The Rescuing the Grand Duke questline in BG3 tasks the player to rescue the Grand Duke, also known as Wyll’s father, who has been taken captive and eventually ends up trapped in the Iron Throne with Gondians.
This questline also ties to Wyll, one of the main companions in BG3, therefore, you will have to be even more careful with how you handle it.
Rescuing Grand Duke Ravengard: Act one
The quest to rescue Grand Duke Ravengard starts in Act One. After you resolve the issues between the Druids and the Goblins, regardless of the choices you make, you will end up at Waukeen’s Rest to the north where you run into warriors of the Flaming Fist. This is where the quest originally starts.
You will meet the Flaming Fist warriors here and they will ask you to help them break into the burning building to save their Grand Duke. Break into the building and search the area for survivors, including Benryn and Counsellor Florick.
We recommend going into turn-based mode for this so that you can take your time and plan the best route to get the survivors out of the burning building.
Barbarians, like Karlach, or any player with high Strength is also recommended here to break down doors within the building. Spells like Fly, Misty Step, and Haste will aid you through the building as well.
Once you get them out, they will thank you and Counsellor Florick will tell you that the Grand Duke isn’t at Waukeen’s Rest anymore.
After talking to Counselor Florrick, you will learn that the Grand Duke was taken to the Moonrise Towers in the Shadow-cursed Lands. This is just the start of the quest and you have to decide this point on.
After choosing either the Mountain Pass or the Underdark as your path to get to the Shadow-cursed Lands, we continue the quest into Act Two.
Rescuing Grand Duke Ravengard: Act Two in BG3
After going through either the Mountain Pass or the Underdark, you will eventually end up in the Shadow-cursed Lands.
Navigating this area can be difficult because of the Shadow curse that permeates the area, so keep a light source active at all times. Defeating Kar’niss and his gang here will make navigating a lot easier with his Moon Lantern.
You can also get the effect Pixie Blessing by saving the Pixie within the Moon Lantern which will also suffice as a shield against the curse.
Eventually, you will find the Last Light Inn and a safe haven from the Shadow curse. Rest up here and prepare for your assault on the Moonrise Towers. You will soon learn by talking to one of the guards of Moonrise Towers that the Grand Duke is being taken to Baldur’s Gate so you have very little time to save him.
We recommend infiltrating the place first by posing as a follower of the Absolute to gain an audience with Ketheric Thorm.
After you finish the Nightsong quest and come back to assault the Moonrise Towers with your allies, you will encounter Ketheric Thorm in battle. Defeating him here progresses the story and tells us that the Grand Duke is captured by Gortash and Orin. Following the defeat of Ketheric Thorm, Grand Duke Ravengard is then taken to Baldur’s Gate, so the quest continues into act three.
Rescuing Grand Duke Ravengard: Act three
The final part of the quest continues when you get to Baldur’s Gate in Act Three and progress the questline till you get to Gortash. When the time comes to discuss with the man himself, Gortash will invite you to his coronation ceremony where he is anointed by Grand Duke Ravengard himself. After this, the Grand Duke seems incoherent and unable to understand that he is a captive.
There is no direct way to free him now so go back to camp to converse with your allies. Since you’ve reached this point in the game, you know that Wyll is the Grand Duke’s son and is desperately looking for a way to save him. At the same time, he wants to break his pact with the demon Mizora, so he has to choose this point.
Wyll can choose to serve Mizora forever and keep the pact active to save his father. If you break the pact with Mizora, it will lead to the eventual death of Grand Duke Ravengard. The death, however, doesn’t occur as quickly as Mizora might suggest and you have some time to get to him. Thus begins the final part of the quest and saving the Grand Duke from the Iron Throne.
Saving the Grand Duke from the Iron Throne
Head for the southwestern section of the Lower City area in Baldur’s Gate. You will meet up with Redhammer the Deviser. After telling him of your plight, he will take you to the underwater prison called the Iron Throne in his submersible.
Once you get here, freeing the Grand Duke and getting him out of there is quite challenging because you have to do so within eight turns.
Grand Duke Ravengard is located in the eastern wing of the prison. You will be periodically attacked by enemies so keep your party ready to defend. so use your fastest mobility spells to get there and free him.
Use Fly and Misty Step if you have them and try to get to his prison chamber within the first couple of turns and unlock the gate.
Now it is only a matter of getting the Grand Duke out. If you choose to accept Mizora’s help, she will buff the Grand Duke with Freedom of Movement and Haste to get him out quickly. If not, party members like Shadowheart or a Cleric should be able to buff him with the same effects. Once you successfully escape, Grand Duke Ravengard will be back at your camp.
Following this, the Grand Duke will become an ally in your final battle so it’s always a good idea to attempt his rescue because you will need all the help you can get.
