As you explore the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll encounter the Arcane Tower, which is quite challenging to pass through. But accessing the treasures within the Chest of the Mundane, and picking up the chest, is worth all the trouble.
How to destroy the Arcane Turrets in the Arcane Tower
If this is your first time in the Arcane Tower, you must be wary of the Arcane Turrets positioned around the Tower. They are Sturdy, so they’re almost impossible to destroy. So, Slashing, Piercing, and many elemental damage abilities won’t work on them.
But they aren’t resistant to Electric-based spells. So, if you have Gale on your team or a Sorcerer, you can use Witch Bolt on the Arcane Turrets. And once they’ve been destroyed, you can head into the Tower and find the Chest of the Mundane.
How to find the Chest of the Mundane in BG3
The Chest of the Mundane can be found on a balcony on the first floor of the Arcane Tower of the Underdark roughly at the coordinates X:-37 and Y:-265.
To get to this location, you must make your way inside the Tower, and there are a few ways you can do that, but the easiest is to use the window on the left of the main door.
Inside, you can either Misty Step past the Turrets or destroy them with Witch Bolt until you reach the Sturdy door at the coordinates X:-39 and Y:-269.
If your heart dropped as mine did at having to figure out how to destroy another Sturdy object, don’t worry—this is simply a door you can open. On the right side of the balcony, you’ll see the Chest of the Mundane.
How to get the treasures inside the Chest of the Mundane in BG3
You will perform an Arcane chest as soon as you approach the Chest of the Mundane. If you pass the Arcane chest, you’ll learn the chest is enchanted, but if you don’t pass the check, don’t worry; you aren’t missing out on anything other than a few pieces of dialogue.
When you open the chest, you’ll notice only a few mundane items inside. But there is more to these items than meets the eye.
Once you take all the items and they’re in your inventory, they’ll transform into a Scroll of Protection from Evil and Good, Mystra’s Grace boots, a Scroll of Mage Armour, a Gold Ingot, and a Hearthlight Bomb.
The best item, by far, is Mystra’s Boots. When equipped, you and your party will be Immune from fall damage. So, there’s no need to fear if you’re pushed off a cliff by an enemy or worry about dying if you like to jump from high places.
How to use the Chest of the Mundane in BG3
Now that you’ve obtained all the items in the chest, you can explore the Arcane Tower and forget about the Chest of the Mundane… just kidding. If you’ve got enough space, and by that, I mean 20kgs of it, take the Chest of the Mundane with you because it works similarly to the Bag of Holding—it reduces the weight of its contents to .05.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Mountain Pass or Underdark? Which you should choose in BG3
But there’s a catch—whatever you put in the chest will transform into something else once it’s taken out. So, fill it with junk and see what happens! As someone who tends to pick up everything because it will “surely be useful later,” this chest is a godsend because I can now hoard more things in the hopes that they’ll become something useful.
The Arcane Tower is just one of the many unique areas of the Underdark, which is full of mystery and choices, like siding with Sovereign Glut or Spaw and a Mind Flayer living in the Myconoids Grotto.
