Saving the Gondians in Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3 is important because it adds to your list of potential allies in the final battle against the Elder Brain.
To save the Gondians, you need to go to the Iron Throne. Freeing the captives is worth it in the long run since you can also gain another ally here in your war against the Mind Flayers.
How to start the Save the Gondians quest in Baldur’s Gate 3
As is with most quests in Baldur’s Gate 3, there are a few ways to start the Save the Gondians quest. The most straightforward one would be talking to Zanner Toobin, a Gondian captive working in the Steel Watch Foundry.
Since the Steel Watch Foundry is under high surveillance, getting inside it can be tricky
- If you have access to Fly, you can get into the Steel Watch Foundry from a skylight on the roof of the building.
- Another method would be to use a form of Invisibility and lockpick the gate, then walk through the doors to get into the main building.
You are going to want to make sure your party is ungrouped when using these methods so that you are not caught by other NPCs around the area.
Now that you’re inside, kill the Steel Watcher Guards at the entrance to avoid further hassle:
- Go to the back of the building to meet Zanner.
- Tell him of your plan to destroy the Steel Watch Foundry, and he will instead request you save his brethren first.
- If you go against his wishes and blow up the factory, the Gondians will die in prison, so be careful with the choices you make if you want them as allies.
If the guards drop the Motivator, deactivate it quickly or it will detonate all of the workers’ collars around their necks.
Now that the quest has begun, you will need to know how to get the Gondians out of their prison.
Getting to the Gondians in the Iron Throne
Next, Toobin tells you that the Gondians are held captive in the Iron Throne. You will have to find an alternate route to get to the Iron Throne, which is where Redhammer the Deviser comes in.
Talk to Redhammer in the basement of Flymm’s Cargo. Flymm’s Cargo is the only way to reach the Iron Throne. You can find the Hatch to Flymm Cargo at X-163, Y-143.
Either ask him to help by telling him of the Gondians’ plight or convince him to see reason by blackmailing him about the Waveservants of Umberlee.
After reaching the Iron Throne, you will be contacted by Gortash, who sees this as an act of treason. Brush him off, and he will sink the Iron Throne and everyone in it. This makes the quest time-sensitive because you will have to save as many Gondians as you can within eight turns and make it out of there with your entire party alive.
How to save the Gondians from the Iron Throne
Your goal is to get to the cells and pull the levers before the Iron Throne comes crumbling down from the water pressure. Use party members with high movement speed and clear out the enemies as fast as possible.
- You will have to open the prison cells and clear the enemies along the way to ensure the survival of as many Gondians as possible.
Characters that have access to Fly, Misty Step, Haste, and other high-movement skills are key to succeeding in this one.
The design of the prison is quite straightforward, with the cells present on the west and east wings of the Iron Throne.
- Send two characters to the western wing and two to the eastern wing to split up the work.
- When you get close enough to the eastern wing, you will see the Grand Duke Ravengard. As an added incentive, if the Grand Duke isn’t dead in your playthrough, you’ll be able to save him along with the captive Gondians.
- Clear out the enemies and rush to the cells.
- Hit the levers next to the cell doors to open them, and the captives will dash to the submersible.
- Ensure their paths are clear, or the enemies will make short work of them.
The Gondians will run during their turn in the fight, so clear their path and make sure to act quickly, but don’t fret if you lose some along the way. At the time of writing this article, we have yet to find a reliable method to save them all.
(Optional) Saving the Grand Duke from the Iron Throne
Your goal here is to save as many Gondians as possible since, most likely, you won’t be able to save them all in time. However, keeping Grand Duke Ravengard alive will also benefit you since his survival will tie into another quest and give you an ally down the line. Once you free him from his cell, make sure to heal him up quickly since he will be at death’s door.
This becomes more apparent when Mizora shows up. She will command the Grand Duke to kneel despite his subservience. If Wyll has broken free of his contract with Mizora, she will try to kill him with combustible spiders.
Make sure he can tank the damage by healing him up before he gets out of his cell or destroy the spiders quickly, then have him dash to the submersible.
After Saving the Gondians
Upon disembarking the submersible, depending on your dealings with the Waveservants of Umberlee, you will be confronted by them. If you hand over Redhammer to them, they will go peacefully. If you choose not to hand over Redhammer, there will be another battle on your hands.
Regardless of the way the situation is resolved, Zanner Toobin and his Gondians will now help you with taking down the Steel Watch Foundry as thanks for your help. If you saved the Grand Duke as well, he will join you back in camp and pledge his service to you in the final battle against the Elder Brain.
If you make all the right decisions, you will have gained powerful allies.
