If you’re a min-maxed like us, then BG3’s Mirror of Loss is the easiest way to get rid of some useless stats and boost the ones that serve you. Here’s how the BG3 Mirror of Loss works.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Mirror of Loss Location
You can find a Mirror of Loss as early as Act 2 while running around in the Gauntlet of Sharr, but you won’t actually be able to use one until Act 3. In Baldur’s Gate’s Lower City, head over to the House of Grief as part of Shadowheart’s questline. We have a full guide on how to find the House of Grief if you’re feeling particularly lost, but simply put, it’s in the northwestern-most part of the Lower City map, right beside the Baldur’s Gate waypoint.
If you bring Shadowheart with you, you’ll descend into a lower Sharran temple beneath the House of Grief where you’ll have to clean out the area of some feisty Sharran worshippers. After they’ve been defeated and their Mother Superior, Viconia DeVir, has been dealt with, you can unlock and open the large round door in the back of the room which houses the Mirror of Loss.
If you decided to kill Viconia, the key you looted off her will open the large door, but if you decided to spare her, you can open the door by depressing the offering plate in front of the door. The best way to do this is to weigh it down with a lot of useless armor and weapons. It’ll depress in three different stages, but once enough weight is on it, you’ll hear an unlocking noise, and the door will open. You can also opt to weigh down the offering plate with gold, but it will take several thousand gold, and you won’t get your money back.
After opening the door, Shadowheart will have a tough decision to make, and then you can approach the Mirror of Loss at the very back of the room.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Mirror of Loss Min-Max Guide Explained
The way the Mirror of Loss works is simple. The mirror allows you to sacrifice a “memory” (a stat of your choice) in exchange for +2 in a chosen stat. Losing a memory will inflict a -2 stat debuff on you. But the debuff is not permanent, you can remove it with Remove Curse. The stat boost you do get from the mirror is permanent.
But before you can start trading stats, note that you must pass the [RELIGION] check, which states “Offer a prayer to the mirror.”
This will then require you to pass an Intelligence or Religion roll of 25 or better. A hard ask, even with someone providing you guidance. We highly recommend save-scumming to achieve the results you want, as failing the religion check will only allow you to access the -2 stat debuff. You won’t be able to get the +2 stat bonus.
Save-scumming is the practice of frequently saving a game before a risk or unforeseeable outcome, and then restoring the save file should the results not come out in your favor. It sometimes may not be the best or intended way to play a game, because of all the resets. But if you want to see everything a game has to offer, save-scumming is a valid strategy and sometimes even necessary. In fact, we here at Prima Games highly recommend save-scumming for most of your BG3 decisions.
Now, here are all the possible combinations.
Stats to Sacrifice to the Mirror of Loss
| [FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE] Part with the Forbidden Knowledge from the Thayan Tomb. | +1 bonus to Wisdom Saving Throws and Ability Checks |
| Offer up memories of your strength – times when you triumphed, thanks to your raw power. | -2 Strength |
| Give up memories of your youth, when your heart was carefree and your limbs were nimble. | -2 Dexterity |
| Relinquish memories of fortitude and well-being, when body and mind held fast against all challenges. | -2 Constitution |
| Surrender valued knowledge gleaned from books, scrolls, and tablets… words that left a mark on your mind, but no more. | -2 Intelligence |
| Let go of some wisdoms that time has bestowed upon you – old wounds, tough lessons, and fond memories alike. | -2 Wisdom |
| Give away memories of when your charm stood to you – the applause of the swayed, the smiles of the beguiled, the kisses of the seduced. | -2 Charisma |
| [DECEPTION] You will not surrender any part of yourself. Invent a false offering to trick the mirror. | -0 |
The [FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE] option only appears if you found and passed the skill checks associated with the Necromancy of Thay, a book you can find in the Blighted Village in Act 1. This can’t be returned with Remove Curse, so we don’t recommend selecting this one.
Likewise, while [DECEPTION] seems like a good choice, you will lose no stats but you’ll not gain any stats.
Stats to Gain from the Mirror of Loss
| Claim memories of strength from a long-dead general, who marched under the banner of a vanished kingdom. | +2 Strength |
| Help yourself to the memories of a seasoned thief’s most daring exploits. | +2 Dexterity |
| Seize the memories of a barbarian, whose mind and body were tempered against hardship. | +2 Constitution |
| Glean the secrets of a wizard who once stalked the libraries of Candlekeep. | +2 Intelligence |
| Turn to the wisdom of a drow. Once of Lothe, then or Shar. | +2 Wisdom |
| Warm to the guile of a bard who could charm even a dragon. | +2 Charisma |
Once you’ve gotten the stat you like, cast “Remove Curse” on the affected character. You can then trot up any character you like to the mirror.
But note, Shadowheart is not worth the time or effort. Even if you pass the skill check (made extremely difficult if she’s aligned to Selune, as this will give Shadowheart a disadvantage), you can’t get a stat boost. That’s because Shadowheart has no memories left to give. Yes, we wasted a significant amount of time finding this out.
Important Details About Shadowheart’s Chosen of Shar Quest
Whether Shadowheart will be able to make use of the mirror depends entirely on the outcome of her companion quest. While Shadowheart won’t receive any benefits if she stops being loyal to Shar, she can receive benefits if she decides to become a Dark Justiciar. This path involves overthrowing Mother Superior herself and making Shadowheart the personal Chosen one of Lady Shar. This will allow her to receive a +2 bonus from the mirror without any curse at all.
If you’ve found yourself in front of the Mirror of Loss, you’ve likely stumbled across Shadowheart’s parents, too. But have you wondered about the consequences of outcomes that come from letting them live or die?
Published: Jan 12, 2024 03:47 pm