Baldur’s Gate 3 is, if nothing else, a game of fantastic variation. From the choices you have in conversation to the gear you may end up equipping, there’s no one way to accomplish anything in the game. That is part of the brilliance of Baldur’s Gate 3. This also is probably the reason why many gamers might spend 100s of hours through various playthroughs. Each journey can be incredibly different in unexpected ways.
Along with the basic choices like choosing to kill a captured goblin, or which companion you should bring along, players can also apply the same level of differing solutions to most of the game’s quests. One quest, “Rescue the Tieflings,” is no different, in that players can accomplish it in a myriad of ways. To find out how to finish “Rescue the Tieflings” and some of the various options you can take, just keep reading below.
Updated by Jeff Brooks on October 14, 2023: This guide has been updated to include new links throughout to help guide readers to relevant and valuable content to enhance their Baldur’s Gate 3 experience.
Starting Rescue The Tieflings Quest
Before beginning “Rescue the Tieflings,” there are a few things you want to make sure have checked a few things off your list. Right away, if you didn’t rescue the Tieflings in the “Save the Refugees” quest in Act 1, they’ll be dead by this time, and you won’t even get the quest in the first place. However, assuming the Tieflings from Act 1 are still alive, first off, make sure you’ve visited Last Light Inn, which is northwest of the “Shadowed Battlefield” waypoint along the river. While in the area, you’ll have to decide whether to save Isobel. This is relevant because if you don’t save Isobel from Marcus the Flaming Fist, Last Light Inn will be destroyed. The only real other consequence here is that, if you don’t save Last Light Inn, you cannot collect the reward that the Tieflings offer for being saved at the end of the quest.
Side note: Having Isobel out of the picture will also make avoiding the Shadow Curse much more difficult throughout Act 2, so it’s generally best to save Isobel. The second thing you need to do is speak with Cerys, who is a Tiefling that is hanging out on the bottom floor of Last Light Inn, just to the right of where Jaheira usually stands. She’ll tell you that the Tieflings that you met in Act 1 have been kidnapped by cult members of The Absolute. After getting the mission from Cerys, the last thing you need before heading out is stock up on a lot of healing. Whether it’s potions, scrolls, or spells, you’ll need a lot of healing to get through the pathway leading up to Moonrise Towers.
Travel To Moonrise Towers
The path to Moonrise Towers is a difficult one, despite the route you decide to take. As you leave Last Light Inn, you’ll run into Harper Branthos and a small gang of fighters. If you’re set on getting to Moonrise Towers, do not meet Harper Branthos at the ambush until after you’ve released the Tieflings and Wulbren (it’s a big fight with Kar’niss). You’ll need those pots and heals for the road ahead to the prison of Moonrise Towers. The fastest route from Last Light Inn to Moonrise Towers is to stay to the left, or westernmost, path and head south. You’ll have to fight some teleporting baddies, but they’re nothing compared to Kar’niss. Heal up and keep heading south, toward the mission marker.
Once you get to the Tollhouse, Isobel’s blessing and torches will no longer keep the Shadow Curse from doing damage to your party. This is the part where your extra healing spells and potions will be used. The game will automatically switch into turn-based mode. Keep using “Dash” and any movement spells to head through the Tollhouse as quickly as possible while staying alive. The Shadow Curse will wear off a few meters away from the entrance to the bridge to Moonrise Towers. The bridge is a good place to rest and heal up because you might end up fighting more in the near future.
How To Rescue The Tieflings
Moonrise Towers is a fairly big place, but you can find the stairs down to the prison on the left, or western, side of the 1st floor (there is blood leading to the stairway). The stairs are in a smaller room adjacent to the room with the battle-practice dummies and two cultist vendors. Once you’ve found the prison, you’ll notice on the right that there are two parties in two different cells. In one cell are the Tieflings that you helped in Act 1 and in the other is a blue gnome named Wulbren. It’s important to note that Wulbren is the one that will set the Tieflings free.
So, you need to focus on helping him get out in order to get the Tieflings out too. Wulbren will ask you for something to help him break the prison wall. A hammer, mace, or any brute weapon can be used to accomplish this. If you’re fresh out of options, you can buy an overpriced hammer or mace from vendors in the room above the prison (where you came from). Either way, get your smashing weapon and, when the guards aren’t looking (or are dead), and you’re ready, hand it over to Wulbren.
Quest Tips & Different Options
Baldur’s Gate 3’s amazing variation and customization that the player can access is on display in “Rescue the Tieflings,” as there are many options to finish the quest (see below). Once you have set Wulbren and the Tieflings free, you can either sail with them to Last Light Inn or stay at Moonrise Towers, but make sure you follow them through the hole in the cell first to finish the quest. If you haven’t alerted the prison and killed all the Scrying Eyes, the rest of Moonrise Towers will still be neutral to your presence (just avoid the prison). The warden has some decent loot locked up in the tower above her office if you’re curious.
The Scrying Eyes and the patrolling guards are the biggest problem and, if possible, should be taken out in one sneaky hit, so they don’t alert everyone. If the eyes see the hole that Wulbren makes in his cell, the entire prison is alerted. But you can secretly kill the eyes before they get to his cell. Also, the two guards by the stairs’ entrance are the strongest fighters in the prison area, and you should be wary of picking a fight with those two. If you can, take advantage of the bridge going to the warden’s office, this is a great place to throw or knock enemies into the abyss below. If you return to Last Light Inn after saving the Tieflings, speak to the ones by the bar, and you’ll get a handsome reward including a very rare Charisma robe. Next are the main ways of completing “Rescue the Tieflings” quest.
Option 1: The Quick Way
Without being seen, give Wulbren a weapon first and wait for him to subtly destroy the back wall. Once an eye or a guard has noticed what’s going on, all the cell doors will open and the Tieflings will come running out of their cell. You’ll have to keep the guards and the warden off of the Tieflings as you all move back through the cell towards the boat. Run into the open cell and through the hole in the wall. You’ll have to fight to keep the Tieflings and Wulbren alive while they ready the boat, but you won’t have to kill any bad guys to escape, just stall for time. This is a good place for spells that hinder movement, like Grease. Then you can hop on the boat with the prisoners back to Last Light Inn through a cut-scene.
Option 2: The Sneaky Way
One-by-one take out the Scrying Eyes, the guards that are patrolling, and the warden (you can ambush her in the office) without alerting the other two guards by the entrance stairs to the prison. Then give Wulbren a weapon and, if the cell door is still shut, climb the ladder in the warden’s office. Head through the opening and walk/jump along the wooden rafters until you can jump down into Wulbren’s cell (you’ll take some damage when landing). Head through the hole in the back to meet up with the released prisoners.
Option 3: The Kill-Them-All Way
Give a weapon to Wulbren and fight all the guards and the warden at the same time. If Wulbren breaks the wall and the cell doors open, he and the Tieflings will fight alongside you (though they are mostly unarmed). If the cell doors don’t open, and you manage to kill all enemies, just climb the ladder in the warden’s office. Next, head along the rafters until you can hop into Wulbren’s cell. Head through the hole and meet up with the boat and any survivors.
Option 4: Even More Ways
Just like anything in Baldur’s Gate 3, the way you finish the mission is completely up to you and can be done using any of the spells, abilities, or mechanics that the game features. So, getting the Tieflings rescued means you can try all sorts of things between the guards, the Scrying Eyes, and the Warden. There really is no limit to how you may get to the goal. For example:
- Try fortifying yourself in the Warden’s office and simply shove all enemies off the little bridge there as they approach.
- A Druid or a familiar can also scare some of the guards away, leaving an open path to escape.
- You can try to arm the Tieflings and Wulbren as they leave their cells, so there are more fighters to take on the prison guards.
- Or try blocking the guards’ entry to the area with barrels and crates.
- You can even skip the interactions, sneak past the Warden, climb up the ladder in the Warden’s office, jump down to Wulbren and, with a little sneaky luck, escape without anyone even noticing.