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Locationmajor

Guildhall

The Guildhall is the underground headquarters of Baldur’s Gate’s criminal Guild, located within the Lower City Sewers in Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The Guildhall is a separate location inside the Lower City Sewers, not a synonym for the entire Undercity or Lower City.
  • Its two principal divisions are the main Guildhall area and the Guildhall bar, with Nine-Fingers’ office and private rooms attached to the bar.
  • The easiest above-ground entrance is guarded by Tusgront The fastest underground route begins at a manhole north of the Basilisk Gate Barracks.
  • Aid the Underduke and The High Harper overlap heavily here Bringing Jaheira makes several conversations easier and can prevent unnecessary checks.
  • Later in the game, the Guildhall can be controlled by either the Guild or the Zhentarim, depending on the player’s decisions.
  • The southwest balcony contains hidden chests and the book Old notes, while the bar provides food, drink and unusual consumables through Severn.

About this guide

Spoiler warning: This guide covers major Act Three story developments, the Stone Lord and Minsc, Jaheira’s companion quest, the Guildhall conflict, Nine-Fingers Keene’s possible fate, and the Guild’s end-game alliance.

Overview

The Guildhall is the underground headquarters of Baldur’s Gate’s criminal Guild, located within the Lower City Sewers in Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is not the whole of the Lower City, the entire sewer network, or the wider Undercity. It is a distinct, enclosed location connected to those areas by several entrances.

The Guildhall functions as a criminal headquarters, meeting place, bar, market and political centre. Its leader, Astele Keene, better known as Nine-Fingers Keene, is trying to hold the Guild together while the Stone Lord’s gang attacks its territory. The Guild has also hired Zhentarim mercenaries, creating an unstable alliance that later develops into an armed struggle inside the hall.

The location is particularly important for Aid the Underduke, The High Harper, and the recruitment of Minsc. It also contains several merchants, minor characters, faction members, hidden treasure and documents connected to the Emperor and Duke Stelmane.

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What counts as the Guildhall?

For this guide, Guildhall means the enclosed Guild headquarters entered through the Guildhall Entrance or the connected sewer route. It includes:

It does not include the whole Lower City Sewers, the Abandoned Cistern, the Counting House, the Murder Tribunal, the Undercity Ruins or other nearby sewer locations. Those areas may be involved in the same quests, but they are separate locations.

The Guildhall’s entrance is marked by a guarded alley in the Lower City. Its sewer side is reached through a locked door or a concealed breakable wall, depending on the route taken.

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Main Guildhall area

The main hall is a broad cavern with sewage and filthy water below a network of timber scaffolds. Walkways, stairs, ladders and rope netting connect several vertical levels. Some supports, ladders and platforms are destructible, which can become tactically important if combat begins.

The area is designed as a working criminal headquarters rather than a conventional fort. Guild members drink, talk and move between the platforms, while Zhentarim mercenaries gather mainly in the southeast. Several characters are only present depending on earlier choices in Act One, including whether the party saved or raided the Emerald Grove and whether Oskar Fevras was rescued from the Zhentarim.

Hidden southwest balcony

A balcony in the southwest corner is difficult to reach normally. Misty Step, Enhance Leap or similar movement abilities can help.

The book Old notes lies near the edge of the balcony. It records Guild gossip concerning the Emperor and Duke Stelmane, who were associated with the Knights of the Shield.

Guildhall bar

The bar occupies the northern side of the Guildhall and is run by Severn, a bugbear. It is a social area for Guild members and visitors, with tables, drinks and smoking characters around the stairs.

Severn sells food and drink, as well as Drunken Cloth and Terazul. The bar is also useful as a landmark because it connects the main cavern to the approach leading towards Nine-Fingers’ office.

Behind the bar is the locked No Entry - No Exit door. It leads back into the Lower City Sewers and can be opened with Severn’s Sewer Key or by passing a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check. The door is a practical shortcut, although it does not replace the wider sewer routes.

Nine-Fingers’ office and private rooms

Nine-Fingers’ office is reached from the bar area. Two office doors remain unlocked, while another red-lined door leads to Nine-Fingers’ bedroom. Her bedroom requires her key.

The office is more than a private room. It is the Guild’s political centre and the location of important conversations concerning:

A note titled From the Desk of Rakath Glitterbeard, Head Banker can reveal Nine-Fingers’ plan to ambush the Stone Lord at the Counting House. Other ways of learning the same information include speaking to Uktar or investigating conversations in the bar.

Fetcher’s Brats merchants’ corner

The northeastern corner belongs to a gang of Guild-affiliated children known as the Fetcher’s Brats. Sticky Dondo acts as their trader.

This corner is easy to overlook because it is not presented as a conventional shop. Sticky Dondo’s services and inventory are nevertheless recorded as Guildhall trading services.

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Above-ground entrance

The Guildhall Entrance is in an alley in the Lower City near Basilisk Gate. Tusgront and other Guild members guard the entrance.

If the party has already begun Aid the Underduke and helped Farlin in Rivington, the Guild recognises them as allies. With Jaheira present, mentioning that she is the High Harper can also smooth the conversation without a check. Otherwise, the party may need to pass a Deception, Intimidation or Persuasion check.

Attacking the guards can turn the whole Guildhall hostile and may remove dialogue and merchant opportunities.

Recommended approach

  1. 01
    Begin or advance Aid the Underduke.
  2. 02
    If possible, bring Jaheira.
  3. 03
    Speak to Tusgront rather than attacking.
  4. 04
    Enter the Guildhall and proceed to Nine-Fingers’ office.
  5. 05
    Speak to Nine-Fingers before searching the area or taking hostile action.

Underground route

The quickest sewer route begins at the manhole in the alley north of the Basilisk Gate Barracks, approximately at X: 127, Y: -30. In the Lower City Sewers, a western wall around X: 38, Y: 784 can be detected with a DC 15 Perception check and broken through. The party can then follow the passage towards a locked Guildhall door.

The Guildhall can also be entered through the connected sewer door near the bar. That door is locked but can be opened using Severn’s key or by lockpicking.

Other connection: Bruc and Pishe’s Emporium

Bruc and Pishe’s Emporium is a separate Lower City location. Its Guild Ring can be inserted into a wall slot to reveal another route into the Guildhall. This should not be confused with the Guildhall itself or with the ordinary sewer entrances.

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Guild leadership

Nine-Fingers Keene

Nine-Fingers Keene, whose real name is Astele Keene, is the Guildmaster. She rules the Guildhall through a mixture of authority, reputation and practical control over Baldur’s Gate’s criminal networks.

At the start of the Guildhall storyline, her organisation is under pressure from the Stone Lord. To reinforce the Guild, she has hired Zhentarim mercenaries, although the arrangement is clearly unstable. Nine-Fingers remains suspicious of outsiders and expects the party to prove its intentions.

If the party sides with the Guild during Aid the Underduke, Nine-Fingers can later provide assistance during the final battle through Gather Your Allies. Her personal guards are the available support.

Uktar

Uktar is the Guild bursar. He is involved in the Guild’s financial administration and can reveal information about Nine-Fingers’ intended ambush at the Counting House, depending on the dialogue chosen.

Guild members

The following named Guild members are recorded in the Guildhall:

The women titled Lady are associated with Nine-Fingers’ personal guard. Lady Ague patrols the stairway near the bar. The Professor is useful for information and conversation, including directing the party towards Tut Thistlebog when the party is trying to learn about Nine-Fingers’ plans.

Visitors

The Guildhall also contains visitors and social guests who are not ordinary Guild members:

Tut Thistlebog and Phostlethwaite are drinking near a balcony. Tut can accidentally reveal useful information if Jaheira is present or if the party handles the conversation correctly.

Zhentarim presence

The Zhentarim are a trading and mercenary organisation with criminal connections. Nine-Fingers has hired them to help defend Guild territory, but they are also waiting for an opportunity to increase their influence.

Slick Inatra acts as the local leader of the Zhentarim mercenaries before Roah Moonglow or Boss Friol arrives. She has been hired to help protect the Guildhall, but later follows orders to attack Nine-Fingers if the Zhentarim move against the Guild. Phase stands in the southwest area and expects to fight the Stone Lord’s forces.

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Severn

Severn runs the Guildhall bar.

Services and goods

The exact inventory may be affected by the game’s trading mechanics, but the Guildhall’s documented services include camp supplies and consumables rather than a conventional armoury or weapons shop.

Sticky Dondo

Sticky Dondo trades from the Fetcher’s Brats’ corner in the main Guildhall area.

Recorded goods

Sticky Dondo is not simply a decorative child NPC. The Guildhall trader directory identifies him as a merchant with a distinct inventory.

Mol

Mol may be found in the Guildhall and is listed as a trader.

Recorded goods

Her presence and availability can depend on earlier story developments involving the tiefling refugees and the Guild. Treat her as a story-associated visitor and trader rather than as a permanent Guild official.

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Aid the Underduke

Aid the Underduke is the Guildhall’s central quest. It concerns Nine-Fingers’ conflict with the Stone Lord, who is later revealed to be Minsc under the influence of the Absolute and a manipulative doppelganger plot.

The Rivington encounter involves Guild members fighting Stone Lord thugs. Helping the Guild there makes entry to the Guildhall easier, but the later overall outcome is not determined solely by that choice.

Guildhall section

The party can learn about the Counting House ambush in several ways:

This is a good example of the Guildhall’s design. The quest does not depend on one single NPC or one mandatory clue. Several conversations and documents point towards the same destination.

Guildhall section

  1. 01
    Enter the Guildhall.
  2. 02
    Speak with Nine-Fingers Keene.
  3. 03
    Learn that the Stone Lord is threatening Guild operations.
  4. 04
    Discover that Nine-Fingers intends to ambush the Stone Lord at the Counting House.
  5. 05
    Travel to the Counting House.
  6. 06
    Follow the Stone Lord’s trail through the vaults and sewers.
  7. 07
    Return to the Guildhall.
  8. 08
    Resolve the conflict between the Guild and the Zhentarim.
  9. 09
    Choose which faction, if any, receives the party’s support.

The High Harper

The High Harper is Jaheira’s companion quest and overlaps with the Guildhall because Nine-Fingers knows about Minsc and the Guild’s war with the Stone Lord.

Bringing Jaheira into the Guildhall is strongly recommended. Her presence changes dialogue with Nine-Fingers and can make the entrance conversation with Tusgront easier. Nine-Fingers recognises her as the High Harper and explains that Minsc is now operating as the Stone Lord.

The quest then leads to the Counting House and Lower City Sewers. The Guildhall itself is the political centre of the investigation, while the actual confrontation with Minsc takes place elsewhere.

Recruiting Minsc

Minsc can be recruited only if Jaheira has joined the party. During the confrontation in the sewers, the final blow against Minsc must be delivered with non-lethal damage.

If Minsc is knocked unconscious and the Absolute’s influence is removed, he can join the party. The Emperor initially objects to protecting him but can be persuaded, especially if Jaheira is present.

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After the Stone Lord storyline advances, the party eventually returns to find the Guildhall in open conflict. The Zhentarim have accepted payment from the cult and are attempting to overthrow Nine-Fingers.

The exact sequence can vary according to how the party handles Minsc, Roah Moonglow, the Zhentarim and the return to the Guildhall. The quest documentation records separate outcomes for siding with Nine-Fingers, siding with the Zhentarim, and leaving neither faction in a position to help.

The principal outcomes are

OutcomeConsequence
Support Nine-Fingers and the GuildThe Guild survives and can aid the final battle
Support the ZhentarimThe Zhentarim take control and can provide their own final-battle support
Kill or lose both factionsThe Guildhall is left without a useful factional ally
Delay too long or progress the final assaultThe faction outcome may be bypassed by the end-game state

Recommended Guild-aligned outcome

For most players who want the Guild to survive:

This permits the Guild to become a possible final-battle ally. Nine-Fingers’ support is represented through her personal guards in Gather Your Allies.

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Recommended Guild-aligned outcome: steps

  1. 01
    Keep Jaheira alive.
  2. 02
    Recruit Minsc rather than killing him.
  3. 03
    Return to the Guildhall after resolving the Stone Lord plot.
  4. 04
    Speak to Nine-Fingers and investigate the Zhentarim conspiracy.
  5. 05
    Side with Nine-Fingers during the confrontation.
  6. 06
    Complete the quest and speak to Nine-Fingers afterwards.

Secret balcony loot

The southwest balcony contains two Opulent Chests. Their contents are random within documented categories:

Because the arrows, elixirs, gems and ingredients are random, they should not be treated as fixed unique rewards.

Secret balcony loot

ChestPossible contents
First chestGold, random uncommon or rare arrows and/or elixirs
Second chestGold, a random precious gem and random alchemical ingredients

Old notes

Old notes is a common book found on the hidden balcony. It records overheard Guild gossip about the Emperor and Duke Stelmane. The document is not a weapon or quest-critical key, but it contributes to the wider Knights of the Shield and Emperor storyline.

Rakath Glitterbeard’s note

From the Desk of Rakath Glitterbeard, Head Banker can be found in Nine-Fingers’ room. Reading it reveals that the Guild plans to ambush the Stone Lord at the Counting House. This is one of several ways to obtain the information, so missing the note does not necessarily block the quest.

Keys

Nine-Fingers’ documented loot includes a key to her bedroom, a key connected with her safe door, the High Security Vault No. 7 Key, Leather Armour +2 and daggers. These rewards are associated with hostile or combat outcomes and should not be treated as normal peaceful quest rewards.

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Destructible structure

The Guildhall’s scaffolds are both useful cover and a liability. Destroyable ladders, rope netting, timber supports and a heavy stone slab can alter movement during combat.

Avoid damaging Guild property before hostilities begin. The location’s Guild members may treat destruction as a transgression, potentially making a peaceful approach more difficult.

Crowded combat

The main cavern contains several levels and many neutral or allied NPCs. If combat breaks out:

Faction state

The most important danger is not a trap but progression. Entering the Guildhall at the wrong point in Aid the Underduke can place the party in the middle of a faction conflict. Save before:

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For a first playthrough, the following order minimises missed dialogue and keeps the location easy to understand:

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Faction state: steps

  1. 01
    Bring Jaheira. This provides special dialogue with Nine-Fingers and simplifies the guarded entrance.
  2. 02
    Enter peacefully through Tusgront. Do not begin by attacking the gate guards.
  3. 03
    Speak to Nine-Fingers. This establishes the Stone Lord plot and updates both major quests.
  4. 04
    Talk to Uktar. Ask about the Guild’s plans and finances.
  5. 05
    Read the note in Nine-Fingers’ room. This confirms the Counting House objective.
  6. 06
    Visit the bar. Speak to Severn, Tut Thistlebog and Phostlethwaite.
  7. 07
    Check Sticky Dondo and Mol. Their services are easy to overlook.
  8. 08
    Explore the main cavern. Speak to the Guild members and Zhentarim before any faction battle.
  9. 09
    Reach the southwest balcony. Use Misty Step or Enhance Leap if necessary.
  10. 10
    Read Old notes. It is optional but useful for the Emperor and Stelmane lore.
  11. 11
    Leave for the Counting House.
  12. 12
    Return only after resolving the Stone Lord plot, then make the Guildhall faction decision.

Named documents and special objects

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The Guildhall represents Baldur’s Gate’s criminal Guild as a loose coalition rather than a uniform thieves’ guild. The location contains professional criminals, children working as independent traders, hired mercenaries, informants, social visitors and people simply using the Guildhall as a place to drink.

This helps distinguish the Guild from the Zhentarim. The Guild is a local power structure rooted in Baldur’s Gate, while the Zhentarim operate as a wider trading and mercenary organisation. Their temporary cooperation is based on expedience, not trust. The Guildhall’s later civil conflict exposes that difference.

The document Old notes provides a small but significant connection to the Knights of the Shield and Duke Stelmane. It is separate from the dedicated Knights of the Shield Hideout, which is another location and should not be counted as part of the Guildhall.

The location also echoes earlier Baldur’s Gate continuity through its depiction of an organised criminal guild controlling parts of the city. However, the Guildhall shown in Baldur’s Gate 3 should be treated as this game’s specific location and factional structure, not as a direct map-equivalent to every guildhall from previous games.

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Is the Guildhall in the Lower City or the Undercity?

It is in the Undercity, within the Lower City Sewers. The Guildhall has an above-ground entrance in the Lower City, but the enclosed headquarters itself is a separate sewer location.

Can I enter without completing Aid the Underduke?

Yes. The party can reach the Guildhall through the guarded Lower City entrance or through the sewer routes. However, peaceful entry and dialogue options are easier if the quest has been started or if Jaheira is present.

Should Jaheira be in the party?

Yes, if possible. Her presence gives special dialogue with Nine-Fingers and can make the entrance conversation with Tusgront easier. It also helps preserve the intended flow of The High Harper.

Can I recruit Minsc if I kill him?

No. Minsc must be knocked out with non-lethal attacks during the relevant fight. Killing him causes Jaheira to leave permanently and prevents his recruitment.

What is the best faction to support?

Supporting Nine-Fingers preserves the Guild and allows its guards to help in the final battle. Supporting the Zhentarim produces a different alliance outcome. The best choice depends on the character’s loyalties and desired ending, but the Guild-aligned route is generally the most direct option for preserving Nine-Fingers and the local Guild.

Is the southwest balcony worth reaching?

Yes, although its rewards are random rather than unique. It contains gold, consumables, crafting ingredients, a precious gem and Old notes.

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Sources