There’s a chance you’ve seen players with an entourage of undead. Or maybe you’ve just heard about a particularly vicious book in Act I. Whatever’s led you here, you’ll want to know how to find and use the Dark Amethyst in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Find and Use the Dark Amethyst (BG3)
There’s no shortage of secrets in Baldur’s Gate 3, and the Blighted Village is absolutely packed with secret weapons, secret allies, and of course, soul-sucking tomes. To that end, here’s how to find and use the Dark Amethyst.
How to Find the Dark Amethyst in Baldur’s Gate 3
To find the Dark Amethyst in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re going to need to find the Blighted Village. Fortunately, this goblin-invested relic of a town is in the center of the map and pretty impossible to miss once you start exploring. But if you haven’t stumbled upon it yet, just go West from the Emerald Grove. You’ll find a bridge, then cross over it.
Continue straight, and you’ll quickly stumble upon the Blighted Village Waypoint. From the Waypoint, go across the road a few meters, and you’ll find the Blighted Village Well. Interact with it and pass an Investigation check to realize there’s a stone floor at the bottom.
Once you’ve established that jumping in won’t kill you, jump in.
You’ll find yourself in the Whispering Depths, a spider-infested cavern. The Dark Amethyst is in the very back of the cave, just below the Matriarch Phase Spider.
It’s possible to sneak past the Matriarch and the other Phase spiders nearby. But if you opt to defeat the Matriarch Spider, and her clutch of hatchlings, you’ll get the Poisoner’s Robe.
Climb down the vines near the cliff’s edge to grab the Dark Amethyst. But before you leave the Whispering Depths, be sure to find the Apprentice’s Backpack. Inside, you’ll find the Apprentice’s Journal, which will give you the quest “Search the Cellar”. This isn’t necessary, but it’s helpful for the next step.
How to Use the Dark Amethyst
The Dark Amethyst is a necessary component when opening a tome called the Necromancy of Thay. The Necromancy of Thay is essentially an Eldritch book that can cause you permanent harm or give you a permanent boost, plus down the line a pretty nice undead spell.
But to get it, we’ll need to do a bit of exploration.
Head back to the Blighted Village. If you have the “Search the Cellar” questline, granted to you by the Apprentice’s Journal, you’ll see a new quest marker in the house very close to the Blighted Village waypoint. But it’s fine if you don’t have the quest marker.
Head into this building and you’ll find yourself in a general store that specializes in herbs and medicines. Behind the counter is a hatch. Interact with the hatch to get into the basement.
Once you’re in the cellar, you’ll find a perfectly normal basement. But approach the far wall with the painting on it and you’ll get a perception check. There’s a lever you can interact with.
Pull it, and you’ll find yourself in a rock tunnel that leads to a cavern full of coffins. Some of these coffins have undead enemies in them, so if you want to investigate them, do so with a sword or spell.
If you do have the “Search the Cellar” quest, be sure to examine the coffin behind the stone pillar in the cavern. This coffin will contain the Dark Journal. By reading it, you’ll complete the quest and get 15 exp.
You can ignore the coffins if you want to avoid the fight and go straight to the mirror. The enchanted mirror will then ask you a series of questions. You can deceive, persuade, or break your way through it. Here are the correct answers to its prompts:
- When it asks about Szass Tam: “A foul lich. May he die a thousand more deaths.”
- When it asks about balsam: “I read a doctor’s journal. He used balsam to clean a wound.”
Once you’re through the mirror, the real fun starts.
How to Get the Necromancy of Thay
The Necromancy of Thay is a cursed book that’s hidden behind a few traps in the next room. Here’s how to get it.
When you’ve passed through the mirror, you’ll be in the Necromancer’s Lair. I’ve just made that name up. Anyway.
The Necromancy of Thay is in the locked jail room to the left. But the key to that jail room is to the far right, in the small square room with a few boxes and a lever that will let you exit the lair and re-enter the normal cellar.
Pick up the Rusted Key. But before you enter the jail cell, note that there’s a trap panel in front of the door. Disarm the trap, which requires you to roll a 10 or better. Astarion is very good here.
Once the panel is disarmed and the door is opened, don’t grab the book. There’s another trap panel beneath it. Disarm that trap, which again requires you to pass a 10 or higher. Failure will lead to those gargoyles on either side of those books giving you a nice fire bath.
When you pick it up, you’ll have a chance to insert the Dark Amethyst. You can then read the Necromancy of Thay. Which has its benefits… and its harms.
