Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Uses Of Speak With Dead

Speak With Dead is one of the most useful non-combat spells in Baldur's Gate 3. Although it seems like something a Cleric would know, the ability isn't inherent to any race or class, and Warlocks and Sorcerers can also put this incantation in their spellbook. Wizards of the Necromancy school can learn it from a scroll for a more economical price than others.

There are a variety of ways the Speak With Dead spell can be used, by any race or class, depending on the character's unique build and their specific situation. There are some rules to follow when it comes to using it, and many corpses won't be inclined to chat under any circumstances, no matter what magic compels them.

Updated March 24, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Baldur's Gate 3 continues to win hearts and minds along with a bunch of awards. Its latest wins include the D.I.C.E. Awards Game of the Year, and Outstanding Video Game of the Year from the GLAAD Media Awards. That's in addition to the 13 wins from the British Academy Film Awards, which also has a video game category. The game retains its appeal and resonates with players because every adventure is different, depending on how you interact with the environment, living or dead. And when it comes to interacting with the dead, there are plenty of ways to use that particular spell.

Baldur's Gate 3: 6 Best Locations For A DLC

There are many great unexplored areas that would make for amazing Baldur's Gate 3 DLC expansions.

8 In Disguise

The Corpse Seems Willing To Speak, But Not To Its Killer

A common issue with Speak With Dead is the frustrating disclaimer that appears when the corpse doesn't feel like talking to the person who killed them. It's fair, but inconvenient. Luckily, there's a way around it, using a spell called Disguise Self.

Disguise Self is a spell from the Illusion school of magic for Wizards and Sorcerers, and Clerics of the Trickster Domain also have it. It's a Ritual Spell, so non-casters can also get it through other means, such as through a Feat, using a scroll, or by equipping a certain trinket.

7 For Interrogations

Sometimes Witnesses Have Accidents

Baldur's Gate 3, 'Speak With Dead' Spell On Ffion

Speak With Dead is the most handy when it comes to interrogating witnesses who might have crossed Tav and their party at the wrong time, or were dedicated fanatics willing to die rather than give up their secrets. Either way, it won't stop the player from making them say whatever Tav needs to know to progress through the story or to advance a quest.

Baldur's Gate 3: 9 Most Evil Dark Urge Choices

A Dark Urge playthrough can lead to some truly despicable choices for the player to make. Here are the absolute worst of them.

There are times when this is an option, but some quests, like certain links in the Open Hand Temple Murders chain, require that someone in the party use Speak With Dead in this way. Other times it's just gruesome fun, like discovering that the spell works on Yurgir's gruesome bed or on Orin's mother, whose body is on display in her private rooms.

6 Using The Ritual Caster Feat

Gives Any Character The Ability To Cast This Spell

The Speak With Dead spell in Baldur's Gate 3

Speak With Dead is a Ritual Spell, and there's a Feat called Ritual Caster that grants the character two spells of this type. These are all non-combat spells that can be cast at any time, don't cause any damage, and are used outside of combat. The only possible exception is Find Familiar, provided you choose a pet intended for combat.

Other spells that the player can choose with Ritual Caster, besides Speak With Undead and Find Familiar, are Speak With Animals, Disguise Self, Enhance Leap and Longstrider. All of these are also versatile spells that creative players can use in a variety of ways.

5 Ask A Friend

Someone In The Party Knows This Spell

Baldur's Gate 3 custom protagonist using Speak with Dead spell in House of Healing

Tav, or Durge in some cases, isn't always the kind of class that's inclined to talk with dead people. This spell tends to be something that Clerics or Wizards mess with. Or maybe your character is easily creeped out, or just isn't a believer. That's why we have companions with a variety of skills that can step in.

Virtually any spellcasting class has access to this spell at level 3, and even if the player wants to keep those spell slots for something else, there's the option of using a Feat, such as Ritual Caster or any variety of the Magic Initiate options. It's also possible for this spell to work on a corpse that won't speak to its killer, provided the caster wasn't in the party when the target was killed.

4 On A Companion

Some Friendships End On A Bad Note

title image moral alignments BG3 companions

Every playthrough is different, and not everyone makes it to the end of the adventure unscathed. Companion characters as well as NPCs can get caught on the wrong side of a Dark Urge run or a low dice roll.

Baldur's Gate 3: 10 Facts You May Not Know About Astarion

There's more than meets the eye with this stunning and sassy half-elf vampire in Baldur's Gate 3.

Luckily, any of the stories or secrets they never got a chance to tell the protagonist don't have to go to the grave with them. Speak With Dead also works on dead Companions, so they can tell you something about their quest or backstory before their body gets stowed in the storage chest or thrown in a ditch.

3 Using A Scroll

For Fighters, Rogues, And Other Non-Casters

Speak With the Dead Karlach Screenshot Baldur's Gate 3

No potion exists that grants the Speak With Dead ability, so those playing Fighters or Barbarians who don't feel like multiclassing or using a Feat can use Speak With Dead by using a scroll. The player can pick these up in a variety of places, but they aren't often sold by vendors so it's a good idea to collect them.

Being limited to using scrolls for Speak With Dead has some disadvantages. A scroll can only be used once, but it works the same as casting a spell, so the character can cast it as often as they want until their next Long Rest.

2 As A Student of Necromancy

The Forbidden Knowledge Of Thay

baldurs-gate-3-wizard-reading-necromancy-of-thay

Another interesting possibility is the Necromancy of Thay book, hidden in a secret chamber underneath the Blighted Village. Reading the book twice, once on its own and a second time with the amethyst, and passing the saving throws will give any character the ability to cast this spell as a cantrip.

Baldur's Gate 3: 13 Things To Do Before Going To Act 3

Act two of Baldur's Gate 3 raises the stakes from the first act. These missable encounters are worth experiencing before the third and final act.

The higher the character's Wisdom and Intelligence score, the better chance they have of passing these dice rolls, and they're fairly difficult for this point in the game. Other than that, any class or character can learn this spell provided they successfully read the book at least once. Once you've learned it, you can find it under the Common Abilities section as opposed to where spells or items would be located.

1 With A Special Trinket

Necklaces, Rings, Or Other Accessories Can Grant This Ability

surgeon's subjecgatio amulet amulet of lost voices baldur's gate 3

It's easy to find and collect scrolls to use for Speak With Dead if your character isn't magically inclined. However, if scrolls are too cumbersome and a character's build doesn't have room for certain Feats or multi-class options, there are a few helpful trinkets that can grant this ability.

An example is the Amulet of Lost Voices, a necklace players can find in the Dank Crypt very early in the game. Wearing it gives the user the ability to cast the spell as a cantrip, and even though it has only one charge, you can still use it a few more times provided your character passes a fairly easy concentration saving throw and doesn't use other spells that would cancel it out.