Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game where a player’s actions can have dire consequences. Sometimes, the decisions don't change the story all that much, but if the player skips the quest “Lift the Shadow Curse”, this would affect the conclusion of Act 2 greatly. So, it’s imperative that the player undertakes this mission if Halsin is in their ranks.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Release or Purge the Pods
Should the player release or purge the pods containing innocents and Mind Flayers in BG3?
This will allow the player to properly save the Shadow Cursed Lands, but will also allow them to recruit a new companion.
This quest will be unavailable if the player does not have Halsin with them.
Finding Art Cullagh
To start the quest of lifting the shadow curse off these lands, the player must first find Art Cullagh. This man will be located inside the Last Light Inn. Specifically, he will be found inside a room on the right, on the first floor, after entering the main building there.
The issue is that Art Cullagh is in a deep slumber, one that can’t be easily awakened from. However, the player will remember hearing the name Thaniel from Halsin, whom this man is muttering in his sleep.
Speaking With Halsin
After finding out about Art Cullagh, the player should immediately head to their camp where they’ll be able to speak with Halsin about the matter. The player should pick the first dialogue conversation with him, which informs Halsin about a man muttering about a boy called Thaniel.
Halsin will immediately head out of the camp to Art Cullagh to try and get some information. However, he tells the player they must find a way to wake up Art Cullagh. To do that, the player will have to head to a far location and defeat a strong enemy.
Finding Art Cullagh’s Lute
To wake up Art Cullagh, the player will have to find his lute, which is easier said than done. To get it, the player must go to The House of Healing. This will be found west of the Last Light Inn. There, the player will find Malus Thorm, who is quite an insane man, with his nurses.
He will have Art Cullagh’s lute on him, and to take it, the player can either fight him, or make him kill himself and his nurses. Either way, the player just has to loot the lute off of him, which has the initials AC on it, for Art Cullagh. Once this is in hand, the player should go back to Halsin and Art Cullagh.
Waking Up Art Cullagh
Once the lute is in hand, the player has to head back to the Last Light Inn. There, the player should talk to Halsin who will still be next to Art Cullagh’s bed. This will give the player the option to play the lute next to him. Luckily, there is no need for proficiency with the instrument.
Once the player uses the lute, Art Cullagh will awaken from his slumber, and the player will discover that the last place Thaniel was was in an area with lavender. Halsin informs the player where to meet him, and where he will get Thaniel.
The Battle at the Lakeshore and Saving Thaniel
The location where Halsin leads the player to is close to the Last Light Inn. It is referred to as the Lakeshore. Before heading there, the player should definitely rest, as the fight ahead isn’t the easiest.
Once there, the player can speak to Halsin, who will ask the player to protect the portal he just opened to get Thaniel, however, just for 5 turns.
While this may sound easy, the player will be attacked by a lot of undead enemies. To make it easier, the player should definitely use an AOE spell, which will take out many enemies in one go.
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Additionally, a character like Shadowheart might have in her possession a spell, like Turn Undead, or Spirit Guardians. These spells alone can shift the fight in the favor of the player greatly.
If the player holds their ground for 5 turns, Halsin will emerge from the portal with Thaniel in his arms. But, he seems hollow.
Halsin Joins the Team
Returning to camp, the player can talk to Halsin, where he informs the player of his eagerness to fight with them. This means that the player has finally fully recruited Halsin, making him a full part of the team.
However, an issue still stands. Thaniel is hollow and in a near-death state. To save him, the player must find his other half, which was probably wrapped by the curse.
Finding Thaniel’s Other Half
To find Thaniel’s other half, the player will be guided by Halsin once again. He will reveal that he remembers seeing an area where it was blooming with flowers, while everything else is dead. This is a sign of Thaniel’s essence.
To go to that location, the player will have to leave east of the Last Light Inn, and continue until they reach the location on the map. It can be quite annoying to navigate the Shadow Cursed Lands, but it shouldn’t cause too much trouble. The location is specifically known as the House in Deep Shadows. The player will find a waypoint just before it, at the location X:42 and Y: 17.
Past that, the player will find Oliver, Thaniel’s other half. However, he has been wrapped by the curse and is not willing to come with the player. To get him back, a fight will ensue.
The fight is quite simple. The player can’t directly attack Thaniel due to a protective barrier. Instead, the player will have to defeat two mummies to break the barrier and make Thaniel surrender.
Thaniel will also summon more enemies, but in general, the player just has to focus on those 2. This fight should be easy to finish, and after that, Olivier will agree to go with the player.
Back in camp, Thaniel will have awakened. However, this isn’t the end, as one last step remains to remove the Shadow Curse from these lands.
Defeating Ketheric Thorm
As Thaniel informs the player, to lift the curse, the player will have to defeat Ketheric, which most players were already planning to do anyway. To do that, the player will have to start the fight at Moonrise, which can be done by finishing the quest concerning Ketheric Thorm’s relic. The player will have to follow him down into the Mind Flayer Colony and defeat him for good. Only then can Thaniel remove the curse.
Without Thaniel, even if you defeat Ketheric, the curse will remain. So it’s imperative that the player completes this side quest, as it will have an enormous impact on the results of Act 2. Of course, without Halsin, none of that is possible, so if the player picked Minthara over him, this side quest would be impossible to achieve, which is unfortunate, as this is the only possible way to heal the land.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
WHERE TO PLAY
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
