This is a walkthrough on how to complete all trials of the Gauntlet of Shar, Umbral Gem locations, and the Silent Library in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3). Learn how to complete the trials effectively, and where to find the Umbral Orbs for accessing Shadowfell.

Gauntlet of Shar Quests
Kill Raphael's Old Enemy	Silent Library Puzzle	Gauntlet of Shar: All Trials

Side Quest Details

Journal Entry
Infiltrate the Moonrise Towers Find the Nightsong
Recommended Level	Lv. 7
Result	Access Shadowfell
Location
Gauntlet of Shar (Thorm Mausoleum) X: -279, Y: -808

How to Get to the Gauntlet of Shar

Find the Gauntlet of Shar in Thorm Mausoleum

Find the Gauntlet of Shar
① Find the Gauntlet of Shar in Thorm Mausoleum ② Pass the Thorm Mausoleum Painting Puzzle ③ Pass the First Umbral Gem Puzzle in Gauntlet of Shar ④ Defeat Enemies with Balthazar's Skeletons ⑤ You Can Talk to Balthazar

Get Inside the Thorm Mausoleum

Thorm Mausoleum Entrance
Thorm Mausoleum (Shadow-Cursed Lands) X: 190, Y: 110

Before you can get to the Gauntet of Shar you need to get inside the Thorm Mausoleum at the Shadow-Cursed Lands first.

The Gauntlet of Shar can be infiltrated relatively safely when you have sided with the Moonrise Tower (you will still have to fight some of the Shadow enemies).

How to Get to the Shadow-Cursed Lands

Pass the Thorm Mausoleum Painting Puzzle

You need to solve two puzzles first before you can get to the trial rooms in the gauntlet. The first is the puzzle in the Thorm Mausoleum involving the paintings which will grant you access to the gauntlet. The second puzzle involves the protected Umbral Gem at the Statue of Shar which grants access to the gauntlet.

To solve the Thorm Mausoleum Puzzle, light up the paintings through their buttons in this order:

1. Moonrise Tower (Southwest Painting)
2. Ketheric Thorm Kneeling (Southeast Painting)
3. Ketheric Thorm Portrait (Northern Painting)

Solving this puzzle will reveal a passage to the Gauntlet of Shar's entrance.

Pass the First Umbral Gem Puzzle in Gauntlet of Shar

Head down the hallway of the gauntlet until you reach an area with the Statue of Shar. The main door across is sealed by the Umbral Gem in the middle, which you have to interact with to get past the door.

To solve the first Umbral Gem Gauntlet of Shar Puzzle, look for four (4) levers, one at each corner of the room, for lowering the Mystic Thuribles. Disarming the pressure plate traps right before them is valuable here, so have a Rogue or Astarion ready.

Once the four Thuribles have been lowered, turn of all within the area including your own light source to reveal an entry point to the protected Umbral Gem to unlock the main door. Proceed by continuing into the gauntlet.

Defeat Enemies with Balthazar's Skeletons

The area after the first umbral gem puzzle will reveal Balthazar's skeletons lurking around. A cutscene will trigger. After the talking to the skeletons, get ready to fight some Judiciars spawning from Umbral Tremors.

After clearing the area of enemies, head to the entrance far west of the room and head straight down the hallway. Skeletons that survived the encounter with the Judiciars will also head to that direction.

Balthazar's chamber is just located right after the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint which you can use as a fast travel point. North of the Gauntlet of Shar are the rooms to Shar's Trials for obtaining the Umbral Gems.

You Can Talk to Balthazar

Balthazar will be present in the Gauntlet of Shar, and he can be found to the west of the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint. You can choose to aid him in the quest for the Nightsong.

If you sided with the Moonrise Towers, you should be able to safely interact with him here. You can persuade him to give you a bell which can you use to summon Flesh to aid you in battle within the gauntlet.

You can also choose to whether fight him here, the end result being able to loot the Circle of Bones.

How to Beat Balthazar

All Gauntlet of Shar Trials and Umbral Gems

Shar's Trials and Umbral Gems Guide
① Umbral Gems in Gauntlet of Shar ② Complete the Soft-Step Trial ③ Complete the Self-Same Trial ④ Complete the Faith-Leap Trial ⑤ Yurgir's Umbral Gem ⑥ Insert Umbral Gems on Pedestals
There are a total of four (4) Umbral Gems you will need to take. Three must be collected from Shar's Trials at the gauntlet's west wing, and the fourth must taken from Yurgir at the east wing. When taking the Trials, you can have Shadowheart offer her blood at each altar to increase her approval.

Umbral Gems in Gauntlet of Shar

Completing all of Shar's Trials will give you a total of three (3) Umbral Gems. The fourth Umbral Gem can be found much later when you decide to look for Yurgir.

Soft-Step Trial

Soft-Step Trial Room
Gauntlet of Shar (Thorm Mausoleuom) X: -763, Y: -755

Four Umbral Gems are required to advance through the Gauntlet of Shar. Use them on one of the Pedestals that bring you to the lower portion of the gauntlet, up until the entrance to Shadowfell.

Three (3) of them are earned from completing the trials, and one (1) of them is gained from Yurgir. Making the required number of Umbral Gems to progress four (4).

The Soft-Step Trial is the first of Shar's three Trial rooms that you can enter. It is the nearest to the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint.

Disarm All Traps Before Starting the Trial

This trial is best done by a single Rogue, such as Astarion, due to the amount of of lockpicking and trap disarmament needed to pass through the maze safely.

You can safely disarm all of the traps before starting the trial (you just have to avoid sacrificing blood at the Ancient Altar first.)

Once all doors have been opened and all traps have been disarmed, you can have a character use the Ancient Altar and then navigate through the maze.

Evade the Roaming Shadows

There will be Shadows patrolling the middle of the room. If you are seen by any of them, you will be teleported back to the entrance.

To get past them, simply use Hide and study their patterns. Only move once their red search area is out of sight.

Once past the Shadows, head over to the end of the maze and acquire the first Umbral Gem. You can use the Transpositional Flux to teleport back to the trial room entrance.

Soft-Step Trial Umbral Gem

The Umbral Gem for the Soft-Step Trial room can be found at the end of the maze, behind a locked gate. You can either choose to lockpick it or you can grab the key at the center of the maze to open it.

Self-Same Trial

Self-Same Trial Room
Gauntlet of Shar (Thorm Mausoleuom) X: -765, Y: -727

The Self-Same Trial is the second of Shar's three Trial rooms that you can enter. It is the room a good distance next to the Soft-Step Trial entrance.

Prepare to Fight Your Copies

This room is combat-oriented. Once you sacrifice your blood to the Ancient Altar you will have to proceed through the area to fight your party's clones.

Any of your party members can fight clones, just make sure to study how the cloned party attacks first!

Fight Alone for Quick Completion

One alternative to finishing the trial quickly is by sending all of your members back to camp before using the Ancient Altar and then facing your own clone.

Keep in mind that the number of clones produced in this trial depend on the number of party members you have active.

Spot your singular clone sitting by the Brazier, use the Hide option and then perform a Surprise Attack to gain the advantage. One it has been defeated, you can collect the second Umbral Gem.

Self-Same Trial Umbral Gem

The Umbral Gem for the Self-Same Trial room can be found after defeating all of your copies in the area. It is usually found near the Brazier at the upper floor of the area after the fight.

Faith-Leap Trial

Faith-Leap Trial Room
Gauntlet of Shar (Thorm Mausoleuom) (Floor Below Self-Same Trial Room) X: -752, Y: -727

The Faith-Leap Trial is the third of Shar's three Trial rooms that you can enter. It is the room at the lower floor, right below the Same-Self Trial room.

Memorize Invisible Platforms

Of the three trial rooms, this is undoubtedly one of the hardest to complete due to the invisible platforms and needing to memorize where to go.

You will have to examine the disappearing room platforms from afar carefully (they become invisible if you are close to them.)

Leave Items or Jump on the Platforms

There are few ways you can go about this. One of them is economic: you do not need to memorize all of the invisible platforms.

Memorize select platforms and use the Jump function. This will make it much easier for you to traverse, and it is less taxing for the mind to do so.

Another safe but lengthy option is to leave items on the invisible platforms to mark them. You can use any item you do not necessary lead and creating a path of floating objects!

Use Fly or Misty Step

The most straightforward and convenient way to accomplish trial this is by having traversal spells such as Fly or Misty Step.

These kind of spells are usually available for classes such as the Paladin and Wizard.

Have similar members like Gale cast these spells on those who are going to partake in the trial.

Faith-Leap Umbral Gem

The Umbral Gem for the Faith-Leap Trial can be found at the very end of the Faith-Leap Trial room. Simply make it across the disappearing platforms.

Yurgir's Umbral Gem

Yurgir Umbral Gem Location
Gauntlet of Shar (Thorm Mausoleuom) X: -650, Y: -756

Yurgir the Orthon has the last of the four Umbral Gems necessary to gaining access to Shadowfell.

He is located at the east side of the Gauntlet of Shar (the same floor as the first two trial rooms). To get there, from the central room for inserting the collected Umbral Gems (Pedestal of Reckoning), head to the east broken stairway and follow the Displacer Beast.

From the initial position of the Displacer Beast, you can either choose to jump across and make a stealth approach to take on Yurgir and his minions, or you can go to the lower floor following the Displacer Beast and instead choosing to have a dialogue with Yurgir.

How to Kill Yurgir

Fight Yurgir, Nessa, and the Merregons

You can acquire the Umbral Gem by force by defeating Yurgir and all the combatants in the room.

Be warned that this will be a difficult fight since Yurgir by default is level 10, is resistant to most physical attacks, and can also turn invisible.

Persuade Yurgir to Kill Themselves

Fortunately, there is an easier way to deal with Yurgir. This, however, involves a lot of investment to persuasion and you may need to have either Astarion or Shadowheart talk to him.

Yurgir can be persuaded to kill his minions, his Displacer Beast Nessa, and himself through successful Persuasion Checks. You will need to, however, succeed in a passive Insight Check first after he sings to you his contract.

Insert Umbral Gems on Pedestals

Pedestal of Reckoning Location
Gauntlet of Shar X: 718, Y: -779

One (1) Umbral Gem is required for the first Pedestal of Reckoning which will take you to an area with another pedestal requiring three (3) Umbral Gems.

The Pedestal of Reckoning is located to the north of center room (which is right of the Gauntlet of Shar waypoint)

In total, the number Umbral Gems required to get to the Shadowfell entrance is four (4).

Get the Spear of Night at the Silent Library

Shadowheart and the Spear of Night

Silent Library Location
Gauntlet of Shar (Below Soft-Step Trial Room) X: -745, Y: -752

If you are going to access the Shadowfell with Shadowheart, you will need to get the Spear of Night from the Silent Library which is found at the lower floors, beneath the Soft-Step Trial Room.

Having the Spear of the Night will ensure that passing into the Shadowfell will not cause Shadowheart to hinder your progress.

It is also vital to acquiring any one of the two possible weapons after completing the Nightsong quest: Shar's Spear of Evening and Selune's Spear of Night.

Silent Library Puzzle and Location

Shadowfell Without Shadowheart

You can still proceed into Shadowfell without Shadowheart by not having her in your party when you access the Shadowfell entrance.

If Shadowheart is in your active party, you will not be able to proceed since she will ask to get the Spear of the Night first.

Refusing to do her request will agitate her, and forcing to push through the conversation without the spear will cause her to leave the party and attack you.

Baldur's Gate 3 Related Guides

List of All Side Quests

Prologue Side Quests

All Prologue Side Quests
How to Free the Intellect Devourer	How to Free Shadowheart

Act 1 Side Quests

Druid's Grove Quests

Druid Grove Quests
How to Steal the Sacred Idol	Should You Save The Goblin Sazza?	How to Avoid Tiefling Pickpockets
Save the Refugees	How to Save Nadira	How to Save Mirkon
How to Save the First Druid Halsin	How to Open the Stone Slab	Request Help from Nettie
How to Investigate and Expose Kagha	Save Arabella	-

The Risen Road Quests

The Risen Road Quests
Find the Missing Shipment	How to Rescue the Grand Duke
Rescue the Trapped Man	How to Free Oskar Fevras

Blighted Village Quests

Blighted Village Quests
How to Beat the Goblins: Blighted Village	How to Open the Necromancy of Thay	How to Recruit the Ogres
How to Finish the Masterwork Weapon	That Barn: Avoid Killing Buthir	Rescue the Gnome and Stop the Windmill

Goblin Camp Quests

Goblin Camp Quests
How to Get Volo's Ersatz Eye	Defiled Temple Puzzle
Find the Nightsong	Ask the Goblin Priestess for Help

Nautiloid Crash Region Quests

Nautiloid Crash Region Quests
Dank Crypt Guide	The Dying Mind Flayer	Auntie Ethel Quest Guide
How to Get Owlbear Cub	Spiderling Nest Guide-	How to Open the Selunite Chest
How to Get Scratch	Should You Heal Pandirna	Underground Passage Guide

Underdark Quests

Underdark Quests
Arcane Tower Guide	Defeat the Duergar Intruders	Save the Grymforge Gnomes
Find the Adamantine Forge	Deliver Nere's Head	How to Find the Mushroom Picker
How to Cure the Poisoned Gnome	Help the Cursed Monk	Omeluum Location

Mountain Pass Quests

Mountain Pass Quests
Steal a Githyanki Egg	How to Beat Gremishkas	How to Access Guardian of Faith Room
Dawnmaster Puzzle Guide	Where to Find the Githyanki Creche	-

This section is currently under construction. Check back later for updates!

Act 2 Side Quests

Last Light Inn Quests

Last Light Inn Quests
Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse	Rescue the Tieflings	Rescue Wulbren
How to Lift the Shadow Curse: Where to Find Thaniel	Find Zevlor	Help He Who Was
Investigate the Selûnite Resistance	-	-

Gauntlet of Shar Quests

Gauntlet of Shar Quests
Gauntlet of Shar: All Trials and Umbral Gems	Kill Raphael's Old Enemy

Mind Flayer Colony Quests

Mind Flayer Colony Quests
How to Solve the Necrotic Laboratory

Act 3 Side Quests

Rivington Quests

Rivington Quests
Investigate the Suspicious Toys	Solve the Open Hand Temple Murders	Find the Missing Letters
How to Get to Wyrm's Rock Fortress	How to Find Dribbles the Clown	-

Lower City Quests

Lower City Quests
How to Get to the House of Hope	How to Get to Cazador's Palace	Rescue Orin's Victim
Aid the Underduke	How to Get to the House of Grief	Investigate the Murders