The Tharchiate Codex is a Legendary item in Baldur’s Gate 3 that shows up in Act Three. It is the only way to truly unlock the full potential of the Necromancy of Thay. This quick guide will get you through the Sorcerous Vault and to the Tharchiate Codex.
What is the Tharchiate Codex in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Tharchiate Codex in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a Legendary book that is the only way players will unlock the full secrets of the Necromancy of Thay.
Reading the Tharchiate Codex will curse you, so make sure you are ready to cleanse the curse with Remove Curse or Greater Restoration.
Reading the Tharchiate Codex Effects in Baldur’s Gate 3
| Curse: Tharchiate Withering | Constitution is lowered by five points |
| Tharchiate Codex: Blessing | A passive feature that grants Tharchiate Vigor (Gives 20 temporary HP after a Long Rest) |
If you re-read the Necromancy of Thay then pass the DC 20 Wisdom throw, you will gain the permanent ability, Danse Macabre and will be able to summon four ghouls once per short rest.
Where to find the Tharchiate Codex in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Tharchiate Codex can be found in the maze inside of the Sorcerous Vault in the Sorcerous Sundries. Your first puzzle will be to find a way into the vault itself, and the second will be navigating the maze by passing through doors in the following order:
- Silverhand
- Evocation
- Wish
In order to get into the vault, you’ll need to go to the second floor of the Sorcerous Sundries and sneak into an office that is locked on the left side of the balcony. Once inside the office, there will be a Clasped Book that you can interact with on the bookshelf to the right side of the room. Interact with the book to open up a portal to the vault.
Once inside, there will be some traps and rooms with a lot of doors that can be disorienting. You need to go through doors in a very specific order to get to the codex, so to simplify the process, I’ll just give you bullet points for each door that you need to enter in the appropriate order:
- Silverhand
- Evocation
- Wish
Once inside the Wish room, there will be a lever. This lever will open up the Illusion door from the first room you were in. Pull the lever and head back to where you came from. The Codex will be sitting on a mantle at the end of the Illusion room, and it’ll be yours for the taking.
How to use the Tharchiate Codex in Baldur’s Gate 3
For starters, interacting with the codex will be inflicted with the Tharchiate Withering curse. This curse will lower a character’s Constitution by five points and, as a result, said character will have their health largely reduced.
The curse only affects the reader of the Tharchiate, and it can easily be cured with Remove Curse.
To unlock the Necromancy of Thay’s potential and earn the Danse Macabre spell, you’ll need to first read the codex and then use the Necromancy of Thay. In order to learn the spell, you will need to pass a Wisdom saving throw that requires a 20 or higher.
Danse Macabre spell in Baldur’s Gate 3
Once you’ve passed the saving throw, you’ll have the Danse Macabre spell. With this Necromancy spell, you’ll be able to create four ghouls that fight alongside you. An extra pair of hands, or four, is always useful in Baldur’s Gate 3 combat, and the ghouls summoned by the Danse Macabre are especially useful.
For starters, the ghouls last until the next time you take a Long Rest, or they’re defeated in combat. That means that if they’re not vanquished, they can stick around for quite a while. Additionally, each ghoul has a chance to paralyze their targets on hit. Not too shabby!
As an added bonus, the Danse Macabre costs Action and doesn’t take up a spell slot. It is useful for those who want a small crew of ghouls without sacrificing their existing spell setup.
