So you want to go to the Underdark? Of course you do. It’s one of the most famous locales in all of Dungeons and Dragons, and in Baldur’s Gate 3 it’s home to a bevy of quests and powerful items to discover.
The Underdark is a location in Act 1, and as with everything else in BG3, there are multiple ways to approach it. There are four potential entrances to the Underdark, though some of them are easier to get through than others.
- The well in the Blighted Village
- The Defiled Temple at the Goblin Camp
- The Zhentarim Hideout at Waukeen’s Rest
- The mushroom circle beneath the Riverside Teahouse
Any and all of these will get you where you’re going, but you should base your decision on how likely it is that your party will survive the obstacles standing between them and the Underdark.
Reaching the Underdark via the Blighted Village
This is arguably the simplest way to get to the Underdark, and it’s how I accidentally discovered the area very early in my first playthrough. Just jump down the well in the center of the village. Cast Feather Fall if you want to avoid taking damage when you hit the bottom, but honestly, fall damage isn’t your biggest worry on this route. Much more concerning are the spiders that have nested beneath the well. You’ll have to kill them to explore any further, and this battle can be particularly rough at early levels – trust me.
Reaching the Underdark via the Defiled Temple
The Defiled Temple is accessible from inside the Shattered Sanctum where the goblins have set up camp. The entrance is on the west side of the Sanctum’s interior, and if you haven’t already dealt with the goblins, you’ll need to. You can side with them, sneak past them, or kill the whole camp to safely enter the temple.
Once you’re in the Defiled Temple, you’ll need to solve a pretty straightforward puzzle. There are four interlocking, rotating discs on the ground, and each disc has one black dot on it. You need to spin the discs until all four black dots have been moved onto a single disc. Then the door leading to the Underdark will open. If you’re siding with the Emerald Grove and are planning on fighting the goblins anyway, this is the Underdark entrance I’d recommend.
Reaching the Underdark via the Zhentarim Hideout
It’s a bit of a hat on a hat, but the secret Zhentarim Hideout also contains a secret entrance to the Underdark. First you need to navigate actually getting into the hideout. It’s hidden behind some crates near the Waukeen’s Rest stables, but you’ll either need to pass some Persuasion and Intimidation checks or endure an intense battle to get inside.
After that the Underdark entrance is easy to get to. In the northern part of the Zhentarim Basement there’s a wolf laying down in front of an illusory rock wall. Step through the wall and you’ll discover an elevator that’s locked in place. If you can successfully lockpick the winch next to the elevator, you’ll get a free ride down to the depths.
Reaching the Underdark via the Riverside Teahouse
Hidden along the path you take to reach the Auntie Ethel boss fight is a mushroom circle that can teleport you into the Underdark. First thing’s first, you’ll want to find a way to cast Protection from Good and Evil before heading through the illusory wall in the Riverside Teahouse’s fireplace. You’ll have to fight or avoid Auntie Ethel’s thralls, and then you’ll jump through a waterfall to reach the path leading to the boss arena.
Instead of heading all the way down the path toward Auntie Ethel, take a look at this room’s north wall, and you’ll see what looks like a wooden face. You can reach that spot with some careful jumps, or by climbing down the first ladder in the room and following the path north. Now, cast that protection spell and put on the Whispering Mask to see that the face is an illusory wall. Behind it is a ring of mushrooms that can teleport you into the Underdark.
