If players help the tieflings and the deep gnomes during Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3, they have an opportunity to help them both again during Act 2. Some members of both factions have found themselves in the prison below Moonrise Towers, and the party has an opportunity to break them out.
However, this breakout isn't a simple task. Guards are on constant patrol at the prison level, and scrying eyes are everywhere. Players of Baldur's Gate 3 can help both the tieflings and deep gnomes escape their cells and do so without breaking their cover, but they need to act smart and pick their battles.
Updated November 7th, 2023: There are a handful of ways for players to free the prisoners in Moonrise Tower in Baldur's Gate 3 but some methods work much better than others. Although players are free to come up with their own strategy to release the groups found in the dungeon, there is one particular path that can make the whole ordeal a bit easier overall. To better help players with how to make it through the Moonrise Towers Prison with all prisoners intact, the following guide now features a video guide.
Get Wulbren's Hammer
When players try to speak to either group of prisoners, a guard will interrupt. If players pass a DC 14 Deception or Persuasion check, they can fool the guards into letting them talk freely with Lia in the tiefling cell or Wulbren Bongle, the leader of the deep gnomes. Wulbren will be here no matter how players went through Act 1, but the tieflings are only present if they survived Act 1, and they're only friendly if players helped them.
Wulbren is suspicious of the party at first, but players can ease his suspicions by passing one of several skill checks or by name-dropping the deep gnomes players can help during Act 1. Wulbren will mention that he needs his hammer (or something equally useful, like a warhammer) to break out of prison. If the tieflings are present, he's willing to help them escape as well.
If players speak to the warden in the central tower, she'll mention that she keeps the prisoners' equipment on the next floor up. However, this area is forbidden, and the warden and the guards will get upset if the party simply climbs the ladder up. Instead, players should have the party jump onto the wooden platforms on the outside of the tower. These platforms lead up to the equipment lockup, and none of the guards care even if they spot the party jumping around.
A scrying orb patrols the equipment floor, but it's completely alone. Players can deal with it by entering turn-based mode and hitting it with a ranged weapon or spell once or twice. Several chests have valuable gear inside, and Wulbren's hammer is on the table against the railing.
Once players return Wulbren's hammer, he'll ask the party to tell him when to proceed. Players should take advantage of this because once he breaks the back wall of his cell, all the guards in the prison will rush in and enter combat against the deep gnomes, the tieflings, and the party. The warden will open all the cell doors to allow the guards full access, and the tieflings, in particular, are easy targets.
To avoid this, players should enter the warden's room, shut the door, and ambush her. A scrying eye will enter the room at some point, so be sure to destroy it before it gets a chance to call for reinforcements. At this point, only two guards and one scrying orb will be left in the cell blocks. Ambush them (destroying the scrying orb first) to prevent anyone from seeing the gnomes break out of prison. This way, the tieflings and gnomes will escape, and the party will still have the Absolutists' trust.
Flip the Warden's Lever
Instead of giving Wulbren his hammer, players can simply flip the master lever in the warden's office that opens all the cell doors. However, doing so is very dangerous. First, touching the lever is an illegal act, and the party will be in big trouble if they get caught. Second, the rear walls of the cells lead to a hidden boat the gnomes and tieflings can use to escape, but the cell doors lead into the rest of the prison and all its guards.
Still, this is the most efficient method for players who are fully hostile to the Absolutists. If the party has carved their way through the guards on their way in, then the path will be clear for the prisoners to leave by using the docks outside. This method also means that players won't have to earn Wulbren's trust since they've proven which side they're on.
Go In from Behind
At one end of the prison is a pile of white stone, and above it is a ledge that a strong character can jump up to. Jump spells and potions also work. This ledge leads to the cave system the gnomes and tieflings can access by breaking the rear walls of their cells. The two walls are tough, but players can break them just like Wulbren can.
However, breaking these walls creates a lot of noise, and the guards will quickly notice, open the cell doors, and attack the escaping prisoners. Players can break both walls at the same time to give the tieflings as much time as the gnomes to escape, but at least two party members will be behind the prisoners instead of between them and the guards.
Of course, this only happens if the guards notice that the walls have broken. Players can obscure the cell walls with Darkness and Silence spells, making it hard for the guards to tell what's happening. The guards may still get suspicious or upset when characters cast these spells, but they can give the prisoners the head start they need to get away. Still, ambushing the guards one by one is probably the easiest way to break out all the prisoners in Moonrise Towers.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on macOS and PC and will be released on PS5 on September 6th, 2023.
