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Locationmajor

Elfsong Tavern

The Elfsong Tavern is an inn in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, reached soon after entering the city in Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Speak to Alan Alyth before leaving He can sell camp supplies and offers the party a permanent Lower City campsite.
  • Visit the first-floor parlour early if you are pursuing Investigate the Murders Gauntlet Devella Fountainhead may leave if the investigation progresses too far.
  • Speak to Chef Roveer to begin Roveer’s Storehouse, then clear the cellar rats.
  • The secret route to the Knights of the Shield Hideout begins in the cellar A button opens a disguised wine-cask entrance.
  • Bring Lae’zel to the hideout if you want the best chance of avoiding the githyanki fight through dialogue.
  • Search the rooftop, murder parlour, Emperor’s hidden room and cellar carefully Several items require Perception or Medicine checks, and some loot is random.

About this guide

Spoiler warning: This guide covers major Act Three story events, the murder investigation, the Emperor’s identity and history, the Knights of the Shield, githyanki encounters, Orin-related progression, and the Dark Urge.

Overview

The Elfsong Tavern is an inn in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, reached soon after entering the city in Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is much more than a place to buy drinks. The tavern contains a murder scene, a major Act Three camp, a rat-infested cellar, a route into the Knights of the Shield Hideout, several quest characters, a comedy contest, and one of the game’s most revealing locations connected to the Emperor.

The tavern’s playable scope includes the public ground floor, kitchen, first-floor rooms, rooftop, rentable upper-floor camp, cellar and its secret passage. The Knights of the Shield Hideout is a distinct connected location rather than simply another room of the tavern, although the tavern cellar is its normal entrance. The hideout also connects onwards to the Lower City Sewers.

Recommended arrival order

For the most complete visit, use this order:

This route reduces the chance of missing the Devella scene and ensures that the cellar quest and Emperor quest are handled together.

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Recommended arrival order: steps

  1. 01
    Enter the public tavern and speak with Alan Alyth.
  2. 02
    Decide whether to rent the upper-floor campsite.
  3. 03
    Search the ground floor and speak to named patrons.
  4. 04
    Visit the kitchen and speak with Chef Roveer.
  5. 05
    Explore the first floor and investigate Duke Stelmane’s parlour.
  6. 06
    Climb to the rooftop and speak with Alfira if she is present.
  7. 07
    Return to the kitchen and clear the basement rats.
  8. 08
    Open the hidden wine-cask route.
  9. 09
    Explore the Knights of the Shield Hideout.
  10. 10
    Search the Emperor’s hidden room before leaving.

Ground floor

The ground floor is the main public tavern. It contains the bar, numerous tables, curtained alcoves and a large collection of named and unnamed patrons. Alan Alyth can discuss events in the city and negotiate the rental of the upper floor.

The room also contains several small social scenes. Some can alter companion approval or grant background Inspiration. The tavern population is partly state-dependent: some characters appear because of earlier quest outcomes, while others leave after major Act Three events, including the defeat of Enver Gortash.

Ground-floor directory

The tavern also hosts the Laff Riot comedy contest. Its named participants include Belford Willoughby, Harvard Willoughby, Phantaizha, Phibs Brogan, Preciosa and Waldo Walnut. The contest’s full sequence is separate from the ordinary tavern patron scenes.

Kitchen

The kitchen is in the northern part of the ground floor. Chef Roveer and Chef’s Assistant Tecochi work here, with the cats Tambourine and Zambomba nearby.

Speaking to Roveer begins Roveer’s Storehouse. He assumes that the party has been hired to solve the tavern’s pest problem and will not properly engage with other matters until the rats in the cellar have been dealt with. If the party can speak with animals, the cats regard the adventurers as servants who have arrived to do the hunting in their place.

The kitchen is also the crucial route to the basement and therefore to the Emperor’s old hideout.

Basement

The basement is a wine-storage and supply area. If Roveer’s Storehouse has not been completed, roughly thirty rats attack on sight. One rat can drop the Keepsake Ring. The rats are also relevant to the Punch Drunk achievement, which can be earned by killing them while drunk if the achievement has not already been obtained.

The rear of the basement contains two storage rooms:

The cellar contains Camp Supplies, particularly wine. In the smaller room, a hidden button opens the end of a wine cask in the larger room. The cask acts as a concealed door to a passage and stairs leading to the Knights of the Shield Hideout.

First floor

The first floor contains a small corridor, Duke Stelmane’s parlour, the locked or unavailable rented rooms before purchase, and a ladder to the roof.

When the party first visits during the early stages of Investigate the Murders, two Flaming Fists may be guarding the stairs. They warn the party about the investigation but do not prevent access.

Duke Stelmane’s parlour

The southern room is fenced off as a Flaming Fist investigation site. It is the crime scene of Duke Belynne Stelmane’s murder.

Entering the room normally begins a conversation with Gauntlet Devella Fountainhead. The party can attempt to convince her that they are capable of helping with the murders. A Dark Urge character receives additional dialogue connected to their lineage and can be invited to investigate the Bhaalist conspiracy from within.

The wine bottle requires a Perception check to locate and a Medicine check to identify properly. Other objects in the room help establish that Stelmane’s death was ritualistic rather than an ordinary act of violence.

Missability

Devella leaves the parlour if the party progresses the murder investigation too far, including by beginning an independent investigation or killing listed victims themselves. She can later be found at Facemaker’s Boutique, but the tavern scene is no longer available in its original form.

Rented rooms and campsite

Alan Alyth can rent the upper floor to the party. The ordinary price is 200 gold, although Persuasion, Perception and some class-specific options can reduce the cost to zero. A failed attempt can cause Alan to raise the price. Once accepted, the Elfsong upper floor becomes the party’s campsite while they are in the Lower City or Lower City Sewers. This change cannot be reverted through normal gameplay.

Renting the rooms can grant background Inspiration, including:

While using the campsite, the party can purchase Supply Packs from the Dumbwaiter at night. An Opulent Chest near the dumbwaiter contains several random Rare-grade potions. The rented room also contains the written version of the Elfsong and other examinable material.

Rooftop

The rooftop is an open-air relaxation area. It can be reached using the ladder near the rented rooms or by jumping from outside the tavern on its western side.

If she survived Acts One and Two, Alfira can be found here. She discusses her plan to establish a bardic school and can grant the Entertainer Inspiration Finding her Stage and the Folk Hero Inspiration Safeguarding the Songbird. Lakrissa may also appear on the roof if she survived, although she may instead be working downstairs.

A cracked rooftop tile can be found with a DC 15 Perception check. Under it are gold and random Rare potions, potentially including:

Because this loot is random, neither potion should be treated as guaranteed.

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Staff

The following named characters are associated with the tavern’s staff or routine operation:

The cats are not ordinary shopkeepers, but they are named inhabitants of the kitchen and can be addressed with Speak with Animals.

Named patrons inside

Many of these patrons are atmospheric or involved in short conversational scenes rather than full quests. The directory is nevertheless useful because the tavern’s population changes with earlier decisions and major Act Three progression.

Named people outside or around the tavern

The location’s wider immediate area includes the following named background characters:

The beggars are listed separately from ordinary tavern patrons because they occupy the surrounding street area rather than the main interior.

Flaming Fists and security

Some Flaming Fists are connected to Devella’s murder investigation. Others patrol the exterior, with a Steel Watcher. The patrol member cannot be spoken to. The tavern is not a safe zone in the sense of being outside Baldur’s Gate’s law enforcement system, and theft or aggression can cause ordinary patrons and guards to react.

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Roveer’s Storehouse

The quest is a direct reference to the similarly named rat problem from the first Baldur’s Gate. Roveer is also a possible target in the murder storyline, so the timing of the conversation can matter if the party is following Bhaalist objectives.

Roveer’s Storehouse: steps

  1. 01
    Speak to Chef Roveer in the kitchen.
  2. 02
    Enter the basement.
  3. 03
    Defeat the hostile rats.
  4. 04
    Return to the kitchen and continue the conversation.

Investigate the Murders

For the Dark Urge, speak to Devella with the Dark Urge character selected if you want the additional lineage-related dialogue. Do not independently kill listed victims or push the investigation too far before examining the parlour if you want the original scene.

Investigate the Murders: steps

  1. 01
    Go upstairs to Duke Stelmane’s parlour.
  2. 02
    Speak to Gauntlet Devella.
  3. 03
    Pass the relevant check to offer assistance.
  4. 04
    Examine the crime scene and evidence.
  5. 05
    Continue the wider murder investigation through the Lower City.

Visit the Emperor’s Old Hideout

This quest begins when the party approaches the tavern. The Emperor identifies the building as the site of its former hideout and directs the party towards the cellar.

Walkthrough

The githyanki group is led by Ch’r’ai Har’rak. With Lae’zel present, a successful DC 18 Intimidation or Persuasion check can make the group leave peacefully. Without Lae’zel, or after a failed check, combat is generally unavoidable. The encounter includes Gate Masters who can summon reinforcements through Astral Rifts.

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The hideout is a separate connected subarea beneath the tavern. It was formerly used by the Knights of the Shield, an organisation associated with information dealing, political manipulation and smuggling. The Emperor and Duke Stelmane were both connected to its operation.

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Enter the kitchen.
  2. 02
    Take the stairs to the cellar.
  3. 03
    Defeat the rats if Roveer’s quest is incomplete.
  4. 04
    Enter the western storage area.
  5. 05
    Find the hidden button beside the wall crack.
  6. 06
    Press it to open the wine cask in the adjacent room.
  7. 07
    Enter the Knights of the Shield Hideout.
  8. 08
    Deal with the githyanki hunting party.
  9. 09
    Find the second hidden button behind the northern statue.
  10. 10
    Enter the Emperor’s old room.
  11. 11
    Interact with the Sword of the Emperor to complete the quest.
  12. 12
    Search the room and connected storerooms before leaving.

Access routes

From the Lower City Sewers

The hideout can also be reached from the sewers by a ladder. A locked door in the hideout can be opened with the Silver Key found inside or by a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check. If the relevant Orin event has not already occurred, entering from the sewer side can trigger a scene involving Orin disguised as a kidnapped companion.

Hideout enemies and conditional enemies

W’wargaz and Tska’an can appear if they survived earlier encounters. Ri’zel and Zyrlak maintain the Astral Rifts, which summon additional githyanki. The rifts close when the associated Gate Master is defeated, loses concentration or has summoned the encounter’s limit of reinforcements.

Hideout loot

A heavy chest contains gold, a random gem and a Potion of Superior Healing. The Hhune Mausoleum Key is in a wardrobe with two random sets of high-grade camp clothing. A map titled Location of Reserve Supplies refers to buried treasure, but reading it does not add confirmed markers to the map.

The main hideout contains

The Emperor’s old room

Behind the northern knight statue is another hidden button. It reveals the Emperor’s former room, filled with objects from its past life. The Emperor comments on many of them, making this one of the most important lore areas associated with the character.

The Sword of the Emperor completes the quest when examined. The Cerebral Citadel Armour and Cerebral Citadel Gloves are found in the wardrobe. Three stone bookcases contain random spell scrolls, potentially up to Very Rare quality. A further room contains a hatch to the sewers and additional random valuables, potions and scrolls.

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Notable objects include

Random loot

The Potion of Flying and Potion of Speed are possible rooftop finds, not guaranteed items. Likewise, the exact contents of several chests and bookcases vary by randomised loot.

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The tavern is part of a longer Baldur’s Gate tradition. It appears in the first Baldur’s Gate game and in the tabletop adventure Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. In both the game’s setting and related material, its name is tied to a mysterious elven song heard within the establishment.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, the song is the Elfsong, and its lyrics foreshadow important information about Balduran and the game’s larger plot. The written song can be found in the rented rooms. A newspaper found elsewhere in the city suggests that the song may have changed its tune, leaving some uncertainty about whether the current version is the original one.

The tavern also connects several otherwise separate parts of Act Three:

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Before leaving the Elfsong Tavern, check that you have:

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Is the Knights of the Shield Hideout part of the Elfsong Tavern?

It is connected to the tavern through the cellar, but it is a distinct subarea. It can also be entered from the Lower City Sewers.

Can the Elfsong Tavern become the party’s camp?

Yes. Alan Alyth can rent the upper floor to the party. It normally costs 200 gold, though dialogue checks can reduce the price or make the rental free. The change is permanent for the Lower City campsite.

Can I avoid the githyanki fight?

With Lae’zel present, a successful DC 18 Intimidation or Persuasion check can cause the githyanki to leave peacefully. Without her, the encounter generally proceeds to combat.

What happens if I defeat Gortash?

Some patrons and associated characters leave the tavern after Gortash is defeated. Their exact availability depends on progression and prior quest states, so speak to named patrons before completing major Act Three milestones.

Can I still find Devella after she leaves?

Yes, she can later be encountered at Facemaker’s Boutique, but the original murder-scene conversation in Stelmane’s parlour is no longer available in the same form.

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Sources