In Baldur’s Gate 3, reaching Act 2 requires your party to go through the Underdark to reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands. BG3 Shadow Curse beset these lands and corrupts anything that goes through them. To pass safely, you will require a working Moon lantern. Only one character named Kar’niss will have a working Moon lantern; you need to get it from him.
Kar’niss is a minion of the Absolute and will lead a convoy of cultists through the Shadow Cursed Lands. There will also be a side quest for the Harpers associated with him where you ambush his convoy. The fight against Kar’niss and the convoy is difficult, but you will have some Harpers helping you.
Kar’niss location in BG3
While pursuing the Infiltrate Moonrise Towers quest, you will receive a sub-quest to Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse. In the quest objectives, you will learn that True Soul Nere used the Moon Lantern to protect himself from the Shadow Curse. Unfortunately, his is broken. Now, you also need to get the same item, and the most feasible option is to get it from Kar’niss.
Your party will find a note informing them that the Cultists are traveling through Ruined Battlefield. These cultists are none other than Kar’niss and his convoy. You will be joining the Harpers to ambush the cultists in their way and obtain the Moon Lantern from them.
Kar’niss Boss Fight Guide in Baldur’s Gate 3
Kar’niss is a half-spider, half-humanoid boss who will be leading a convoy of Absolute cultists through the Shadow Cursed Lands. He is a tough enemy to take down, even with the help from the Harpers. But it is possible to take him down.
Kar’niss Abilities, Spells, and Attack Patterns
Kar’niss will be the toughest to take down, owing to being level 6 and having 184 HP. On top of that, he possesses 19 Armor Class, making it harder for you to land successful hits on him.
The boss naturally gets the Improved Hit feature, enhancing his chances of making successful critical strikes. His crafty Longsword, Cruel Sting gives him 1d10+2 Slashing damage with two hands and 1d8 Bludgeoning damage with one hand. Moreover, this weapon deals additional Poison damage to restrained targets.
The most prominent spell Kar’niss takes out from his arsenal is when his health is half depleted in Baldur’s Gate 3. The spell Sanctuary makes him immune to your attacks and spells, except those with a larger area impact.
Avoid attacking him when he is in this mode. Since this is a concentration spell, he will cancel it to attack you. If you want, you can try striking him with AoE and non-targeted attacks while Sanctuary protects him.
Bedi likes to make reckless attacks among the convoy members, while Sharp-Eye Lora spams ranged attacks on your party. Warrior Gronag aids his party through Reckless Warcry, in which they obtain an increased strength by a factor of 3. The good news is that this buff mostly applies to the Golbin enemies, not Kar’niss.
Fight Strategy
Since Kar’niss has a high Armor Class, you should benefit from status effects that provide an advantage to the party’s attack rolls. For example, your Barbarian companions can do Reckless Attacks to gain an Advantage on the next attack rolls.
Similarly, using the Enchantment Bless will provide a 1d4 bonus to the attack rolls and saving throws of up to three creatures. This will all add to the potential damage you can inflict on the boss and his convoy’s health.
Finally, using spells that are impossible to block will greatly go in your favor against the high-strength enemy. Spells like Magic Missile should be considered in this fight, which hit their target at all costs.
How to Defeat Kar’niss without Fighting in Baldur’s Gate 3
A very clever trick is there to kill Kar’niss and obtain his Moon Lantern, saving you some time and the hassle of a long fight.
When you ambush the Cultists while accompanying the Harpers, you need to uncover yourself and go in front of the Cult. From the start of the conversation, choose dialogue options that indicate you are a True Soul.
For example, when Kar’niss asks how you survived, reply by saying “The Absolute protected me.”
Now, pass the Perception check on his question about the Moon Lantern and then proceed with “Good. You may go now”
With these dialogue choices, Kar’niss will assume that you are the chosen one from the Absolute and he is no longer worthy of carrying the lantern.
Pass the second Persuasion check to make Kar’niss and the convoy members go away in the wilderness, only to be killed by the Shadow Curse. Both persuasion checks will require a score higher than 14 to succeed.
Kar’niss Boss Fight Rewards
The obvious item, the Moon Lantern, is the reward for all this hard work. This is one of the items that can save you from the effect of the shadow curse. You can also take the Longsword named Cruel Sting off his corpse. It is a +1 Longsword that deals 1d4 extra poison damage when wielded by a Drow.
