Baldur's Gate 3 Escape the Nautiloid Ship Before the Crash: Prologue Guide
Baldur's Gate 3 escape the nautiloid ship before the crash is the first challenge; this guide shows you how to do it efficiently.
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Find the Book of Thay in Baldur's Gate 3 with this exact location guide for the Blighted Village's Apothecary Cellar.
Where Is the Book of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3?
If you're sitting in Act 1 wondering “where is the Book of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3?”, the short answer is: head to the Blighted Village and go down into the Apothecary’s Cellar. It's not locked behind some insane boss fight or tucked away in a far-off dungeon. The book is just sitting in a basement under a ruined shop.
Oh, and one quick thing: the actual item is called the Necromancy of Thay. The whole community calls it the Book of Thay, though. So if you see “Necromancy of Thay” on screen, you're in the right place.
Here's the exact route, step by step, so you don't waste hours searching wrong buildings or killing goblins for absolutely no reason.
The Book of Thay is in the Apothecary’s Cellar, which is under the Blighted Village. More specifically, it’s beneath the Apothecary shop in that village. If you've seen the dusty shelves, broken glass, and old alchemy gear, that's the building.
Once you're inside the Apothecary, the goal is simple: get down to the cellar and push toward the back room. The Necromancy of Thay is sitting on a stone table or lectern in that back area. It glows a bit with magic, so when you finally get there, you won't miss it.
Alright, let's break down the full route so you can grab it fast.
Before you run off, let's talk about why this book matters. The Book of Thay is a cursed necromantic tome tied to dark Thayan magic from Forgotten Realms lore. In BG3, it's a special magic item that some characters — especially spellcasters — can mess around with in interesting ways.
It isn't a main quest item, so you won't fail the game if you skip it. But it's a cool unique thing to have, and there's some deep lore behind it. If you're the type of player who hoards every interesting magic item, put this book on your shopping list.
Let's make this crystal clear.
The Blighted Village is the ruined town in Act 1, not far from the Goblin Camp and the Risen Road. Inside the village, you'll see destroyed houses, a well, and a windmill. The Apothecary shop is one of the more intact-looking buildings, filled with shelves and old alchemy junk.
Here's the simple map route:
This is honestly the part that confuses people. The Apothecary doesn't have a big flashing sign or a quest marker pointing at the floor. You actually have to stop and search around.
Let's keep it simple. Follow these steps in order.
You can reach the Blighted Village pretty early in Act 1. Step inside, kill or sneak past the goblin patrols, and head for the Apothecary on your map. The building is a two-story ruined shop with a lot of open wall space. Looks like another loot room, right? It isn't.
The ground floor is a mess. Broken tables, shelves, books, bottles, and random containers. Loot whatever you want, but your real target is the cellar entrance.
If you're on PC, press and hold Alt to highlight interactable objects. That'll help you spot the hatch behind the clutter. On controller, use the up button on the D-pad for the same effect.
New player warning: Don't just grab the obvious loot and leave. The cellar hatch can hide behind shelves or debris, and if you're fast at looting, you'll miss it completely. Actually look around the back room.
The cellar entrance is on the ground floor of the Apothecary. Check near the back, around the collapsed shelves and storage area. There's usually a trapdoor or hatch leading down.
If you don't see it right away, peek behind the counter. That's a common spot for hidden basement entrances. Once you find the hatch, open it. Depending on your party, you might need a lockpick check or just smash it open.
Climb down and you'll land in a dark underground area. Stay sharp, because there may be traps in here. Send a rogue-type character first if you have one. Astarion works great for this.
Move through the narrow cellar rooms slowly. There are skeletons, old supplies, and creepy dungeon bits everywhere. Don't rush. Running into a trap isn't the end of the world, but it'll make the trip more annoying than it needs to be.
New player warning: Watch your step in the cellar. Traps can sneak up on you, especially in the dark. If your party is low on health, sneak through or use a trap-disarmer.
Keep moving through the cellar until you hit the last main room. This back area looks more like a small study or ritual chamber than a storage cellar.
The Book of Thay is sitting on a stone or wooden stand in that space. When you get close, the loot tooltip will show Necromancy of Thay. Grab it.
Congrats. You're now the proud owner of the Book of Thay.
I see the same mistakes way too often. Let's stop them before they happen.
The Blighted Village has a windmill and a well that drops into some nasty spider territory. Lots of players think the Book of Thay is down there. It isn't. The book is in the Apothecary building, not the well or the windmill.
Go explore those other places if you want loot, sure. But don't waste time hunting for the Book of Thay in the wrong dungeon. The Apothecary's Cellar is a separate area.
The Apothecary can look like another ruined house with junk inside. There's no big quest marker pointing at it. If you're just speed-looting, you might grab the obvious stuff and walk out.
I almost did this myself. I was inside that building, fought some goblins, looted everything — and still missed the cellar entrance. Don't be like me. Once you're inside, search the floor and the back rooms.
You found the book. That's great. Don't just click it like a regular book.
Save your game first. Reading a cursed necromantic tome doesn't always give you a clean little reward. You'll want the option to reload if things go sideways. Trust me, just save before you read it.
New player warning: Save before reading the Necromancy of Thay. It's cursed necromantic magic, not a friendly camp story.
When you're near the cellar entrance, check your map. If you're in the right place, the area will show a label that says Apothecary's Cellar. If you don't see that, you're probably in the wrong basement.
The Blighted Village has several underground spots. Only one is the Apothecary's Cellar.
The Book of Thay is in the Apothecary's Cellar, underneath the Apothecary shop in the Blighted Village. Go into the shop, find the cellar hatch near the back, descend, and search the back room for the Necromancy of Thay.
Yes. The in-game item is called the Necromancy of Thay, but everyone calls it the Book of Thay because it's easier to say. If a guide says either name, it's the same item.
Yes. You can grab it as soon as you reach the Blighted Village. There's no chapter lock or quest requirement. You just need to get to that village and find the Apothecary building.
It isn't a standard journal side quest, no. But the book is connected to hidden lore, and you can use it later in the game. Don't dump it in camp storage. Keep it in your inventory if you want to explore the necromantic content in later acts.
So there you go. The next time someone asks “where is the Book of Thay in Baldur's Gate 3?”, you know the answer: Blighted Village, Apothecary's Cellar, back room, glowing book on the stand. Now go snag it and stop digging through those goblin toe boxes.
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