Congratulations on venturing into Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Honor Mode! This difficulty setting demands meticulous planning and execution, especially in Act 2, where the shadow-cursed lands and formidable Thorms await. This guide will provide you with a robust strategy to navigate Act 2 of BG3 on Honor Mode, focusing on efficient progression and key encounters to ensure your survival and success. Let’s delve into the essential steps for conquering the road to Moonrise Towers in BG3 Honor Mode.
The Road to Moonrise
Your journey to Moonrise Towers begins with a seemingly simple road, but danger lurks around every corner.
Head down the path until you encounter the cultist convoy. Engage in dialogue with the bard conversation options and utilize the Spider’s Lyre to summon the Drider. As the ambush unfolds, prioritize attacking the cultists. Immediately target Kansif to eliminate a significant threat, followed by the remaining cultists. Employ Command to disarm Kar’niss, effectively neutralizing his offensive capabilities and keeping him occupied. Once victorious, inform the Harpers of your quest for a cure and proceed towards Last Light Inn.
Upon arriving at Last Light Inn, resist the urge to enter Isobel’s room immediately. Your first priority should be stocking up on essential gear. Visit Talli and acquire the Cloak of Protection, Amulet of the Harpers, and Shield of Devotion – these items will significantly bolster your defenses and utility. Then, locate Mattis just inside the inn to purchase the Evasive Shoes, enhancing your character’s mobility. Descend into the basement and break through the cracked wall to discover a trapped and locked chest containing the Coruscation Ring, a valuable addition to your arsenal.
Ascend back upstairs and converse with Jaheira to gain experience points and initiate quests related to Alfira and Art Cullagh. Now, it’s time to head directly to Moonrise Towers. Navigate down the road towards the Ruined Battlefield and strategically deploy Shadowheart alone into the shadow curse. Utilize both Step of the Wind and Dash to maximize her movement speed, enabling her to sprint directly down the road, past the Tollhouse, and reach the Moonrise Towers teleporter. This maneuver allows you to bypass the need for a lantern, showcasing an efficient approach to navigating the curse.
Moonrise Tower
Upon entering Moonrise Towers, you’ll encounter a vendor offering the Fistbreaker Helm. Consider purchasing it if it fits your build. Around the corner, you’ll meet Araj Oblodra. If Astarion is in your party, bring him to her and allow him to bite her. In return, she will provide a potion that permanently increases Strength and offer the Risky Ring for sale. This interaction presents a unique opportunity for a significant stat boost.
Venture into the prison area. Jump across to the red glowing pit and intentionally throw yourself in (ensuring you have Feather Fall active to negate fall damage). You will face a pair of Hook Horrors in this subterranean area. Defeat them and navigate through the cave system until you reach a docked boat. Destroy the chains securing the boat. To create a diversion for the guards, utilize Bard’s Performance (teleport Tav out of the prison and then return). Re-enter the cave and strategically split Shadowheart and Gale into turn-based mode. Have them simultaneously punch down one weakened wall and use Eldritch Blast to destroy another, triggering the prisoners’ escape. Follow the escaping prisoners and then teleport Tav to Last Light Inn to avoid suspicion and maintain your cover.
Ascend to the upper levels of Moonrise Towers and speak with the Tieflings and Alfira to obtain the Potent Robe. This is a substantial reward for a relatively straightforward task.
Continue your double agent operations by returning to Moonrise Towers and engaging in conversation with Ketheric. Persuade him to have the goblins eliminate each other, then speak with Z’rell. Distract her by expressing your ambition for power; this should negate the need for a skill check, especially if you have strong persuasion abilities. Alternatively, you can express interest in witnessing her power, which will lead her to kill her own bodyguard – a beneficial outcome. Proceed to Balthazar’s chambers to finally acquire a functional lantern. While in Balthazar’s chamber, take the opportunity to solve the bookcase puzzle (interact with the top right books and burn a heart in the altar) for bonus experience points.
Raven Ambush
Prepare for an ambush by Ravens. Utilizing Glyph of Warding and Magic Missile will make this encounter significantly easier, allowing you to quickly dispatch the avian threats.
Plant Ambush
Be aware that there are three Plant Ambushes in total. Focus on the one located just east of the Raven encounter. Avoid allowing the plants to surround you, as their chain reaction upon death can be extremely lethal in Honor Mode.
Spectral Dogs
When facing Spectral Dogs, utilize Ray of Frost to extinguish their torches. Once their torches are out, these enemies pose minimal threat.
Meazal Ambush
Turn the tables and ambush the ambushers. Employ Twinned Haste here to gain a significant action economy advantage and overwhelm the Meazals.
Plant Ambush 2
This second Plant Ambush occurs south of the stone bridge, near an alluring chest. Initiate combat with Hypnotic Pattern to potentially incapacitate four or five plants with a successful roll. This can control the battlefield from the outset. Manage the damage from Needle Blight explosions by using healing potions as needed. Vine Blights are considerably less dangerous than Needle Blights.
Thisobald Thorm
HONOR MODE CHANGES: In Honor Mode, Thisobald Thorm’s abilities are enhanced. Each time his brew changes, he triggers an Area of Effect (AoE) explosion that inflicts damage and applies debuffs. He also buffs his allies’ attacks. Therefore, minimize brew changes to mitigate these detrimental effects.
Talking to Thisobald Thorm to death as a Bard remains a highly reliable strategy. While failing saving throws during the conversation can be inconvenient due to the “drunk” debuff, Enhance Ability can negate the associated penalties. If you fail to impress him initially, you have proficiency in a backup Deception check. Once he explodes (through dialogue), eliminate the remaining zombies and loot Madeline’s Ledger from behind the bar.
If combat is unavoidable, be prepared for a challenging fight. It is recommended to focus all resources on quickly eliminating the zombies and accepting a potential party wipe if necessary. Upon returning after a wipe, Thisobald will be alone and considerably easier to defeat. Note your current damage types (likely acid, fire, and lightning) and consider adjusting your gear to reduce vulnerability to these elements.
He-Who-Was
During the encounter with He-Who-Was, it’s crucial to consider your Oath of Vengeance if playing as a Paladin. To avoid potentially breaking your oath, opt to listen to Madeline’s perspective and encourage her to forgive herself. This action will anger He-Who-Was. His fear ability is more of an annoyance than a serious threat, but ensure you quickly eliminate the raven before it can inflict blindness on your party members.
Reithwin Town
Upon reaching Reithwin Town, you’ll encounter Shadow-Cursed Harpers in the main square. Initiate an ambush to eliminate them. After dealing with the Harpers, unlock the Sharran Sanctuary using the sequence north, west, east. Next, proceed to the Mason’s Guild. Pick the secret lock in the basement, bypass the trapped chest (it is empty), and you will encounter a pack of Shadows. Enhance your attacks with Radiant damage using Inquisitor’s Might and Manifestation of Soul. Your lantern will reveal any hidden Shadows, simplifying the encounter. Your reward for this encounter is the Helm of Arcane Acuity.
Continue through the graveyard to the far north of town. You may encounter Raphael or Arabella along your path; ensure you are courteous to both. Near the Thorm Mausoleum, you’ll find a beach swarming with cursed Kuo-Toa. The optimal strategy for this fight is Glyph of Warding. The Kuo-Toa are drenched, making them highly vulnerable to lightning damage. Position your Glyphs strategically to maximize lightning damage and clear them out swiftly, being cautious not to get surrounded.
Gerringothe Thorm
HONOR MODE CHANGE: In Honor Mode, Gerringothe Thorm gains a legendary action upon losing her armor, enabling her to turn party members into gold. This significantly increases the threat she poses.
Gerringothe Thorm is arguably the most dangerous of the lesser Thorms in Honor Mode, but she is also the most susceptible to deception. Toss her a few coins and consistently choose the Deception dialogue options when they appear. Successfully passing two checks will convince her to detonate herself, ending the encounter without combat. Using Friends is a safe way to enhance your Charisma for these checks. If you have been diligently saving gold, you can also choose to simply give her at least 5000 gold, which will also trigger her self-destruction.
If you inadvertently anger her and initiate combat, it is advisable to flee and avoid the Tollhouse for the remainder of Act 2 in your Honor Mode run.
Malus Thorm
HONOR MODE CHANGE: In Honor Mode, Malus Thorm gains enhanced abilities. Hitting Malus triggers all of the sisters to cast Wail of Loss once per round, inflicting an AoE confusion effect. He also gains a reaction called Grasping Appendage, pulling his target 30 feet closer, increasing his control over the battlefield.
Similar to Thisobald, the optimal approach for Malus Thorm is to talk him to death. Enter the encounter with inspiration if possible to improve your chances of success. Using Friends is again safe for boosting your Charisma during dialogue. Tell him you are a student, then argue that the sisters are not yet ready for his lessons. Suggest they practice on each other, and finally, propose that he practice on himself. Successfully navigating these dialogue options will resolve the encounter peacefully.
If combat ensues (due to dialogue failure), prioritize eliminating any sisters present. Once they are down, Malus will waste turns resurrecting them, providing opportunities to damage him with spells like Eldritch Blast and other ranged attacks. He is relatively easy to kite due to his limited mobility.
After defeating or persuading Malus, loot the lute from his body. Locate Arabella’s parents and return the lute to Art Cullagh. Art will then request to speak with Halsin, so fetch Halsin to progress this questline.
Halsin’s Portal
In this Bg3 Honor Mode Guide, we are intentionally not lifting the shadow curse. Halsin’s portal event attracts overwhelming enemy forces. To strategically utilize this situation for experience gain, intentionally lose the encounter. Simply refrain from attacking the archers. They will destroy the portal within approximately three rounds, resulting in a significant experience point reward as all active undead (and Halsin) are defeated. If you were relying on Halsin for any reason, ensure you retrieve his items before initiating this event.
Cursed Travelers
Located just west of the House of Healing, along with some Shadows, you will find Cursed Travelers. While they should not pose a major threat, they possess surprising burst damage potential. Initiate an ambush to control the engagement and minimize potential damage.
This comprehensive guide provides a detailed walkthrough for navigating Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Honor Mode, focusing on efficient strategies, key encounters, and boss battles. By following these tactics, you’ll be well-equipped to conquer the challenges of the shadow-cursed lands and continue your Honor Mode journey towards victory.
