After spending a decent amount of time in the Shadow Curse ridden lands of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its second act, you’ll probably be eager for a way to permanently cleanse the area. Fortunately, there is a method. But it’s going to take a little bit of work and whole lot of fighting to lift the Shadow Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3.
You can initiate this quest if you did a few things in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3. First off, you want to save the Tieflings, and you’ll also want to make sure you have Halsin in your camp. (He’s not a fully fledged party member right now, but don’t worry, we’re rectifying that soon.) Also, it might not hurt to help out Counselor Florrick, who’s stuck in a burning building on the Risen Road in Act 1. I’m unsure whether it helps or not, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Talk to Halsin after you enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and you’ll learn about his pal Thaniel, who can possibly help cleanse this land if you can find them. To start off, you’ll need to complete the quest Wake up Art Cullagh. He’s an NPC you’ll find on the first floor of the Last Light Inn, after you’ve found it. You can find a full walkthrough on how to handle that here.
Once you’ve learned about Thaniel supposed whereabouts, Halsin will set off for the shore and ask you to meet him there. Do that, but maybe Long Rest and prep your spellbooks first. You’re about to walk into a pretty substantial fight.
Defend Halsin’s Portal
Halsin will need to enter into a portal to the realm where Thaniel is being held. While he braves the dangers in there, you need to stay outside and ensure the portal stays open. What ensues is a wave defense battle where tons of Shadow Cursed enemies will crash down on you, attempting to stop you from retrieving Thaniel.
Using the rock and its high-ground advantage will be important, as it literally gives you Advantage on rolls. Bring plenty of AoE magic spells, and don’t be afraid to use some scrolls either. This is a tough fight, but valuable if you’re looking for an injection of XP to hit the next level.
My personal strategy was running my own character (a Warlock), Gale, Shadowheart, and Karlach. My Tav and Gale stood back by the portal, blasting enemies from afar; Magic Missile is useful for clearing tricky enemies to hit, like the Ravens, and Fireball is a big crowd-clearer. The same goes for Warlock spells like Hunger of Hadar, as well as ol’ reliable Eldritch Blast. Shadowheart can have Cleric wards at this point too. Basically, massive AoEs will help in thinning out the small fries, while Karlach (or Lae’zel) leaps over and tackles some hardier enemies, like the Wraith and tentacles.
Hold out for the turns (it will take more than it says on the clock), and eventually Halsin will return and end the fight. Thaniel’s back, but not feeling well. To restore him, you’ll need to restore the half of him left behind here, in this realm.
Find Thaniel’s other half in Baldur’s Gate 3
At this point, Halsin will mention an area of the Shadow-Cursed Lands that still had flora blooming. This would indicate that Thaniel’s other half is here, and he’ll mark it for you to investigate. At this point, he’ll also be able to join your party as a full party member, which is pretty handy.
Bear or not, head to the ruined house at (X:76, Y:40) and you’ll find the shadowed, evil version of Thaniel. He’s been “playing” with other folks, and now, he wants to play with you. He’ll zip away through a portal. Gear up for another fight and follow him.
This one is thankfully a little easier than the portal defense. You’ll have to destroy waves of Shadows, bolstered by two major shades called Daddy and Mommy. Try to focus on one big shade at a time, while someone flexible and decently high damage—Wyll or a Warlock Tav, for instance—deals with the adds. Once Mommy and Daddy are down, the rest should be straightforward. Remember to keep some light up so you can spot Shadows, and make use of Karlach’s Frenzy or Lae’zel’s Action Surge to rapidly whittle through groups.
Once you’ve destroyed enough, you can talk with the shadowed self and try to convince it to help you lift the Shadow Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3. I encouraged him that change is good, and that the two of them combining will mean they’ll always have a friend. Just don’t get too aggressive, and this should be straightforward.
One more task – you need to finish the Act
With that out of the way, you’ve done all you can for now. There is one lingering note: head back to camp and talk to the newly reformed Thaniel. As he says, he cannot fully heal the land until Ketheric Thorm is in the dirt.
Doing this looks to be part of the Act 2 finale, so the Shadow Curse of Baldur’s Gate 3 will have to persist until you’re ready to move on. We’ll add more details as we get them. But as far as the quest goes, it seems to end here until you’re ready to finish out the act.
Once you move on to Act 3, the quest will be complete. This is important to note, as the quest isn’t inherently bugged!
