Overgrown Ruins

The Overgrown Ruins, and associated waypoint. This screenshot shows both the lower entrance on the Ravaged Beach and the upper Chapel Entrance.

Wilderness
Emerald Grove
↑
Roadside Cliffs	←	Overgrown Ruins	→	River Chionthar
↓
Ravaged Beach

The Overgrown Ruins is a Location within the Wilderness in Act One of Baldur's Gate 3. There are the remnants of what appears to have once been a chapel, though time has eroded many of the clues as to who exactly was revered here.

Overview

The ruins consist of the exterior Chapel Entrance and the interior Refectory and Dank Crypt. Four bandits guard the entrance while the other six are looting the Refectory. Entering this area grants the party 10 XP at level 2, 30 XP at level 3, and 40 XP at level 4.

Accessing the ruins

Four entrances lead into the ruins, with several options for access:

• Ravaged Beach X: 285 Y: 305: DC 20 Sleight of Hand check, leading into the trapped sarcophagus room
• Chapel Entrance X: 285 Y: 375: DC 7 Sleight of Hand check or convince Andorn to open the door
• Chapel Entrance X: 315 Y: 365: DC 20 Sleight of Hand check, leading into the Shrine of Jergal
• Chapel Entrance X: 285 Y: 350: Create en entrance by snapping the coiled rope holding up a foundation block, leading into the Refectory

Chapel Entrance

See main article: Chapel Entrance

The Chapel Entrance, showing the structure of the upper ruin, and looters prepared for an ambush.

The Chapel Entrance spans the upper section of the Overgrown Ruins. Four looters argue whether to abandon their post to search the Nautiloid Wreck to the south. This area contains a door to the Refectory and a hidden hatch to the Dank Crypt. Patches of Twisting Vines and a loose cracked stone may punish the unwary.

Refectory

The shrine inside the Refectory

Six bandits are inside the Refectory. This area can be accessed via the Chapel Entrance at X: 285 Y: 375 or speaking with the guard Andorn. If the party fail to convince Andorn to open the door peacefully, he plants a trap in the entryway, and all looters inside are readied for combat. The bandits' exact locations vary based on whether they are alerted of the party's presence.

In the Refectory, a door leading to the Dank Crypt at X: -178 Y: -322 can be unlocked by activating the switch at X: -174 Y: -362. The Dank Crypt can also be accessed by destroying the door or entering through the hatch or Ravaged Beach. This door can also be opened by entering the Refectory through the Dank Crypt and lighting the two candles adorning it.

Dank Crypt

The Dank Crypt (also known as Temple Ruins) is overgrown and strewn with ancient sarcophagi. This area consists of two rooms.

Trapped sarcophagus

The southern room containing several sarcophagi at X: -293 Y: -325 is heavily trapped. The sarcophagus at the centre has an Engraved Key and The Watcher's Guide. This key opens the heavy oak doors to the north. If the trap is triggered by opening the sarcophagus, gargoyle heads lining the west and east walls shoot firebolts while grease vents flood the ground. After the trap is triggered, pressing the button on the middle pillar along the eastern side of the room will turn off all the traps.

• The vent and sarcophagus traps require passing a DC 15 Perception check to identify, while the gargoyle heads require a DC 10 Perception check.
• Grease vents can be blocked by placing crates, vases, and other similar items on top of them.
• The sarcophagus, grease vents, and gargoyle heads can be individually disarmed by passing a DC 10 Sleight of Hand check using a Trap Disarm Toolkit. However, only the centre sarcophagus needs to be disarmed to disable the entire trap.
• If the sarcophagus trap is not detected, disabling the vents or heads can also neuter the trap, but can be a risky proposition as trap disarm toolkits are in short supply early in the game. The trap also cannot be fully disabled in this manner as one of the gargoyle heads is out of reach, and only a single head is needed to trigger a chain reaction from the grease vents.

Shrine of Jergal

In the north room, an imposing skeleton statue towers at the centre of an overgrown chamber. Passing a DC 15 Religion check identifies the statue as Jergal, the divine scribe and former deity of death.

The eastern wall is collapsed to reveal a seaside cave routing back to the Roadside Cliffs, which can be accessed through a hatch at X: -250 Y: -270. To unlock the hatch, the lever next to the ladder must be pulled.

The Entombed Scribe at X: -311 Y: -252 carries a Heavy Key that unlocks the ancient door near the Overgrown Ruins waypoint. The room next to the entombed scribe contains a sarcophagus with a Soul Coin at X: -324 Y: -274 and a Book of Dead Gods at X: -321 Y: -269. To read the book, a character must initially pass a DC 15 Arcana, or Strength check. Wizards may instead pass a DC 10 Intelligence check and clerics can pass a DC 10 Wisdom check. After the initial check, the character must pass a DC 10 Religion check, which grants Secrets of the Sundering for sages and Divinity Undone for acolytes. Regardless of whether the character succeeds the religion check, a Scroll of Ray of Enfeeblement falls out of the book.

In the main room with the statue, a button can be pressed at X: -300 Y: -235 to reveal a hidden room. Pressing the button causes the four Entombed Scribes and one Entombed Warrior in the room to attack the party.

• The enemies can be disarmed before triggering the fight by looting their weapons.
• Lighting the braziers using spells such as  Fire Bolt prevent the enemies from capitalizing on dim light via  Darkvision.
• Attempting to move the skeletons will instantly trigger combat regardless of whether the button is pressed.
  • However, using Improvised Melee Weapon on the bodies and interrupting before the attack hits does not trigger combat, as this is technically not an action, allowing for safe repositioning of the skeletons.

Withers

Withers, being awoken from his slumber, asks a question.

If interacting with the sarcophagus in the secret room, Withers emerges to ask the interacting party member a question. He later joins the party as a camp follower, offering resurrection, hireling, and respec services. Meeting Withers for the first time grants Unfamiliar Unfamiliarity for the Haunted One. If not meeting Withers in the Dank Crypt, he eventually appears in the camp on his own.

Characters

Camp followers

• Withers

Looters (Chapel Entrance)

• Gimblebock
• Quelenna
• Taman
• Warryn

Looters (Refectory)

• Andorn
• Barton
• Cefrey
• Haseid
• Mari
• Torgga

Creatures

• Entombed Scribe
• Entombed Warrior

Loot

• Ancient Scroll - in a vase at X: -189 Y: -313
• Bandit's Key - carried by Andorn, in the Refectory at X: -160 Y: -290
• Book of Dead Gods - X: -321 Y: -269
• Engraved Key - X: -293 Y: -323
• Heavy Key - carried by an Entombed Scribe at X: -310 Y: -250
• Portrait of Fane - on the wall at X: -182 Y: -296
• Scroll of Protection from Evil and Good - in a Gilded Chest at X: -281 Y: -301
• Soul Coin - in a sarcophagus at X: -324 Y: -274
• Soul Coin - in a sarcophagus near the south exit X: -304 Y: -323
• Soul Coin - in Withers' sarcophagus at X: -290 Y: -235
• The Amulet of Lost Voices - in a Heavy Chest next to Withers' sarcophagus at X: -290 Y: -235
• The Watcher's Guide - X: -293 Y: -323

Related quests

•  Explore the Ruins