I have been throwing tomatoes at Baldur’s Gate 3’s vague journal for the past month, and that’s because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways to complete active quests not realizing that the solution wasn’t going to show its face until I reached a different map entirely. One of the most prominent examples of this was during Shadowheart’s personal quest, as the Shar-worshipping Cleric desperately wanted to reach the Ancient Shar Temple visible in the Grymforge. I didn’t want to move on before finishing a quest, especially one tied to a party member. But because the journal’s description was so vague, I spent more time than I should have trying to find a way into a temple I literally couldn’t reach yet.
Where do you find the Ancient Shar Temple?
The first glimpse of the Ancient Shar Temple you’ll see is in the Grymforge in the game’s first act. After you free True Soul Nere (and possibly kill him, should you feel so inclined) from behind a cave in, you’ll be able to see the temple off in the distance on the other side. However, the bridge has collapsed and trying to go any further will result in a nice tumble to one’s death in the chasm below. The journal makes a vague mention of finding another way to the temple, and that sent me on a wild goose chase running through the fiery hells of the Grymforge looking for an alternate route. Reader, I didn’t find one after hours of searching.
This wasn’t helped by the floating platform between the broken bridge and the temple, which I spent time and resources trying to reach. I tried teleporting to it, flying to it, and when I was at peak frustration, I tried just jumping to it. None of this worked, and finally I basically threw middle fingers up at Shadowheart and told her she could sort through her religious trauma on her own time. I had a Mind Flayer tadpole to remove from my head, and I wasn’t about to spend any more time trying to reach this Ancient Shar Temple.
Then how do I actually get to the Ancient Shar Temple?
As it turns out, you’ll find yourself in the Ancient Shar Temple and on the path to furthering Shadowheart’s personal quest by progressing the main plot. That means finding a way through the Shadow-Cursed Lands, meeting up with the Harpers at Last Light Inn, heading to Moonrise Towers, and eventually being sent to villain Ketheric Thorm’s family mausoleum. Depending on what path you take through all of these main story quests, you will eventually find yourself directed to the Gauntlet of Shar, a series of tests the group will need to complete to find the source of Thorm’s immortality, and, coincidentally, where Shadowheart’s faith in Shar will be put to the ultimate test. But you won’t find it in Act 1, despite the journal’s lack of clarity on the matter.
It sucks that there are so many moments like this in Baldur’s Gate 3 when the game’s complex mechanics make figuring out solutions rewarding, but then you run into walls where it feels like the game is completely unwilling to tell you when you’ve done all you can. So my hope is that you will not waste hours of your play time trying to figure out how to get to Shar’s temple from the Grymforge like I did. Just keep going with the main plot, friend. You’ll make your way to the temple eventually.