Baldur’s Gate 3 involves many quests, from a simple fetch quest for an NPC to lengthy and complex missions spanning multiple arcs. One such quest from the latter category is Rescue the Grand Duke. This quest starts in Act 1 but goes to Act 3, when it finally ends.
It also is involved in one of your party member’s backstory, Wyll. The Duke and Wyll are father and son who had a falling out when the latter accepted his patron’s pact. But Wyll still loves his father and wants to save him, hoping they can reconcile. You must be patient with this quest since its resolution does not happen until later in the game.
How to Start Rescue the Grand Duke Quest in Baldur’s Gate 3
The quest starts right at the beginning of the game in Act 1. After solving the conflict between Druids and the Tieflings, and clearing the Goblin Camp, you will finally come across Waukeen’s Rest. This place is situated in the far northern part of the map near The Risen Roads, west of Druid Grove. You can also find one of your party members named Karlach nearby.
As mentioned earlier, Rescue The Grand Duke quest spans three arcs of Baldur’s Gate 3 and will happen in chunks. A few of the starting tasks are related to Act 1, followed by finding Moonrise Towers in Act 2 and infiltrating them. And then, finally, we will rescue the Grand Duke from the Iron Throne prison.
Rescue the Grand Duke Act 1
After getting access to the Waukeen’s Rest, you will hear someone shouting for help at the far door. While approaching the door, you see that some Flaming Fist are already trying to get through the door and seem unsuccessful.
Break down the door
The Flaming Fist warriors will request you help them break down the Blocked Doors. They are hoping that Grand Duke may be trapped behind these doors.
You will need 9 Strength to pass the strength check for breaking down the door. If you fail to do so, utilizing your brute force using a melee weapon will do the task.
Rescue the survivors
Having crossed the doors and entered the building, you will witness everything burnt. Some survivors, namely Counsellor Florick and Benryn, can be found by taking the stairs to the upper floor and then going through to the Ornate Door.
Beware, as a blast of fire and smoke will follow the door opening. In the next rooms, you will finally spot both of the survivors. Taking them 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 protect against fire.
There will be a cutscene showing the Counsellor thanking your party.
Florick then informs us that the Grand Duke is absent at Waukeen’s Rest. After some dialogue options, it is revealed that Duke was taken to Moonrise Towers, and that is where you will rescue him in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Reach the Moonrise Towers
You now have any of the two choices to make for accessing Moonrise Towers at the Shadow-Cursed Lands. You can take the Underdark route and go through the Mountain Pass. The rest of the quest continues in Act 2.
Rescue the Grand Duke Act 2
According to Halsin, the Underdark route is the safer one as compared to the Mountain Pass. So, getting to Shadow-cursed Lands using this path in your Act 2 story progress is preferable.
Infiltrate Moonrise Towers
The Shadow-Cursed Lands area is hard to navigate, as it is filled with the Shadow Curse that covers the whole map in darkness. Keeping a light source will be more than handy in that regard. You will need an item called a Moon Lantern. But you will only find a Broken Moon Lantern that you must fix.
While treading the cursed lands, you will finally reach a safe point called the Last Light Inn in the northeastern part of the map. This is where people tend to take refuge to save themselves from the curse. Take a brief rest here to prepare for the upcoming endeavor.
After replenishing your party’s resources, we recommend taking more time to explore the cursed lands. Complete some side quests, and gain some levels for your party. You can also Lift The Shadow Curse from these lands and make them safe for people to come.
Once you have a few levels in, you can approach the Moonrise Towers and pose as a True Soul. This will grant you access inside easily. You will then pick up the Find The Nightsong quest inside, which is necessary for progress.
Assault Moonrise Towers
The assault at Moonrise Towers is only possible after you complete the Nightsong quest. This will be an encounter against Ketheric Thorm. This fight with this boss can be challenging; after all, he is one of the game’s primary antagonists.
This is a tough fight, but you will learn a lot of lore in the process. You will learn that Ketheric is being aided by two other characters named Lord Enver Gortash and Orin. The three of them have very rare artifacts known as Netherstones. You will have gotten Ketheric’s Netherstone but now need to get Gortash’s Netherstone and Orin’s Netherstone.
Gortash takes Ravengard to Baldur’s Gate, where he plans on taking over after him. So that is where you must go and rescue the Duke in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Rescue the Grand Duke in Iron Throne, Act 3
The final part of this long side quest occurs in Act 3, where you must make your way to Baldur’s Gate.
Go 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 while continuing the questline, you will witness Gortash’s coronation as the Archduke of Baldur’s Gate by the Grand Duke himself.
Soon, you will notice that Grand Duke Ravengard seems incoherent in his actions and cannot even realize that he is being captive. 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 side against you at this point.
The Steel Watch is aiding Gortash; walkers made out of metal as his private army. You will first 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 will be kept. Plus, this will make other quests easier to do as well.
The demon Mizora will also appear. She is Wyll’s patron and will present two impossible choices.
- He can end his demonic pact with Mizora, but it will cost him his father’s (Ravengard’s) life.
- Mizora will help you find and save the Grand Duke from prison. However, Wyll will lose his soul as a result.
We recommend choosing the first option to save Wyll from a lifetime of demonic enslavement. Although Mizora claims it will take Duke’s life, you can still rescue him in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Get to the Iron Throne prison
While in Baldur’s Gate, make your way to the southwestern portion of the Lower City. You will find a warehouse there inside which you will find a submersible. This will allow you to access the Iron Throne prison. And here is where things get tricky.
Get to the Duke in 6 turns
The catch in rescuing Grand Duke Ravengard is that you have to do it in six turns in Baldur’s Gate 3. After that, the prison will be destroyed, leaving no one to be rescued. You will have little time, so run as fast as you can.
Sahaguin enemies will block your way to the destination. So, watch out for them and prepare your party to cast spells, including Misty Step, Haste, 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. This will help you disable the Steel Watch Foundry, as the Gondians will help you happily.
Escape with the Duke
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 at the scene. She will cast Freedom of Movement and Haste to help Duke get out quickly.
If you choose the other option, you can still save Ravengard by buffing him with the help of a Cleric or Shadowheart.
The Grand Duke will meet you at the camp once you escape in Baldur’s Gate 3. He and Wyll can also make up and reconcile as father and son once more. So there will happy endings all around.
