Rescue the Grand Duke quest spans multiple Acts in Baldur’s Gate 3 before it concludes. This quest starts early in Act 1 and sees us saving one of our companions, Wyll’s father, Grand Duke Ravengard, and helping them resolve their internal strife.
Grand Duke is the father of Wyll, who had a falling out with his son when Wyll accepted Mizora’s pact to become a warlock. But Wyll still loves his father and wants to save him, hoping they can reconcile one day. You must be patient with this quest since its resolution does not happen until later in the game during Act 3.
Rescue the Grand Duke in Act 1
Rescue the Grand Duke quest starts early on during Act 1 of BG3. Once you travel to the far northern part of the map, west of Druid Grove, you will come across Waukeen’s rest on fire. Someone will be shouting and asking for help at the far door.
Break down the door with a heavy bludgeoning weapon or pass a 9DC strength check to enter Waukeen’s Rest and save the survivors. You will find Counsellor Florrick and a few other survivors on the upper floor. Taking the survivors out of the building won’t be as easy as it was while going in. You can use some water barrels in the building to get protection against fire.
There will be a cutscene showing Counsellor Florrick thanking your party and offering you some rewards. These rewards include The Spellsparkler, the Joltshooter, or the Sparky Points. However, you can select only one of them. While you are free to choose, the best reward for Rescue the Grand Duke is The Spellsparkler since several characters can use it.
According to Florrick, Grand Duke Ravengard is not present inside Waukeen’s Rest. He was taken to the Moonrise towers by the cultist earlier. Now, you must wait until Act 2 to resume this quest.
Rescue the Grand Duke in Act 2
While treading the shadow-cursed lands, you will finally reach a safe point called the Last Light Inn in the northeastern part of the map. If you saved Counselor Florrick during Act 1 at Waukeen’s Rest, she will be available in Last Light Inn and will give you the quest to rescue the Grand Duke from Moonrise Towers.
Approach the Moonrise Towers and pose as a True Soul. This will grant you access inside easily. There, you will pick up the Find The Nightsong quest, which is necessary to progress our quest. To rescue Duke Ravengard, you will need to attack Moonrise Towers and free him.
The assault at Moonrise Towers is only possible after you complete the Nightsong quest by defeating Ketheric Thorm. You will learn that Ketheric is being aided by two other characters named Lord Enver Gortash and Orin.
You will see the Grand Duke Ravengard in a cutscene, but you will not be able to rescue him just yet. Lord Enver Gortash will take him to Baldur’s Gate, where he plans on using him to ascend to power. So, this is our next stop to rescue Wyll’s father, but it won’t happen before you reach the Lower City in Act 3.
Rescue the Grand Duke in Act 3
The final part of this long side quest occurs in Act 3, where you must make your way to Baldur’s Gate. Once you have completed the Moonrise Towers quest, the way to Baldur’s Gate City will be open.
Upon reaching there, you will witness Gortash’s coronation as the Archduke of Baldur’s Gate by the Grand Duke Ravengard himself. However, something seems off about the Grand Duke as he feels trapped in a trance and acting without his own free will.
Currently, there’s no method to rescue him, and you must return to your allies. You will likely face defeat if you attempt to fight Gortash on the spot. Even the Grand Duke will be against you at this point.
The Steel Watch is aiding Gortash, and you need to disable the Steel Watch and then proceed. During that quest, you will learn of a prison called the Iron Throne. That is the location where Duke Ravengard is kept.
The next step of Rescue the Duke quest is of utmost importance. After our first encounter with Lord Gortash, demon Mizora will appear in our camp and offer the following choices regarding Wyll’s pact.
- He can end his demonic pact with Mizora, but it will cost him his father’s life.
- Mizora will help you find and save the Grand Duke from Iron Throne prison in exchange for renewing the pact. Wyll will lose his soul as a result.
Thankfully, the Grand Duke doesn’t die like Mizora implies, even if you refuse her pact on Wyll’s behalf. However, you won’t be able to save Wyll from the pact once he pledges his soul. We recommend that you reject Mizora’s offer, as you can still save Grand Duke Ravengard.
Save the Grand Duke from the Iron Throne prison
Make your way to the southwestern portion of the Lower City. You will find a warehouse, Flymm Cargo, inside which you will find a submersible. This will allow you to access the Iron Throne prison by either killing or persuading its owner.
The catch in rescuing Grand Duke Ravengard from Iron Throne in Baldur’s Gate 3 is that you must do it in six turns on normal difficulty (3 on Tactician mode). After that, the prison will be destroyed, leaving no one alive.
Prepare your party to cast spells, including Misty Step, Haste, Jump, and Greater Invisibility. The area you need to cover is quite long, so there is no way to be distracted even for a second. If you act fast, you can also rescue the rest of the prisoners, including the Gondians and Omeluum. This will help you disable the Steel Watch Foundry and Complete Retrieve Omeluum side quests.
The only thing left is to get Duke Ravengard out of the prison premises. If you choose to accept Mizora’s help, then she will appear on the scene. She will cast Freedom of Movement and Haste on the Grand Duke to help him get out quickly. If you broke Wyll’s pact, you can still save Ravengard by buffing him with the help of a Cleric or Shadowheart. However, Mizora will send exploding Spiders to kill Grand Duke Ravengard, making his escape a lot more difficult.
We recommend that you buff Grand Duke Ravengard’s health so he doesn’t die and dash to the submersible to get out of there. Once inside the submersible, no prisoner can be harmed.
The Grand Duke will meet you at the camp once you rescue him from Iron Throne prison in Baldur’s Gate 3. He and Wyll will also make up and reconcile as father and son once more. So, there will be happy endings all around.
