The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 is expansive, full of secrets to discover, riddles to solve, and NPCs to interact with. As you explore the lands of Faerun, you will undertake numerous quests for different people. One such quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Free True Soul Nere quest.
This quest takes place in the Underdark area. Many paths will take you to True Soul Nere. You will learn he is trapped behind rubble in the Grymforge area when you arrive. Whatever you plan on doing with True Soul Nere, you will have to free him first.
True Soul Nere Location in BG3
True Soul Nere is trapped behind a collapsed passageway in the Grymforge area of the BG3 map. Outside this place, there is a camp of Duergar people who are practically trying to free Nere, but maybe for other reasons. You can use Baldur’s Gate 3 fast-travel to the Grymforge waypoint to quickly reach there.
If you have not discovered this area, proceed North from the docks when you land. Take the stairs up and then turn left. Turn right and then proceed straight until you arrive at this place. It will be a wide-open area suspended over lava.
The map below explains where to look for Nere.
Find Explosives
Approach the rubble, and True Soul Nere will telepathically talk to you at the quest’s start in Baldur’s Gate 3. He will tell you that he does not have much time inside. The area is full of poisonous gas. You must hurry and ensure you do not take long rests before rescuing him.
You’ll hear two Gnomes talking about Philomeen in BG3 near the ruins. Winning the trust of one of these will allow you to know the method to free Nere easily. They will tell you there are explosives nearby that can clear the rubble. You can also pick up the Save The Grymforge Gnomes sidequest here.
Luckily, a source of such explosives is just beside the stairway at the starting point of the Docks. Crossover to the other side, check the lower level’s first room on the right. A secret room door with a button will lead to another small room. There will be a chest and other stuff, including two Smokepowder stashes.
Where to find Philomeen
If you do not want to take the previous secret route or want to use some other type of explosive to destroy the rubble, there’s another way.
Start your journey from where you parked the boat while arriving at the Docks. As you reach the middle of the two stairways, move slightly to the left to see Double Iron Doors. In this area are a bunch of dead Gnomes and a couple of Duergar busy clearing the bodies.
Start conversing with the Duergar at the door to convince them that you will clear the bodies for them. This conversation aims to get them to leave the site for you. This can be done by a perception check followed by a deception check. After successful checks, you can move ahead to lockpick the doors.
Use a Rogue character like Astarion, who has a high Sleight of Hand skill score. He will make short work of the lock, allowing you to enter easily.
Perform a Perception check on the left corner of the room beside the skeleton to reveal a secret Button on the wall. Make sure to save your game repeatedly during your journey.
As the wall goes down, after clicking the button, go up the stairs that start right from the other side of the wall. You will encounter some annoying enemies here, so watch out for them now. Keep walking upstairs until there is none to climb, and you see the cavern’s edge instead.
Make a jump to the other side and open the Intricate Door with the same lockpicking method. Philomeen will be inside this new hall with a canister of Runepowder.
The first time you ask her to leave, she will be skeptical of your intentions. A failed check will lead to a straight party wipe, as Philomeen will detonate the gunpowder. So make sure to pass these checks. She will give you the Runepowder when you pass.
Blow up the rubble to free True Soul Nere
After you have acquired your preferred explosives, fast-travel to the Grymforge waypoint. Make your way upstairs and to the area with the NPCs standing near the cave-in. Throw the explosive near the rocks and light it up with a fire-based spell.
True Soul Nere will be free with another NPC trapped alongside him as soon as the rubble is blown up in Baldur’s Gate 3.
