Down beneath the Moonrise Towers in the Mind Flayer Colony, you’ll find at the end of the library a control panel and a unique puzzle that will require you to select the right path. Here’s how to solve the Necrotic Library puzzle in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How Does the Necrotic Laboratory Puzzle Work?
Some wicked things are happening in the Necrotic Lab. And that might be best demonstrated by the Necrotic Laboratory puzzle, where a mind’s been fragmented. But if you select the right path, you can stitch things back together and, more importantly, open a door.
Here’s how it works:
To start the Necrotic Laboratory Puzzle in BG3, you’ll want to jump over to the console in the back room (coordinates X:734, Y:-115) and interact with it.
There are four nodes that you’ll have to guide from the control panel to the end. These nodes are Memory (green), Reason (purple), Speech (blue), and Emotion (yellow).
The way this puzzle is solved is actually very straightforward. Each of these starting nodes has a specific shape, which matches a shape at the end of a white line. You’ll need to identify the white line that connects the two nodes together and create complete, uninterrupted lines for each color.
To start a node’s line, click it first. It will glow, letting you know it’s active. Then you can start selecting the points along its white line. To avoid clicking on the wrong point, move your camera around the shape.
If you’re playing on PS5, you’ll want to press in L3 while interacting with the Necrotic Laboratory’s console. This will send you into cursor mode and will allow you to click on the Mind Link map’s many nodes without your character moving.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Necrotic Lab Puzzle Solution (BG3)
You’ll solve BG3’s Necrotic Laboratory puzzle once all shapes have been matched with an uninterrupted line of color. Check out the pictures below to see what the puzzle looks like once finished. Note that there is still a single unused node after the puzzle has been completed.
Here’s the completed puzzle, as seen from its left side.
Here’s the completed puzzle, as seen from its right side.
Necrotic Laboratory Puzzle Rewards
Once you’ve correctly connected all four nodes together, the control panel will greet you, and the door will open to a small platform in front of a Desecrated Relief. You can interact with the Desecrated Relief for a little insight into the Grand Design.
Also on the platform, you can pick up an assortment of prized goodies:
- A rare longsword: Blade of Oppressed Souls.
- Braindrain Gloves: Inflicts Mental Fatigue (-1 penalty to Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom Saving Throws) for two turns when dealing Psychic damage.
- Circlet of Mental Anguish: Heals the wearer for 1d4 hit points when an enemy fails a Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom Saving Throw against one of the wearer’s spells or cantrips.
- Waking Mind: a brain jar that can be used nearby for a permanent buff.
The Waking Mind is associated with a quest in the Necrotic Lab that is currently bugged. But if you can get it to work, you’ll want to slot the Waking Mind into the Mind-Archive Interface located nearby in the Necrotic Laboratory (coordinates X:697, Y:-117). You’ll then be able to talk to the adjacent Slack-Skinned Head. Choose to purge her mind with your Illithid tadpole, and you’ll gain the Githzerai Mind Barrier—a permanent buff that gives Advantage to Intelligence Saving Throws.
Blade of Oppressed Souls Stats
The Blade of Oppressed Souls is a solid reward from solving the Necrotic Laboratory puzzle. We especially love its extra Psychic damage that can make quick work of enemies. Here are the stats for the sword down below:
- Damage: 3-15; 1d10 (1d8)+1 slashing; 1d4 Psychic.
- Weapon Enchantment: +1.
- Versatile.
- Range: 1.5.
- Value: 250.
- Weight: 1.35.
That’s all there is for the Necrotic Laboratory in BG3, but while you’re here in the pink, fleshy depths, you can find Wyll’s patrol, Mizora. You’ll have a chance to end her once and for all. But should you?
