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- How to Solve the Mind Link Puzzle in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Rewards for Solving the Necrotic Laboratory Puzzle
In Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, you and your team head toward a scary Mind Flayer hideout below Moonrise Towers. The only way to get there is by solving a puzzle inside a Necrotic Laboratory.
A large Flesh-Wrought Door blocks access to powerful items and secrets hidden inside the creatures’ lair, which is the reason your adventure started. Once inside the Necrotic Laboratory, you’ll notice a shattered mind above a big red chasm near a console. Interacting with the console lets you control the mind by connecting multiple colored nodes in a neural network.
Similar to the Silent Library puzzle in the game, you’re not allowed to use magic or spells for hints or advantages. You have to figure it out on your own.
How to Solve the Mind Link Puzzle
Connecting the Right Paths
The puzzle requires you to build four separate neural paths from different nodes, making sure they don’t cross or interfere with each other. A good method is to start from the end and work backward. If you’re stuck, this approach often helps.
Every starting node has a unique color and shape and is labeled to help you keep track. When you begin, you can choose from:
- Reason (Purple)
- Speech (Blue)
- Memory (Green)
- Emotion (Yellow)
Tip: No spells or magic checks are involved. Don’t waste spell slots on spells like Guidance that won’t help here.
You need to draw a continuous line of the same color from the starting node to its matching symbol inside the neural network. Once you select a node, it activates links to other nodes if you start from one of the main “brain” nodes.
If you make a mistake or want to try different routes, you can reset the pattern anytime. Keep connecting the nodes until all the main points are linked properly. Use the edges of the network to leave space for your paths as you go.
There’s no time limit, so take your time to experiment.
Step-by-Step Guide for the Lab Puzzle
Here’s a quick rundown of the correct connections, based on a helpful YouTube walkthrough:
- Reason (Purple): Move to the right neuron, go straight until the end, then the last neuron goes left to connect to the other part of the brain.
- Speech (Blue): Head straight, then turn right and go straight to the end.
- Memory (Green): Move down, then left toward the center. Head straight up, then again straight to finish.
- Emotion (Yellow): Go straight to the middle, then sharply left. Follow the line back through the center to the end.
Before progressing, talk to the Brain Jar near the puzzle, which gives insights and starts a mini-quest. You can also insert the Waking Mind Brain Jar into the interface to communicate with Slack-Skinned Head.
Pro tip: If you want to weaken enemies, using your Illithid Tadpole to erase her mind grants a permanent Githzerai Mind Barrier, boosting your Intelligence saving throws. Choose the right character to benefit from this.
Rewards for Solving the Puzzle
Successfully completing the Necrotic Laboratory opens a hidden path to a Mind Flayer lair, revealing many valuable items:
- Blade of Oppressed Souls: A +1 Longsword dealing slashing and psychic damage.
- Braindrain Gloves: These cause Mental Fatigue (a condition reducing Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom saves) when Psychic damage is dealt, enabling continuous damage and status effects.
- Circlet of Mental Anguish: A rare artifact that restores your health when enemies fail mental saves against your spells — especially useful if combined with the gloves’ effect.
Traveling through this area also uncovers the plans of sinister beings and connects to Lae’zel’s story if she’s part of your team.
Final Steps
After solving the puzzle, you can head toward the end of Act 2 and prepare for the tough boss fight against Ketheric Thorm. This showdown, along with the Apostl of Myrkul, is one of the hardest battles in the game. With new powerful items in hand, your team should be ready to face the challenges in Act 3.
Sources: Gamers Heroes/YouTube
If you need more details or further guidance, just ask!
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