Tech

Baldur’s Gate 3 – Gauntlet Of Shar Puzzle Guide

Published

1 year ago

August 5, 2023

There are several dungeons in Baldur’s Gate 3. One that you’ll have to visit during the course of your playthrough is the Gauntlet of Shar. There, you have to complete a few tasks to obtain Umbral Gems, leading you deeper into its inner recesses. Our guide discusses the Baldur’s Gate 3 Gauntlet of Shar puzzles, as well as the trials that you’ll encounter.

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How to Complete Gauntlet of Shar puzzles in Baldur’s Gate 3

Before we delve deeper into the Baldur’s Gate 3 Gauntlet of Shar location, it bears mentioning that this is related to Shadowheart’s Daughter of Darkness quest, so you should definitely have her in your party. Moreover, one of the objectives is tied to Astarion’s Pale Elf quest. Having him for the ride will be quite helpful, especially due to all the traps in the area.

In any case, you can find the Gauntlet of Shar in the underground section of Thorm Mausoleum. The crypt is located south of Last Light Inn. Simply follow the road and cross the river to reach Reithwin Town, then head north from there. Once you tag a waypoint past the graveyard, you’ll meet with the devil Raphael, who has a proposition for Astarion. You need to defeat one of his rivals lurking in the dungeon.

Gallery

Shadowheart and Astarion are integral for the Gauntlet of Shar dungeon.

How to Solve the Mausoleum Puzzle

The first Gauntlet of Shar puzzle in Baldur’s Gate 3 is actually in the Thorm Mausoleum. If you read a book, it says that one must walk in General Thorm’s footsteps: “From splendor, to tragedy, to infamy.”

When you reach the topmost chamber, you’ll see a coffin and three murals. There are also several traps, so make sure you ungroup your party so Astarion can disarm them (assuming that he has the highest Sleight of Hand skill). You then need to interact with the murals in the following order:

Splendor – The mural shows Moonrise Towers.
Tragedy – It shows Thorm crying over his dead daughter.
Infamy – Thorm sits upon a throne looking at his audience with ill intent.

Solving the puzzle opens the doorway. This lets you ride the elevator to the Gauntlet of Shar proper.

The Thorm Mausoleum puzzle can be solved by interacting with the murals in the correct order.

How to Solve the Statue Puzzle

In the initial chamber, you’ll notice a statue holding an orb. You’ll get pushed back if you attempt to approach it. Here’s what you need to do:

Check the side rooms and pull the levers to lower all the lanterns.
Beware of triggering traps, as these cause clouds of darkness to appear. Characters will take damage when standing in these clouds as rats, which they can’t target, will attack them.
Once all the lanterns are lowered, interact with them to extinguish the light.

When the room is completely shrouded in darkness, you’ll see a pattern on the floor. Use only one character to crouch-walk and avoid the glowing lines. This lets you touch the orb to unlock the doorway.

The Statue puzzle requires the room to be completely dark so you can see the pattern.

Balthazar and Battles

The next section in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Gauntlet of Shar dungeon leads to a battle against several Justiciar undead. The ones you need to worry about are the Umbral Tremors, which look like black holes. If they’re not destroyed, they’ll cause another undead soldier to spawn.

After eliminating the hostiles, you’ll notice another device and a platform, but you can’t do anything about those just yet. Instead, make your way to the left to tag the waypoint. Further to the left is another fight against undead foes. There are also a few other rooms here:

The locked room to the north has several treasure chests, one of which has an Infernal Iron for Karlach.
The chamber to the left is Balthazar’s lair. He wants your help, and he even gives you an item to summon a Flesh Golem.
To the south, you’ll see a statue of Shar that your characters can pray to. There’s a Religion check that you must pass, and doing so grants a buff to necrotic damage resistance. Conversely, failing the check confers a penalty. We also advise you not to try this with Shadowheart, as it says that the action will cause her to give her heart and soul to Shar without any reservations. While we can’t confirm it yet, this might affect the Shadowheart romance.

Gallery

From left to right: Battles against Justiciar undead; Balthazar the Necromancer; the Statue of Shar.

Where to Find the Orthon

To complete this part of Astarion’s Pale Elf quest, you’ll want to head to the right (from the waypoint). At the staircase, you’ll spot a Displacer Beast. (We know that cats are awesome, but this one might be dangerous.)

Anyway, follow it to the antechamber that’s filled with bones. This particular section of the dungeon, as well as the trial rooms, happen to have Umbral Gems. These are quest items that you need to power up the central device.

As you approach the throne, the demon Orthon will appear outta nowhere. It’s been trapped in the dungeon for centuries and it wants to get out. If you fail to convince it, this will lead to a tough battle, since the hostile mobs are on a ledge above you. But, there’s another method:

Say that you can try to help it, then ask about its contract with Raphael. You need to pass a hidden Arcana check to discover that the contract was made to trick him.
This will cause another Persuasion response to appear. You must say that his followers are still there, and they need to die. He’ll immediately kill his lowly minions.
If you succeed with the next reply, he’ll be forced to kill his Displacer Beast pet. (Oh, no! The cat!)
And, finally, you can say that he’s still in the area, so he probably has to die, too.

If you can convince the Orthon to take itself out, or if you manage to beat it in battle, you can loot its ashes for an Infernal Iron and the Hellfire Hand Crossbow. The ranged weapon has the following features:

+2 enchantment
Hellstalker – Chance to apply burning when you hit a target while you’re hiding or invisible.
Scorching Ray Shot – Unlocked spell.

The Orthon hears voices in his head. They counsel him, they understand.

The Gauntlet of Shar Trials

Next up, we discuss the various trials in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Gauntlet of Shar. You’ll find these in the left-hand side of the dungeon along a corridor that’s close to the waypoint. To start these activities, interact with the Shar altar and have Shadowheart spill her blood. Each trial you complete nets you another Umbral Gem.

Self-Same Trial

Upon entering the Self-Same Trial room, you’ll face the doppelgangers of your squad. They’ll use the same spells and skills, so watch out for their attacks. Ideally, you’ll want each party member to target their duplicate. If they hit a different mirror image, their ability scores will be reduced until the next long rest.

We suggest just ignoring the debuff so you can take out your enemies at will, rather than picking specific targets per character. You can just take a long rest after this bout. You can also pick up the Killer’s Sweetheart ring. This gives you a reaction where you can choose your next hit to be a critical after you’ve killed a target (refreshes after each long rest).

Have party members go one on one with their doppelgangers, or just go gung-ho if you want.

Soft-Step Trial

The Soft-Step Trial is a small maze that’s being patrolled by a couple of Shadows. If you’re discovered, you’ll be teleported back to the entrance. We just used Astarion here to avoid detection, all while lockpicking gates and disarming traps.

Faith-Leap Trial

The third trial in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Gauntlet of Shar takes place in a room that’s quite dark. You should see the outline of ledges in the distance. But, once you get close enough, they’ll disappear. Upon reaching the back-right section, you’ll want to gingerly move closer to the center, then you can jump to the ledge with the statue. The lights will turn on and you’ll receive the Umbral Gem.

We did include an image below, but we also suggest taking a screenshot so you can recheck the outlines as you’re jumping and moving.

Gallery

Left: Navigate the mini-maze with Astarion; Right: Take note of the outlines of the ledges before you jump.

And that’s it, you’ve done all the Gauntlet of Shar puzzles and trials in Baldur’s Gate 3. All that’s left is to place the Umbral Gems in the device. The first device only needs one, but the other further below requires the remaining three.

But, before you head all the way to the depths, we advise you to pick up a special weapon first. You’ll find it in the Silent Library. Upon acquiring it, you should move onward to meet the Nightsong.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

Nick Kossovan

Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

Tech

Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

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Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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