How to activate the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3

While exploring the Underdark, you might come across a curious location in Baldur’s Gate 3 called the Arcane Tower. While it’s currently dark and devoid of life, you can reactivate it to learn more about the wizard who made it. And, of course, plunder any goods inside.

The Arcane Tower sits at the (X:30) mark on the Underdark map, with Y-elevation varying depending on what part of the tower you’re at. We’ll address that, don’t worry.

How to get into the Arcane Tower

The first obstacle is actually getting through the door, which is tough, as the wizard who lived here apparently loved the Xbox 360 generation and installed turrets everywhere. These turrets don’t hurt a lot right away, but they are armored. I recommend using spells to circumvent their armor, and party members to draw their focus away. (Remember turn-based mode helps!) Ice Spikes was my best friend here.

Keep advancing towards the entry way, and head in through the broken windows. You’ll need to snake your way around the tower, moving through broken windows and architecture to head down. If you have Feather Fall, either through the spell or a scroll, it’s a huge help here.

Reach the bottom floor, and you can work your way into the door there. But first, head over to this inconspicuous tree and pluck some of its Sussur Bloom. It’ll hit you with an Antimagic Field; don’t worry about that.

Head inside, and you’ll be inside the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3. Now, let’s turn this place on.

How to restart the Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3

On the bottom floor of the Arcane Tower, there is a generator that looks like a giant blast furnace. As you might be able to guess from the blue petals scattered around it, you’re going to need some of those Sussur Blooms. Interact with it, and you can open your inventory to drag and drop a Sussur Bloom into the generator.

Hit the “Combine” button, and watch as the Tower hums back to life. While this turns the lights back on, it also activates the elevator in the center of the Arcane Tower. This will let you explore all the different levels of this Arcane Tower in Baldur’s Gate 3. But if you don’t want to immediately get your teeth knocked in by a Shakespearean robot, you might want to check out our guide for getting into the basement of the Arcane Tower.

Other quests to find in the Arcane Tower

In addition to accessing the basement, you might have ventured to the Arcane Tower at the behest of Omeluum, as part of “Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite.” In this case, you’ll still need to activate the tower to access the Greenhouse and get what you need. This will be:

• Tongue of Madness mushroom
• Tinmask Spores

While you can still acquire these outside the tower, it’s both easier to do so in the tower and you’ll be able to access the basement now. That’s a win-win, and you can head back to Omeluum with extra prizes in tow.