Key takeaways
- The Devil’s Fee is in Heapside, between the Forge of the Nine and the southern tower of Szarr Palace, with its entrance behind Bonecloak’s Apothecary.
- Helsik sells alchemy supplies, dyes, potions, scrolls and selected magical equipment. Her more unusual stock becomes available after the party recognises her diabolical business.
- The building has three meaningful levels the public trade hall, a basement laboratory and storage area, and an upper floor containing the ritual room and Helsik’s bedroom.
- You can reach the ritual room through dialogue with Helsik, by stealing or gathering the components yourself, or by breaking in through the building’s side and upper-floor access points.
- The portal ritual requires a skull, Coin of Mammon, diamond, incense and Infernal Marble. The items must be placed on particular points of the blood-drawn heptagram.
- The Devil’s Fee is not itself a combat dungeon Its main dangers are traps, hostile reactions to theft and the possibility of locking yourself out of a peaceful interaction with Helsik.
About this guide
Base game, Act Three. Major spoilers for the House of Hope, Raphael, Helsik and related quests.
Overview
The Devil’s Fee is a devil-themed curio shop in the Heapside district of Baldur’s Gate’s Lower City. It is owned by Helsik, a diabolist and warlock associated with the archdevil Mammon. Although the shop initially presents itself as an eccentric magical retailer, its real importance is that Helsik can provide access to Raphael’s House of Hope in Avernus.
This guide treats the Devil’s Fee as the complete location rather than only the ground-floor shop. Its scope includes the detached building, fenced exterior, basement, upper-floor ritual room and Helsik’s private quarters. It does not include the neighbouring Forge of the Nine, Szarr Palace, Bonecloak’s Apothecary or the House of Hope itself, although those places are covered where they provide access or context.
Neighbouring places, not part of the Devil’s Fee
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The normal entrance leads directly into the public trade hall. The shop’s street position is easy to recognise: it is a devilish-looking building near the Forge of the Nine, with devil motifs outside. The main entrance is recorded at approximately X -39, Y -13.
There are several alternative routes.
Neighbouring places, not part of the Devil’s Fee
Main entrance
Use the front door behind Bonecloak’s Apothecary. This is the safest route and allows normal conversation with Helsik.
Upper balconies
The upper floor can be reached without using the staircase by using movement abilities such as:
The balcony doors are locked and red-outlined, but the awnings keep them outside the normal sight lines of nearby NPCs. They generally require a DC 10 Sleight of Hand check unless opened with Helsik’s key.
This route is useful if you want to inspect the ritual room before negotiating. It is also a practical option for a stealth-oriented party, but stealing from Helsik before arranging her assistance can make her hostile.
Forge of the Nine cellar
A cracked wall in the Forge of the Nine cellar leads into the Devil’s Fee basement. This is a neighbouring-location connection, not a second public entrance to the shop. Once inside the basement, use the nearby lever to open the hatch from below, then reach the trade hall by the internal stairs.
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Ground floor: trade hall
The ground floor is a large display room filled with infernal curios, shelves, bookcases and locked display cases. Helsik works behind the counter at the back.
The shop’s public stock initially focuses on ordinary commercial goods rather than its most important services. Helsik can sell:
Her curated magical selection becomes available when the party identifies the shop’s genuine infernal artefacts or otherwise discovers her identity and business.
Several displays can be noticed with a DC 5 Perception check and examined with a DC 15 Arcana check. The notable curios include:
Correctly identifying at least two of these curios grants the Touring the Sights inspiration to characters with the Guild Artisan background. Successful identification can also help unlock Helsik’s more useful stock and reveal that the shop is not merely a theatrical curiosity store. Karlach receives special consideration in this interaction because of her experience in the Hells.
The red-outlined display cases may contain gold, valuables, very rare spell scrolls, random elixirs and arrows. Their contents are not all fixed in the same way, so treat the shop’s ordinary container loot separately from its fixed quest items. Some cases require Sleight of Hand checks between DC 15 and DC 20, while one display case is not locked.
Counter and concealed hatch
A small bust behind the counter can be spotted with a DC 10 Perception check. Interacting with it three times opens the basement hatch. The hatch can alternatively be lockpicked, although it has a high DC 25 Sleight of Hand requirement.
The shop’s entrance plaques provide a useful summary of its attitude towards customers. One advertises a safe glimpse of the Nine Hells. The other warns thieves that the Flaming Fist will not be the only authority interested in stolen goods. This is more than decoration: Helsik reacts badly if the party steals from her at the wrong stage of the conversation.
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Basement: storage and laboratory
The basement contains two rooms.
Storage and office
The storage room contains an Opulent Chest with random rare alchemical ingredients. It can be opened with a DC 18 Sleight of Hand check or with a Silver Key hidden among the books. The stairs from this room lead back into the main trade hall.
Laboratory
The second room is a working laboratory. A Monster’s Horn rests on a workbench. Unlike the displayed curios upstairs, it does not need a Perception check before it can be examined.
A locked Big Pot contains a fixed piece of Infernal Marble and requires a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check. This is one of the alternative sources for a ritual component if you are opening the House of Hope portal without buying Helsik’s package.
Basement directory
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Upper floor: ritual room and private quarters
The upper floor contains a large salon that doubles as a ritual chamber, as well as Helsik’s private bedroom. The staircase rises from near the shop counter.
Explosive glyph and Thirsty Ward
An Explosive Glyph protects the landing. It can be detected with a DC 10 Perception check and casts Fireball if triggered. A speaking gargoyle head called the Thirsty Ward is mounted nearby. It provides a Combine menu and can be disarmed by inserting a liquid, such as water or wine.
The door beyond the trap is locked. Helsik’s key opens it, while lockpicking requires DC 15 Sleight of Hand. The balcony routes bypass this doorway.
Ritual room
The ritual room contains a blood-drawn seven-point star, or heptagram. This is the fixed portal site used to reach the House of Hope.
Helsik’s bedroom
Helsik’s bedroom contains another fixed ritual component: a Coin of Mammon in a Gilded Chest beside her bed. The chest can be opened with the Gold Key or lockpicked with DC 20 Sleight of Hand.
Upper-floor directory
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Helsik is the Devil’s Fee’s owner, shopkeeper and principal quest contact. She is a diabolist who serves Mammon and has the expertise needed to open portals to the Hells. Her public trade is only part of her business. She also sells information and access.
Unlocking Helsik’s hidden business
The party can uncover Helsik’s identity in several ways:
These clues can move Raphael-related quest markers towards the Devil’s Fee and unlock Helsik’s curated stock.
Opening the House of Hope portal
If she agrees, Helsik provides the Grimoire Bound in Imp Skin, the Opening a Hell Gate instructions and a Ritual Pouch containing the required components.
The bargain is not necessarily the only way to proceed. The ritual ingredients and instructions can be obtained by exploring and stealing from the upper floor, basement and Helsik herself.
Important theft warning
If one character steals the ritual materials while another is negotiating with Helsik, she can reject the party, seal the front entrance with Arcane Lock and become immediately hostile when the party tries to re-enter. If you intend to bargain with her, complete the conversation before committing theft.
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The ritual arrangement is fixed. Starting from the point nearest Helsik’s diary and moving clockwise:
The order of placement does not matter. A wrongly placed item is not destroyed and can be picked up and tried again. When all five components are correctly positioned, interact with the centre of the circle to open the portal.
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The exterior contains several small NPC scenes that are easy to overlook.
Helsik offers three main arrangements
- 01Pay 20,000 gold.
- 02Pass a DC 25 Intimidation check, or a warlock-specific DC 25 Persuasion check with advantage, to reduce the fee to 10,000 gold.
- 03Pass a DC 20 Persuasion check to agree to retrieve the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength for her instead.
Important theft warning: The ritual requires five items
| Component | Verified source inside the Devil’s Fee |
|---|---|
| Skull | Coffin in the ritual room, or Helsik’s stock |
| Coin of Mammon | Gilded Chest beside Helsik’s bed |
| Diamond | Gilded Chest in the ritual room |
| Incense | Bowl on the table near the southern balcony door |
| Infernal Marble | Opulent Chest in the ritual room or Big Pot in the basement |
Important theft warning
- 01Place the Skull on the point nearest the altar.
- 02Place the Coin of Mammon on the next point to the right.
- 03Leave the next point empty.
- 04Place the Diamond on the following point.
- 05Place the Incense on the next point.
- 06Leave the remaining points empty.
- 07Place the Infernal Marble in the centre of the heptagram.
Children outside the fence
Runt and Stinker dare one another to enter the “devil’s house”. Spool is less interested in the dare and suggests changing the game. This is a street vignette rather than a quest hub, but it reinforces how unusual the building appears to ordinary Lower City residents.
Nelburn Frust
Nelburn Frust stands farther from the entrance and attempts to activate a lucky charm bought from Helsik. He repeatedly struggles with the phrase “scarab sap”, failing to say it correctly three times. This scene is decorative and does not turn the Devil’s Fee into a general fortune-telling service.
Tara
Tara can appear on the roof. Her presence is associated with her wider Act Three appearances and her trading interaction, rather than with Helsik’s ordinary shop inventory. The Devil’s Fee directory should therefore treat Tara as an exterior or rooftop visitor, not as a resident of the shop.
Exterior directory
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Helsik’s ordinary stock
This stock should not be confused with every object displayed in the building. Some infernal objects are scenery or fixed quest components rather than purchasable merchandise.
Helsik’s curated selection
After the party unlocks her hidden business, Helsik can offer a more unusual selection, including the following named items:
The exact availability can depend on dialogue state and character circumstances. The Gibus of the Worshipful Servant has a particular connection to the Dark Urge.
Tara’s rooftop trade
Tara’s interaction is separate from Helsik’s business. She can offer the Hat of the Sharp Caster in exchange for fish and/or magical items. Treat this as a character-specific trade rather than a Devil’s Fee shop service.
Decorative and non-functional business elements
The Devil’s Fee contains many infernal displays, bookcases, curios and locked cases. Their appearance does not guarantee that they are purchasable, usable or part of the portal ritual. In particular:
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Associated powers and factions
The Devil’s Fee has no conventional guard garrison or permanent hostile faction. Its main political and supernatural associations are:
Do not treat the gilded creatures that can appear during a hostile Helsik encounter as ordinary residents. They are spawned as combat reinforcements when the party provokes that state.
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The Devil’s Fee normally contains no combat encounter. Security comes from traps, locked areas, NPC sight lines and Helsik’s response to theft.
Explosive Glyph
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | upper-floor stair landing |
| Detection | DC 10 Perception |
| Effect | casts Fireball when triggered |
| Countermeasure | detect and disarm it, or use the Thirsty Ward with a liquid |
Locked doors and containers
The listed keys can replace some of these checks.
Hostile Helsik encounter
If Helsik becomes hostile, the shop can produce:
These are combat-spawned creatures, not part of the normal location population.
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Before leaving the Devil’s Fee, check that you have:
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For a thorough but safe visit
- 01Enter through the main door and speak to Helsik before stealing anything.
- 02Inspect the displayed skulls, diamonds and horn.
- 03Pass the Arcana checks where possible to reveal the genuine curios.
- 04Check Helsik’s shop inventory and determine whether her curated selection is available.
- 05Decide whether you want to negotiate for House of Hope access or use the independent ritual route.
- 06Before taking anything, make a manual save.
- 07If negotiating, secure the ritual pouch and instructions first.
- 08If avoiding payment, enter the upper floor through the stairs, balconies or another stealth route.
- 09Disarm the Explosive Glyph using the Thirsty Ward and a liquid.
- 10Search Helsik’s bedroom and the ritual room for the Coin of Mammon, diamond, skull, incense and Infernal Marble.
- 11Check the basement for the second Infernal Marble and alchemical ingredients.
- 12Place the components on the heptagram and activate the portal.
- 13Complete any preparations before entering, because the House of Hope does not permit ordinary fast travel or camping access.
Is the Devil’s Fee part of the Lower City or a separate region?
It is a location within the Lower City, specifically in Heapside. Its basement connects to the Forge of the Nine cellar, but that does not make the Forge of the Nine part of the Devil’s Fee.
Can I reach the House of Hope without paying Helsik?
Yes. You can explore the building, obtain the ritual instructions and gather the components yourself. Helsik’s payment is the convenient route, not the only possible route.
What happens if I steal from Helsik?
If you steal before or during her offer to help, she can expel the party, seal the entrance and become hostile when you return. Save first and decide whether you are pursuing negotiation or burglary.
Is Tara the Devil’s Fee shopkeeper?
No. Helsik owns and runs the Devil’s Fee. Tara is an exterior or rooftop visitor with her own exchange involving fish and magical items.
Is the Infernal Marble unique to the ritual room?
No. One fixed piece is available in the ritual room, and another is in the basement Big Pot. The party only needs one for the ritual, but the second is a separate collectible.
Can I return to camp after entering the House of Hope?
No. The House of Hope disables normal fast travel and returning to camp while the party is inside. Prepare before activating the portal.
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Sources
- Devil's Fee - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Deal with the Devil - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- House of Hope - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Helsik - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Devil's Fee - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki