The Arcane Tower BG3 Walkthrough and Tips

What Is So Special About the Arcane Tower BG3 Location? 

In the critically acclaimed Larian’s game Baldur’s Gate 3 or BG3, the Arcane Tower is a very interesting and challenging place to explore. However, its exploration delivers a lot of fun and precious loot for adventurers who are brave enough to enter this monumental building. That is why we decided to share some tips and useful recommendations for the Arcane Tower BG3 walkthrough. 

The tower captivates you from the minute you enter with its elaborate architecture and enchanted atmosphere, and its several levels each have their mysteries and difficulties.

The Arcane Tower’s unique combination of puzzle-solving and environmental narrative is one of its most remarkable features. Every floor has a unique set of challenges, such as hostile structures and enigma traps, that call for a combination of fighting skill and cerebral activity.

In addition, the Arcane Tower offers a wealth of legend and mythology that sheds light on Baldur’s Gate 3’s larger plot. The rich images and moody sound design add to the story’s depth and make for an engrossing viewing experience.

How to Get Into the Arcane Tower BG3 Location?

If you want to find this tower, go to the southwest part of the Underdark region. But at first, you must deal with strong arcane turrets guarding it. We strongly recommend checking the following map to prevent missing it by accident.

The Arcane Tower in BG3 rewards brave gamers with the Staff of Arcane Blessing and the bottomless Chest of Mundane. The chest is actually a bottomless bag that can hold many things. Also, if you wear the Guiding Light ring it will help you find more treasures in the Arcane Tower basement of BG3 which has extra items too.

How to get to the Arcane Tower in BG3 – use two main methods:

• The first is by applying the fairy ring found in Auntie Ethel’s basement. This action will transport you straight to the tower;
• The second way involves leaping over a little gap located at the southeast of Duergar fishing village;

The first thing you will notice is the big entrance protected by 2 Arcane Cannons – two outside and two inside. They will harm you from time to time when they can see you. To avoid these murderous BG3 Arcane Tower turrets, use the Warlock abilities’ cast Eldritch Blast or go stealth thanks to the Invisibility spell to sneak through the building without being noticed by turrets.

This guide may seem complicated but it is a common thing for open-world RPG titles. Read our guide dedicated to the Leyndell Catacombs in Elden Ring to understand what we mean. 

How to Activate the Arcane Tower BG3 Building? 

When you see the Arcane Turrets, it might make you feel powerless. But there is a solution coming. Use the radiant Sussur Blooms to stop their magic from working. Find them at the Sussur Tree behind the tower.

With 3 Sussur Blooms at hand, return quickly to the Tower. Get ready for a daring run past the Turrets’ eyes.

After you pass through the first Turret, there is a secret place – you can find the Skybreaker hammer with Searing Smite power and a few other useful things.

At the beginning of your journey in the tower, you will appear on the fourth floor. Your main task is to activate the BG3 Arcane Tower elevator to move around the building on a freeway.

You can also enter the tower from its lowest level through the back door. You may pick the lock, use the alternate spells, or forcefully break it open.

Check this Reddit thread to understand how the Arcane Tower works.

How to Use Elevator in Arcane Tower of BG3?

To get to all the levels of this tower, you should activate the Arcane Tower BG3 elevator. To be able to do this, you need to go through such steps:

• You should have at least one Sussur Bloom. These blooms are located on a tree that grows behind the tower;
• Locate the BG3 Arcane Tower’s power generator on the bottom floor of the tower. To activate the generator you should put Sussur Bloom in an empty slot of the generator. This action will bring back electricity for the tower and turn on the elevator;
• Once the generator starts working, you can use the elevator to move on various levels of the tower;

Now that the elevator is working, you can move around and investigate different levels of the tower.

How to Interact In BG3 with Arcane Tower Bernard Character? 

After activating the Arcane Tower elevator in BG3 with Sussur Bloom, you can stop the turrets and get into the higher levels. At some point, you will meet the NPC named Bernard. He is the guardian of this mysterious tower. You may try to answer his riddles to get very good loot.

Here is the guide on how to interact with Bernard (the story spoilers ahead!):  

1) To Talk To Him Read the Poetry Books Located in the Arcane Tower BG3 building:

• The Roads to Darkness (the developers hid it on the 3rd floor’s bedroom). Say “Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?” to initiate the dialogue with Bernard;
• Threadbare Book (hidden on the 1st floor’s greenhouse). Say “How can I trust? How will I ever know?” to make Bernard reward you with the precious Guiding Light ring;
• Patched Parchment (the table next to this NPC on the 4th floor). Say “These empty sheets are all that’s left of you”. To receive a Potion of Greater Healing from Bernard;
• Evil’s Ascent (look for it near the 2nd floor’s entrance). Say “There is a light in every living thing”. This will cause Bernard and the Animated Armors to attack;
• Torn-Out Paper (find this parchment on the 3rd floor’s bedroom). Say “The silence stretches on – I’m all alone”. Bernard will hug you as if you are the mysterious Lenore;

2) Fight Him Instead Of Talking!

Be aware that he is resistant to slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, fire, lightning, psychic, and poison damage. The effective strategies include pushing him off the tower or using Sussur Blooms to incapacitate him. When you defeat Bernard, you can loot his body to get the Light of Creation, Antique Key, and the Guiding Light ring.

How to Find The Secret BG3 Arcane Tower Basement?

After the interaction with Bernard in one way or another you will get his Guiding Light Ring. Equip it to reveal the hidden button in Arcane Tower of BG3. In such a way, a player will be able to walk to the secret basement – after hitting the button, you will descend to the zero level with the valuable loot. The most precious items here are the Staff of Arcane Blessing and De Hurst’s Diary.

Climb up the stairs, and take the Staff of Arcane Blessing – a strong item that vibrates with magical power. Open the Gilded Chest and discover its hidden wealth:

• De Hurst’s Diary;
• The Sparkswall ring;
• Gold and gemstones;
• Elixirs and scrolls of power;
• Timmask Spores;
• Basilisk Oil;
• Tongue of Madness;

Important notice! You can use another way to get to this basement. Go to the top floor after activating the elevator. Look for the hidden BG3 Arcane Tower lever located close to a bookshelf. When the lever is pulled, a door on the left side of the tower’s original base entrance will open and you will be able to get to the secret basement. You won’t need the Guiding Light Ring to reach it! 

Exploring the Arcane Tower BG3 Secrets – The Chest of the Mundane

The Chest of the Mundane is a hidden treasure tucked inside Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3. From the outside, this chest seems like another trinket but do not judge by its cover.

The Chest of the Mundane can be found on the first-floor balcony of the BG3 Underdark Arcane Tower, at the coordinates of X:37 Y:265. To reach this balcony, you must sneak past magic turrets that guard the tower. At the balcony, click right on the chest and add all its contents to your inventory.

The most astonishing characteristic of the Chest of the Mundane is its ability to transform. Each thing put inside becomes weightless. Just include it in your list and see how heavy things become as light as a feather.

This and other secrets are waiting for you in the Arcane Tower of BG3. We strongly recommend watching this detailed video guide on YouTube. 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Arcane Tower BG3 Puzzles

How to activate the BG3 Arcane Tower button on the third floor?

At some point, you can find the inactive button on the third floor of the tower. You should fulfill a quite mad quest to activate this mysterious Arcane Tower button in BG3. First, leave the tower and go to the coordinates “X: -42, Y: -206” in the Underdark, near Duergar Beach. Find the old gravestone with the inscription “In memory of Myrna, a radiant light in the darkness. May you forever gaze upon the lake where you loved to play”.

Here is what you should do next: 

• Use a shovel to dig up the grave, revealing the skeleton of a large dog with a chunky leather collar;
• Pick up and equip the dog collar as an amulet;
• Return to the Arcane Tower BG3 location and press the button on the third floor while wearing the dog collar. This will dispense a raw steak, the only reward for activating the button;
• The button serves to dispense food to the deceased dog of the homeowner, and wearing the dog collar is the only way to make it work, revealing a small secret in the Arcane Tower;

What are the main puzzles in the Arcane Tower BG3 locations?

• Elevator Puzzle. To start the elevator, you must mix Sussur Bloom with the generator there is on floor one. This action makes arcane turrets stop working and we can go to the upper floors;
• Button Puzzle. The button on the third floor is a food dispenser for a dog that has passed away. To activate it, you must locate the dog collar by digging up a grave at these coordinates. Put on this collar and then press the button once more to release the raw steak;
• Bernard’s Poetry Puzzle. Bernard communicates in verse. To talk with him correctly, find four distinct books that have the lines from “The Roads to Darkness” play. These books are placed in various locations within this tower. Responding with the correct lines allows you to command Bernard and receive the quest rewards;

What happens if you answer Bernard’s questions incorrectly?

He will turn aggressive and fight against you. Also, if the answers are incorrect, it cancels out any rewards or gifts from Bernard during conversation which leads towards fighting for the quest items instead of getting them through dialogue options.