The Baldur’s Gate 3 Chamber of Strategy features a tricky puzzle in the form of a chess game in the Wyrmway. Like the Chamber of Justice puzzle, it is one of four trials that you need to complete in order to reach the Dragon’s Sanctum, where you can defeat the dragon Ansur and claim the fantastic legendary weapon called the Balduran’s Greatsword. This trial can be confusing if you don’t know the rules of chess or don’t have the right party members. Fortunately, there are two ways you can solve it. Here are the puzzle solutions for the Chamber of Strategy trial in BG3.
How to solve the Baldur’s Gate 3 Chamber of Strategy puzzle
To solve the Chamber of Strategy, you need to do one of the following solutions in order to make “the dark king fall in two turns”:
- Have Gale in party – Gale, the wizard of the group, is apparently no stranger to chess given his high intelligence and education. In one configuration of the board, he’ll give you instructions to move the white queen to the upper right corner and then four squares to the left. (Note that Gale will provide a different solution if the board is different.) This will essentially goad the opposing player to make moves that with result in a checkmate.
- Destroy Black King with lightning – If you inspect the opposing King chess piece, it will note that it is vulnerable to lightning damage. There are numerous spells and scrolls that you can use to deal lightning damage, including Shocking Grasp, Call Lightning, Shocking Grasp, and Lightning Bolt. You may need to upcast these spells in order to do another damage to the piece.
Of course, if you’re good at chess, you may not even need Gale and simply solve the puzzle on your own.
Either method you choose, taking down the King piece will trigger a light beam to fall upon the statue that gives you the instructions. This will mark the completion of the trial, so that you can move onto the puzzles or toward the encounter with Ansur.
BG3 Chamber of Strategy puzzle FAQ
A: To complete the Chamber of Strategy trial, your aim is to make “the dark king fall in two turns.” You can achieve this either by using Gale, the wizard in your party, who, based on the board’s configuration, will guide you on specific moves to checkmate the opposing king. Alternatively, you can exploit the Black King’s vulnerability to lightning by using spells like Shocking Grasp or Lightning Bolt to damage the piece. Successful completion will be indicated by a light beam shining on the instruction statue.
A: Absolutely! Gale, with his high intelligence and familiarity with chess, can provide guidance. Depending on the board’s setup, he might instruct you, for example, to move the white queen to a specific position that would lead the opponent into a checkmate. However, keep in mind that Gale might suggest different solutions if the board is arranged differently.
A: Certainly. If you are proficient at chess, you might be able to decipher the solution on your own without the need for Gale’s assistance or employing lightning spells. Successfully taking down the King piece in the puzzle is the main goal, regardless of the method you choose.
