In BG3, the Ornate Mirror is a Magic Mirror found in a hidden room in the Apothecary’s Cellar in the Blighted Village.
The mirror asks you five questions, which you must answer correctly to gain access to another room with plenty of loot, including The Necromancy of Thay.
How to find the Ornate Mirror in BG3
The ornate mirror is located in the basement of the abandoned apothecary in the Blighted Village. You can enter the building through the double doors just beside the Blighted Village waypoint, then go behind the counter to find the hatch leading down.
You’ll find yourself in the Apothecary’s Cellar with various abandoned items scattered about. While you can loot around for some alchemy ingredients and a couple of healing potions, your main target is the caged bookcase at the back of the room. Walking past the stack of crates in the corner should trigger a perception check that reveals a hidden lever. If all your party members fail the check, simply move the crates out of the way and interact with the lever normally.
Once activated, the bookcase moves to reveal a hidden passage through a cave containing some caskets. You can walk right past all of them to get to the Ornate Mirror right away, but there are a few optional things you can do to make the mirror conversation easier or more interesting:
- Open the Moldering Casket immediately to your right upon entering the main cavern. Inside is a Scroll of Summon Quasit, which you can use to summon a quasit that belonged to the cellar’s previous owner and ask more questions about the cellar.
- Surround the casket directly in the center of the cavern, then attack it to trigger a fight with an undead guardian. It will attempt to rush to the other caskets; kill it using your first turn and attacks of opportunity before it can reach any of its comrades.
- Loot the casket directly behind the desk and the large pillar it’s set up against to find and read the Dark Journal.
The first casket you interact with—other than the one containing the quasit scroll—will always spawn an undead guardian. Attacking the casket first starts the fight normally, while trying to loot it like a container gives the guardian a surprise round.
You want to deal with all this with the second optional step because you technically only have to kill one guardian. Once the battle encounter is over, all other unopened caskets won’t spawn enemies, and you can loot them normally.
However, depending on your level or party makeup, killing the guardians within one to two turns may not be possible, and you might find yourself faced with up to seven undead enemies mobbing you at once. If you’d rather skip the fighting altogether, you can avoid all combat in this room by leaving the caskets alone and answering all of the enchanted mirror’s questions correctly on the first try.
All possible solutions to the apothecary’s magic Ornate Mirror in BG3
Any wrong answer results in a fiery sphere emerging from the mirror to blast the party with explosions. It also wanders through the cavern to blast open the caskets, resulting in a fight if you haven’t dealt with them already. You can save beforehand to account for mistakes or simply wait for the orb to return to the mirror to start the quiz over.
The quick answers for a custom Tav or Dark Urge without checks are:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Speak your name | Tell it your name. |
| Step forward and declare yourself an ally | Yes, an ally! I’m an ally of your master’s. |
| What think you of the zulkir known as Szaas Tam? | Szass Tam is a foul, wretched creature. |
| Tell me, why might one use balsam ointment? | To clean a wound? |
| If you could see anything in me, what would it be? | I’d look for whatever spell will rid me of this worm in my head. |
And here’s a detailed breakdown:
“Speak your n-ame.”
| Result | Answers |
|---|---|
| Proceeds to the next question | – “Tell it your name.” – Fake name based on player race. – “Repeat the name from the book you read: ‘Ilyn Toth’.” |
| Loops back | – “Examine your appearance.” – “[BARD] I know how this goes. ‘Magic mirror, tell me true…’” – (Sorcerer, Wizard, or Warlock DC 10 Arcana check) “Try and sense the magic tamed within the mirror.” |
| Failure, unleashes orb | (After picking Bard option to loop) “…’Magic mirror, tell me true, show my fortune, known by few.’” |
“If you are known to my mas-ter, step forward and de-clare yourself an ally.”
| Result | Answers |
|---|---|
| Proceeds to the next question | – “Yes, I’m an ally! I’m an ally of your master’s.” – “I don’t have time for games. Let me pass.” |
| Bypasses conversation | – “[INTIMIDATION] Open or I’ll smash you to pieces – bad luck be damned.” (DC 15) – “[BARBARIAN] [STRENGTH] Pick up a rock and smash the mirror.” (DC 15) |
| Failure, unleashes orb | Bypass check failures. |
| Ends interaction peacefully | “Step back and say nothing.” |
“What th-ink you of the zulkir know as Szass Tam?”
| Result | Answers |
|---|---|
| Proceeds to the next question | Any answer insulting Szass Tam. |
| Bypasses conversation | – “[INTIMIDATION] I think seven years’ bad luck sounds like a fair trade for smashing you.” (DC 15) – “[BARBARIAN] [STRENGTH] Pick up a rock and smash the mirror.” (DC 15) |
| Failure, unleashes orb | – Any answer praising Szass Tam. – “[WIZARD] Actually, Szass Tam isn’t a zulkir – he rules as High Regent now.” – Bypass check failures. |
“T-tell me, why might one use balsam ointment?”
| Result | Answers |
|---|---|
| Proceeds to the next question | Any answer about cleaning or disinfecting wounds. |
| Failure, unleashes orb | – “I spoke to the quasit. It told me it’s good for burns.” – “It treats burns?” – “To clear a rash?” |
“…if you could see an-ything in me, what w-ould it be?”
| Result | Answers |
|---|---|
| Success, unlocks laboratory | – “I’d look for whatever spell will rid me of this worm in my head.” – Bard and Sorcerer options to free the mirror. – “[ASTARION] I’d see how to safely keep the powers this mind flayer’s worm has given me.” – “[GALE] I’d see myself in my next incarnation: a living manifestation of Netherese magic. A mythal in my own right.” – “[KARLACH] I’d see myself whole again. My heart beating away in my chest. And Zariel’s head on a pike for good measure.” – “[LAE’ZEL] I’d see myself as a kith’rak: ghaik head in one hand, silver sword in the other.” – “[SHADOWHEART] I’d see myself as Shar’s Chosen, with all her power at my disposal.” – “[WYLL] I’d see Mizora, cowering before me and begging my mercy.” |
| Failure, unleashes orb | Any other answers than the ones listed above. |
After you answer all the questions correctly, the mirror swings open, revealing another hidden room. This room contains all sorts of useful ingredients that you can use to make potions or trade. It has traps, though, so keep your wits about you.
Once you’ve looted everything, pull the lever on the right-hand side of the room to open the exit.
It’s not the only thing to do in Blighted Village. While you’re there, stop the windmill and rescue the Gnome.
Published: Oct 30, 2024 05:30 am