Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of tricky puzzles that you can solve to get some of the best-hidden treasures in the game. Balthazar’s room bookcase puzzle is one of them, and this is one of the craftiest challenges you’ll come across. Inside this room, you’ll find items revealing more about the necromancer and Ketheric’s plans. Here’s how to solve Balthazar’s room bookcase puzzle in BG3.
Where to find Balthazar’s Room Bookcase Puzzle in BG
Balthazar’s bookcase is hidden in the necromancer’s room (X: -145, Y: -168) on the first floor of Moonrise Towers in Baldur’s Gate 3. To gain access to this room, you’ll need to visit Moonrise Towers and interact with Disciple Z’rell. Keep in mind that Moonrise Towers is where Ketheric Thorm resides, and this area is heavily related to the main story.
I recommend visiting Moonrise Towers after defeating Gerringothe, Thisobald, and Malus Thorm in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Once inside, a cutscene ensues where Disciple Z’rell and Ketheric Thorm are deciding the fates of a few goblins. Do not speak up until Ketheric asks you about what to do with the goblins. When that happens, select the dialogue choice to eliminate the goblins.
Disciple Z’rell asks you to dispatch the goblins, and it’s best to follow this command, as the NPC will search your mind for proof later on. Z’rell informs you about Balthazar’s mission to retrieve an artifact from the Gauntlet of Shar. She asks you to join and aid the necromancer, but before this, Z’rell instructs you to collect a functioning Moonlantern from Balthazar’s room. She hands over Balthazar’s room key, which you can use to access the necromancer’s abode.
How to get inside Balthazar’s room in BG
Use the key given by Disciple Z’rell to enter Balthazar’s room. This area is filled with traps, and it’s best to get inside alone without your party members. Once inside, you need to find a few specific items to disarm the traps and solve the bookcase puzzle. Inside the room, you’ll find Balthazar’s Moonlantern which can be used to traverse across the Shadow-Cursed Lands without getting harmed.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to free the Tieflings in Moonrise Tower in BG3
Balthazar’s Bookcase Puzzle solution in BG3
Balthazar bookcase Puzzle (X: -145, Y: -163) is located on the southern wall of the room. After entering the room, hold down the Alt button to reveal all the items in the vicinity. You’ll notice a book called ‘Attention Acolytes‘ kept on a table close to the entrance point. Check the yellow arrow on the image above to see its exact location.
Pick up the book and read it, as this contains clues for solving the bookcase puzzle. Read the last paragraph twice as it says, “The Absolute’s purpose is better served by a beating heart than a poisoned mind.” This clue indicates that you need a heart to solve the puzzle in this room.
Next, pick up the heart kept on the table in front of the Moonlantern. Check the yellow arrow on the image above to see its precise location. With the heart in your inventory, move to the bookcase and interact with the top set of protruding books on the right-hand side near the metal Altar.
This activates the Altar near the bookcase. Now, all you need to do is select the Altar, equip the heart from your inventory, and insert it inside. This automatically unlocks the bookcase door solving the puzzle in Balthazar’s room.
Balthazar room bookcase puzzle rewards
Inside the hidden room, you’ll find an Opulent Chest that has an elixir and a mage hat. Besides these items, several pieces of notes contain key information. I’d suggest reading them all as it reveals more about the Nightsong and Ketheric Thorm’s plans with her.
Check the other side of the room to find several broken Moonlanterns, dead pixie corpses, and a bowl of Mind Flayer parasites. Balthazar has been experimenting with these parasites to understand the Illithids. Collect all the items, books, and notes from this hidden room before exiting the area.
