Gale wants the Annals of Karsus so he can better understand the Crown of Karsus in Baldur’s Gate 3, but that requires more than a trip to the local bookstore. To get a hold of forbidden knowledge, you need to break into the depths of the Sorcerous Sundries Vault.
Where to Find the Annals of Karsus in BG3
To find the Annals of Karsus, you need to break into the Sorcerous Vault within Sorcerous Sundries and then head through the magical doors on the far side of the vault. There are two rooms within the vault that are impossible to lockpick, and that means you need to play along with any traps in your way. The book itself is found by using the path to the right under the Silver Hand.
If you are just starting the quest in general, you can find the Sorcerous Vault by going to Tolna Tome-Monger in Sorcerous Sundries. She will provide some information with enough persuasion, and then you can head to her office on the second floor.
Make sure to have a solo party member sneak or go invisible, then have them lockpick the office. Pull the clasped book on the shelf directly to the right and you will be given a portal directly to the Sorcerous Vault in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Get the Annals of Karsus in BG3
The Annals of Karsus in BG3 is located behind the Karsus door in the Sorcerous Vault. This door can be immediately unlocked if you have access to the “Knock” spell, bypassing a confusing maze of doors. Bards, Wizards, and Sorcerers should all have access to this spell at Class Level 3.
If you don’t have the Knock spell, you can unlock the Karsus door by heading through the Silverhand door, followed by the Abjuration door in the Sorcerous Vault. When you enter the end of the vault, you are met with three paths. Two of them are locked, but the Silverhand door ahead is available to open. Walking through will teleport you to an identical room.
If you brought your entire party to the Sorcerous Vault, we highly recommend you ungroup your party while wandering through the maze of doors. The various rooms the doors are attached to are heavily trapped, and your bumbling party members will likely walk all over them before you get a chance to disarm them. There are no enemies in the Sorcerous Vault, so you really only need one person to retrieve the Annals of Karsus. Astarion is a good choice for his invisibility and Sleight of Hand skills.
From here, you need to use the right door, or you will reset the room. Go to the right through the Abjuration door. You can tell it’s the correct room because it’s full of demon head traps that shoot red fire instead of blue. The last step is to turn around and walk through the door with a simple “Silver” label. This will lead to a lever that will shine when pulled.
Now head back to the doors and reset the room. You will be brought back to the start, but the Karsus door will be wide open on the right. Head on in and claim the Annals of Karsus on the shelf so Gale can read through in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Get the Annals of Karsus, Summarized
- Enter the Sorcerous Vault.
- Head to the end of the hallway and open the Silverhand door ahead.
- Take a right in the new room and open the Abjuration door.
- In the next room, turn around and open the Silver door.
- Walk inside and pull the level.
- Reset the rooms and head through the Karsus door on the right.
- Claim the Annals of Karus.
What Happens When You Read the Annals of Karsus
Reading the Annals of Karsus will gift you a Scroll of Dethrone. Dethrone is a powerful Level 5 Necromancy spell that “shreds a foes very essence by pulling on strands of the Weave” and deals 10d6 + 20 Necrotic damage for a total of 30~80 damage. It slaps.
Instead of using the scroll as a one-time consumable, we recommend using it to scribe Dethrone to a Wizard’s spellbook (perhaps Gale’s) so that it can be used numerous times. Once scribed, you’ll be able to cast it by using a Level 5 Spell Slot once per Short Rest.
The Annals of Karsus isn’t the only thing in BG3’s Sorcerous Vault. Before you leave, make sure you find the Peculiar Lamp.
