How to Lift the Shadow Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Surya Kumar
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<div class="paragraphs"><p>How to Lift the Shadow Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3?</p></div>
How to Lift the Shadow Curse in Baldur’s Gate 3?

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Highlights
The Shadow Cursed Lands in Baldur’s Gate 3 will drastically reduce your party’s HP if you venture into it without proper in-game gear.
Please note that this article contains several spoilers spanning various quests.

Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 always shows players intricate ways to solve the mysteries hidden in the game by completing challenges, puzzles, and quests. One such mystery is Shadow Cursed Lands which players will come across during the game’s second act. It has a nasty effect that drastically reduces your HP if you stay in the darker areas. Considering this, many players have been wondering if it is possible to lift the curse from the Shadow Cursed Lands. Let’s take a look at what can be done in order to get rid of this malediction.

How to Lift the Shadow Curse?

In Baldur’s Gate 3 players are tasked with a very complex questline that offers them the chance to lift the curse of the Shadow Cursed Lands. There are several things that players need to keep in mind before triggering this quest. 

There are four main characters who play a central role in this questline that requires you to be in their good books. They are:

  • Thaniel

  • Halsin

  • Oliver

  • Art Cullagh

Thaniel is considered to be the very spirit of the Shadow Cursed Land. Halsin, the knowledgeable Druid will hint that this spirit is essential to lift the curse. Head towards the Last Light Inn where you will find an NPC named Art Cullagh who is lying in a coma. Go back and tell Halsin about the unconscious man.

Remember that you need to have tools such as a Moon Lantern or the Pixie Bell before venturing out into the Shadow Cursed Lands. If you do not have access to these items which are the most effective, a simple torch will do the job for now.

You will also need to head to the house of healing to acquire an item called the Battered Lute. After obtaining it, head to the Last Light Inn and talk to Art Cullagh who has now awakened.

Return and talk to Halsin who will now head to the lakeside that is located to the north of Last Light Inn.

He will attempt to open a portal to Shadowfell while hordes of enemies attack you. Worry not, as these are the weaker enemies. Players are recommended to use AOE spells to fight them off effectively.

Thaniel and Oliver

After these events, you will discover that Thaniel isn’t merely a spirit but he also takes the role of a young lad named Oliver. Once you uncover these events you will need to convince him to return to your camp as he plays a pivotal role in annihilating the curse.

Upon Succeeding, Halsin will return to your camp and ask you to look for Oliver near the Shadowed Battlefield. Halsin can now be recruited as your party member. However, after getting through this point in the quest, he will no longer be of help.

After reaching the Shadowed Battlefield, you will now engage in conversation with Oliver asking him to return to the spirit form with Thaniel. Unhappy with your request, he escapes through a Shadow portal. Following him into the portal will trigger combat with several shadow spawns of himself, including mummy and daddy shadows.

Killing General Ketheric Thorm

Alternatively, if you have Halsin in your party, he will take over and convince Oliver to reunite with Thaniel. They will appear at your camp and give you one final objective which is to defeat General Ketheric Thorm.

To fix the land and get rid of the curse you must kill Ketheric Thorm. If you are on the side of the Harpers, this would be the next storyline you will embark on. However, if you are not on this path, you must infiltrate the Moonrise Towers to learn the secret to defeat the General. You will learn that Nightsong is the key when it comes to defeating him. Follow our Nighsong quest guide to explore further options. If you do wish to recruit Nightsong, you can launch an attack on the Moonrise Towers, ultimately killing Ketheric Thorm.  

Once Ketheric Thorm is defeated you will be able to permanently lift the shadow curse by simply talking to Thaniel to finish the quest.


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Surya has been an avid gamer all his life with an emphasis on single-player titles since the PlayStation 2 era. After switching to PC, he has also dabbled in the world of Valorant ever since its beta. He aims to spread his passion for gaming through his writing.