• Guide

Arcane Tower elevator & button guide - Baldur's Gate 3

Power up the elevator, press a strange button, answer Bernard's riddles, and get Omeluum's ingredients in the abandoned Arcane Tower.

Josh Broadwell

September 27, 2023 6:30 PM

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The Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Tower seems like a giant puzzle when you first walk in, assuming the Arcane Turrets haven’t scattered your charred remains among the mushrooms. The elevator is busted. Magic artifacts are literally gunning for you. And there’s hardly any indication of how to handle any of these problems or get the items you need for Omeluum’s quest. This guide explains how to get through the Arcane Tower and activate the elevator, along with what to look for while you’re inside.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Tower location

If you chatted with Omeluum the Mind Flayer and aren’t sure where to go to find his mushroom samples, you’ve got a ways to travel. The Arcane Tower is in the far south-western corner of the Underdark. The easiest way to get there from the Myconid Colony is by heading south, skirting the Sussur Tree area (which is where you'll find Sussur Tree Bark), and going through the beach. Another few quests trigger at the beach, and you may find yourself up against a bunch of angry Duergar depending on how you answer. While you're slinking through here, remember to grab Phalar Aluve, a literally sword in the stone.

Keep heading southwest, and you will eventually see some steps and paved roads between the mushrooms. If you somehow found your way to the Underdark from the Teahouse in the swamp, head west instead. You’ll walk through a field of burning, exploding mushrooms and eventually pop out near the Arcane Tower.

How to disable Arcane Turrets in Baldur’s Gate 3

However you arrive, you’ll see a thin line of blue-white light on your character soon after you reach the area. Quickly enter turn-based mode when you do. That light is a targeting reticule from a nearby Arcane Turret, an enchanted metal contraption that fires multiple energy bolts each second. Find cover – use the “hide” command if you need to crouch behind a low wall – and use magic to attack the turrets. I managed to disable the ones outside the tower with some of Gale’s spells and a few crossbow bolts, though I’m not actually sure if that’s a bug or a feature.

The Arcane Turrets are vulnerable to Blind, so you can use fog and darkness spells to pass unharmed or Misty Step, if your party knows that spell, to instantly teleport behind them.

If none of that works, head to the Sussur Tree region and pick up some Sussur Blooms. These disable all magic, including the turrets., so you can enter turn-based mode and lob one near the offending turret.

Two more turrets await you inside. Deal with them the same way. Heavy, smashing weapons can work, but it takes a bit of effort and you'll be getting lit up while you do. Blinding them is the best option.

How to fix the Arcane Tower elevator in Baldur’s Gate 3

All three doorways lead to balconies, and the center of the room houses a busted elevator. To your right is a balcony with a chest that magically reduces the weight of anything you put inside, which is very handy if you have a character with room to spare. The back door leads to nothing, and it’s the left door that you want.

Cast Fog to blind the Turret, throw your bloom, or just move pretty quickly, and head outside. Make sure you have a character with high Dexterity with you. Jump down the mushrooms to reach the balcony below.

The room inside contains Timmask Spores and Tongue of Madness, which you need for Omeluum’s quest, so grab both of those and anything else that takes your fancy. Read the Threadbare Book on the western shelf before leaving. 

Go back to the balcony that you landed on, and jump down to the mushrooms below. The jump is further this time, so you’ll take fall damage unless you use Baldur's Gate 3 spells that stop fall damge - Feather Fall, for example, or even Misty Step.

Now you’re in the tower garden. Explore as much as you like, grab a Sussur Bloom from the glowing blue tree, and then approach the large double doors. Pick the lock, and head inside. There are some alchemy items and a few books you can read if you’d like some more lore.

Interact with the power generator once you’re ready. An item combine screen pops up. Take your Sussur Bloom, and drag it into the empty slot before pressing the “combine” button. That turns the elevator back on.

Head to the floor above via the staircase, and keep pressing the “Ascend” button until you return to the main hall. Press it again to reach the next floor, where you’ll find more lore books. Read “The Roads to Darkness” on the table with candles on it.

Arcane Tower button

While you’re on the third floor of the Arcane Tower, you may notice a button on the wall by a window. This button does nothing unless you are wearing a specific dog collar. The dog collar in question mentions a dog called Myrna. You can find this dog collar in a grave in the Underdark, west of Underdark – Beach and south of the Sussur Tree.

Equip the dog collar and press the button to solve this little mystery. The button dispenses a slab of steak, presumably a way for the late Myrna to get herself a treat. Anyone who’s wearing the collar will note that it vibrates when near the button. Head to the top of the tower when you’re ready and you’ll encounter Bernard the mechanical guardian.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Bernard answers

Bernard asks you questions that you can’t answer correctly unless you read both books. Your only option then is to fight Bernard and his robot friends, a tough fight that rewards you with a moderately rare spear.

The right choices are:

• Or art thou friend, a rescue from my lonely wake
• How can I trust? How can I ever know? / How can I show myself, my darkest me?

Bernard will place a Ring of Guiding Light on a nearby table, which you should take back to the elevator.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Tower basement

The ring opens a new option at the elevator and lets you go to the tower’s depths. There’s nothing essential here, but there is a lot of loot, including a unique staff, several magic scrolls, and plenty of crafting materials. Fill your pockets filled, the Arcane Tower will be completed, so head back to the Myconid Colony to give Omeluum his mushrooms. Check out our Baldur's Gate 3 guide and walkthrough if you're looking for more help during your trip through Faerun, 

Josh Broadwell

Contributing Editor

Josh is a freelance writer and reporter who specializes in guides, reviews, and whatever else he can convince someone to commission. You may have seen him on NPR, IGN, Polygon, or VG 24/7 or on Twitter, shouting about Trails. When he isn’t working, you’ll likely find him outside with his Belgian Malinois and Australian Shepherd or curled up with an RPG of some description.