During the ‘Search the Cellar’ quest in BG3, you might come across a peculiar book called The Necromancy of Thay. Once you find it, you might wonder if you should give the book to Astarion or read it yourself.
In this guide below, we will clear this confusion by telling you exactly what happens if you give Necromancy of Thay to Astarion when you find it.
Is It A Good Idea To Give Astarion The Necromancy Of Thay In Baldur’s Gate 3?
If you have a Rogue character, you shouldn’t give Necromancy of Thay to Astarion. Otherwise, you should.
Whoever reads the book will get the necromancy powers from it in Act 3. I chose to go with my own character instead of Astarion since my character is a rogue and I don’t bring Astarion in my party due to him being a rogue as well. But it comes down to what is required for your party and how much you rely on Astarion.
What Happens When You Give The Book To Astarion?
When you first find the Necromancy of Thay and if Astarion is in your party, he will tell you that the book looks terribly heavy so he can carry it for you. This is his sly way of asking you to give it to him so he can read it instead.
Once you give the book to Astarion, he won’t react much and just tell you that he will continue focusing on it later when he gets the time. Once you get back to camp and trigger a long rest, you will now be prompted to strike up a conversation with him about it.
Astarion will seem to be hearing voices from the book asking him to kill you, but he will resist the urge. You can ask him to give the book back, but he will tell you that he can’t. He will also not allow Gale to consume it for his curse.
Asking Astarion about the book will make him reveal that it’s about the secrets of bringing the dead to life and that it may free him from his old master Cazador. But for now, this will be the end of it as the actual use of the book only unlocks later in the game in Act 3.
Related: How To Finish The Masterwork Weapon Quest In BG3
What Happens When You Keep Necromancy Of Thay For Yourself?
If you don’t decide to give the book to Astarion and keep it for yourself, you will be able to read it and learn a few things. Reading the book will put you into a series of three skill checks that get progressively difficult.
If you fail one of these checks, you will receive a permanent -1 to your wisdom, so be careful. After the skill checks, you will get the Forbidden Knowledge passive that gives +1 to Wisdom Saving Throws and Ability Checks.
For now, the saga of this book will come to a halt until you reach a location in Act 3 which will give you the true reward for unlocking and reading this book, whether it be your character or Astarion.
What Do You Get From Necromancy Of Thay In BG3 Act 3?
- Keep the book: Once you reach the Sorcerous Sundries Vault in Act 3, you will be able to learn Danse Macabre which allows you to summon five undead units to help in combat for each long rest.
- Give the book to Astarion: If you give it to Astarion, he is the one who will get the Danse Macabre skill instead of your character. Based on your preferences here, you should decide if you want Astarion to have this ability or your character.
These are the outcomes. Regardless, you will get the ability to summon undead in Act 3 for either yourself or Astarion depending on what you choose.
