How To Beat Nere & Recruit Elder Brithvar In Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 has several areas to explore, including the Myconid Colony, where you will come across a couple of quests centered around a drow named Nere. He is behind quite a few problems in the colony, and the two quests centered around him will include Deliver Nere’s Head and Free True Soul Nere.

Both of these will correlate to each other and be presented in Act One while exploring the Underdark. The Free True Soul Nere quest will likely initiate the first one. While exploring, the party will hear about a True Soul trapped in a cave-in. This will begin the first quest, and the second will be picked up along the way by speaking with the Sovereign.

How To Begin Free True Soul Nere

Once reaching Grymforge, you will hear word of the trapped True Soul in the cave. Finding out about this will add it to the list of available side quests. From there, head off to free the True Soul. While heading toward the cave-in, a Duergar named Elder Brithvar will attempt to take money from the party with the help of another Duergar.

They are looking for money that is owed to them by Nere. Work to assure them that you also despise Nere and are more on their side. After doing so successfully, they will offer an additional objective involving killing Nere and splitting his money in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Even if you have not decided who to side with, it’s best to play along for now to make things easier. Otherwise, this confrontation can go south quickly. Following that, proceed onto the cave where Sergeant Thrinn and gnomes will be waiting and instruct the group to find Philomeen and her Runepowder to help free Nere.

It’s worth noting that because it isn’t explicitly stated, Nere is waiting to be rescued and can succumb to the poisonous gas in the cave-in if not saved in time. So be careful resting in Baldur’s Gate 3, as this will slow things down. Rescuing Nere should be a top priority once the quest begins.

Gather Explosives From Philomeen

For those who are lucky enough to have Smokepowder Bombs on hand, this can be resolved much faster as two of these can clear the cave-in; just be sure to warn the nearby gnomes, who may or may not listen to the warning, otherwise injuring them can cause some tension with the Duergar. If the party has no Smokepowder Bombs or doesn’t want to waste them, another option exists. Elder Brithvar likely mentioned that someone ran by with a barrel under their arm. That would be Philomeen, and she is the one who needs to be tracked down for explosives.

To find Philomeens hiding spot, head back toward the docks to find a couple of Duergar tossing bodies into the water. Convince them to leave so the lock on the double doors nearby can be picked. Once inside, a button on the far right corner of the wall will open up a secret door. Follow the path along and up the stairs before heading right until you reach another pair of large double doors. Lockpick these doors as well. Philomeen will be inside, ready to set off some explosives, but speak with her and calm her so that she will hand over the Runepowder.

She can be killed here if you desire, but it isn’t necessary. However, those who do wish to kill her do so in a way that won’t potentially murder everyone. Refusing to let her go will cause her to set off the explosives, blowing everyone up. Instead, the better option is to accept the deal and then go into turn-based mode to finish her off. Doing it this way will allow the party to collect any loot and not risk their lives. With the Runepowder, pyou are one step closer to freeing Nere.

Rescue Nere From The Cave-In

Now it’s time to head back and rescue Nere, who is hopefully still alive and not already dead from the poisonous gasses. After reaching the rubble, you can connect minds with Nere, but ultimately, it’s time to get him out of there. Set the Runepowder on the rubble and light it through whatever spell is available. The Burning Hands Spell should work fine to free Nere, who will immediately begin showcasing what a lovely person he is, some of which players may have already witnessed if they bothered connecting minds with him earlier. Once he’s killed the poor gnome, it’s time to decide whether to side with Nere.

Side With Nere or Kill Him

Given his outright cruelty, most will probably opt to kill Nere. If Elder Brithvar’s earlier offer was accepted, the offer still stands, and Nere can be killed with Elder Brithvar’s help. This will complete the Free Tree Soul Nere quest, and players can loot his body. For those who spoke with the Sovereign and began the Deliver Nere’s Head quest, now is the time to pick up his head. Nere should have an Illithid parasite on him, so grab that. Additionally, gold is to be obtained from the deal made earlier in Baldur’s Gate 3.

For those who would rather side with evil and support Nere, this will mean fighting Elder Brithvar and all his companions. After that fight, Nere will attempt to kill the gnomes, which he can be persuaded of, but if it’s already gone this far, he might as well let it happen. If you fail to convince him, he’ll out you for being a traitor, so it’s best not to make enemies all around. Otherwise, not only will the party have dealt with the Elder Brithvar fight, but they’ll have to fight Nere and Duergar anyway, and there’s no win. However, killing Baldur’s Gate 3‘s gnomes will not free them, and that associated quest will not be fulfilled.

Once all is said and done, players will receive rewards, including the Illithid parasite. It’s just a difference between taking it off Nere’s dead body or him handing it over at the end of everything. As with everything in Baldur’s Gate 3, choices are important, and every decision can affect many things later on, so think about the decisions you make as you go and how they could change other aspects of the game, either for the better or worse.