In Baldur's Gate 3, Serpent Rock is a small island where the fortress is located, which you need to get to during the story to meet Gortash. The coronation of the lord and the battle with him take place here if you do not enter into an alliance. However, getting into this castle is not so easy, so in this guide we decided to talk about all the possible ways to enter the fortress on Snake Rock.
Walkthrough the quest “Find the way to the fortress on Snake Rock”
How to start the mission
To start the mission, you just need to approach the castle gates, moving to the Southern part of Dragon Crossing, and then walking a little north. You will find a raised sliding bridge here, meaning you won't be able to go straight into the fortress. Next, we’ll look at all the ways to get to Snake Rock.
Convince the guards let you in
The fastest way is to persuade the guards to let you in. Approach Clara Elin (X: 2, Y: 159) at the bridge and talk to her. She will say that Snake Rock is closed for today, but you can convince her otherwise. To do this, select one of the following answer options:
- Baldur's Gate is my home. I don't need your permission to pass (Baldurian origin required).
- Duke Ravengard is being hunted by an assassin. I must warn him (requires a DC 30 Deception check).
- I have come to guard the elected Archduke Gortash (requires a Persuasion check of difficulty class 30).
- What a hassle… Well, if I want to make a contribution… (requires a Persuasion check of difficulty class 25, and then pay a bribe at in the amount of 20 thousand gold coins).
- I am the new occultist of Archduke Gortash… (requires passing a Deception check of difficulty class 30 and the presence of the Sorcerer class).
Note: If Will is present in the team, he will say “It is not closed to the son of Duke Wilder Ravengard himself, really?”, however, this will not work if Mizora has already changed his appearance.
If you manage to pass any of these checks, the bridge will immediately descend and you will be able to enter the fortress. Let us add that it makes no sense to attack the guards, since even after defeating them the passage to the castle will not open.
Get a pass from Valeria
Valeria is an inspector you can meet during the quest “Solve Murders in the Temple of the Open Hand.” You need to investigate this case, and then bring evidence to the flying elephant (X: 23, Y: 94), who will drink drinks at the Caresses of Shares.
You will receive a pass to the Lower City from Valeria. She will also ask you to speak with Devella at the Elven Lied Tavern to further investigate this strange case. Now chat with Clara again and tell her that you have permission to enter to search for the serial killer.
Note: For providing any pass you will receive an inspiration point for Astarion and any character of noble origin.
Collect the pass from Arfur Gregorio
The pass can be obtained from Arfur Gregorio, a toy maker, as part of the “Investigate Suspicious Toys” quest. He can first be encountered in front of his mansion (X: 16, Y: -95). If he is allowed to return to the house, then you will find him inside, and if the refugees remain in it, then the inventor will go to “Laski Shares” (X: 21, Y: 75).
When completing the quest, you can go down to the basement in Arfur's house through the hatch (X: 41, Y: -73). Inside, go to the southeast part of the room and open the heavy chest (X: 362, Y: -991) with a Sleight of Hand check (20). Inside you will find an incriminating letter. With him, go to Arfur and tell him: “I found very suspicious things in your basement” and “Keep in mind, I will figure out this mystery.” After this, the toy maker will attack you, and you will have to kill him – take the pass from his corpse.
After finding the letter, you can also talk with Manip Nestor (X: 63, Y: -110) and persuade him to let you pass to the barn with a Persuasion check (10). Inside, look for the bears at the back of the building (X: 87, Y: -108). Now return to Arfur and intimidate him, and then he will voluntarily give you his pass.
Get the report for the Duke of Ravengard
Head to the Sword Coast Courier Service associated with the Find the Missing Letters quest and look for the Urgent Report for the Duke of Ravengard (X: 19, Y: 8) lying on the bookshelf behind Danzo Arkwright. Use stealth to steal the letter.
Then you will just need to show the letter to the guards, choosing the line that you have an urgent message for the Duke.
Steal the invitation from the Weasels of Shares
Go to the Weasels of Sharess tavern and chat with Mamzel Amira, who is standing behind the counter. Ask her about the nymph Naoise. You will find out that she now has a visitor.
Now go up to the third floor, go out to the open area and jump over to another balcony. Break open the double doors with a 15 Sleight of Hand check and enter the Grotto of the Nymphs room. Use invisibility to get past the girls to the bathroom. Here, on the partition of the fountain, you will find the Archduke's Coronation Pass.
You can also just deal with the nymph's problem, and then calmly approach the fountain and pick up the document. True, in this case there is a risk of worsening relations with the establishment and its employees.
Infiltrate the fortress prison through a secret passage
If you are too lazy to search for passes, then you can try to enter the fortress through the secret entrance. To do this, approach the sliding bridge and then use jump or fly to drop down to the ledge below. Now run east along the narrow path.
Go around the rock and you will soon notice a crack in the fort wall (X: 43, Y: 180). Interact with her to get inside the prison. By entering it, you will immediately complete the task of finding the way to the castle.
Now jump over the gap and get to the wall with cracks – you will need to destroy it using a blunt weapon or spells with force damage (for example, Eldritch Blast).
You will find yourself in a storage room. Break the door with a Sleight of Hand (15) check to get out of this room. Run along the corridor forward, and then turn left (south) and crack the second door (X: 52, Y: -740) with difficulty class 20.
Be careful, as there are guards roaming the corridors. If they discover you, you will have to fight them unless you can pass the Exchange check (15). Once you are on the main floor of the fortress, you will be able to explore it without any obstacles.
