Baldur’s Gate 3: Necromancy Of Thay [Detailed Walkthrough]

The Necromancy of Thay is a mysterious and foreboding tome that can be uncovered in Baldur’s Gate 3. This flesh-bound book protected by traps is found in a secret underground laboratory beneath the Blighted Village. To access the dark magical secrets of the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll need to locate a special key and succeed at challenging wisdom trials. This walkthrough will guide you through the entire process.

Necromancy of Thay In Baldur’s Gate 3

The Necromancy of Thay is an ancient tome filled with long-forbidden rituals and sinister magical knowledge.

Bound in warped flesh and fitted with two glimmering amethysts for eyes, this disturbing book is well-hidden in a secret underground laboratory beneath the Blighted Village. Just lifting it from its pedestal triggers a deadly trap, hinting at the nefarious power locked within its pages.

To safely open the tome and not meet an explosive end, you’ll need to find a legendary gemstone key – the Dark Amethyst. Unlocking the Necromancy of Thay allows you to attempt reading it through a series of dangerous Wisdom trials. Succeed, and you’ll gain access to dark spells and a deeper understanding of death...for a price. Fail, and your sanity may be forfeit.

Finding The Necromancy Of Thay Book

To acquire the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll first need to locate it in the underground tunnels below the Blighted Village. This is the path I took for this venture:

Searching The Blighted Village Cellar

1. In the Blighted Village, go left after the main gate into the first house.
2. Find a hidden hatch downstairs. It leads to an alchemy cellar with the Apothecary’s Ledger on a table.
3. Reading it unlocks the next part.
4. In the same cellar, a hidden lever behind crates opens a secret passage on the right, leading to a room with dug-up graves.

Navigating The Necromancer’s Laboratory

• Pass Ornate Mirror’s test using knowledge of Necromancy of Thay or alliance.
• Obtain Rusted Key near the exit in the second cellar room.
• Enter the lab, disarm floor trap, and disable traps in gargoyle statues.
• Take Necromancy of Thay but refrain from reading it; Dark Amethyst gemstone key is needed for its power.

Obtaining The Dark Amethyst Key

To unlock the secrets of the Necromancy of Thay, you’ll need to track down the mystical Dark Amethyst gemstone. This amethyst key is hidden deep within the Whispering Depths, accessible from the Blighted Village.

Entering The Whispering Depths

1. Locate the boarded-up well in the center of the Blighted Village. Investigate and enter it to reach the Whispering Depths.

2. Alternatively, find the weak wall in the far house cellar. Break it down to enter the Depths from there.

Defeating The Phase Spider Matriarch

1. The Dark Amethyst is guarded by the Phase Spider Matriarch boss. You’ll need to defeat her and her minions to secure the gem.
2. Use ranged attacks and spells from the high ground. Target the spider eggs first so they don’t hatch.
3. Once the Queen’s health is low, try to maneuver her onto a web bridge and burn it down.

Locating The Amethyst

1. After the Matriarch is slain, drop down the vine wall to the west.
2. Pass an Arcana check to detect the faint glow of the Dark Amethyst on a corpse. Pick it up – this gem is your key to unlocking the Necromancy of Thay.
3. With the amethyst in hand, return to the surface and use it on the necromantic tome.

Unlocking The Necromancy Of Thay

Now that the Dark Amethyst is in your possession, you can finally access the true potential of this foreboding tome. Return to the underground laboratory where you first discovered the Necromancy of Thay.

Interact with the book in your inventory and choose the option to insert the glittering purple gemstone into its fleshy mouth. Doing so will immediately prompt a harrowing trial – a series of three Wisdom saving throws, each more difficult than the last. It’s highly recommended you save your game progress before attempting these perilous mental challenges.

• The first Wisdom save starts at a DC of 10.
• The second increases to DC 15.
• Finally, the third save escalates to an extremely hard DC of 20.

You must pass at least two of these throws to unlock the Necromancy of Thay’s forbidden knowledge. Failure at each stage results in a stacking madness debuff, afflicting your mind with malevolent whispers from the book.

If you can overcome the mental assault, you’ll be rewarded with two powerful gifts:

1. The Forbidden Knowledge buff grants a permanent +1 bonus to Wisdom checks and saves.
2. The ability to cast Speak with Dead without expending spell slots.

However, the sinister teachings contained within the pages of this unholy tome may continue to haunt you on your journey through the lands of Baldur’s Gate 3. Unlocking its secrets could have perilous consequences down the line.

Alternative Uses For The Book

If you don’t want to keep the Necromancy of Thay for yourself, you have a couple of other options for how to handle this dangerous tome.

Giving It To Companions

• Astarion eagerly volunteers to take the book off your hands. Letting the vampire read it can gain your approval, building rapport and possibly even romance.
• However, Astarion may suffer unknown consequences from delving into the book’s dark teachings. And once given away, the Necromancy of Thay is gone for good.
• Alternatively, Gale can safely dispose of the book through a special ritual, but only after advancing his personal quest a few steps.
• Offering the tome to Gale gains major approval. It also removes any risk of you or another companion misusing it.

Destroying The Book

• You can permanently destroy the Necromancy of Thay through radiant damage, like Guiding Bolt.
• Doing so spawns three hostile Shadows you’ll need to defeat with magic. It’s a tough fight if unprepared.
• Eliminating the book this way only yields minor approval gains with certain companions like Shadowheart and Wyll.
• However, it does eliminate any future threat from the forbidden knowledge contained within.

In most cases, keeping and unlocking the Necromancy of Thay for yourself is the most rewarding path if you can handle the risks. But think carefully before giving this power away or destroying it outright.

Consequences Of Unlocking The Book

While the Necromancy of Thay offers swift rewards like powerful spells and buffs, unlocking its secrets could invite severe consequences down the line.

• Shadowheart and Wyll strongly caution against using the sinister tome due to potential madness or corruption.
• The book’s dark energy can negatively impact your character’s psyche and morals.
• Beware of attracting attention from sinister forces aware of the book’s awakening.
• As a lone hero, you may not be prepared for metaphysical threats linked to the Necromancy of Thay.
• Corrupting knowledge may sow chaos or ruin in your Baldur’s Gate 3 journey long after facing its mental trials.

Unlocking forbidden rituals through the Necromancy of Thay provides great short-term gains but at an unpredictable cost. Proceed with extreme caution if you elect to unravel its sinister mysteries, and be prepared to confront unintended consequences down the line. Power temptingly begets more power, but true wisdom lies in restraint.

My Tips On Using The Necromancy Of Thay

The Necromancy of Thay is one of the quest routes I avoid doing most of the time. Granted, there are some of my playthroughs, like the evil route one, in which I stuck to the tome and made my life increasingly difficult.

The Tome brings you a great deal of rewards, but they come at a very high price. Additionally, Necromancy is technically dark magic, so you’re not gonna make people happy by using it too much willy-nilly. Other than that, obtaining the Dark Amethyst is as easy as killing the Phase Spider in the crypt below Blighted Village, where lies the Necormany of Thay.

And that concludes the quest for the Necromancy of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3. Uncover its secrets, face the trials, and choose wisely—the dark power awaits but with grave consequences. Before you go, please take a moment to explore eXputer’s guides on Cleric Class and Wildheart Barbarian. They’re worth a look!

Next:

• Baldur’s Gate 3: BEST Builds 
• Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Classes Tier List
• Baldur’s Gate 3: BEST Paladin Build
• Baldur’s Gate 3: Warlock