The Hidden Vault is an area in Baldur’s Gate 3 within Act One that is tucked away within the Enclave Library in Druid’s Grove. To get into the area, you have to obtain the Rune of the Wolf in order to complete the Enclave Library Puzzle.
Here’s how to enter the Hidden Vault in Druid’s Grove in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to enter the Hidden Vault in BG3
To enter the Hidden Vault, you must get the Rune of the Wolf. There are three ways to get the Rune of the Wolf.
- You can pickpocket the Rune of the Wolf off of Rath who is located in the Druid Chambers hideaway within the Grove.
- You can kill the Druid, Rath and loot the Rune of the Wolf off of his body.
- You can earn the rune by speaking with the Druid, Rath after completing Save the First Druid (Halsin).
Below are the three ways explained in detail, on how to steal the Rune of the Wolf off of Rath and get into the Hidden Vault. Read on to learn.
Stealing the Rune of the Wolf, or the “I hate Druids” way
Pickpocket Rath in the Emerald Grove for the Rune of the Wolf. Then, interact with the rune slot in the missing slot in the Enclave Library, select the Rune of the Wolf, and press confirm to open the secret staircase to the Hidden Vault.
To do so successfully and safely, here are some important tips:
- Pickpocket Rath using a character with high Stealth and high Sleight of Hand.
- Ungroup your character from the rest of the team. Keep them away from the crime scene.
- Go behind the broken stone wall southeast of the Emerald Grove and hide to see the Druid’s vision cones. Anything that is red is not safe.
- Once you see the path to Rath has no red areas, enable turn-based combat. This will give you time to walk to him without other druids turning around to spot you.
- Save the game right before pickpocketing him
To Pickpocket Rath, in my case, I used Lae’Zel and Disguise Self on her from Shadowheart to help.
Once you’re right behind Rath, interact with him to open the Pickpocketing menu. Choose the Rune of the Wolf and wait for the check. If you fail, reload the previous save point and redo this part until you succeed.
When you steal, pass your turn and you should still be safe until it’s your character’s turn again. Walk south, upstairs toward the stone door, and leave the Emerald Grove with the character holding the Rune of the Wolf.
Your characters that stayed inside will be questioned by Rath, but he will be easily convinced they didn’t do it.
When you return inside with your robber, Rath will have forgotten the crime and you can just walk past him toward the Enclave Library to open the Hidden Vault.
Looting the Rune of the Wolf, or the “I really hate Druids” way
Attack and kill Rath to loot the Rune of the Wolf from his body. This will trigger a fight with everyone in the Emerald Grove, including Kagha, which will force you to kill them all as well. As a consequence, you will also be forced to kill all other Druids in The Hollow once you leave, and they will have already killed many Tieflings.
Going down this route is only recommended if you really want to pick a massive fight with the Druids and follow your story by being enemies with them. Otherwise, you will miss a big part of the lore development that includes Kagha and Halsin.
Earning the Rune of the Wolf, or the “I love Druids” way
Speak with Rath after returning to the Druid Grove with Halsin at the end of the Rescue the Druid Halsin quest, and Rath will give you the Rune of the Wolf so you can open the Hidden Vault and grab your spoils.
In this case, you have to fight the goblins at the Goblin camp and kill their leaders to free Halsin and take him back to the Druid’s Grove. It’s important that you have not done anything too serious to the Druids until that point, like killing Kagha, otherwise, you’re better off just stealing the rune from Rath.
All items in the Hidden Vault
Here’s the full list of items you will find inside the Hidden Grove in Druid’s Grove:
| Item | Effect |
| Sorrow | A two-handed rare Glaive that deals 1d10+1 slashing damage that comes with Extra Reach and the Sorrowful Lash transmutation cantrip. |
| Robe of Summer | An uncommon light armor with 10 Armor Class that grants resistance to Cold damage. |
| Elixir of Poison Resistance | Gain poison damage resistance until the next long rest. |
| Basic Poison | Coat an active weapon with poison infliction on a successful attack for the next 10 turns. |
| Wyvern Toxin | Coat your weapon to give it special properties for 10 turns or throw as a grenade and inflict the area with effects. |
| Antidote | Neutralizes the effects of all poisons. |
| Potion of Animal Speaking | Gain the ability to speak to animals and beasts until a long rest. |
| Potion of Greater Healing | A potion that restores 4d4+4 hit points and removes burning. |
| Scroll of Hold Person | Paralyzes a humanoid creature. |
| Scroll of Animal Friendship | Charm a beast and convince it that you mean no harm to it. |
| Jade | A common gemstone that can be sold for 45 gold. |
| Books | Readable items. |
Sorrow is a very strong Glaive for your melee-based characters that have proficiency with this weapon type. The transmutation cantrip Sorrowful Lash lets you deal 1d4+1 piercing damage for a Bonus Action from nine meters away. It pulls the target three meters closer to you, making it perfect to close the gap between you and the enemy when you need it.
Is entering the Hidden Vault early worth it?
Entering the Hidden Vault early is worth it if you pickpocket Rath and aren’t caught. It will let you have the best of both worlds: you get the items early while keeping the Druid’s questline active. I recommend not speaking with Rath again after you bring Halsin back to Druid’s Grove, just to be safe.
The Sorrow has high damage, and its cantrip helps you be more aggressive in fights and control part of your enemy’s movement. It will be very useful in most upcoming fights you have, even if you’re fighting Goblins soon.
Published: Jan 4, 2024 09:22 pm