Mysterious Artefact

The Mysterious Artefact is a plot-critical story item in Baldur's Gate 3.

A many-sided box of blackened iron, engraved with pulsating runes. Something stirs within.

Properties

• Miscellaneous Items
• Rarity: Story Item
•  Weight: 0.5 kg / 1 lb
• Price: 1 gp

Where to find

Initially carried by Shadowheart.

If Shadowheart is dead or has not been recruited when the party approaches the Goblin Camp for the first time, the artefact will teleport itself into a party member's inventory in order to protect the party from the Absolute's influence during the triggered cutscene.

Notes and Trivia

• The artefact can be interacted with and investigated, but cannot be opened (as of Early Access Patch 9).
  • It is covered in githyanki tir'su.
  • It is the only item in the game with the Bound property: 'This relic is bound to its current owner by a powerful aura.'
• The Githyanki patrol on The Risen Road is searching for this artefact, but it - or the being contained within - has a will of its own, and will make it known that it does not wish to be found by them.
• If another character manages to take possession of the artefact, attempting to interact with it while Shadowheart is in the party (and nearby) will not work.
• Swen Vincke has previously expressed how difficult it was to ensure the player ends up with the artefact in their possession (Gamespot on YouTube: The Box That Broke Baldur's Gate 3).
• The artefact is shaped like an icosahedron also known as a  d20 - the main die in tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons.
• The artefact will always be acquired by the end of Act One. If the player refuses all opportunities to recruit Shadowheart, and does not take it from her, it will appear upon camping.