Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Free True Soul Nere

You’ll want to know how to free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3. This high-ranking member of the Cult of the Absolute is trapped in a room that’s slowly getting filled with noxious fumes. Mind you, this is a time-sensitive quest, and you need to be prepared. Here’s what to do.

How to Free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Free True Soul Nere quest can be completed by blowing up the rubble with explosives. Here’s a quick summary:

• This quest takes place in the Grymforge region, which can be reached by sailing on a boat from the Underdark: Beach waypoint.
• Upon arriving at Grymforge, make your way to the main area. There, talk to Sergeant Thrinn to learn about the situation. You could even find her missing boots if for a reward.
• As for the task at hand, you need to obtain explosives. If you haven’t acquired one during regular exploration, then you have to seek a gnome by the name of Philomeen.

I want to be clear: the objective to Free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3 is time-sensitive. That means you can’t do a lot of long rests. In my case, I only did one, and that was to restore my party’s spell slots. Anything more than that might spell doom for Nere, as he’d suffocate soon enough.

Where to Find Explosives

To find the explosives so you can free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3, head back to the docks. There, you’ll see a several corpses strewn along the jetty. Enter the nearby room and pass the Perception check to reveal a button. Press this, and follow the hidden path to the top.

Eventually, you’ll reach a cave that’s guarded by a gnome named Philomeen. You must convince her that you don’t have bad intentions. This is done by passing the Intimidation or Persuasion checks, causing her to give you the Runepowder Vial. If you fail, Philomeen will blow herself up, as well as your entire group.

How to Find More Allies

As you return to the main chamber, you’ll notice a couple of Duergar chatting by the edge. Speak to the one named Brithvar, and he’ll tell you about how Nere hasn’t treated them right. They’re also not too enthused about the Cult of the Absolute. If you want, you can convince Brithvar that you also want to eliminate Nere.

How to Destroy the Rubble

Now, it’s time to free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here’s what I did:

• I opened my inventory and threw the Runepowder Vial at the rubble blocking the entrance to the small room. This also caused the other workers to run away.
• Then, I switched to Gale since he has the Fire Bolt cantrip.
• Shooting the Runepowder Vial with a fire element attack caused an explosion, clearing the rubble and letting Nere escape.

The Battle: Should You Side With Nere or Brithvar?

Nere isn’t too pleased, and you’re given a few dialogue choices. In the end, you have to choose whether to side with Nere’s group or Brithvar’s. Here are the key differences:

• Nere is a member of the Cult of the Absolute, the main enemy faction in the game. He’ll also be joined by Sergeant Thrinn, along with other cultists.
• Brithvar will be joined by various Duergar, though they’re not the good guys either. The Duergar are actually slavers that have been mistreating the gnomes in this area.
• Nere’s other troops are mostly skirmishers and ranged warriors, whereas Brithvar has sturdy melee warriors.

Personally, I sided with Brithvar, which meant dealing with Nere’s troops swiftly. I also used Thunderwave and Shove to push a few hostiles into the lava. Just try to avoid doing this to Nere, especially if you want to deliver his head.

Nere drops a couple of weapons, as well as the Disintegrating Night Walkers. It grants the Misty Step spell, and makes you immune to the enwebbed, ensnared, and entangled status effects. Moreover, it prevents you from slipping on grease or ice surfaces. I think it’s one of the best boot sets in the game, especially since you never have to worry about movement restraining effects. Lastly, the boss also drops a Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen, which adds a point for your Illithid Powers.

That’s how to free True Soul Nere in Baldur’s Gate 3. Of course, you did just end up taking him out anyway, so it is what it is. For more tips and tactics, visit our BG3 guides hub.