Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Wake Up Art Cullagh [Ultimate Guide]

As you journey through the shadow-cursed realm of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll come across a mysteriously sleeping man named “Art Cullagh” at the Last Light Inn. Cullagh is muttering the name “Thaniel” in his fitful slumber, suggesting he holds a critical piece of information. The “Baldur’s Gate 3 Wake up Art Cullagh” quest is essential for moving the story forward and lifting the dark plague on the land.

How To Wake Up Art Cullagh In Baldur’s Gate 3?

At the Last Light Inn in Baldur’s Gate 3, a man named Art Cullagh is trapped in a fitful sleep, muttering, “Thaniel.” Waking Cullagh is an important early step in lifting the shadow curse on the land, as he has crucial information but cannot communicate while stuck in his nightmare. Locating and using the Battered Lute item on the sleeping Cullagh will rouse him to wakefulness.

This allows the player to speak with Cullagh, learn what he knows about Thaniel, and progress the broader quest to break the curse. Interacting with the slumbering Cullagh is vital to moving the story forward.

Finding Art Cullagh 

The first step in the quest to Baldur’s Gate 3 Wakes Up Art Cullagh is locating him inside the Last Light Inn. To find Cullagh this is the path I recommend:

1. Enter the Last Light Inn, located in the northwest region of the map.
2. Head upstairs to the second floor of the inn. Up here, there are several rooms lining a hallway.
3. Go to the room on the far right side of this upstairs hallway.
4. Inside the room, you’ll see a man named Art Cullagh asleep in a bed.
5. Click the dialogue options to interact with Art Cullagh.
6. Although asleep, Cullagh will audibly mutter the name Thaniel out loud.
7. This clues you in that Cullagh holds important information related to Thaniel.
8. Talk to Cullagh’s caretaker, Fist J’ehlar, to get Cullagh’s last letter.
9. The letter says to investigate the House of Healing per Cullagh’s request.
10. Find the Battered Lute at the House of Healing to revive Cullagh.
11. Now that you’ve found the sleeping man and heard him mutter Thaniel, you know you must find a way to wake up Art Cullagh. 

Speak To Halsin At Your Camp

After finding Art Cullagh muttering Thaniel at the Last Light Inn, you must inform Halsin back at your camp about what you discovered. Return to camp and speak directly with Halsin. Tell him about the sleeping man uttering the name Thaniel.

He Will Recognize Thaniel’s Name

1. When Halsin hears that Cullagh muttered Thaniel’s name, he will immediately recognize the significance.
2. Thaniel is the name of an ancient spirit tied directly to the land itself.
3. Halsin will realize Cullagh’s mutterings could be a key clue in the quest to wake up Art Cullagh in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Halsin Will Travel To The Last Light Inn

1. Now aware of the potential importance of Cullagh’s muttered words, Halsin decides to travel to the Last Light Inn himself.
2. He will depart from your camp and proceed to examine and guard Cullagh within the inn.

Travel To The House Of Healing

After speaking with Halsin and learning more about Thaniel, your next objective is to travel to the House of Healing to locate an item to help wake up Art Cullagh. The House of Healing is southwest of the Last Light Inn.

Get A Moonlantern First

Before making your way to the House of Healing, it’s essential to obtain a Moonlantern. The Moonlantern will protect you from the spreading shadow curse as you travel to the House of Healing. Speak to Isobel at the inn to trigger a quest for the Moonlantern.

Head Southwest To The House Of Healing

1. With your Moonlantern equipped, you can now safely travel southwest of the Last Light Inn.
2. Use your map to head to the town of Reithwin. The House of Healing is located here.
3. When you reach Reithwin, go to the west side of town to find the House of Healing building.
4. Enter the building to advance the quest to wake up Art Cullagh in Baldur’s Gate 3.

In summary, travel southwest to Reithwin Town to enter the House of Healing and progress the quest. Be sure to acquire a Moonlantern first for safe passage.

Defeat Or Persuade Malus Thorm

Upon entering the House of Healing, you will encounter a sinister man named Malus Thorm in the operating theatre, accompanied by several nurse sisters. To obtain the item required for Baldur’s Gate 3 Wake up Art Cullagh questline, you must confront Malus through direct combat or persuasion.

Fight Malus Directly

1. Malus has extremely high health at 276 hit points. He will use powerful necrotic spells and abilities against your party.
2. Malus will start viciously multi-attacking up to 3 times per turn when he reaches low health. He can quickly overwhelm unprepared parties.
3. Defeating Malus and his nurses in a long, challenging battle will allow you to safely loot the Battered Lute from his corpse once he dies.

Persuade Him To Kill Himself

1. You can avoid fighting Malus by passing several persuasion and deception skill checks during the conversation.
2. If you read Malus’ Surgery and Physiology book nearby, you will gain bonuses for persuasion rolls.
3. Convince Malus that his nurses must practice their skills on a superior subject – Malus himself.
4. If successful, Malus will stab himself to death as the nurses watch, allowing you to loot his body and find the lute safely.

Loot The Battered Lute

After defeating or persuading Malus Thorm at the House of Healing, your next objective is to loot the Battered Lute from his body. This lute belongs to Art Cullagh and is the key to waking him from his deep slumber in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Once Malus is dead, whether by direct battle or suicide, approach his corpse and open up the loot inventory screen. Scroll through the various items available until you find the Battered Lute in the list. Select the lute and add it to your inventory.

• The Battered Lute item will have Art Cullagh’s initials engraved on it, confirming that it belongs to the sleeping man.
• With the lute now in your possession, you can finally wake up Art Cullagh back at the Last Light Inn.

Return To Art Cullagh 

Now that you have obtained the Battered Lute from the House of Healing, you can return to the Last Light Inn and use it to wake up the sleeping Art Cullagh.

Interact With The Sleeping Cullagh

1. Return to the Last Light Inn and go upstairs to Art Cullagh’s room, where he still lies in deep slumber.
2. Approach the bed and interact with the sleeping Cullagh.
3. A dialogue window will appear, allowing you to communicate with him.

Choose The Option To Play The Lute

1. One of the dialogue options will be to “Play the lute” for Art Cullagh.
2. Your character will then automatically play a short tune on the Battered Lute.
3. Playing the lute tune will cause Art Cullagh to wake up, roused by the familiar music.

Successfully using the Battered Lute on Art Cullagh will result in him finally awakening from his cursed sleep. This completes the quest to wake him up and allows you to speak with him directly to learn valuable information related to Thaniel and the mysteries plaguing Baldur’s Gate 3’s shadow-cursed lands.

My Thoughts On The Art Cullagh Quest

After exploring BG3 for just shy of a month, one of the primary reasons I love Sorcerers as my main character is this specific quest line. Persuading Malus Thorn is the only way you should ever go about this encounter. Having high Charisma is essential for such a task.

This task is also one of the more important steps of a run you must complete to unlock Halsin as a companion, which is always nice (like the Bear scene.) Another thing you need to keep in mind is that you don’t need to perform with the Lute; it’s a dialogue option. Don’t spend 20 minutes trying to play the lute for the Last Light Inn inhabitants and hoping it wakes up Art Cullagh.

This concludes the steps involved in tracking down Cullagh, acquiring the lute, and using it to stir him from his deep, cursed slumber. Follow the guide carefully, and you’ll be able to wake up Art Cullagh, gaining valuable insight into freeing the lands from shadow. I suggest checking out our helpful guides on the Nightsong quest and how to romance Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3 before leaving. 

Next:

• Baldur’s Gate 3: BEST Shadowheart Companion Build
• Baldur’s Gate 3: BEST Builds 
• Baldur’s Gate 3: Warlock 
• Baldur’s Gate 3: Icy Crystal