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Baldur's Gate 3

How to Recruit Jaheira in BG3

By
Nathan Garvin

Jaheira is one of only two returning characters from the original saga who can join your party in Baldur’s Gate 3. Getting the veteran Harper to join your party is no simple matter however, and you’ll need to play through the majority of Act 2 before you can get her to join. This page will provide you pointers for how to recruit Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Jaheira returns in Baldur’s Gate 3, leading the Harper resistance stationed at Last Light Inn.

How to Find Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3

Like most beings left in the Shadowlands that aren’t undead or cultists, Jaheira can be found at the Last Light Inn, the sole bastion of safety in the Sharran this nightmare. One of the few bastions of civilization in the Shadowlands, the Last Light Inn is in the center of the area, but how you reach it and whom you’ll encounter along the way varies depending on the route you took to reach the Shadowlands.

(1 of 2) If you reached the Shadowlands via the Mountain Pass, you can get an escort to Moonrise via a drider named Kar’Niss,

If you reached the Shadowlands via the Mountain Pass, you can get an escort to Moonrise via a drider named Kar’Niss, (left), while the Underdark route will put you closer to Last Light Inn - you will have to assist some Harpers who are beset by shadows, however. (right)

The Underdark Route

This route is significantly longer than the "Mountain Pass" iconMountain Pass route (at least if you explore everything fully), but it puts you in a better position when it comes to reaching Last Light Inn and recruiting Jaheira. You’ll appear along the northeastern edge of the Shadowlands and will need to head southwest to reach the Last Light Inn - it should be fairly hard to miss starting from this location, but you will have to weather an encounter with some Harpers fighting shadows.

The Mountain Path

If you took the Mountain Path you’ll end up along the southeastern corner of the Shadowlands, and you’ll have to venture east, then south to link up with a group of Absolutist cultists and minions who are waiting for a True Soul to summon an escort who will get them through the Shadow Cursed lands. You can do this by playing the Spider Lyre you may have looted from Minthara back in Act 1 (if you killed the goblin leaders), but failing that you’ll likely get an [Illithid | Wisdom 2] check to use your mighty tadpole powers to summon the guide (there’s also a [Paladin] check you can use, and likely other class/race specific workarounds). However you attract the guide’s attention, you’ll end up being led by a drider named Kar’niss, and during the escort you’ll be ambushed by Harpers. You can stay true to the Absolutist monsters if you wish, but siding with the Harpers is generally the Jaheira-friendly choice. For more information about this fight, check out the page How to Ambush and Defeat Kar’Niss in BG3.

Meeting Jaheira at Last Light Inn

Either route you take, you’ll eventually end up confronting Jaheira at Last Light Inn. Despite being standoffish, it’s fairly hard to accidentally pick a fight at this phase - if you pick the Attack. option… well, that’s on you. Obviously murdering a potential companion won’t do your recruitment efforts any favors.

(1 of 2) At Last Light Inn, you must prevent Isobel from dying - if she falls, the barrier falls with her,

At Last Light Inn, you must prevent Isobel from dying - if she falls, the barrier falls with her, (left), and the entire populace of the Last Light Inn will turn into undead - even if you survive, these aren’t ideal circumstances for recruiting Jaheira, to say the least. (right)

Recruiting Jaheira - Act 2 Overview

Jaheira is the leader of the Harpers occupying Last Light Inn, and her primary goal is to defeat Ketheric Thorm, and while this seems simple enough, there are a few things that go along with it. Namely she’s opposed to the Absolute and Sharrans, and would rather see the Shadow Curse dispelled, and wants to keep Last Light Inn and her Harpers safe. Some of this is politics, some of it is practicality, but there’s a lot of overlap. Generally you do not want to side with the Absolutists cultists (playing nice to infiltrate Moonrise Tower notwithstanding) and you should avoid doing anything that will put Last Light Inn at risk. Here’s a rough to-do list for Act 2 if you want to recruit Jaheira:

  • You must protect Isobel. If she falls, so does Last Light Inn. You also have to refrain from killing her yourself. You might be able to lie your way out of culpability, but the damage will be done.
  • While you can ingratiate yourself with the Absolutist cult as a means of gaining information or infiltrating, when push comes to shove, you’ve got to back Jaheira and the Harpers. Irreparably damaging their position or ending up in a fight against them is probably a bad sign.

(1 of 3) If you turn on Kar’Niss or join a Harper ambush targeting his convoy, you’ll find protection against the Shadow Curse in the form of the drider’s Moonlantern - of the pixie within.

With those three broad criteria sorted, all you have to do is… well, pretty much complete Act 2. This is an involved process that has many steps, but the highlights are as follows:

  • You must find some protection against the Shadow Curse - check out the linked page for more info, but the easiest way is to kill Kar’Niss and steal his "Moonlantern" iconMoonlantern.
  • Infiltrate Moonrise and talk to the cultists there to gain intel. This may be optional, but you can learn a good bit of useful information - including the source of Ketheric Throm’s powers, as well as pick up the quest "Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic" iconFind Ketheric Thorm’s Relic. Shopping’s not bad, either.
  • Now for the troublesome bits. You must head to the Mausoleum (aka the Gauntlet of Shar to the north of Moonrise and seek out Balthazar, who is searching for the Nightsong relic - something that’s been on the backburner since early in Act 1. This is a lengthy endeavor, but the objectives listed above are all interconnected.
  • When you get the opportunity, you must save the Nightsong. This has significant story ramifications for "Shadowheart" iconShadowheart’s storyline as well, but appeasing Shar and keeping Last Light safe aren’t compatible goals. You cannot surrender Nightsong to Balthazar.
  • During the assault on Moonrise Tower, when talking to Jaheira pick the dialog option “Actually, I’d rather you join my party, Jaheira.” to take her with you. It’ll be easier to keep her alive if you’re in control of her. After your first encounter with Ketheric Thorm, talk to Jaheira and pick the option “Face Ketheric with me.” and she’ll finally join as a full-fledged party member.

Quite a lot of work, but fans of the original saga (at least those with good taste) will gladly put in the effort to reunite with Jaheira. Again, to summarize: Don’t pick a fight (duh), keep Isobel alive, act against Shar and the Absolute in favor of the Harpers and don’t leave her fate in the hands of AI during the battle at Moonrise Tower. This page is just a summary, so be sure to check out the following in-depth pages that’ll help you get through Act 2:

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Larian Studios
  • Platforms,
    Mac, PC, PS5, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Adventure, RPG
  • Guide Release
    6 April 2023
  • Last Updated
    26 March 2024
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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Baldur’s Gate 3 is an immersive roleplaying game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. It features a rich story with multiple outcomes for almost every encounter, and plenty of character customization features including more races, classes, subclasses and party combinations than you are ever likely to explore. The seemingly endless possibilities and numerous choices that you can make throughout your journey make a helping hand always welcome, and that’s where we come in! This guide features the following:

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