Watcher's Keep is a bonus dungeon introduced in the Throne of Bhaal expansion and is accessible from both of the Baldur's Gate II campaign world maps. The state of your progress in the keep, if any, is carried over from 
Shadows of Amn
Classic & Enhanced
This icon indicates content from the Shadows of Amn campaign of both the original and the enhanced editions. to 
Throne of Bhaal
Classic & Enhanced
This icon indicates content from the Throne of Bhaal campaign of both the original and the enhanced editions..
Lore[]
Watcher's Keep is an ancient fortress and temple, built to be a magical prison for holding creatures of great evil and power. For ages, the keep has been tended and guarded by followers of the God Helm. A group of Helmites known as the Knights of the Vigil were commanded by Helm to ensure that the "Imprisoned One", must never escape the keep, and many knights sacrificed themselves to strengthen the wards of the old fortress. Eventually, the current Knights Vigil have detected breaks, fissures and weaknesses in the keep's wards. They believe a great evil is slowly gaining strength within and may defeat the wards of old. Doubts of confidence and questioning their duty have crept into their faith. Unsure of what to do, they have now engaged in sending messages throughout the lands seeking outside help to bolster their convictions and assistance with refreshing the wards within, before it is too late.
Notice to the player[]
This area can be travelled to during the Shadows of Amn campaign if playing the Enhanced Edition. This can occur as early as Baldur's Gate II Chapter 2.
The game script will add dialogue from Sister Garlena and Odren if the main character's experience level is less than 10. This will be made apparent when speaking with Odren.
It basically warns the player to consider coming back another time when the PC has more experience. The player can ignore this via dialogue and barrel ahead anyway. You were warned!
The dungeon was designed for a player who had completed SoA, and visiting and attempting the dungeon before that will be a high challenge, because of lack of party experience levels and abilities. A new player should probably avoid tackling this dungeon until at least level 14. This experience level is also what the game's internal "difficulty" settings are based on, and entering the dungeon by an under leveled party can permanently affect the distribution and challenge of spawned and placed enemies.
It could also lead to frustrations for a new player.
In other words, if you enter the dungeon early, the game script will see the party's level and experience, and permanently adjust the dungeon level's difficulty to match the player's party as it exists on that first visit. This means it could make the dungeon too easy if the party returns again later in the saga when they are actually capable of tackling it from start to finish. This dynamic could spoil the challenge design for the player.
As tempting as it may be to visit Watcher's Keep in Chapter 2 of SoA (usually to get some gear like an Ammo Belt or the Quiver of Plenty), the early entry could forever change the dungeon to an "easier" dungeon level (thus reducing challenge, and the loss of tens of thousands of potential experience points).
One more reason to possibly avoid Watcher's Keep until the Throne of Bhaal (Chapter 8) is that there is specific dialogue (including inter party banter) that will not trigger if the party is still in Chapter's 2 through 7. These dialogues will not present themselves, and the player will miss out.
Area description[]
Watcher's Keep is located in a solitary place, well off the beaten path. It is many hours travel by foot from any settlements or villages on the World Map. The location artwork shows that it is accessible by ship or boat, as it is also on the coastline.
This map area is a lightly forested clearing on the edge of the sea. A Rocky formation has been tunneled into and atop the natural stone is built a single vertical structure with a flat roof. On the western side of the keep are several stone staircases that allow access to magically sealed doors, that corresponds to the elevation of the keep's internal floors.
A covered grand staircase is connected to the roof of the Keep and several ornamental statues. Mounted above the entry to the main staircase is a glowing beacon of sorts, a Symbol of Helm.
The Keep rooftop is where a wondrous magical and technological invention is placed, a hemispherical metallic dome-doorway leading below the first floor of Watcher's Keep, the Altar level.
Marking the grand staircase is a sort of obelisk and attached statuettes. Examination of this feature displays:
- These are runes of warding. They speak of the "Imprisoned One" and are sealed with Helm's symbol.
At the water's edge on the map is a solitary wooden dock. No watercraft are visible here.
This map is considered an outdoor area and is subject to the effects of weather or daylight and nighttime. Resting/camping can occur here, with no disturbances from attacking creatures. Helm sees all.
On the map[]
- Automap marker "To the top of the temple" (
1694.2052) - Automap marker "Entrance to Watcher's Keep" (
959.479)
As the Keep's levels are explored and the portals are opened, the game will add more Automap markers to the Player's World Map:
- Automap marker "To the Elemental Level"
- Automap marker "To the Teleport Maze"
- Automap marker "To the Machine of Lum the Mad"
- Automap marker "To the Final Seal"
- Automap marker "To the Imprisoned One"
Gameplay and walkthrough (abbreviated)[]
When first visiting this area, the party may wander and explore unmolested.
A carved stone obelisk will be observed, and nearby can be seen six neutral humans, garbed in the colors and surcoats of Helm.
They do not hail the party, but simply observe your approach with stoic calm.
If desired, the party may initiate dialogue with them.
Speak with Odren[]
If the party wants to figure out what's going on with this area, then speaking with Odren, the current leader of the Knights of the Vigil sect is necessary.
Through dialogue and questions and answers the player will be able to accept the call for help the Knight's seek, or refuse it, or even delay making a commitment and possibly returning later.
If the party attacks the Knights before accepting the quest, then that action will shutter the entire adventure, because the first level of Watcher's Keep is opened by Odren and only if the party accepts the quest. So, attacking the knights at this juncture closes the Watcher's Keep adventure permanently.
If the main character's experience level is less than 10, then Odren will advise the bhaalspawn not to undertake this quest at this time. If the player heeds this advice, the player's Journal will update:
- Journal entry: Watcher's Keep
- Brother Odren of the Knights of the Vigil has sent out a call for those capable of entering Watcher's Keep... an ancient prison holding a great evil imprisoned there by the god Helm himself. The evil is close to breaking the seals of its prison and becoming free. The Knights would enter the keep and perform a ritual to fix those seals, but cannot as they are too weak to bypass the traps and monsters within. Odren suggests that I, too, am not yet ready to enter the keep just yet. I shall return another time when my experience is greater.
Accept the quest to continue the adventure[]
Through dialogue with Odren and hearing various interjections from other Knights - the player can either decline the quest for now or accept it.
If declined, then the Knights remain and can be spoken to at a later time, but there is no way for the party to enter Watcher's Keep until they agree to help the Knights. Declining the quest results in the following Journal Entry:
- Journal entry: Watcher's Keep
- Brother Odren of the Knights of the Vigil has sent out a call for those capable of entering Watcher's Keep... an ancient prison holding a great evil imprisoned there by the god Helm himself. The evil is close to breaking the seals of its prison and becoming free. The Knights would enter the keep and perform a ritual to fix those seals, but cannot as they are too weak to bypass the traps and monsters within. I refused Odren's request to enter the keep and fix his problem, although he asked that I reconsider... if this evil escapes, he says, no one shall be safe.
On the keep's rooftop[]
Assuming the player agrees to provide assistance, more dialogue continues, and the Knights are pleased. The party is moved via a cutscene to the roof of the keep, along with the Knights.
On the keep's rooftop, Odren continues his dialogue and explanation of what is required. This results in the following Journal Entry:
- Journal entry: Watcher's Keep
- Brother Odren of the Knights of the Vigil has sent out a call for those capable of entering Watcher's Keep... an ancient prison holding a great evil imprisoned there by the god Helm himself. The evil is close to breaking the seals of its prison and becoming free. The Knights would enter the keep and perform a ritual to fix those seals, but cannot as they are too weak to bypass the traps and monsters within. I have accepted the task of entering the keep and fixing the seal that keeps this evil imprisoned. It may be a long task... the keep is large and quite dangerous... but Odren says there is still some time before the remaining seals are broken. It must be done, however, or this creature will be freed and endanger all.
Via another cutscene, Odren opens the metallic dome that bars entry to a passageway leading to the first level of Watcher's Keep.
More dialogue continues. Odren makes it clear that the party may access Sister Garlena who has a store of goods available for the party.
The party is also instructed to get background information from Brother Pol and some necessary items before entry into the keep can be made. At this time another Journal entry update is registered:
- Journal entry: Watcher's Keep
- Odren has brought me to the top of Watcher's Keep and shown me the entrance. To get inside, I will need the proper holy symbol and ritual from Brother Pol, who can also answer my questions. Equipment can be bought from Sister Garlena, who is giving us access to the Knights' resources.
Speak with Brother Pol[]
Get a briefing and ask questions as desired with the Elder, Brother Pol.
He'll be able to provide some insight into the keep's layout and defenses.
Gorion's Ward will also be provided the Vigil Stone and the Ritual Scroll, both key items needed to enter the keep and carry out the task ahead.
With these items in hand, there is only the decision of when to enter the keep and begin the quest.
Enter the keep[]
When ready to do so, gather your party and enter the keep. This next phase of the adventure is covered on the Watcher's Keep Altar Level article page.
Quick main point guide to Watcher's Keep[]
There are six levels in Watcher's Keep:
Each of the first five levels contain a portal to the next level below, but the requirements to activate each portal varies by floor.
On the Altar Level, you must perform a small ritual using the altar in the main hall, requiring you gather both the bell and the candle, and have made a note about which page of the holy book you need to read. Placing the bell and candle on the altar alongside the holy book, you must perform the ritual correctly, which will activate the portal doorway to the next level. The correct sequence is bell, bell, candle, book, bell.
On the Elemental Level, you need to collect the Air, Slime, Fire and Ice scepters and use them to unlock the cage containing the Chromatic Demon. You must then defeat the Demon and collect the key from his body to access the portal to the next level.
On the Teleport Maze Leve, you will first need to collect the Scepter of Radiance and navigate your way through the maze of rooms, collecting the three scepter gems along the way to the exit. Once you have the three scepter gems, the Scepter of Radiance will automatically assemble in your bag, with which you can go through the exit portal to the next level.
In the level containing the Machine of Lum the Mad, you'll need to collect the blue, purple and red oil, as well as the flint and tinder in order to gain access to the Crystal Mallet. Using the mallet, you can then break the glass of the machine, which will free the trapped mage Carston and grant you access to the machine's controls, allowing you to perform the necessary actions to activate the portal to the next level. Carston's journal contains the correct sequence, which is: triangle, red, medium.
On the Final Seal level, you will need to collect the Mind, Spirit and Heart key from the three challenges on the level and then defeat all the guardians of the Final Seal in the center of the floor. When all three keys have been inserted into their respective slots and turned, the final portal to the Imprisoned One will materialize.
Once down in the sixth level, the Imprisoned One will "mind-talk" and impart thoughts and impressions that make known the notion that the Knights of the Vigil are lying and being deceitful. Whether you believe the demon or not or read the ritual scroll or not is up to the player.
During or after finishing the questline, the interior and exterior of Watcher's Keep will remain mostly static. As the keep's levels are explored, the exterior will add Automap markers indicating opened exterior doors to enter the desired level (so the party can more easily leave the keep and reenter without having to navigate all the previous levels).
Any loot you leave or place within can be safely retrieved later, even between games. The keep can be accessed in both SoA and ToB, making it a convenient transfer depository and a possible storehouse for the rest of the game series (as long as you have the Vigil Stone in your backpack).
Art Gallery[]
Screenshot gallery[]
Mod content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Sword Coast Stratagems mod can install a component that affects Watcher's Keep, excerpt from the mod's Readme file:
Make Watchers' Keep accessible between SoA and ToB (BG2, BG2EE, BGT, EET)
In roleplaying terms, the natural time to explore Watchers' Keep is between the end of Shadows of Amn and the start of Throne of Bhaal. Before chapter 4 you're probably too weak; in chapters 6 and 7 of SoA you're in a desperate race against time; in ToB, the way the start works makes it difficult not to take random time off from urgent business to explore Watchers' Keep. Also, the NPC dialog in Watcher's Keep is ToB-only and won't play if you do it before you start ToB.
This component moves the start location of Throne of Bhaal to Watchers' Keep, so that you're moved there immediately after the end of SoA. You can then explore WK to your heart's content. When you want to start ToB, just leave WK via the world map. You can still return to WK after leaving.
Be warned: you don't have any stable base, or any way to change your party, as long as you're starting at WK. If you find you need either, you'll need to do the first part of ToB. Similarly, although you could start a new game of ToB using this component, this is only a good idea if you're masochistic enough to want to solo Watchers' Keep with a starting-level ToB character!
Installation of the EE compatible Under-Represented Items mod places a merchant near the Obelisk in the Watcher's Keep area map. Speak with "Conlan" to access his store of unique mundane and magical items. Some are clearly Over Powered, but might be just the ticket to victory a player is looking for. See Screenshot in the Mod gallery section.
The Tactics for BG2EE mod installation will set up the option to speak with a "Pontifex" character located on the Watcher's Keep area map. Dialogue can lead to accepting a quest to embark on a quest known as "The Ritual" - a classic tactical adventure from Westley Weimer's original Tactics Mod. Updated to work with the BG2EE game engine. See Screenshots on the wiki's mod gateway page. This mod is designed for veteran player's, looking for a challenge and is not for the faint of heart. Not advised for a beginner, or those on a "No reload run".
Mod gallery[]
Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
Appendix[]
External links[]
- Watcher's Keep on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.
Watcher's Keep
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| Watcher's Keep |
Watcher's Keep • 1st Level: Altar • 2nd Level: Elemental • 3rd Level: Teleport Maze • 4th Level: Machine of Lum the Mad • 5th Level: Final Seal • 6th Level: Imprisoned One |