Baldur's Gate 3 Act 2: Conquering Moonrise Towers, Ketheric Thorm, and Shadowcurse

Baldur's Gate 3 does not have a "season" system as seen in typical online games. Game updates are delivered in the form of "patches" and "hotfixes." The latest major update was "Patch 8," followed by multiple hotfixes addressing minor issues. This article is based on information current as of May 31, 2026, reflecting these updates.

Light is lost, and the shadow's curse corrupts everything in Act 2, the "Shadow-Cursed Lands." Moonrise Towers, towering at its heart, and the immortal General Ketheric Thorm pose a significant challenge for many players. This article provides a comprehensive explanation of all steps to completely lift this curse and defeat Ketheric, including easily missed events and combat tips. Take this guide and restore light to the shadow-shrouded land.

Act 2 "Shadow-Cursed Lands" Progression and Complete Shadowcurse Removal

To permanently lift the Shadowcurse, the cooperation of your druid companion Halsin is essential.

Securing Countermeasures Against the Curse

First, establish a foundation for safe exploration. The most crucial step is securing a light source.

1. Basic Measures: In areas with weaker curses early on, torches or the "Light" spell are sufficient for movement.
2. Last Light Inn's Blessing: Upon reaching the "Last Light Inn" stronghold as you progress the story, receiving Isobel's blessing will nullify the curse within a certain range. However, it cannot counter the stronger curses around the towers.
3. Obtaining the "Moonlantern": By advancing the co-op quest with the Harpers and defeating the ambush party for Kar'niss, you can obtain the crucial item/equipment, the "Moonlantern." This is key to countering the powerful curses.
4. Pixie's Blessing: Examining the acquired "Moonlantern" reveals a pixie trapped inside. Freeing her grants your entire party a permanent curse resistance buff, the "Pixie's Blessing." This eliminates the need to carry the lantern, making exploration significantly freer.

Halsin's Personal Quest: Saving Thaniel

To permanently lift the Shadowcurse, the cooperation of your druid companion Halsin is essential.

1. Starting the Quest: On the first floor of the "Last Light Inn," you'll find Art Cullagh in a strange sleep. Searching for clues to lift his curse and reporting to Halsin will officially begin the quest to rescue Thaniel, the source of the curse.
2. Portal to the Shadowfell: Halsin will head into the otherworldly "Shadowfell" to save Thaniel. During this time, you must defend the portal until he returns.

Portal Defense and Confrontation with Oliver

The Thaniel rescue quest is one of the highlights of Act 2.

• Portal Defense: Once Halsin enters the portal, Shadows and Crows will appear in large numbers for 5 turns, attempting to destroy it. Area of effect spells like Cleric's "Spirit Guardians" or "Turn Undead," or Sorcerer's "Fireball," as well as tactics like using summoned units as a barrier, are very effective.
• Reuniting with Oliver: After partially rescuing Thaniel, you'll need to find his other half, "Oliver." In dialogue with Oliver, you can choose to resolve the situation peacefully through persuasion or intimidation, or engage in combat. If combat occurs, Oliver himself is invincible, but defeating all the shadow minions he summons will grant you victory.

Once Thaniel is fully restored, you'll be told that to completely break the curse, you must defeat Ketheric Thorm, its root cause.

Exploring Moonrise Towers and Important Events

Moonrise Towers, the central hub of Act 2, can be infiltrated peacefully by posing as a True Soul before freeing the "Nightsong" to remove Ketheric's immortality. Explore its interior thoroughly and strengthen your forces before the final battle.

Peaceful Infiltration and Information Gathering

Inside the towers, you can accept quests from non-hostile NPCs and purchase powerful items/equipment from merchants. It's also possible to have an audience with Ketheric Thorm himself and gather information about his background, which can be useful in later combat.

Don't Miss These! Important Tower Events

• Rescuing Prisoners: The underground prison holds Tieflings encountered in Act 1 and Gnomes from the Worgon's hidden lair. The quest to save them significantly impacts the story of Act 3 and the fate of your companions.
• Araj Oblodra and the Strength Potion: Araj, a Drow researcher on the first floor of the tower, will ask for your blood. If Astarion is in your party and speaks with her, he can drink her blood, and in return, you'll receive the incredibly valuable "Potion of Everlasting Vigor," which permanently increases Strength by +2.
• Balthazar's Room: Balthazar, Ketheric's necromancer aide, has a room containing crucial information about the "Gauntlet of Shar" and components for crafting a Moonlantern. Don't forget to explore it.

The Immortal General! Ketheric Thorm Full Strategy

Once all preparations are complete, it's time for the decisive battle against Ketheric Thorm. This fight is divided into three phases across multiple locations, so be prepared for a prolonged engagement.

Removing Immortality: The Gauntlet of Shar and the Nightsong

Ketheric Thorm is initially immortal, impervious to all attacks. To remove this immortality, you must proceed to the deepest part of the "Gauntlet of Shar" and free the imprisoned "Nightsong." Freeing her will cause Ketheric to lose his immortality, making him vulnerable to damage.

Phase 1: Moonrise Towers Rooftop

After freeing the Nightsong, you will confront Ketheric Thorm on the rooftop of Moonrise Towers with her. In this battle, once you reduce his Hit Points (HP) to about half, an event will trigger, and he will flee to the Mind Flayer Colony, so you don't need to exert full effort here.
[Strategy Tip] If you gathered information about Ketheric's past in places like the Thorm Mausoleum beforehand, a [Persuasion] dialogue option will appear before combat. Successfully persuading him will make Ketheric surrender willingly, allowing you to completely skip this rooftop battle.

Final Battle: Mind Flayer Colony (Phase 2 & 3)

Pursue Ketheric to the Mind Flayer Colony beneath the towers. Resource management is extremely important, as you can only take one Long Rest within the colony.

1. Phase 2 - Ketheric Rematch: The final battle with Ketheric begins at the deepest part of the colony. In this arena, the Nightsong is once again imprisoned, and Ketheric is invincible while she remains captive. Prioritize approaching the Nightsong and freeing her with the "Help" action. Nasty enemies like Mind Flayers and Necromites will also appear, requiring quick disposal with area of effect attacks.
2. Phase 3 - Avatar of Myrkul: Once Ketheric's Hit Points (HP) are depleted, he dedicates himself to Myrkul, the god of death, transforming into the colossal undead "Avatar of Myrkul." This is his final form. This boss possesses powerful melee attacks and emits a "Bone Chill" aura that impedes healing effects for nearby characters. Healers should position themselves outside the aura's range, and it's safer to fight primarily with ranged attacks. If the Nightsong is still alive, she will be a great asset as a powerful damage source.

Recommended Builds and Tactics

To gain an advantage in the battle against Ketheric Thorm and his forces, we introduce effective classes and tactics.

Recommended Classes for Boss Fights

• Paladin (Oath of Vengeance/Oathbreaker): Ketheric and the Avatar of Myrkul have the Undead type, so "Divine Smite" is incredibly effective. Paladins can dish out such high damage that they are arguably the MVP of Act 2.
• Cleric (Life Domain/Light Domain): Not only are they the party's lifeline, but radiant damage spells and "Turn Undead" are also optimal for dealing with surrounding adds. The tactic of deploying "Spirit Guardians" and charging into enemy lines is also powerful.
• Sorcerer (Storm Sorcery): The Metamagic "Twinned Spell" to cast "Haste" on two allies is exceptionally strong. Additionally, if someone applies "Wet" status to enemies with "Create Water," lightning damage doubles, allowing for incredible damage output.
• Fighter (Battle Master): "Disarming Attack," one of the "maneuvers," is effective against Ketheric. Knocking his powerful weapon away can significantly reduce incoming damage.

Tactics for Gaining a Combat Advantage

• Surprise and Positioning: For the final battle in the colony, approaching enemies using invisibility potions or spells and initiating combat can grant them a "Surprised" condition. This allows for an entire turn of action unopposed, significantly turning the tide of battle in your favor.
• Importance of Area of Effect Attacks: Numerous reinforcements appear in every combat phase. Ensure at least one party member has area of effect spells like "Fireball," "Ice Storm," or "Hunger of Hadar" ready.
• Utilizing Status Conditions: Status conditions that restrict enemy actions, such as freezing the ground to impede enemy movement or "Hypnotic Pattern" to neutralize groups of lesser foes, become increasingly important on higher difficulties.

Summary

Baldur's Gate 3 Act 2 is a major turning point in the story, featuring the unique environment of the Shadowcurse and the formidable enemy, Ketheric Thorm. The key to success involves confidently following three steps: ①permanently lifting the Shadowcurse (Halsin and Thaniel), ②gathering information before the decisive battle (exploring Moonrise Towers), and ③removing Ketheric's immortality (freeing the Nightsong). By understanding the mechanics of each phase and approaching with appropriate builds and tactics, you will undoubtedly be able to restore light to the shadow-shrouded lands. We hope this guide proves helpful in your adventure.