Baldur’s Gate 3 | Sorcerous Sundries Vault Guide (How to Open the Karsus and Elminster Vaults)

If you want to find some of the best endgame spellcaster gear in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s no better place to look than the Sorcerous Sundries Vault. This hidden area of Baldur’s Gate houses some incredibly strong items, including high-level Spell Scrolls, unique magic weapons and some of the best Spellcaster armour in the game. These Vaults also house some story-relevant content to progress Gale’s Companion Quest, allowing you to see his quest to the end and unlock more options for BG3’s ending. Whether it’s for the items, the story or simply the Gold you can get from selling it all, the Sorcerous Vault is a must-visit location. 

However, getting into the Vault can be pretty tricky. Fortunately, there are quite a few different methods for gaining access to the Sorcerous Vault, which we’ll be going over in detail in this guide. 

Here’s how to gain entry into the Sorcerous Sundries Vault and unlock the fabled Elminster and Karsus Vaults in Baldur’s Gate III.

Want more Baldur’s Gate 3 content and guides? You can find more here on KeenGamer:

1. Baldur’s Gate 3 | How to Change Classes, Multiclass and Respec
2. Baldur’s Gate 3 | Adamantine Forge Quest Guide (Where to Find the Adamantine Forge)
3. Baldur’s Gate 3 | Defiled Temple Moon Plate Puzzle Guide (How to Get Into the Underdark)
4. How to Get Permanent See Invisibility Early in Baldur’s Gate 3 (Volo’s Ersatz Eye Guide)

How to Get Into the Sorcerous Sundries Vault in Baldur’s Gate 3

Before you can enter the Sorcerer Vault in BG3 and pillage the treasures that lay within, you’ll need to make your way to Sorcerous Sundries.

This magic shop is in the Lower City district of Baldur’s Gate and it’s a place you’ll be visiting a fair few times depending on your choices and available quests. The Sorcerous Sundries is not only your primary way of purchasing powerful magical items, but it’s your main opportunity for getting into the Sorcerous Vault and Razamith’s Tower, both very important locations for this guide. 

There are several different methods for accessing the Sorcerous Vault in Baldur’s Gate III, ranging from sneaking around and breaking into it to simply walking in the proverbial front door, but they require different prerequisites to undertake. Based on your choices and playstyle up until Act 3, some of these will be easier or harder to fulfil than others. 

Sorcerous Sundries

Nightsong Method (Ramazith Vault Access)

By far the easiest method to gain access to the Sorcerer Vault is by progressing the Find the Nightsong questline. Many players will likely have had this in their journal since early in Act 1 and if you’ve been following the quest and freed the Nightsong (who is an Aasmiar named Aylin) in Act 2, you can reap the benefits here. This is also one of the few methods that will get you direct access to the Ramazith Vaults’ contents. 

When visiting the Sorcerous Sundries shop for the first time, you’ll be approached by its resident wizard, Lorroakan. He is seeking information on the Nightsong’s whereabouts in the hopes that he can emulate the actions of Kethric Thorm and use her to become immortal. If you freed Aylin (or even if you killed her, for that matter) you can gain an audience with Lorroakan by stepping through the correct portal on the second floor.

This portal will take you straight into Ramazith’s Tower. Funnily enough, this is all you need to do to gain access: you can completely ignore Lorroakan (who is practising archery on his poor attendant) and make your way to the Vault entrance undisturbed. Admittedly, you should still talk to Lorroakan (especially if you want to complete the Nightsong questline and add Dame Aylin to your quest of allies) but it isn’t required to gain access to the Sorcerer Vault. 

Ramazith Tower’s Suspended Furniture

Once you’re through the portal, look down to the lower floors in Ramazith’s Tower. Eventually, you should spy a series of tables and chairs suspended in the air with blue magic, effectively serving as a makeshift staircase to the lower levels. With some precise jumps or the power of flight, you can coast on down to the second floor of Ramazith’s Tower with ease. 

Around the perimeter of the second floor are four special Weave Buttons which, when pressed, do a different thing and will enact some change in your or the Tower. You’ll know which button is which based on the placks underneath each button. Under no circumstances should you press the Cleanup or Security buttons as they will activate a series of traps around the area and make it nearly impossible for you to get around. Meanwhile, you can press the Below button to transport you to the lowest level of the Tower where, if you succeed on some Arcana checks, you can obtain two of the best spellcaster items in the entire game: the Robe of the Weave and Legendary Markoheshkir Quarterstaff, both incredibly strong tools for any Wizard, Warlock or Sorcerer. 

Vault’s Weave Button

Of course, this just leaves the final Weave Button, handily titled Vault. When pressed, this button will transport you directly into the true Ramazith Vault, the only BG3 Sorcerer Vault you would struggle to access with the alternative method. Like the Elminster and Karsus Vaults, there is a good deal of useful magical items stashed in chests and display cases in this area. The most important of which is The Red Knight’s Final Strategem, a magical book that awards you a special spell scroll upon first reading it. 

Once you’re done clearing out Lorroakan’s magic stash, head through the doors leading out of the Razimith Vault. You’ll quickly spy a portal leading back to the main Sorcerous Sundries shop, but you should ignore it for now and head straight for the locked door behind it. Pick the lock, step inside, and you’ll come face to face with the Elminster and Karsus Vault room. 

The Red Knight’s Final Strategem

Alternative Method into the BG3 Sorcerous Vault

Alternatively, if you haven’t been progressing through the Nightsong quest but still want access to the Vault, there is another method. On the bottom floor of Sorcerous Sundries, you’ll find the head of the Literature Department, Tolna Tome-Monger. If you ask her about what kind of rare tomes the Sundries lay claim to, she’ll tell you about some especially rare books that even Lorroakan seems hesitant to store within his Vault.

From the list she provides, say that you want to learn more about The Annals of Karsus: A Netherse Folly. After a brief explanation of the book’s contents, you can offer to buy the book, only to be shot down by Tolna. Then, you can either use Deception, Intimidation or Persuasion to talk your way into seeing the book: all of these checks are rather high, so come prepared. If you manage to succeed, Tolna will reveal that an entrance to the Vault can be found in her room on the second floor.

Next, head to the second floor and lockpick the leftmost metal door. Do be wary of the two Animated Armours standing guarding up there: you’ll most likely need an incredibly high Stealth stat or Invisibility to sneak through undetected. Once you get inside, nab the Sorcerous Sundries Basement Key from the desk and then head over to the bookshelf in the corner. On it, you’ll find a strange book called the Clapsed Book which, when interacted with, will open a portal that leads directly into the Sorcerous Vault.

The main downside to this method is that unless you get a particularly high Perception roll, you won’t be able to access the true contents of the Ramazith Vault. Either way, with the Basement Key in hand, you can swiftly make your way into the main chamber of the Vault, where the Karsus and Elminster Sorcerer Vaults await. 

Portal Book

How to Unlock the Sorcerer’s Vault in Baldur’s Gate III (Puzzle Solutions)

No matter how you gained access to the Sorcerer Vault, you can now enter and claim your goodies. A word of warning before we go in, though: bring your best Lockpicker and plenty of Thieves’ Tools. Covering the Vault head-to-toe is a legion of traps and gadgets that can spell disaster for you and your party. Additionally, there are a bunch of locked chests and locked doors that need prying open if you’re to properly progress through the Vault.

All the doors in the main area of the Vault are named after famous Wizards – a fact you’ll learn if one of your party members rolls a high enough Arcana check. There’s Elminster, Silverhand, Karsus and Ramazith (the Vault you entered from). If you try and open either the Karsus or Elmnister doors, you’ll find they’re locked. Meanwhile, the Silverhand door teleports you to a new set of doors which, in turn, will teleport you somewhere else.

To unlock the Karsus and Elminster Wizard Vaults in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll need to enter the Silverhand door and follow the correct path until you locate a lever to unlock the associated door in the main chamber.

Inside the Sorcerous Vault

How to Open the Karsus Vault Door in BG3

First, we’ll be tackling the Karsus Vault. This is the most important Sorcerous Sundries Vault in BG3 and the one with true story ramifications. Once you’re ready, follow the steps below to unlock the Karsus Door in BG3:

1. Start at the Silverhand door.
2. Then, in the next room, go through the Abjuration door.
3. In the third room, open the door marked Silver.
4. Inside will be a plaque reading “To Karsus” and a lever that you should pull to unlock access to the Karsus Vault.
5. Exit out of the Demon door to return to the initial set of doors.

If you’ve done everything correctly, the Karsus door in the main Vault room should now be open, complete with a bright beam of light to show you exactly where to go. All you need to do now is walk in and enter the door at the very end: Be mindful of the Marble Plate right in front of the Karsus door, though, which will cast an invisible instance of Cloudkill on your entire party if you don’t disarm it.

The Karsus Vault

Karsus Vault Rewards (The Annuls of Karsus)

Manage this and you’ll be inside the legendary Karsus Vault. The main thing of note you’ll definitely want to pick up here is a glowing purple book on the bookshelf titled The Annuls of Karsus: This book is extremely important to Gale’s Companion Quest and opens up additional possibilities for Baldur’s Gate III’s ending. The book itself details several different Karsian artefacts known collectively as the Regalia of Karsus. Simply reading the book will complete the Crowning Glory quest and award you a spell scroll for Dethrone.

Aside from the book, the Karsus Vault also houses several more powerful scrolls for spells like Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Hold Monster, Banishment, Chain Lightning and more. There’s also a gilded chest containing a magical Maul called Foebreaker, which has a +2 Enchantment and ignores Bludgeoning Resistance with the Lethal Weapon perk.

The Annuls of Karsus

How to Open the Elminster Vault Door in BG3

Next up is the Elminster Vault. While less impactful or story-relevant than the Karsus one, it does contain some nice rewards if you manage to locate it. To open the Elminster Door, you need to:

1. Start at the Silverhand door.
2. Then, in the next room, go through the Evocation door.
3. In the third room, open the Wish door. 
4. Inside this door will be a plaque stating “To Elminster” and a lever to pull which unlocks the Elmninster Vault.
5. Then, simply exit out of the Invulnerability door to return to the main set of Vaults.

With the lever pulled, the Elminster Vault door will now be wide open, inviting you inside for loot aplenty. Once again, just be mindful of the Marble Plate trap in front of the door which will also cast Cloudkill when stepped on.

The Elminster Vault

Elminster Vault Rewards (The Tharchiate Codex)

The main thing of note inside the Elminster Vault is another book: this time, it’s a glowing green book inside of a display case. This is the Tharchiate Codex and you should consider who you want to read it before you get your grubby mits on it. It’s also the book you need to finish reading the Necromancy of Thay. 

Whoever reads the book will instantly be afflicted by the Tharchiate Withering condition: This is a permanent Curse that reduces the afflicted character’s Consitution score by 5, also lowering their health in the process. However, if you’re able to purge the Curse with a spell such as Greater Restoration, it will transform into Tharchiate’s Vigour and give the effect player 20 permanent temporary hit points. As such, you’ll likely either want your tankiest character to read this or your weakest one. 

Aside from the Tharchiate Codex, Elminster’s Vault also houses several chests. One of these chests contains the Pyroquickness Hat which Burns the user and gives them an additional Bonus Action whenever they deal damage with a levelled spell that deals Fire damage. Other than that, you can slay claim to Elminster’s jewels, Spell Scrolls, elixirs and gold.

Tharchiate Curse and Tharchiate Blessing

That was how to find the Sorcerous Vault and then unlock both the Elminster and Karsus Vaults in Baldur’s Gate 3.