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Within the Shadow Lands ofBaldur’s Gate 3,many secrets await to be explored and uncovered. Some, more than others, will require you to go the extra mile. For those who are ambitious and for those who really love a duck-loving druid, you’ll want to uncover the mystery of Art Callugh.
Resting within the Harper haven of Last Light Inn, you may find this holder-of-secrets in a comatose state. He mutters something, beckoning your curiosity, and before you know it, you’ll be up to your knees in one of the darkest storylines and coolest boss battles of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Updated Jun 26, 2025, by Alexis Campbell:Added new information detailing Honour Mode changes for the encounter with Malus Thorm in the House of Healing - as if two Legendary Actions weren’t enough. Additionally, overdue information regarding how to bypass Malus Thorm’s fight has now been added for those who dislike taking trepans to the head.
How To Begin The Art Callugh Quest
From the main entrance of theLast Light Inn,go through the first door on your rightto enter an area with a fireplace, a long table, and several beds. Art Callugh is theonly patient in the beds.
Speak with himand the woman sitting next to him to hear him speak of Thaniel.Use Medicine and Arcana checks(both DC 15) to determine that Art Callugh needs something familiar of his. You’re given a letter that points you in the direction of the"House of Healing."
Before you begin heading there, however,speak with Counsellor Florrickto advance her related questline and thenreturn to your camp to speak with Halsin.
Tell Halsin you heard of aFlaming Fist muttering about a boy named Thaniel- sometimes only triggered after talking about Ketheric Thorm. His interest will be piqued, and you’ll need tofollow him back to the Last Light Inn,where he’s now sitting beside Art Callugh.
Speak with Halsina bit, and he’ll tell you nothing you didn’t already know yet, but this will set up for the end of this quest when you return from your journey to the House of Healing.
To do the rest of this quest, you willneed the Moonlantern.
How To Find The House Of Healing
Unfortunately, getting to the House of Healing is a very long and arduous trek, requiring you to fill out the majority of the Shadowlands map as the waterfront cuts off any direction roads and requires you to go all the way around.
To begin, start from the area where you had the ambushto get the Moonlantern. From here,travel northwestto reach the Rethiwin Mason’s Guild.
You canexplore this area for a few nice magical itemsand an Infernal Metal, an item required for Karlach’s questline.
Goingthrough the guild area,past the Wooden Hatch and the elevator crane, you’ll reach anarea with heavy brush and a large iron gate.Behind that gate isArabella.
You can choose to accept or deny her special request. Either way,carry on past herand into a large area with a stone mausoleum in the center.
Themausoleum is guardedby several Shadows and three Shadow-Cursed Harpers. You’ll need touse your Moonlanternor a similar bright light (if you chose to free the PIxie) to reveal the Shadows.
Once youdefeat the Shadowshere,turn right and head norththrough gates into agrove-like cemetery area.An indication you’re in the right place is a rolled Passive Perception that illuminates a skeleton with a special ring.
The mausoleum is worth investigating, using the plaques to enter. Inside is a special Sharran Sanctuary where you may safely rest and explore without combat.
Continue along the main, cobbled pathin this direction until you reach the side of a building and, eventually, alocked wooden door(Coordinates: X: 189, Y: 73).
Pick the door (or useScroll of Knockor its related spell) and enterto finally find the House of Healing. Your destination is through thelarge wooden doors in the room and to your left.
There are several other ways inside the House of Healing. However,this method is the most efficient and safestas the front door and general entrance of the House of Healing is guarded by several enemies, wearing you down before you ever reach the boss.
How To Loot Malus Thorm Without Fighting Him
If you’re not a big combat person or fear one of the hardest combat encounters in this act, you might be interested in talking your way out of fighting Malus.
To do so, you’ll want towalk into the room and speak with him and his assistants.
He’ll rattle on about Shar’s doctrine, but to get the best of him,point out his own doctrineto use against him using any of these checks:
Afterward, you canchoose the (DC 18) Persuasion check (or any check with the similar answer):
They need a better subject to practice on first. Not a student, but a master.
Alternatively, you can also convince the sisters to kill each other first (DC 21 Persuasion) and then convince Malus to kill himself after (another DC 21 Persuasion).
He’ll understand the assignment, and his own assistant will use him for a lesson - killing Malus. After, they won’t fight you, and you canloot the lute from himwithout consequence.
You’ll unfortunately miss out on one of the coolest encounters in the game, however.
To increase your likelihood of success, we recommend bringing Shadowheart to talk with Malus in your stead. If anyone knows Shar and her teachings, it’s our resident grumpy cleric.
276
18
9m
Medium/100kg (Undead)
14 (+2)
18 (+4)
16 (+3)
8 (-1)
Magical attacks, Fire, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing
Malus is Resistant to magic attacks.
Multiattack (Wounded)
Malus can make an additional attack as a Bonus Action against a creature with less than its maximum HP.
Surgeon’s Subjugation Amulet
Once per Long Rest, wearer can Paralyse a target for 2 turns after scoring a Critical Hit.
Turn Resistance
Malus has advantage on saving throws made by Turn Undead or related effects that turn the undead.
Incapacitation (Legendary Action; Honour Mode Only)
Malus has +10 on Saving Rolls against checks that would Incapacitate him.
Wail of Loss (Legendary Action; Honour Mode Only)
After being attacked, all his assistants will let out a wail that may Confuse (Wisdom save) Malus’s enemies within range (3m), causing affected creatures to wander, attack randomly, and skip turns.
Grasping Appendage (Legendary Action; Honour Mode Only)
Malus can use his Legendary Action to pull a creature within 18m (or 60ft) closer to him by 9m (or 30ft).
Attacks And Actions
Request Surgical Instrument
Malus can request one of his assistants to bring him a new weapon and change his attack. This happens on the assistant’s next turn.
Lovely Assistant
Malus can reanimate (revive) one of his assistants to 12HP as a Bonus Action.
Claws
+8 to hit, 5ft; deal ?d? + 4 Slashing damage. If the creature struck is not at full HP, Malus can use this attack twice.
For those who have primarily followed the main story path up to this point, Malus Thorm will be themost difficult bossyou have faced thus far in Baldur’s Gate 3. The danger he poses is in theraw damage and possible effectshe deals in a single turn.
An unlucky turn may result in him dealingas much as 85 damage in a single attack,possibly one-shot-killing a party member. The trick to this fight is not necessarily dealing with Malus Thorn but actuallyhis assistants.
His assistantseach carry a special weapon item. Once per turn, he willcall on one of his assistantsto come forward and hand him that item. If they reach him,he can equip it.
You’ll need tostop each of the assistants before they reach Malusto the best of your ability. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done because:
As a result of all these factors, you most likely won’t be able to stop the first one from reaching him. You’ll need tofocus on later-called assistants.
This fight is infinitely easier when you know theorder of assistants and weaponshe calls for. Every battle instance, Malus will call for his assistantsin this order:
Whichever one you don’t kill, he’ll call for the next one instead.The order loopswhen he reaches the end of available sisters. As a result, yourfirst two targets should be Anya and Vanessa(the Trepan is the most dangerous weapon of the four).
With Anya and Vanessa as your primary targets,use area attacks like:
Don’t attempt facing Malus until you’ve dealt with the four sisters.Their paralysis effects (through Mind Screech and thrown Karabasan’s Gift potions) and their ability to buff Malus to incomprehensible levels make them far more frightening than the man himself.
Having the ability to useMisty Stephere is a huge bonus. you’re able to swap around the room, avoiding Malus and taking out the sisters as needed.
Just beware that you will be afflicted with the Shadow Curse if you leave the area of effect around your Moonlantern and don’t have the Pixie’s blessing. Additionally, your Misty Step can be subverted in Honour Mode thanks to Malus’s Patch 7 addition: Grasping Appendage.
With Vanessa prioritized above all others, take out the assistants and thenbegin focusing on Malus.
Although his assistants are gone, he’sstill a formidable opponent.Try keeping yourselfat full HP as much as possible.Being even a point below will mean Malus gets to make a second attack with his claws against his target.
Keep your healer busy while you go to town on Malus. With his general tankiness between HP and resistances, it will be a long time, so you’ll have to get comfortable for the long haul.
Malus’s second dangerous quirk is that he canrevive his assistants, going in order of who would have been next. They arealways revived at 12HP~(depending on difficulty).
you’re able to defeat these revived assistants relatively easily. If you have an Assassin Rogue in your retinue, you will always be able to use the Assassinate perk on them and remove them in a single strike.Take them out quicklyto avoid them being a problem, and continue hacking and slashing Malus.
A bug can be created when you loot the bodies before they’re revived, taking away the weapon, and Thorm requests for a servant.This sometimes confuses the AI, leading to long wait-times in initiative and, in rare instances, duplication of the weapon. This was not fixed as of Patch 7.
Eventually, though, you’ll see the light at the end of this surgery, and you’ll be able to defeat Malus Thorm once and for all. you’re able to take all of Malus’s dangerous weapons, his unique amulet, and theimportant Battered Luteyou came for.
There is also the surgery patient to consider. You get an achievement if you killed Malus before he performed surgery on his patient.
However, there isno known way to save the patientat this time. you’re able to choose to walk away from the House of Healing and leave him to die, or you can end his suffering before you go.
Dealing With Honour Mode Malus Thorm
Honour Mode Malus Thorm requires a significant amount of finesse in your spatial planning.Wailing Loss can completely undo the strategy aboveif you have too many partymembers located in melee with his assistants.
Keeping your distance isn’t easyeither with the risk of Malus Thorm’s Grasping Appendage action.
For this reason, Honour Mode players are suggested toobserve the following:
Returning To Art Callugh
Return to Art Callughin the Last Light Inn andspeak with him and Halsin. You’ll be prompted toplay the lute.Do so.
As you play the lute, Art Callugh will finally awake. You canchoose to speak with himand gain more information about his dreamsor let Halsin do the talking.
No matter how you let it play out, you canstart the next quest with Halsin.It’s a quest that will lead you to another dangerous defense instance, a game of hide-and-seek, a new playable companion, and, most importantly, acure for the Shadow Curse.
With this quest under your belt and another just around the corner, you’re able to follow Halsin out the door and to the beach to continue your adventure.
