Watcher's Keep Level 1 - Baldur's Gate II

This guide will walk you through level 1 of Watcher’s Keep in the Throne of Bhaal expansion for Baldur’s Gate II. This area’s code in the game files is AR3001.

Watcher’s Keep Level 1 Map

baldurs gate 2 map watchers keep level 1

Archivist’s Room
Library
Display Room
Kitchen
Ritual Altar
Chapel
Dormitory
Reading Room
Runed Room
Priest’s Quarters

Exits:
A) Top of the keep
B) Level 2

Overview

Your goal on this level of the keep is to activate the portal to Level 2 (Exit B). To do this, you’ll need to complete a ritual. When you first head over to the ritual altar (#5), you’ll see a guardian statue behind it, and it will indicate that the altar should contain a Holy Book, a Bell, and a Candle. The book will already be there. You’ll find the other two items nearby (#3, #4).

When you add or remove any item from the altar, the four statues closest to it will come to life and attack you. Two of the statues are casters, and you should take them out as quickly as possible. You’ll earn 80,000 xp for defeating the statues, and you’ll find Foebane +3 on one of their corpses.

When you add all three items to the altar, the guardian statue will ask you to list the five stages of the ritual, in order. To learn this, you’ll need to read three Tattered Parchments (#2, #9). One will mention ringing the bell, another will mention ringing the bell a second time, and the third will mention ringing the bell a final time. This will reveal the order of the parchments, and reading them in order will show you how the ritual should go:

Ring the bell.
Ring the bell.
Light the candle.
Open the book and place it on the altar.
Ring the bell.

However, you won’t be done yet because you won’t know where to open the book. To learn this, you’ll need to pick up the key from the priest’s quarters (#10) and use it to enter the chapel (#6). Inside the chapel, you’ll find a sarcophagus. When you interact with it, you’ll wake up an old priest. After killing him or appeasing him (by giving him the Old Slippers from #7), you’ll be able to examine his ceremonial robe in the sarcophagus, where you’ll find the proper page for the book.

When you demonstrate your knowledge of the ritual, the guardian statue will activate the exit portal to Level 2 (Exit B). This will earn each character in your party 25,000 xp. But it won’t all be good news. At the same time, the eight statues around the portal will come to life, and they’ll attack you. Luckily, the mage statue will be close to you, so you should be able to take her down right away and then mop up the rest. You’ll earn 160,000 xp for defeating the statues, and when you loot their corpses you’ll find a Bastard Sword +2, a Dagger +3, a Halberd +2, a Large Shield +2, a Longbow +3, and Usuno’s Blade +4.

Walkthrough

1 – Archivist’s Room

Inside this room, you’ll meet the spirit of Giltham the archivist. He’ll complain that it’s “cold, so very cold,” but he won’t say anything more. To help out Giltham, you’ll need to use the Tinderbox (#7) to light a fire in the kitchen (#4). When you do, Giltham will come over, and he’ll tell you that the old priest has gotten cantankerous in his old age, but that bringing him his Old Slippers (#7) will calm him down. This will earn each character in your party 4000 xp.

Also in the room, you’ll find a Paladin’s Bracers inside a (locked and trapped) chest.

2 – Library

Inside the containers and shelves in this room, you’ll find Elminster’s Ecologies: Appendix IIIa (information about some of the creatures you’ll face in the keep), a Golem Manual, a Handwritten Note (a clue for Lum’s machine on Level 4), and two Tattered Parchments (clues for the ritual at #5).

3 – Display Room

Inside the containers in this room, you’ll find a Bell (needed for the ritual at #5), a Case of Plenty +1, a Crimson Dart +3, another copy of Elminster’s Ecologies, and a History of the Imprisoned One.

4 – Kitchen

Inside the containers in this room, you’ll find a Candle (needed for the ritual at #5).

5 – Ritual Altar

For information about the ritual, please refer to the Overview text above.

6 – Chapel

This room will start out locked. To enter it, you’ll need to pick up the key from the priest’s quarters (#10).

Inside the chapel, you’ll find the sarcophagus for the old priest. When you interact with it, if you don’t have any wardstones (#8, #9), then the two flanking guardian golems will attack you, but you’ll earn 26,000 xp total for defeating them.

When you interact with the sarcophagus a second time, the old priest will wake up, and he won’t be happy to see you. If you give him his Old Slippers (#7), then he’ll change his opinion of you, and he’ll disappear. This will earn each character in your party 20,000 xp. If you don’t have the slippers or decide to keep them, then the priest will summon two Skeleton Warriors and attack you. This will earn you 30,000 xp total.

Either way, when you interact with the sarcophagus a third time, you’ll discover the proper passage of the Holy Book required for the ritual (#5). This will earn each character in your party 8000 xp.

Also in the room, behind one of the statues, you’ll find a Handwritten Note (a clue for Lum’s machine on Level 4).

7 – Dormitory

Inside the containers in this room, you’ll find an Ammo Belt, a Handwritten Note (a clue for the ritual at #5), Old Slippers (useful for the old priest at #6), a Quiver of Plenty +1, a Scribbled Note (a clue for helping Giltham at #1), and a Tinder Box (needed at #4 to help Giltham).

8 – Reading Room

Inside a shelf here, you’ll find a blue Wardstone (which will prevent a guardian golem at #6 from attacking you).

9 – Runed Room

Inside the containers here, you’ll find a green Wardstone (which will prevent a guardian golem at #6 from attacking you) and a Tattered Parchment (a clue for the ritual at #4).

10 – Priest’s Quarters

Inside the containers in this room, you’ll find a Handwritten Note (a clue for Lum’s machine on Watcher’s Keep Level 4 – Baldur’s Gate II) and a key. You’ll need the key to open the way into the chapel (#6).