[GameSpot] - Baldur's Gate 3 - Help The Cursed Monk Guide

[343iBot]

Baldur's Gate 3 has numerous quests for you to complete. Often, you'll need to help other people in distress. One of these happens to be the spirit of a Monk, who's quite giddy for some reason. Our guide discusses how you can complete the Help the Cursed Monk quest in Baldur's Gate 3.

How to complete the Help the Cursed Monk quest in Baldur's Gate 3

To help the Baldur's Gate 3 Cursed Monk, you must return the amulet to the spirit's granddaughter, Shirra Clarwen. Sadly, the game isn't particularly clear about Shirra's whereabouts.

Where to Find the Cursed Monk

You'll meet the Cursed Monk upon acquiring the Sentient Amulet in Grymforge. Here's a quick summary:

• During Act 1, you can explore the Underdark. Eventually, you'll find the Adamantine Forge.
• A path to the right takes you to a small chamber that's filled with lava, which also happens to have a Lava Elemental.
• Position yourself on solid ground and aggro the Lava Elemental so that it comes to you. You'll need to damage it when it's on normal terrain, as it will heal up if it's standing on lava.
• Once it's downed, the eruptions will cease, and you should be able to jump across to reach a chest. Inside, you'll find the Sentient Amulet.

The Sentient Amulet contains the spirit of a Monk who's laughing uncontrollably. If you decide to aid the ghost, you'll be able to start the Baldur's Gate 3 Help the Cursed Monk quest.

Left: Lava Elemental; Right: Sentient Amulet.

Where to Find Shirra

Shirra Clarwen can be found in the Open Hand Temple in the town of Rivington, which leads to the city of Baldur's Gate. You won't be able to go to this location until Act 3. Here's what you need to know:

• Past the Rivington waypoint, you'll come across the temple building. This is also where you'll do the Open Hand Temple Murders quest.
• The goal is to reach the tunnels underneath the temple. There are a few ways to get there. Here are two examples:
  • You can go down the well just across the street. Jump past the chasms and shoot the winch to exit the small cave. This takes you to the bottom of the cliffside area, where you'll find a cave mouth entrance.
  • Alternatively, you can enter the temple complex and unlock the hatch in the kitchen. Down below, you'll see an altar. You need to pass a Perception check to detect two heraldic shields with hidden buttons. Press both of them to reveal a hidden doorway.

Left: Cave Mouth location; Right: Shirra's sarcophagus.

How to Prevent Your Stats From Being Decreased

You'll end up fighting some renegade shapeshifters in the tunnels. Once you're finished with them, check the crypt near the altar. Inside are four sarcophagi, and one of them belongs to Shirra Clarwen. It looks like the Monk's granddaughter has been dead for quite some time.

The next step in the Baldur's Gate 3 Help the Cursed Monk quest is to interact with the Sarcophagus. The Monk will take control of his granddaughter's corpse. He's willing to part ways, but it will cost you:

• "If it will bring you peace, I will bear this madness" - This leads to more dialogue options.
• "Gods, no, I don't want to inherit your curse" - The other corpses will rise and you have to fight them.

You need to pass two checks to prevent yourself from losing 2 Wisdom points.

If you say that you will "bear this madness," the laughing curse will try to take hold of you. There are multiple options, but here's the gist:

• You need to pass two of these checks to succeed. You'll need a DC15 for Wisdom and Constitution, and a DC2 for Illithid Wisdom.
• If you choose responses that will let your Wisdom drain, or if you fail the rolls twice, you'll lose -2 Wisdom. Naturally, we don't want this to happen, so make sure you're lucky with your dice.

Whether you succeed or not, you'll receive the Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell (it's a regular action that won't cost spell slots). Casting it on a target can leave them prone due to fits of laughter. That's it: that's everything you need to know about how to Help the Cursed Monk in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You'll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

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