Key takeaways
- Ancient Temple is in Grymforge, Act One, but only its exterior view and surrounding map space can be reached at that point.
- The temple itself is not explorable from the Abandoned Refuge Jumping, teleporting or using movement abilities does not provide the normal route into it.
- The explorable continuation is the Gauntlet of Shar, reached in Act Two from the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
- Do not confuse Ancient Temple with the Adamantine Forge, which is a separate location immediately south-east of the Abandoned Refuge.
- The Abandoned Refuge contains the practical rewards associated with the overlook, including Mithral Ore, the Sentient Amulet and Adamantine Forge equipment. Those rewards are not inside the Ancient Temple area itself.
- Ancient Temple has no verified residents, shops, quests, waypoint or independent loot table in Act One.
About this guide
Scope: Base game, Act One location label in Grymforge Status: Mostly inaccessible vista and map area Major spoilers: This guide explains the connection between the Ancient Temple seen in Grymforge and the Act Two Gauntlet of Shar.
Overview
The Ancient Temple is a named location in Baldur’s Gate 3 found within the Grymforge region of the Underdark. It is visible from the adjoining Abandoned Refuge, but it is not a conventional dungeon that can be explored during Act One. The game allows the player to look across a chasm towards the temple complex, and the map recognises the area as Ancient Temple, but the visible ruins are effectively a background location at this stage.
The temple is not a second route into the Act One Grymforge, nor is it an optional branch of the Adamantine Forge. It is the same broader temple complex that later becomes accessible as the Gauntlet of Shar in Act Two, after the party reaches the Shadow-Cursed Lands. The apparent divide between “Ancient Temple” and “Gauntlet of Shar” is therefore primarily a progression and map-boundary distinction rather than two separate explorable temples.
Location and boundaries
Ancient Temple is a small, separately labelled location within the larger Grymforge area. Its practical boundary is the temple-facing section of the cavern and the inaccessible ruins visible across the gap from the Abandoned Refuge. The neighbouring Abandoned Refuge is the playable landmass from which the player observes the temple.
This distinction matters because the names describe different map components:
The Abandoned Refuge is south of and adjacent to Grymforge. It acts as the connecting landmass between Grymforge and the Adamantine Forge, while also overlooking Ancient Temple.
Canonical location directory
The Adamantine Forge is not a subarea of Ancient Temple. It is a separate location within the Abandoned Refuge area, reached by descending broken stairs to the south-east of the Ancient Forge waypoint.
---
Canonical location directory
What can be reached in Act One?
The overlook
The Ancient Temple becomes relevant when the party reaches the southern part of Grymforge and enters the Abandoned Refuge. From there, the player can look across the cavern towards an imposing temple complex. The map can briefly identify the temple-facing space as Ancient Temple, which can make it appear that a route has been overlooked.
There is no normal Act One entrance into the temple. The broken terrain, chasm and collapsed approaches are environmental boundaries rather than a puzzle waiting to be solved. The game does not provide a quest item, lever, door, dialogue option or traversal route that opens the Ancient Temple from Grymforge.
What not to spend time attempting
The following approaches should not be treated as intended routes into Ancient Temple:
These actions may allow unusual movement around nearby terrain, but they do not turn Ancient Temple into a normal Act One dungeon. The relevant content is reserved for later progression through the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
---
Access and routes
Intended Act One route to the overlook
The Abandoned Refuge contains difficult terrain, crumbling architecture, lava flows and several gaps that require jumping or comparable movement. The Ancient Forge waypoint is located in this playable area, not in Ancient Temple. Its listed position is approximately X: -612, Y: 294.
Intended later route
The temple becomes a true explorable location in Act Two as the Gauntlet of Shar. The route is:
Ancient Temple and Gauntlet of Shar should be treated as distinct progression states:
The connection is supported by the location references identifying the Ancient Temple vista as the Gauntlet of Shar, which can only be reached after travelling to the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
---
Intended Act One route to the overlook
- 01Enter Grymforge through the Underdark.
- 02Explore the main Grymforge platforms and routes.
- 03Travel south into the Abandoned Refuge.
- 04Use the ruined platforms, jumps and lava-side paths to reach the southern area.
- 05Look north-west across the cavern towards the Ancient Temple.
- 06Continue south-east if your aim is to reach the Adamantine Forge, rather than the temple.
Intended later route
- 01Leave the Act One Underdark progression and reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
- 02Follow the Act Two storyline and explore the region around Reithwin and the Mausoleum.
- 03Enter the Gauntlet of Shar through its proper Act Two approach.
- 04Complete the temple’s trials and associated objectives.
Intended later route
| Name | Act | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient Temple | Act One | Inaccessible temple vista in Grymforge |
| Gauntlet of Shar | Act Two | Fully explorable temple dungeon |
| Abandoned Refuge | Act One | Playable Grymforge area overlooking the temple |
| Adamantine Forge | Act One | Separate crafting location within the Abandoned Refuge |
Nearby connections
Grymforge
Grymforge is the principal Act One access region. It contains the duergar occupation, the Nere storyline and the routes towards the Abandoned Refuge. Ancient Temple is not an alternative exit from Grymforge.
Abandoned Refuge
The Abandoned Refuge is the immediately adjacent playable area. It is sometimes called the Ancient Forge, although that name should not be confused with the separate Adamantine Forge location. The area contains broken architecture, lava flows, cliffs and the terrain surrounding the forge. It overlooks Ancient Temple from its northern and north-western edges.
Adamantine Forge
The Adamantine Forge lies south-east of the Ancient Forge waypoint, down broken stairs. It is an independent crafting location. The player can use Mithral Ore and weapon or armour moulds to create Adamantine equipment. Only two pieces of Mithral Ore are available in the area, so the forge can produce two items in a normal playthrough.
Shadow-Cursed Lands
The Shadow-Cursed Lands are not directly connected to Ancient Temple by a playable Act One doorway. They are the later region through which the player reaches the explorable Gauntlet of Shar.
---
Points of interest in the surrounding area
Ancient Temple itself has no independently verified loot cache, named landmark, service or encounter. The useful content is found in the neighbouring Abandoned Refuge.
Mithral Ore
Two Mithral veins are listed in the Abandoned Refuge:
The second placement is visually associated with the Ancient Temple overlook, but it remains part of the Abandoned Refuge’s practical resource area.
Crumbling Island
A small crumbling island lies west of the Adamantine Forge in a bubbling lava pool. It contains an Adamantine Chest with the Sentient Amulet. A hostile Lava Elemental patrols the area.
Adamantine Forge
The forge is the major functional landmark near Ancient Temple. It requires:
The forge’s known mould directory includes the following:
These are forge-related items in the Abandoned Refuge and Adamantine Forge area, not Ancient Temple loot.
Named landmark directory
---
Named landmark directory
Enemies and hazards
Ancient Temple
No independent enemy roster is verified for the inaccessible Ancient Temple area. The player does not enter a temple dungeon there in Act One, so there is no confirmed Ancient Temple boss, patrol, resident faction or encounter sequence.
Abandoned Refuge
The surrounding playable area contains environmental and combat hazards. The listed Balanced-difficulty enemies include:
The exact placement and combat conditions can vary with the player’s route and the way nearby encounters are triggered, but these enemies belong to the Abandoned Refuge and Adamantine Forge surroundings rather than the inaccessible temple vista.
Environmental hazards
Bring fire resistance or suitable defensive preparation if you intend to clear the entire forge region. More importantly, do not assume that increased mobility removes the boundary between the Abandoned Refuge and Ancient Temple.
---
Items and collectibles near Ancient Temple
The following named items are verified in the surrounding Abandoned Refuge and forge area. They should not be described as Ancient Temple loot.
Other listed notable items
The two Merregon Halberds are listed near skeletons on smaller basalt islands close to cave walls. Their placements are part of the surrounding forge region and not evidence that Ancient Temple can be entered.
Acquisition table
Availability can depend on whether an item has already been collected, moved or affected by combat. The listed items are fixed area content rather than random drops, but ordinary containers and enemy loot should not be treated as a complete Ancient Temple inventory.
---
Acquisition table
| Item | Where to look | Use or significance |
|---|---|---|
| Mithral Ore | Two veins in the Abandoned Refuge | Required for Adamantine Forge crafting |
| Sentient Amulet | Adamantine Chest on Crumbling Island | Quest and dialogue-related item |
| Moulds | Grymforge and forge approaches | Used at the Adamantine Forge |
| Dark Justiciar equipment | Abandoned Refuge area | Themed equipment associated with Shar |
| Merregon Halberds | Basalt islands near skeletons | Weapons |
| Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Abandoned Refuge area | Consumable |
| Elixir of Fire Resistance | Abandoned Refuge area | Consumable for fire-heavy surroundings |
Quests and activities
There is no standalone Act One quest that asks the player to enter Ancient Temple. The location is instead adjacent to several activities in the Grymforge region.
The Adamantine Forge
The forge is the most important nearby activity. It allows the party to create Adamantine weapons or armour by combining Mithral Ore with moulds. The area provides two pieces of ore, limiting a normal playthrough to two crafted items.
Help the Cursed Monk
The Sentient Amulet found on Crumbling Island is associated with the Help the Cursed Monk quest and the later Talk to the Sentient Amulet activity. The quest content should be attributed to the Abandoned Refuge and the amulet, not to Ancient Temple itself.
Shadowheart and Shar
The sight of the temple may prompt curiosity from Shadowheart or make the party think they have found the destination connected to Shar. The actual major Shar dungeon is the Gauntlet of Shar in Act Two. The Act One overlook is a visual and geographical foreshadowing point, not the place where Shadowheart’s principal temple progression occurs.
Related activity directory
---
Related activity directory
Suggested exploration route
If you are completing Grymforge efficiently, use the following order.
Practical checklist
---
Route A: Resource-first
- 01Reach the Abandoned Refuge and activate the Ancient Forge waypoint.
- 02Search the upper and side platforms for both Mithral veins.
- 03Collect the available forge moulds before committing to a craft.
- 04Explore the lava-side paths and check the basalt islands.
- 05Visit Crumbling Island for the Sentient Amulet.
- 06Return to the Adamantine Forge.
- 07Decide which two Adamantine items are most useful for your party.
- 08Treat the temple view as a landmark, then leave through the normal Grymforge route.
Route B: Forge-first
- 01Enter the Abandoned Refuge.
- 02Descend to the Adamantine Forge.
- 03Complete the forge sequence and defeat Grym.
- 04Return through the surrounding lava routes.
- 05Collect Mithral Ore, the Sentient Amulet and remaining moulds.
- 06Ignore attempts to force entry into Ancient Temple.
- 07Continue Act One or move on to the Shadow-Cursed Lands when ready.
Lore and progression
The Ancient Temple’s presentation deliberately creates uncertainty. In Act One, the player sees an enormous, apparently reachable temple beneath Grymforge. The ruined approach and the partial map label suggest a hidden dungeon, but the game uses the vista to establish a connection with a later location.
The location’s identity becomes clearer when the Act Two Gauntlet of Shar is reached. The two areas should not be treated as unrelated places merely because their map labels differ. The available location evidence identifies the Ancient Temple as the Gauntlet of Shar, accessible only after travelling to the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
This is also why the temple should not be folded into the Adamantine Forge’s directory. The forge is an Act One crafting site in the Abandoned Refuge, while the temple complex belongs to a later progression state and has its own area identity in Act Two.
---
Common questions
Can you enter Ancient Temple in Act One?
No, not through the normal game route. You can reach the surrounding overlook and see the temple, but the Ancient Temple itself is not an explorable Act One dungeon.
Is Ancient Temple the Gauntlet of Shar?
Yes, in practical location terms. Ancient Temple is the Act One map label and vista; the Gauntlet of Shar is the later playable temple complex reached in Act Two through the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Is Ancient Temple part of the Adamantine Forge?
No. The Adamantine Forge is a separate location in the Abandoned Refuge, although the two are close together and both are within the wider Grymforge region.
Can Feather Fall or Misty Step reach the temple?
These abilities may help with nearby traversal, but they do not provide the intended route into Ancient Temple. The location remains inaccessible as an Act One dungeon.
Does Ancient Temple contain loot?
No independent Ancient Temple loot list is verified. The loot commonly associated with the view, including Mithral Ore, the Sentient Amulet and Adamantine equipment, is located in the neighbouring Abandoned Refuge and Adamantine Forge area.
Is there a waypoint at Ancient Temple?
No. The nearby waypoint is Underdark - Ancient Forge, located in the Abandoned Refuge.
Are there merchants or ordinary NPCs there?
No merchants, services or ordinary residents are verified within Ancient Temple. The relevant Act One area is the surrounding Abandoned Refuge and Grymforge, where the party encounters the wider duergar and forge-related content.
---
Verified named directories
Facilities
---
Locations and subareas
Items
Quests and activities
Facilities
Sources
- Ancient Temple - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Abandoned Refuge - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki