Baldur's Gate: A Dark Tour Through Its Dangerous Streets (2024)

Step right up, brave souls and curious travelers, as we embark on a journey through the twisted alleys and darkened streets of Baldur's Gate. Whether you’re here because of stirrings about a vanished city or an invasion of mind flayer tadpoles, it will do you well to learn of the mysteries and dark tales that have shaped this city’s notorious reputation.

Before we begin, pull up your Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer, and, please, no flash photography.

• The Top 10 Must-Visit Locations in Baldur’s Gate
• The Outer City
• The Lower City
• The Upper City

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The Top 10 Must-Visit Locations in Baldur’s Gate

Artist: MIKE SCHLEY

Baldur’s Gate is a dangerous city, there’s no two ways around it. The upper echelon of the city engages in bribery and blackmail to get ahead, whilst the lower class must scrape to get by. Greed and corruption have instilled themselves everywhere in the city, allowing the influence of the city’s organized criminal underground, the Guild, to grow unobstructed.

Speaking of greed and corruption, our tour starts at the most crime-filled destination of Baldur’s Gate—the Outer City!

The Outer City

The Outer City of Baldur's Gate is undoubtedly the most chaotic district, teeming with a healthy mix of destitute beggars down on their luck, smugglers and cutthroats looking to get ahead, and cultists practicing unconventional (read: evil) religions.

Unlike other parts of the city, it lacks any form of regular patrol, leaving its streets vulnerable to various illicit activities. Smuggling and gambling run rampant, and, most alarmingly, the Outer City has earned a grim reputation as the murder capital of the city, making it a place where all those who pass through must tread with utmost caution.

1. Wyrm’s Crossing

If you plan to enter the city from the south, you’ll need to cross the Chionthar River. The easiest way to do so is by taking Wyrm’s Crossing. This massive bridge spans the Chionthar a couple miles before it empties into the Sea of Swords and is the home to ramshackle taverns and shops that sell wares to those arriving and leaving the city.

In the middle of Wyrm’s Crossing, you’ll find Wyrm’s Rock, a fortress built on a rock islet in the center of the river and manned by the city’s resident mercenary company, the Flaming Fist. This serves as a checkpoint where travelers arriving to the city must pay a 5 cp toll.

It’s best to keep one hand on your valuables and the other on your sword in this part of the Outer City, as Wyrm’s Crossing is a common spot for criminals to prey on new arrivals to Baldur’s Gate. If someone offers you something with “Sweetjen Spice” in it, I’d recommend declining, as the proprietor of this nefarious establishment sells some of the most dangerous poisons in the city.

Artist: MIKE SCHLEY

To the north, you’ll see Dusthawk Hill, which is the next landmark on our tour!

2. Dusthawk Hill

The main causeway through the Outer City will guide you around the granite cliffs of Dusthawk Hill. As you journey through the boroughs of Twin Songs, Sow’s Foot, Whitkeep, Little Calimshan, Norchapel, and, finally, Stonyeyes, keep an eye peeled for "snuff streets." These grim streets are filled with victims of Baldur’s Gate's unfortunate propensity for murder. Beware of ghouls who are out looking for a snack!

While we wind around Dusthawk Hill, see if you can spot any caverns and caves on its slope, as there are whispers among the locals that suggest an ancient chamber might be carved into Dusthawk Hill, which conceals a temple dedicated to Bhaal, the god of murder.

3. The Exterior Gates

You won’t be able to enter the city proper without going through one of the exterior gates that allow traffic past the walls of the Lower City. If you’re approaching from the north, this will be the Black Dragon Gate. Seeing as we’re approaching from the south, we’ll be entering at Basilisk Gate! Grab your coin purse, because entering here will cost another 5 cp.

These gates close at night, so make sure to arrive with plenty of time before sunset, or you may be trapped in the Outer City and murdered! On we go to the Lower City!

The Lower City

Artist: UNIT IMAGE/LARIAN STUDIOS

The Lower City of Baldur's Gate is under the watchful eye of the Flaming Fist, a ruthless mercenary group that patrols its streets with an iron fist (rather than a flaming one). However, despite the company’s presence, this district serves as the heart of the Guild's operations, a shadowy organization known for its intricate web of criminal activities. Don’t ease your grip on your dagger just yet; residents and visitors alike should be wary of the many dangers lurking in the Lower City.

4. Gray Harbor

The entirety of the Lower City is wrapped around this harbor, which is the deepest and one of the busiest ports in all of Faerûn. Just about any kind of goods—legal and otherwise—can be found flowing through this port, if you have the gold and know where to look, that is.

You can see the Seatower over on the west side of the harbor. This fortress serves as a prison as well as a stronghold for the harbormasters and their Gray Wavers to collect tariffs and protect the city from potential invaders coming along the Chionthar.

5. Smilin’ Boar

And now we’ll stop for a lunch break at the Smilin’ Boar. This tavern is known for the euphemistic names it gives its dishes and is a particularly special stop on this tour. You see, in recent weeks, corpses have started turning up in the alley behind this joint, and no one knows where they’re coming from!

They’ve all had their heart pierced by some unknown means. Very spooky and mysterious. Anyways, who’s up for a pig roast?

6. Mandorcai’s Mansion

It wouldn’t be a dark and dangerous tour without visiting one of the most haunted houses in all of Baldur’s Gate! Stories say that Mandorcai’s Mansion, situated in the upscale Bloomridge, apparently materialized overnight on a previously vacant lot.

This strange building once hosted lavish parties for the Lower City elite under the watchful eye of its enigmatic owner, the wizard Mandorcai. However, after a series of mysterious disappearances and chilling tales of shifting rooms and blood-soaked chambers, the mansion has been left abandoned, and only the bravest now dare to explore its haunted halls.

7. Baldur’s Gate

The last stop on the Lower City portion of our tour is the eponymously named Baldur’s Gate! Years ago, the hero Balduran returned to his village of Gray Harbor bearing unimaginable wealth after adventuring for many years on the Sea of Swords. This newfound prosperity transformed the once-quiet backwater into the bustling hub of danger and opportunity that stands before you today.

The city's rapid growth attracted all manner of folk, from penniless farmers to cunning pirates, so walls were first built around the original city—which has now come to be known as the Upper City—before they were eventually built around the Lower City as well.

Every night, the district’s personal guard force—the Watch—evicts anyone who is not either a resident or bearing a way to identify that they are meant to be there. Let’s take a look to see if the grass truly is greener on the other side!

The Upper City

Artist: VICTOR ADAME MINGUEZ

As snooty as it sounds, the Upper City of Baldur's Gate is a beacon of opulence and privilege. Here, the streets are adorned with historic manors and boutiques, and the people are draped in finery, exuding an air of aristocratic sophistication and sense of superiority.

However, beneath its polished veneer, the Upper City is not without its secrets. Despite the Watch's vigilance, political intrigues run deep, and the biggest threats to the Upper City’s citizens—often referred to as “patriars”—come from their own ranks.

8. The Wide

The Wide is the Upper City’s bustling market square, teeming with vendor’s stalls during the day, but absent during the night when most of the vendors are escorted back to the Lower City. Beneath it lies the Undercellar, a shadowy labyrinth known for its illicit activities and overseen by the masked Cellarers.

Using secret tunnels to bypass the Upper City’s walls, the Guild, in conjunction with the Cellarers, has managed to set up storehouses that sell all sorts of contraband to well-to-do nobles, or at least their proxies. These secret tunnels also supposedly run all throughout the Upper City, allowing for secret access directly to some of the patriar’s manors.

9. High Hall

Standing guarded by its own private set of walls by the Citadel Gate is High Hall, the seat of the city's governance. While it serves as the meeting place for the Parliament of Peers and the Council of Four, it is not immune to the tendrils of corruption that plague the city of Baldur’s Gate.

Bribery, blackmail, and even assassination are tools employed by the ambitious to secure power—sometimes even a spot in the ruling council of Baldur’s Gate. The Watch, supposedly tasked with maintaining order, often turns a blind eye to these activities, especially when powerful patriars are involved.

10. Manorborn

The last stop on our tour is Manorborn, the home to the most influential patriars and their palatial residences. Most of the upper crust of Baldur's Gatelive here, including government officials and influentialfamilies whose history stretches back to the early days of the city. This is a neighborhood where appearances are everything. Residents feel immense pressure to maintain a facade of wealth, even if it means pawning their possessions—on engaging in even less savoury affairs—in secret.

This obsession with status and the need to keep up appearances often leads to underhanded dealings, as the patriars are willing to go to great lengths to protect their reputations and wealth.

Strolling through its streets, you'll witness climbing gardens, fountained courtyards, and private orchards that adorn many of these grand homes. But don't be fooled by the superficial beauty becausebehind these gilded gates lies betrayal, power struggles, and clandestine affairs.

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The Tour’s End

So, dear travelers, as we conclude our tour, remember to tread carefully while in Baldur's Gate, for danger lurks around every corner. As a great hero of this city once said, "Watch your step in the shadows. Watch your back in the light. Every day your life is on the line. Every day you could become a legend. Welcome to Baldur’s Gate."

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.