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The Blight Village is one of the first challenging combat encounters many will experience in Baldur's Gate 3. A town that serves as both the crossroads for several quest lines and a treasure trove of secrets, you'll need to venture to and through the village at some point in your adventure.
Once a bustling tiefling home, it has been raided and taken over by a horde of Goblins, worgs, bugbears, and even ogres. You can choose to side with the Goblins, of course, but if you're hoping to be the sword of justice or just need the pesky Goblins out of your way, you'll need to clear the town of its little 'pest' problem.
How To Enter The Blighted Village
Getting to the Blighted Village comes with no prerequisites, and you can skip the Druid's Grove and the tiefling encampment entirely if you wish.
Outside the Blighted Village, you'll notice a bridge and a small upwards hill littered with broken carts and bodies. A wooded area can be spotted on your right. On a successful Passive Perception check, your party may note Goblins up ahead past the gate and the stone walls of town. Enter through the front gate to speak with a Goblin up on the roof.
If you choose to go right into the wooded area, you'll come across a dead human body guarded by a white dog known as Scratch.
On a successful Persuasion or Animal Handling check, you can persuade this dog to follow you back to camp permanently.
It is recommended to try and play the peaceful role while entering. Your goal should be to convince the Goblins to not attack you, allowing you free rein of the town to set up, scout the town, and strategize.
There are a few helpful strategies to convince the Goblins you're not a threat:
- You are a Drow (automatic success; no checks required).
- Use Disguise Self to transform temporarily into a Drow.
- Use a Guidance Cantrip on the one speaking with the Goblins.
If you succeed in your rolls, you can walk into the town. Drows can walk freely and loot boxes within the town, while all other races can only walk through and must keep their hands to themselves (at least publically).
How To Defeat The Front Gate Goblins
If you fail to convince the Goblins at the front gate, you'll need to fight them all. There are two on each roof and one inside the right-side building's large window for a total of five Goblin enemies with a height advantage on your characters.
To kill them all, you'll need to prioritize reaching the roofs while using ranged attacks to kill the Goblin in the window and then the two Goblins on the edges of the rooftops.
There is a ladder to the left building on its street front side, and there is a ladder on the right building closest to the gate and facing the town wall.
If you can convince the Goblins you mean them no harm first but still wish to take them out (the preferred method), climb the ladders on each side. You'll need to split the party so:
- One to the roof of the house on the left.
- One to the roof of the house on the right.
- One inside the house on the right, sneaking up on the window Goblin.
- One free party member to send anywhere as back-up.
Remain hiding. On the roofs, have your sneaking party members get up close to the Goblin furthest from the edge. You'll want to stay away from the edge when combat starts to avoid being shoved off.
Strike when you're ready and take out each of the Goblins swiftly.
If you struggle with the Goblins on the roofs, you can use your bonus action to try shoving them over the edge for extra damage and then pelting them with ranged fire from above.
How To Deal With The Ogres
Lump the Enlightened and two un-enlightened Ogres are in the home across town from the windmill (the far southwestern corner of town). You have two options here, either fight them or spare them to recruit them. We have a full guide on both outcomes right here.
They can be a large help in dealing with the Goblins who are guarding the Gnome.
Secrets Of The Blighted Village
If you're a Drow or have cleared the town of enemies, you can walk freely and explore the village. There are a few unique locations worth finding:
- Whispering Depths:
- The Storeroom
- The Basement
- The barn
- Necromancer's Basement
Whispering Depths: The Storeroom
The storeroom is the first and easiest to find. It lies directly under the window where one of the front gate goblins stood. You can unlock it with a lockpick or find the key inside the house in one of the lootable containers behind where the goblin was standing.
As you enter the storeroom, you'll find there are two chests. The first is on the ground and loaded with a trap. If your characters notice it, they can disarm it with a Trap Disarming Kit and then lockpick it open for weapon schematics (additional Thieves' Tools can be found around the room).
The second chest is up top and can be looted for a few valuable items.
However, the great part about this room is the breakable stone wall. If your characters notice it, you can destroy this wall by attacking it and find an entrance into the Whispering Depths dungeon.
If you're low level, it's recommended to leave this place and return later.
Whispering Depths: The Well
If your Investigation skill is high enough, you can take a shortcut into another area of the Whispering Depths via the well in the village. This well sits between the ogres' house and the windmill.
Interact with the well and investigate it to discover a rope. Use this rope to descend into the depths.
The Barn
Slightly outside town on the north side (the exit nearest the windmill) is a large barn with shut doors. Approaching this door will reveal that two people are busy inside. You can choose to leave or try opening the doors.
If Astarion and Shadowheart are with you, you'll trigger unique dialogue over the opening of the barn.
Allowing Astarion to open the doors will increase his approval of you, while refusing him will increase Shadowheart's.
Opening the barn door will reveal an ogre and a bugbear having relations. Their anger at being interrupted will trigger a fight, and you'll have to kill them.
Necromancer's Basement
In the house directly left of the main gate, you can discover the entrance to a secret basement. Inside this basement is rumored to be the Necromancer's Book of Thay.
There is a secret hatch in the floor of the house that leads to a standard-looking basement full of loot. However, the real prize lies behind a switch in the shadows, attached to the back wall and behind a stack of three crates that unlocks a passage further in. This passage will lead you to a talking mirror.
In order to get past this mirror, you'll need to choose these answers:
- Tell it your name.
- Yes, an ally! I'm an ally of your master's.
- A foul lich. May he die a thousand deaths.
- To clean a wound?
- I'd look for whatever spell will rid me of this worm in my head.
This will allow you access to a secret lab where a key to the Book of Thay and the book itself is contained, the treasured secret artifact of the Blighted Village, and your reward for clearing it.