If you have ventured beyond the Last Light Inn in the Shadow Cursed Lands of Baldur’s Gate 3, then you might have stumbled across a location called the Mausoleum. The Mausoleum is home to an enemy of Raphael, some artwork depicting Ketheric Thorm’s life, and a secret underground world, home to the Gauntlet of Shar.
Having Shadowheart in your party will provide plenty of background for the Gauntlet of Shar, but in short, it’s a testing ground for Shar followers to prove their worth and become Dark Justiciars. This has always been Shadowheart’s dream, and if you have her in your party, I absolutely recommend attempting the gauntlet. Even if you don’t have Shadowheart, though, you might need to go through the Gauntlet of Shar to appease Balthazar and learn more about Ketheric Thorm’s secret relic.
Gauntlet of Shar location in Baldur’s Gate 3
First and foremost, you can find the Gauntlet of Shar after solving a button puzzle on the top floor of the Mausoleum. You need to hit the three buttons under the paintings of Ketheric Thorm to open up a secret door. Here is the proper order:
- Press the button to the left of the doorway facing the large image of Thorm.
- Press the button on the right
- Finally the one under the lone image on the far wall.
This will make the large portrait open up and allow you to access a new room that houses a Traversal Gem. Press the gem and you will be taken to a new location. This new area has a giant statue of Shar in the middle of a room surrounded by a purple force wall. You can go straight past this statue and through the circular wall with blue, runic text on it. This leads to a room with some skeletons that will speak to you, but the conversation is cut short due to oncoming enemies. Defeat them and enter the room with Balthazar.
Balthazar will ask you to open the door to the Inner Sanctum of Shar, which houses a relic very important to his master, Ketheric Thorm. You can persuade Balthazar to give you a bell that allows you to command his giant brother, Flesh. After the conversation ends, you can back out and go straight across the room and down some stairs.
Eventually, this will lead you to the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint and a pedestal that has a giant statue of Shar in the background. But the pedestal requires a missing Umbral Gem located in the lair of the Orthon, the enemy Raphael wants you to kill. To find this gem, follow these steps:
- Go down the stairs on the other side of the pedestal to find the Orthon. There should be a Displacer Beast staring at you at the end of a staircase.
- Follow the creature to Orthon’s room
- Kill everyone inside and take the Umbral gem that is sitting next to the Displacer Beast. This fight is very difficult, so make sure to prep accordingly. Save right before entering the room where the Displacer Beast went.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to make healing potions in BG3
After you win the fight, pick up the Umbral Gem, which is a purple, glowing ball, and bring it back to the pedestal. Insert it into the box that pops up, and you will be able to use the Traversal Gem that’s just past the pedestal.
From here, you will be able to access several rooms, and three of them are Gauntlet of Shar trials. One is called the Soft-Step Trial, another is the Same-Step Trial, and the last is the Faith-Leap Trial. The first two of these are located on the same floor as you are on when you get off the Traversal Gem platform, and the Faith-Leap Trial is located one floor below.
Completing the Gauntlet of Shar Trials in BG3
The three trials will require you to make a blood sacrifice to Shar. If you are playing with Shadowheart, she will have to use the Spear of Night weapon, found in the Library in the Gauntlet of Shar, behind a large portrait of Shar that is actually an illusory wall. This is located directly next to the Faith-Leap Trial, one floor below the main level.
After making a blood sacrifice at each of the trials, you will be able to enter the room and begin your task. We will detail all three below.
Soft-Step Trial
This trial requires you to avoid two ghosts by hiding and ultimately reaching the back room of a maze. I found that only using one character was best for this, as it means you are harder to spot. I also suggest using your best stealth character, which could be Astarion or another Rogue.
The main strategy is just to learn the patterns of the ghosts and find the easiest way through the maze. Avoid the traps, hide when needed, and you should be all set. Take the Umbral Gem from the back room and transport it back to the start to begin the next trial.
Same-Step Trial
In the next room over, you will find the Same-Step Trial. You’ll want all members of your party for this trial as you’ll need to defeat mirror images of your entire party to complete it. There’s no real strategy here, just fight as you normally would and then take the Umbral Gem atop the lookout platform.
Faith-Leap Trial
This is located one floor below you and isn’t too difficult if you know what to do. For this trial, you need to walk on translucent black tiles to reach the end of the room. If you fall off the tiles, you will immediately die. So, I suggest only doing this with one character and then if you mess up, have another character come revive you. Here are the proper steps for this trial:
- You want to take the right side path and just follow it along the entire way to the end. I recommend holding your walk button and maneuvering it along the tiles in the exact same way you want your character to walk.
- Reach the end of the trial and take the gem to finish the Gauntlet of Shar Trials.
From here, you can take your three Umbral Gems and take the Traversal Gem platform down another level to reach the Inner Sanctum. Insert the three gems into another pedestal to open up the way.
