everburn Blade in Act 1, for example. It does come with a nasty debuff, which can be dealt with via a ring in the Arcane Tower basement.

• Read More: Best Armor and Weapon in Act 1

How To Get To The Arcane Tower Basement in BG3¶

If you want to get to the basement in the Arcane Tower, there are two ways to do it.

1. Get the Guiding Light Ring from Bernard.
2. Use a Light Spell on the Elevator platform.

If you choose not to defeat Bernard, you must find someone with a Light scroll, cantrip, or something similar. For example, Shadowheart can get a Light cantrip, and there are chances that Gale can have one via the Evocation subclass. Drow also has Dancing Lights as a racial cantrip, but we have yet to test that ourselves. If you solve that dilemma, cast the Light on the elevator on the top floor, and reveal a new button that takes you to the basement. On the other hand, wearing the Guiding Light Ring dropped from Bernard will reveal the same button on the elevator.

Now you can press the basement button and teleport into the Arcane Tower’s basement. Here, you can get some extra loot from boxes and bookcases. However, the prize down here are two items. One is the Sparkswall Ring, which prevents electrocution, perfect for pairing with the Staff of Creation you get from defeating Bernard. It’s also great for a Storm Sorcerer Build, or a Tempest Cleric Build. The other is the Staff of Arcane Blessing. This staff is extremely good, as it grants the wielder an extra dice roll when they cast Bless on targets. Meaning allies now get 2d4 to attack and saving throws. While under the effects of the wielder’s Bless concentration.

Once you’re done looting, follow the pathway out, and open the false wall via the lever, which will bring you to the ground floor. Now you can explore more of the grounds, as the Arcane turrets are now deactivated. Feel free to check the blacksmithing area, as that has a few more rewards, weapons and lore to read, which can end this tale.

There you have it. You now know all about the BG3 arcane tower side plot, including how to activate the arcane tower elevator, get to the arcane tower basement, and how to deal with Bernard.

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