The Iron Throne is one of the most stressful and challenging sections of Baldur’s Gate 3, precisely because it asks so much of your squad in so little time. Entering a rapidly imploding underwater station, you get a scant few turns to assess the situation and react, or you’ll perish trying.
You can head to the Iron Throne in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3, through a few different quest lines. The most likely reasons you’ll wind up here are either through saving the Gondian prisoners or searching for Wyll’s father, though you might be here because of the Avenge the Drowned side quest. Or maybe you just walked in the right warehouse at the right time.
However you wind up down here, saving those held captive in the Iron Throne is a tall order. Here’s how to save the Gondians, the Grand Duke, and more in BG3.
How to reach the Iron Throne
First off, you’ll need to get to the actual prison. To get to the Iron Throne, you’ll want to head to the Lower City at (X:-146, Y:-137) or thereabouts to reach Flymm Cargo. After dealing with a nasty bunch of monsters on the main floor, you can head into the basement and follow the winding halls to a secret hidden dock.
Here, you’ll meet Redhammer, an engineer who’s concocted a submarine that can transport prisoners to and from an underwater prison Lord Gortash calls the Iron Throne. Now, if you’re here for Avenge the Drowned, you’ll note that Redhammer is the operator of said submarine, which almost definitely killed a Waveservant of Umberlee. Put a pin in that; for the reward, you can hand Redhammer over later, but right now you need him to pilot the sub.
Pass a Charisma check and you can twist his arm into taking you to the Iron Throne of Baldur’s Gate 3. Upon approach, Gortash will hail you and tell you to turn back, or he’ll rig the Iron Throne to explode. Ignore him, and head on in.
How to save the Iron Throne prisoners in Baldur’s Gate 3
To save the Gondians and the rest of the prisoners, you’ll need to stage a jailbreak in six turns. Once you enter the dock, the countdown starts. You’ll have your four squad members (plus any familiars or helpers you might have) to scatter around and do what you can. All the while, increasing numbers of aquatic monsters will swarm in to impede you.
“Dash” is your friend here. I sincerely recommend using the Haste spell on at least one party member and sending them down the eastern corridor. This is where Grand Duke Ravengard is being held, and you’ll certainly want to free him. Send someone strong and tanky like Lae’zel or Karlach too, as depending on your choices up to this point, Wyll’s patron Mizora might appear and attempt to subdue or kill the Grand Duke. They’ll need to take out a bunch of angry monsters, while also helping the Grand Duke escape.
Iron Throne tips and tricks
There is some good news, though. For starters, you only need to open a cell for its occupants to begin to escape. This means that a fast party member, with skills like Flight, Misty Step, Haste, or others can quickly reach and open the cells. My other tip is that only three of the corridors have prisoners being held; in my playthrough, there was only loot in the northern area. This means that if saving prisoners is your primary concern, you only need to free people in the south, east, and west, as well as the main area next to the ladder.
Familiars and summons can be a huge help here. They can’t always interact with levers, but can distract raiders that would otherwise attack fleeing prisoners. Dimension Door and other skills are also great for moving clumps of people, and Invisibility can completely de-aggro groups at a time.
For my own run, I stationed Gale at the center to open the main doors and then provide cover with spells. Karlach stormed the east and played bodyguard for the Grand Duke, my Warlock Misty Stepped through the western area which is otherwise tricky, and Shadowheart handled the south, which can quickly get overrun with monsters. The hatches can also be closed, locking off pursuing enemies once all the prisoners are through.
It’s a sticky situation, but one you can get through if you play your cards right. I lost only one prisoner due to an errant arrow, and didn’t feel the need to roll it back. Baldur’s Gate 3 still saw my Iron Throne run as mostly perfect, and I’m happy to settle for that. Once everyone is back up the ladder and in the dock, you can evacuate and get out of there.
Once you’ve finished up here, you can head to the Steel Watch Foundry to free the rest of the Gondians and take out the watch, close out your Avenge the Drowned quest, speak with Grand Duke Ravengard, and continue exploring Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3.
What happens if you don’t save the Gondians?
The good news is, you don’t have to save every Gondian to get a quest clear. As long as some survive, you’re good to go. However, if they all die or Obelia dies and you have lied about it to Zanner, the Gondians will turn on you at the end of the Steel Watch Foundry. Otherwise, you simply can’t ally with them.
What happens if you don’t save Grand Duke Ravengard?
Saving the Grand Duke is part of Wyll’s quest line, and he’ll probably be pretty sad if you don’t save his dad. (Well, sadder than usual.) Also, you’ll need to find a different way to get the info you need for the Ansur side quest in BG3. I recommend talking to Counsellor Florrick, assuming she is still alive in your playthrough.
