You've heard about it since the Druid Grove. Every goblin, mercenary, and wizard in the Sword Coast seems obsessed with this "Nightsong" relic. But once you actually get through the Gauntlet of Shar, everything changes. Honestly, BG3 finding the Nightsong isn't just another quest marker on your map; it is the definitive "point of no return" for Act 2. If you aren't careful, you’ll lock yourself out of dozens of hours of content just by stepping into that pool of water.
The game tries to warn you. It gives you that little pop-up box asking if you're sure you want to proceed. Listen to it.
Finding the Nightsong isn't about finding an object. It’s about a person—Dame Aylin—and the cosmic drama between a goddess of loss and a daughter of the moon. Most players go in thinking they’re just finishing a fetch quest for Aradin or Lorroakan. They couldn't be more wrong. This moment determines who lives, who dies, and whether Last Light Inn becomes a graveyard before the final credits roll.
The Gauntlet of Shar: More Than Just Puzzles
To get anywhere near the Nightsong, you have to survive the Gauntlet of Shar. It's a massive, shadow-drenched temple tucked away behind the Thorm Mausoleum in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. This place is a grind. You’ve got the Soft-Step Trial, the Self-Same Trial (where you literally fight your own party), and the Faith-Leap Trial.
Pro tip: Use a Potion of Glorious Vaulting or the Fly spell for the Faith-Leap trial. It’s way less stressful than trying to see the invisible path while Shar laughs at your misfortune.
But the real challenge isn't the trials. It’s Balthazar. This guy is a piece of work. He’s a necromancer working for Ketheric Thorm, and he’s camped out in the Gauntlet waiting for you to do the heavy lifting. You can kill him in his office, or you can wait until you reach the actual Nightsong. Word of advice? Kill him in his office. Fighting him on the floating platforms in the Shadowfell is a nightmare because his skeletons love to use Shove. One bad roll and Gale is drifting into the eternal abyss.
Shadowheart is the heart of this entire arc. If you don't bring her, she’s going to be furious. Like, "leave your party forever" furious. This is her moment of ascension—or her moment of clarity.
Why Finding the Nightsong Changes Everything
Once you descend into the Shadowfell, the world state shifts. This is the mechanical "Act 2.5" trigger. Any side quests you haven't finished in the Shadow-Cursed Lands? They’re gone. Failed.
- The Tieflings in Moonrise: If you haven't broken Lakrissa, Danis, and the others out of prison, they’re dead. Period.
- Wulbren Bongle: Same deal. If he's still in a cell when you find the Nightsong, he won't be making it to Baldur's Gate.
- Halsin’s Quest: If you haven't lifted the Shadow Curse by finding Thaniel and Oliver, you’re basically abandoning the region to eternal darkness.
The Nightsong is actually Dame Aylin, an aasimar and the daughter of the lunar deity Selûne. Ketheric Thorm has been using her as a literal battery for his immortality for over a century. That’s why he can take an axe to the neck and keep talking. He’s siphoning her divine spark.
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When you finally stand before her, you have a choice that feels impossible. You can let Shadowheart kill her to become a Dark Justiciar, or you can try to talk her down.
The Spear of Night and the Choice That Matters
If you let Shadowheart kill the Nightsong, you’re leaning into an "evil" or "dark" playthrough. Shadowheart gets a fancy new set of armor and the Spear of Evening, but the cost is astronomical. The barrier protecting Last Light Inn fails immediately. Isobel dies. Everyone you spent the last 20 hours saving—Dammon, the Harpers, the strange ox—becomes a shadow-cursed zombie. You have to slaughter them all. It’s bleak.
On the flip side, sparing her is hard. You need a high Persuasion check unless you've played your cards right and built enough rapport with Shadowheart. If she spares Aylin, she throws the Spear of Night into the abyss. Don't worry, Selûne replaces it with a better one later.
Dame Aylin then flies off, literally glowing like a supernova, to kick Ketheric Thorm’s teeth in. It’s one of the most cinematic moments in the whole game. Seeing her armor up and head toward Moonrise Towers makes all that backtracking in the Gauntlet feel worth it.
Common Mistakes People Make with the Nightsong
People miss things. A lot of things. One of the biggest mistakes is forgetting to grab the Spear of Night from the Silent Library before heading down. You literally cannot progress the quest properly without it. You have to solve the "Riddle of the Night" by placing a specific book (The Nightsinger) on the pedestal.
Another weird nuance: Balthazar’s brother, Flesh. If you use the bell Balthazar gives you, you can summon this flesh golem to help with fights in the Gauntlet. But if you're planning on betraying Balthazar, don't waste your resources on him.
Some players also try to "cheese" the Ketheric fight by ignoring the Nightsong. You can't. He is literally invulnerable until she is freed or killed. Whether you’re a Paladin of Devotion or a chaotic Durge, BG3 finding the Nightsong is the bottleneck that forces you to decide what kind of hero (or villain) you’re actually going to be.
Dealing with Lorroakan Later
Finding the Nightsong isn't just an Act 2 thing. It follows you to the city of Baldur's Gate in Act 3. There’s a wizard named Lorroakan in Ramazith's Tower who thinks he’s the next Ketheric Thorm. He wants you to bring Aylin to him so he can "tame" her for his own immortality.
This is where your choices come home to roost. If Aylin is alive, you can tell her about this jerk. She will fly to his tower and, in a very satisfying display of divine rage, break his back over her knee. If you side with the wizard, you lose one of the most powerful allies for the final battle. Honestly, the wizard is a loser. Side with the giant glowing lady who can’t die.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you're currently staring at that pool of water in the Gauntlet of Shar, do these three things before you jump in:
- Check your quest log for "Rescue the Tieflings." If it’s not marked as complete or failed because you already visited the prison, go to Moonrise Towers now. Once you enter the Shadowfell, the guards kill the prisoners immediately.
- Long Rest. The fight with Balthazar (if you do it at the Nightsong) or the subsequent assault on Moonrise Towers is a resource drain. You don't want to start the endgame of Act 2 with half your spell slots gone and Gale on 10 HP.
- Talk to Shadowheart. Make sure you’ve triggered her dialogue about her childhood and her devotion to Shar. It makes the Persuasion check to save the Nightsong much easier if she already has doubts about her goddess.
Finding the Nightsong is the emotional peak of the game's middle act. It shifts the tone from a desperate crawl through the mud to a high-stakes divine war. Whether you want the power of a Dark Justiciar or the help of a vengeful Aasimar, make sure you're ready for the consequences, because the game won't let you take them back.
Navigate to the Silent Library first, secure the Spear of Night, and ensure your party is at least Level 7 or 8 before initiating the final encounter. This ensures you have the tactical flexibility to handle Balthazar’s Cloudkill and the subsequent multi-stage boss fight against Ketheric Thorm.