dark ritual circle

Should You Use or Destroy the Ritual Circle in Baldur’s Gate 3? – Answered

Gale is at his most smug here

If you snuck into Balthazar’s room and his hidden workshop you’ve likely stumbled across his dark Ritual Circle. But should you use the Ritual Circle or Destroy it in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Recommended Videos

Is it Better to Destroy or Use the Ritual Circle in Baldur’s Gate 3? – Answered

Balthazar is a despicable person with loose morals and even looser flesh. And it only makes sense that he’d spend no small amount of his time cobbling together items with corpses.

That’s the primary purpose of the Ritual Circle you’ll find in Balthazar’s Room in the Moonrise Tower. This Ritual Circle is surrounded by dead pixies and broken Moonlanterns. And if you have Gale in your party, he’ll warn you against using it.

But should you use the Ritual Circle or not?

There are benefits to both options and no downsides. But using the Ritual Circle has better long term benefits.

Tip:

It’s highly recommended you include Gale in your party, no matter what option you choose!

If you Choose to Use the Ritual Circle in Balthazar’s Room Baldur’s Gate 3

If you opt to use the Ritual Circle, you’ll get a Shadow Lantern. The Shadow Lantern is unique because it grants you the level 6 Necromancy spell: Conjure Shadow Lantern Wraith.

But to do this, you’ll need to have Gale in your party. Interact with the Ritual Circle and he’ll offer to cobble together a lantern. Let him do so, and you won’t have to pass any skill checks.

If you opt to try and do it yourself, you’ll need to pass a 30 Arcana skill check. Which is quite the throw. For that reason, it’s better to have Gale in your party before you attempt it. He’ll also be annoyed if you don’t let him do it.

The Shadow Wraith isn’t a particularly powerful summon, but it’s certainly interesting. The only downside is that you must equip the Shadow Lantern in a weapon slot to use the spell.

If You Choose to Destroy the Ritual Circle in Balthazar’s Room in Basldur’s Gate 3

You’ll only receive one benefit for destroying the Ritual Circle, and that’s if Gale is in your party.

If you allow Gale to destroy the Ritual Circle, he’ll do so without needing any skill checks. He’ll also obtain Mystra’ Blessing, which will give him Advantage on Concentration checks.

Supposedly, this is meant to be a permanent buff. However, this blessing will go away once you take a Long Rest.

You can choose to destroy the Ritual Circle yourself, but Mystra won’t really care one way or another.


Prima Games is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

About the Author

Daphne Fama

A Staff Writer at Prima Games since 2022, Daphne Fama spends an inordinate amount playing games of all stripes but has a soft spot for horror, FPS, and RPGs. When she’s not gaming, she’s an author and member of the Horror Writers Association with a debut novel coming out in 2025. In a previous life, she was an attorney but found she preferred fiction to contracts and forms