How to get to the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3

Going to the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3 is an important task in the game, as it’s one of the ways that you can get to the Shadow-Cursed Lands, the setting for Act 2. Yet entering the Underdark and making merry with the fungoid inhabitants (and much more) thereof can be tricky, as the entrances to this mysterious subterranean realm in Baldur's Gate 3 aren't all that obvious. The good news is that there are several of them and we've laid out all the entrances to the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3 and how to get to them below.

Baldur's Gate 3 Underdark entrance locations

At time of writing there are four known entrances to the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3, with locations spread around act one of the game. They are as follows:

• The Defiled Temple. Once you get through the Baldur's Gate 3 Goblin Camp, you'll reach the Shattered Sanctum. Priestess Gut's private room, guarded by an Ogre bodyguard, links to an area called the Defiled Temple, a ruined place of worship to the goddess Shar. If you can complete the Baldur's Gate 3 moon puzzle within, you'll be granted access to a tunnel that leads down to the Underdark.
• The Ancient Abode of Auntie Ethel. If you go to deal with the Baldur's Gate 3 hag in the woods South of the Blighted Village, you can find her Teahouse. If you’ve done the first fight with Ethel and her mind-controlled followers, proceed through the waterfall to an area full of Baldur's Gate 3 noxious fumes traps. Cover the vent with an object, then, jump to the ledge opposite. With your back to the waterfall, the ledge will be on the opposite side of a chasm, with another illusion door. Cast “Protection from Evil and Good” on yourself and put on a whispering mask – this will let you pass through the second door, where you’ll find a portal to the Underdark.
• The Whispering Depths. If you found the Necromancy of Thay in Baldur's Gate 3, you might know that the key to unlock it is found in the Whispering Depths, accessible through the well in the middle of the Blighted Village, or through a cracked wall near the forge in the same Village. Following the tunnels in the Depths to their Westernmost point, you'll find a terrifying boss called the Phase Spider Matriarch. You don't have to kill her though - the central pit she circles around can also be jumped into with the Feather Fall spell to reach the Underdark.
• The Zhentarim Hideout. West of the Risen Road is Waukeen's rest, a burning house surrounded by the Flaming First. At the west side of this area is a little dead end with a dead Ox - but the little shed North of that, the door covered by crates, is actually a secret entrance to a hideout for the criminal faction known as the Zhentarim. You can lie and talk your way in - then when you're in their underground lair, head to the North for your character's perception to reveal an illusory wall guarded by a wolf. Sneaking through reveals an old elevator - use a Lockpick to access it and it'll take you down to the Underdark!

What level should you be for the Underdark?

The Underdark is pretty brutal, and a player will want to be level three at the bare minimum before dealing with its perils, and ideally level 5 and up. If you do go at level 3 or lower, you'll have to play incredibly cleverly, and probably depend more on stealth and negotiation, as combat with the minotaurs, duergar and drow that prowl this underground realm will take you to pieces unless you're either incredibly lucky or incredibly clever.

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