Baldur’s Gate 3: Should you free the Pixie in BG3?

If you're unsure whether you should free the Pixie or trap it in Baldur's Gate 3, we have some advice.

Shadowheart casting a spell in Baldur's Gate 3
Screenshot by Dot Esports

In Baldur’s Gate 3, if you acquire a working Moonlantern in the Shadow Cursed Lands, you’ll eventually face a choice to free the Pixie trapped inside. You may be conflicted because the lanterns are almost essential to escaping the Shadow Curse.

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The Pixie powers the protective light, tempting you to keep it hostage to ease your travel. If you are unsure whether to free the Pixie in Baldur’s Gate 3, read on for the details.

What happens if you free the Pixie in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Kar'niss in Baldur's Gate 3 holding a Moonlantern with a trapped Pixie inside.
Kar’niss is a great source for a working Moonlantern, though you need to take it off him. Screenshot by Dot Esports

You should free the Pixie from the Moonlantern in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you free the Pixie, you will attain the Pixie’s Blessing. This buff works as a much better, permanent version of the Moonlantern, making you immune to the effects of the Shadow Curse.

The Pixie’s Blessing applies to the entire party, meaning you can venture around the Shadow Cursed lands without any trouble from the local blight. Whereas torches and the Moonlantern are severely restricted, the Pixie’s gift is by far the most powerful tool to avoid the Shadow Curse. Instead of doing your best to fix the broken Moonlanterns, it is better to go with the Pixie’s Blessing.

Freeing the Pixie also helps to complete the Stop the Presses side quest in Act Three, as the Printing Press will automatically be friendly, and you can change articles without an ability check. If you didn’t free the Pixie, an ability check stands in the way of completing this particular side quest.

What happens if you trap the Pixie in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Aged woman with white hair wearing leather armor in BG3
The choice is yours. Screenshot by Dot Esports

If you’re going the evil route or playing the Dark Urge, you can always kill or trap the Pixie. There is some benefit to keeping the Pixie trapped; the Moonlantern is much better at spotting Wraiths.

Despite this benefit, your entire party will still be limited to a relatively small radius, always centered around the character wielding the Moonlantern.

Trapping the Pixie also has consequences in the Stop the Presses side quest in Act Three, as you must pass an ability check for the Printing Press to become friendly. This isn’t too hard, so do whatever you feel is the best choice for your character.

How to free the Pixie in Baldur’s Gate 3

You can obtain the only working Moonlantern from Kar’niss, and it contains the Pixie, which will give you the blessing. There are no other Moonlanterns to fix. Whenever you acquire a Moonlantern, whether from ambushing Kar’niss or not, you can inspect it.

Once you inspect it, your character should be able to observe the Pixie trapped inside. Let the Pixie go, but make sure to select the magical creature’s blessing as your reward; otherwise, you will be out of the lantern and the permanent buff.

You can do this action at any time after you get the Moonlantern. Though there are various ways to travel through the Shadow Cursed Lands, none are better than the Pixie’s Blessing.

Author
Image of Josh Challies
Josh Challies
Staff Writer. Professional writer since 2014. Pokemon, Marvel, Star Wars and overall geek. Previously wrote for Yahoo Sport, Stats Perform and online news publications.
Author
Image of Hayley Andrews
Hayley Andrews
Hayley Andrews is a staff writer for Dot Esports with a dual degree in business and human resource management. After discovering her passion for creative writing and gaming, she now writes about MOBAs, MMOs, and cozy games.