How To Unlock The Ancient Tome
Sarah Richards
Updated on April 01, 2026
Quick Links
There are many secrets to be uncovered in Baldur's Gate 3, even in the game's opening act. One example is the Ancient Tome called Necromancy of Thay, which you can discover in a Necromancer's lair hidden in a cellar in the Blighted Village. Exploration of the basement leads to uncovering more than a few secrets. This guide will go over how to claim the dark tome and its forbidden knowledge for yourself.
Baldur's Gate 3: How To Get & Use Lightning Charges
Looking for lightning charges in Baldur's Gate 3? We've got you covered!To find the Ancient Tome, you need first to find the secret passage. You can see a note that will give you the Search the Cellar quest, or you can just stumble across it while exploring the village. Either way, once you find your way in, there are some puzzles between you and your prize.
Updated by Abigail Angell on October 14th, 2023: A typo on the number of Saving Throws made by the player has been made. In addition, the name, duration, and effect of the debuff given to the player for failing these Saving Throws has been added.
How To Unlock The Ancient Tome
Once you have found the tome, you will notice it is locked, but you need something other than a key to get it open. The book has a slot on the front sealing it rather than a keyhole Coincidentally, also, in the Blighted Village, there is a Dark Amethyst hidden in an area below the town that is the key to the forbidden knowledge.Go tothe Well and interact with it, then climb down the rope to access the area.
Once you are down there, you will need to fight off some spiders. Watch out for their teleportation. Keep in mind you can use fire to burn the webs and cause them to fall. However, touching the web will alert them of your presence. Once you find the Queen Matriarch, you will be able to see the Dark Amethyst you need just below on the ground near the chasm. Try to kill the eggs around the arena before she makes them hatch, as they each spawn Spiderlings that can also teleport. This is a difficult fight - it is suggested that your party is at least level five.
Once you defeat her, you can safely head down and grab the gem. Then, combine it with the Ancient tome to socket it, opening the book.
Baldur's Gate 3: How To Find & Use Icy Metal
Wondering where you can find the Icy Metal in Baldur's Gate 3 and how you can use it? Well, here's a guide to help you out.How To Read The Necromancy Of Thay
The character who first opens the book to read it will become bound to it (similar to Shadowheart and the artifact). Therefore, make sure you give it to the character that you want to read it all the way through. The initial opening of the book grants this character the ability to cast Speak With Dead at will, and passing three checks grants a trait called Forbidden Knowledge, which grants you a +1 bonus to Wisdom Saves. This is one of only a few permanent bonuses in the game, so very valuable.
If Astarion is in your group when you find the book, then he will speak up about wanting the book for himself (unless he already has it). Additionally, Astarion gets very protective of the book should another character suggest destroying it.
Then, reading each page of the book will trigger a Wisdom Save. A success will give you the option to read further, while a failure will cause your character to receive a debuff. There are three total checks, each with a progressively more difficult DC (10, 15, 20). However, some characters will get a modified DC - Wizards can do the first saving throw with a DC 5 instead, and a Cleric of Shar only needs a 10 to pass the third.
Passing all three Saving Throws to read the book causes it to slam shut - then your character is told you need another key of some kind. In contrast, failing a Saving Throw will cause the relevant character to receive Whispers of Madness, which gives them disadvantage on Wisdom Checks for 50 turns. Attempting to continue after receiving this debuff, and failing a subsequent check will give the character Baneful Knowledge - a curse with the same effect as the previous, but no natural expiration. Baneful Knowledge persists until the character is healed with the Remove Curse spell.
How To Unlock The Rest Of The Ancient Tome
Once you've reached this stage, you won't be able to progress further until later on in the game. During the Gauntlet of Shar, you might find a book in the Silent Library about the Necromancy of Thay, saying that you need the Tharchiate Codex to understand it. This is a hint. The Tharchiate Codex is found in the Elminister Section of Loroakan's vault during Act 3.
To enter the vault, you'll need to sneak into the office on the second floor of Socererous Sundries and pull a book on the bookshelf (highlighted when the player presses Alt). You can either find this entrance by exploring, or by convincing the bookseller on the first floor to tell you its location as part of Gale's Companion Questline.
Pulling the book reveals a portal, which will teleport you to a vault rife with traps and puzzles. Check out the clip below if you are having trouble figuring out how to unlock the Elminster Door to reach the Tharchiate Codex.
Baldur's Gate 3: How To Speak With The Dead
There's more than one way to speak with the dead. Here's how to get some corpses talking.How To Destroy The Necromancy Of Thay
However, if you do not want its dark magic, there is also a path to destroy it. The book is resistant to most types of damage, but it can be destroyed with Radiant damage (e.g.: Shadowheart's Guiding Bolt or Sacred Flame). Simply drop the book on the ground and attack it with some Radiant damage, and it will summon three Evil Shadows to fight. These are similar to the enemies you will encounter in the Shadowlands, with some minor differences.
They have high resistance to most physical things, so try using spells for the majority of the fight to make it easier. They will drain your character's strength and maximum HP, so having a method of removing these debuffs (such as a Paladin's Lay on Hands or the Lesser Restoration Spell) is a good idea to have on hand.
Alternatively, once you place the Dark Amethyst inside (but before you open it), you can give the Necromancy of Thay to Gale to consume. This will help stabilize his condition and will destroy the book without summoning any shadows to fight.
NEXT: Baldur's Gate 3: How To Rescue The Gnome Quest Walkthrough
