Baldur’s Gate 3: How to solve the Silent Library puzzle in BG3

The Gauntlet of Shar location in Baldur’s Gate 3 is complex and tricky to navigate, and few puzzles are more confusing than the one in the Silent Library. 

This area is easy to miss but essential to visit if you want to finish Shadowheart’s questline. If that’s not important to you, solving the puzzle still yields decent rewards. Below, find out exactly how to solve the Silent Library puzzle in BG3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Riddle of the Night: How to silence the Nightsong

The Silent Library is one door down from the Faith-Leap Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar. 

Defeat the enemies, including the glowing purple portal in the middle of the room, to move on with the puzzle. I recommend dealing with the purple portal first, as it can spawn enemies for you to defeat.

How to defeat enemies in the Silent Library

The first thing to look out for in the Silent Library isn’t the enemies but the traps. Make sure to avoid those while taking out the actual enemies. Since your opponents aren’t very perceptive, you can benefit from stealth.

The best way to do it is to focus on The Librarian first. This approach benefits you because The Librarian, an Umbral Tremor, can complicate the battle further if left alive for too long. It spawns enemies and produces the Silence Aura, a damping field that renders your spellcasters completely ineffective.

When you bring The Librarian down, you can dispose of the other Dark Justiciars without issues. 

Solving the “What can kill the Nightsong?” puzzle

Once the enemies are done and dusted, head west in the library and unlock a giant gate that guards a smaller chamber. This chamber has a massive portrait of Lady Shar on the back wall and a pedestal in the middle. By interacting with the pedestal, you hear the riddle, “What can silence a Nightsong?” and need to insert an item that answers that question.

The item you are looking for is a book called Teachings of Loss: The Nightsinger. This book is on the north wall of the library, as seen in the screenshot below. Pick up the book after disarming the traps on the bookshelves and bring it back to the pedestal to insert it into the box that appears on your screen.

This turns the portrait of Lady Shar into an illusionary wall, allowing you to go behind it and pick up the Spear of Night and a Dark Justiciar helmet. The spear has vital significance to Shadowheart, but any character can wield it. The sword plays a role in the upcoming quests with the Nightsong, so make sure to have it in your inventory at the least.

• Spear of Night
  • 3-10 Damage
  • +1 Weapon Enchantment
  • Shar’s Blessing: “If Shar allows it, use this spear to kill Nightsong.”
• Dark Justiciar Helmet
  • +1 to Constitution Saving Throws
  • Medium Armor
  • Magical Durability: “The wielder has a +2 bonus to Saving Throws against spells.”