How to get past the Gnarled Door in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 gnarled door — (Image credit: Larian)

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Opening the Gnarled Door
Using the masks

Wondering how to open the Gnarled Door in Baldur’s Gate 3? Found under Auntie Ethel’s house, the door really doesn’t want you to go through it, but not out of enmity, more because it doesn’t want you to suffer a similar fate to itself.

Yet, needs and quests must if you're determined to slay the Baldur's Gate 3 Hag hiding past it. In this guide, we’ll explore more background info about the gnarled door in BG3 and how you can get past it, despite its protestations.

Opening the Gnarled Door in Baldur's Gate 3

The easiest way to get past the Gnarled Door in BG3 is to pass an arcana check while investigating it. Save your game before starting your "conversation" with the Gnarled Door, since at some point during the chat, you will roll an arcana saving throw. You may also have luck persuading or intimidating it. Failing these checks means you'll have to move on to the second Gnarled Door entry option outlined below, but succeeding means your character will notice that the door is actually an illusion that you can simply walk through. Feel free to reload your save if you fail the check, but the alternative option is not too difficult if you act fast.

Open the Baldur's Gate 3 Gnarled Door with a Whispering Mask

If you fail the checks while "talking" to the Gnarled Door, pick up a Whispering Mask from the table on your right and simply walk through it. As soon as you cross the threshold, remove the mask immediately.

The Whispering Mask in Baldur's Gate 3 is enchanted by Ethel to make you do her bidding, with whoever wearing it doing constant Wisdom rolls to avoid possession. So pick a high wisdom character and make sure you quickly put it on and take it off again as soon as all your Baldur's Gate 3 party members have walked through the Gnarled Door! Failing to do so means you risk being controlled by Auntie Ethel and turning against your companions, which you really do not want to happen before such a big fight - though Protection From Evil and Good protects against these effects.

Whichever method you choose, you'll now have to fight four enemies: the Mask of Vengeance, Mask of Servitude, Mask of Terror, and Mask of Regret. They use a lot of Fear spells to disable your attacks , so while these foes don't have masses of HP, try to wipe them out as fast as possible.

To avoid getting attacked by the three Mask enemies, try having Shadowheart enter the Gnarled Door wearing the mask instead of any other companion. Her high Wisdom means she will pass each of the wisdom saving throws that will happen once per turn as you pass through the cabin, giving you basically a full workaround for the Hag's mask trap.

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and TechRadar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.

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