Uncovering Secrets Through Books and Tomes
In a massive RPG like Baldur’s Gate 3, there are so many secrets that one playthrough alone isn’t enough to find them all. However, players with an extra attention to detail can discover some information that’s easy to miss, giving them crucial clues. Those who pursue these little hints can learn more about important characters, locations, or even the solutions to obstacles they’ve been stuck with.
Depending on the composition of your party, it can be hard to track all the various items you collect throughout all three Acts of the story. An easy solution to this is to remember to organize your inventory from time to time using in-game options. With the right inventory management in BG3, you’re less likely to miss clues or hidden puzzle pieces that you need to progress.
Books About Obscure Topics Reveal BG3’s Biggest Secrets
Some Tomes Tell Hidden Truths Long Before Other Cutscenes Do
Wizards rejoice, because the books scattered around BG3 are some of the most important items in the game, as valuable as any sword, armor, or spell scroll. While not every tome is important, some contain huge secrets or quest details that you can learn long before the game tells you in a more direct way.
For example, let’s look at one of the biggest secrets in Act 2 – the true nature of The Absolute. Up until the final confrontation with Ketheric Thorm, you’re led to believe that The Absolute is a diety, a figure whose psionic powers are preventing cultists from turning into Mind Flayers. Ketheric Thorm, a champion of this Cult, is gathering these True Souls to form an army to attack the titular city of Baldur’s Gate.
However, in Ketheric’s bedchamber in Moonrise Towers, you can discover the book called “Elder Brain Domination.” This tome reveals that Ketheric is united with Enver Gortash and Orin the Red to dominate an Elder Brain, the true Absolute. Normally, you wouldn’t learn this until you defeat Ketheric and drive him into the Mind Flayer colony at the end of Act 2, so this can be a massive secret to discover.
Some books are keys to specific questlines, such as the Necromancy of Thay tome that reveals magical secrets, or The Great Furnace of the Grymforge book, which reveals an entirely new location in Act 1.
Similarly, books like “The Mortal View: Eyewitness Accounts of the Bhaalspawn Crisis” can reveal the true nature of a Dark Urge character long before you make it to Act 3. Another book to highlight is the three-part “Orpheus, Prince of the Comet,” a series of tomes that talks about the Githyanki prince before you discover his existence in Act 3’s first confrontation.
Investigating Shelves Might Uncover Villain Motivations, Location Secrets, & More
Leave No Stone Unturned As You Explore
It can be easy to simply loot different areas, taking items randomly without looking into them any further. Yet, if you take the time to read whatever books you come across, you can learn plenty of information beyond just quest or story details.
Some books, like the previously mentioned one about Ketheric’s plans for the Elder Brain, can hint at character motivations. For those you can’t trust right away, such as the false Paladins of Tyr in Act 1, the right book can reveal someone’s true intentions. This will help you avoid being betrayed or tricked as you navigate a complex world full of people with their own motivations.
Books come in many different shapes and sizes, from small Letters to large tomes that contain notes from different characters. Typically, the ones with the most information are Diaries and Notebooks written by important NPCs.
Some books reveal secrets surrounding an individual location, hinting at hidden treasure or areas within spots you visit. This can help characters who tend to roll low on Perception checks, allowing you to not skip places while you explore. A good example of this is the “Research Notes” book that can tell you the location of a rare poison if you pass an Intelligence check.
Anyone who looks into books might also find ways to craft new potion recipes, learn about various gods worshiped in Faerûn, and much more. One of the best pieces of info you can find in some books is the solution to puzzles, or ways to understand traps to know what dangers lie ahead in dungeons you delve into.
Puzzles Aren’t The Only Things That Should Motivate You To Read
Permanent Buffs And Unique Spells Are Also Hidden Between Pages
Even greater secrets are tied to some books alone, with some granting characters special abilities if they read them. For example, the book “The Red Knight’s Final Stratagem” will gift you the Scroll of the Artistry of War when you read it. This spell is a far more powerful version of Magic Missile, dealing tons of Force damage to your enemies.
The Necromancy of Thay is the best-known book to read for permanent buffs, as passing the checks needed to read it gives your character Forbidden Knowledge, boosting any future Wisdom ability checks and saving throws in BG3. Learning more about this book in Act 3 can grant you the Danse Macabre spell too, giving you a way to summon four ghouls to aid your party at any time.
Even if a book doesn’t provide a spell scroll or buff, they tend to sell for a decent price too, making them always valuable in some way. While it is easy to ignore the many, many books that exist in Baldur’s Gate 3, you never know when one will provide crucial information that drives your party’s next actions.
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Larian Studios
- Engine
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Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
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Full cross-platform play.
