The Find the Nightsong quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 is amongst the first side quests you can get at the beginning of the game, and it plays out all the way into Act Three. The ending of the quest will vary depending on your choices, and they can have significant story implications.
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To make it easier, we’ll walk you through the “Find the Nightsong,” which will span across all three Acts. We’ve also laid out the choices you’ll face at the climax of the quest, along with their consequences. Here’s everything you need to know about the “Find the Nightsong” quest in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Find the Nightsong quest in Baldur’s Gate 3
Find the Nightsong is a quest that can be acquired in the first act. and is a long, involved questline that takes you through different areas and characters, so strap in for many hours of gameplay.
The Nightsong is a vital character tied to the end of the story, especially to one particular Elven character in your party.
How to start the Find the Nightsong quest in BG3
The “Find the Nightsong” quest begins in Act One after you talk to either Liam in the Shattered Sanctum or Aradin in the Druid’s Grove after the first goblin raid attempt.
I prefer starting the quest by talking to Aradin because it’s very early in the game, and it means you don’t have to go and search the Shattered Sanctun for another person to talk to.
Tip:
After Aradin fights with Zevlor, you can follow him into the Grove to talk to him. Or you can knock him out during his argument with Zevlor—at least then, you’ll know where he is.
After talking to Aradin (or Liam), he will tell you a wizard in Baldur’s Gate, Lorroakan, will pay a heavy sum to anyone who brings him the Nightsong. From this point on, the quest progresses slowly, interjecting itself within parts of the main storyline, which means you don’t need to go out of your way to continue with this quest.
Act One: Goblin Camp, Defiled Temple, Underdark, and Grymforge
This quest then continues when you head to the Goblin Camp. Along the way, you learn that the Nightsong is being held in the Defiled Ruins, which is the lowest section of the Goblin Camp. Once you defeat Priestess Gut, you can travel deeper into the ruins, where you will run into her bodyguard. Either pacify, convince, or avoid the ogre to gain access to the deepest levels of the area.
Tip:
You can also pickpocket the key from Priestess Gut if you aren’t confident in your combat skills.
If you keep going, you will run into a dead end and a mysterious symbol on the ground, known as the moon disc or stone disc puzzle. To solve the stone disc puzzle, you must rotate the pieces to form the correct pattern, thus solving the puzzle. There are clues in Priestess Gut’s room, but to make it easier, follow the pattern below to complete it.
However, if you aren’t confident in your puzzle-solving skills, you can follow these steps:
- Spin the Top circle once
- Spin the Left circle three times
- Spin the Bottom circle once
- Spin the Left circle once
- Spin the Right circle twice
- Spin the Bottom circle once
- Spin the Right circle twice
- Spin the Bottom circle three times
- Spin the Left circle once
After solving the puzzle, the door above (as shown by the white pathing) will open, allowing you to access the Underdark. In the Underdark, you must navigate through a massive underground section until you get to the Grymforge via a boat at the Underdark Beach, roughly at the coordinates X:-9 and Y:-213.
Talking to the people here will indicate the trail of the Nightsong has gone cold, and you will need to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands to continue this quest. This is the end of the Act One portion of this quest, but it will continue into Act Two.
Act Two: Shadow-Cursed Lands and the Gauntlet of Shar
Finding the Nightsong continues through the main story after you cross the Shadow-cursed lands and get to safety. Most of Act Two will pass without a sign of the Nightsong, but you will eventually pick up essential items needed to get to the Nightsong herself. Once you get to the Last Light Inn, travel southwards to find Thorm Mausoleum, and the entrance is roughly at the coordinates X:-187 and Y:111.
Traveling deeper into the crypt will get you to the Gauntlet of Shar, where you will finally encounter the Nightsong. Getting to the end is quite daunting since you must go through several puzzles to get there. After solving a series of puzzles and one major boss battle, you will get the four Umbral Gems necessary to open the area where the Nightsong awaits.
Before getting here, ensure you take a Long Rest and have Shadowheart and Astarion in your active party. The former is necessary because her personal quest ends here, and the latter will be very helpful when disarming traps in this location.After you finally defeat the boss of this gauntlet, Balthazar, you will encounter the Nightsong and be forced to make a decision.
Tip:
If you don’t care about Balthazar’s loot, you can shove him off the platform, which will count as killing him. And it’s much easier than actually fighting him.
Find the Nightsong: Making the final decision
The Nightsong quest ends after this part. When you get here, the game offers you two choices as follows that will branch out:
- Kill her. Let’s finish this ritual.
- [Persuasion] Don’t do it, Shadowheart. Don’t kill her – you’ll regret it.
Should you save or kill the Nightsong in BG3?
Save the Nightsong
Choosing to save the Nightsong will have you pass a Persuasion check. If you pass, you will be presented with another option that states, “Trust Shadowheart – Do not interfere.” Picking this option will leave Shadowheart to her own devices, although you can nudge her in a specific direction if you choose.
Kill the Nightsong
Choosing to kill the Nightsong will lead to two more choices: either you decide to kill the Nightsong or let Shadowheart do it.
If you choose to kill her yourself, Shadowheart will eventually leave your party permanently (this is irreversible), and her questline will also come to an abrupt end. You, of course, won’t be able to romance Shadowheart after she leaves your party, either.
If you let Shadowheart give in to her emotions and kill the Nightsong, Shadowheart will be possessed by Shar instead because killing the Nightsong also fulfills her duty to the goddess. As a reward, Shadowheart will be granted a set of Dark Justiciar Armor and Shar’s Spear of Evening.
Shadowheart’s personality also changes drastically as she becomes more self-absorbed and focused on the principles of Shar. She will state that she has no room for love, and this decision might lock you out of further romance options with her. So, if Shadowheart is your companion of choice, don’t let Nightsong die—at all.
Warning:
Killing the Nightsong will also result in the death of other crucial characters, like Dammon, the blacksmith who helps you with Karlach’s quest, Isobel at Last Light Inn, and Art Cullagh, who’s vital to Halsin’s quest.
The outcome drastically changes if you convince Shadowheart not to kill the Nightsong. The Nightsong reveals herself to be a daughter of Selune named Dame Aylin and, as such, is a deva. Shadowheart also gains the Moonlight Glaive as a reward, and more romance options will open up if you choose to go down that path.
Regardless of your choice, Shadowheart’s Daughter of Darkness quest will conclude, and you will learn everything you need to know about this complex character. Further romance options will give you more insight into her past and make her a loyal party member till the end of the storyline.
This is everything you need to know to start the Find the Nightsong quest and how to finish it in BG3.
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