Baldur’s Gate 3 – Counting House Vault Guide

Discovering the secrets of Baldur’s Gate 3’s Lower City reveals one of Act 3’s most rewarding challenges: accessing the heavily secured Counting House vault. This comprehensive walkthrough covers the essential steps to bypass security measures, solve the intricate puzzle, and secure the valuable treasures within.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Counting House Vault occupies the southern district of the Lower City at coordinates -98; -148. Critical to this endeavor is having Jaheira recruited and kept alive throughout Act 2, as her presence unlocks unique narrative interactions and quest progression. Without her companionship, players may miss significant story elements and character development moments.

Strategic conversation with banking officials can grant legitimate access to restricted areas.

This vault exploration typically initiates through Jaheira’s personal questline, The High Harper, which provides crucial context for encountering Minsc. The journey begins at coordinates 62; -101 in the Lower City, where you’ll encounter intimidating thugs guarding their territory.

Successfully persuading these enforcers that you seek audience with their leader reveals the concealed entrance to their headquarters. Inside this clandestine base, Jaheira engages in tense negotiations with Nine-Fingers Keene, the formidable gang leader who reveals disturbing news about the Stone Lord.

• Navigate to the specified coordinates and use Intimidation, Persuasion, or Deception to gain entry
• Witness the dramatic revelation that the feared Stone Lord is actually Minsc, Jaheira’s long-lost companion from earlier Baldur’s Gate adventures
• Locate and examine the handwritten note beside Nine-Fingers’ bed, revealing Minsc’s destination and the planned ambush

Gallery

Left: The Revealed Entrance takes you to Nine-Fingers’ base of operations; Right: Nine-Fingers Keene isn’t willing to help, but there’s a clue by the bedside table.

The Counting House presents multiple security challenges requiring creative problem-solving. The primary approach involves conversing with Head Clerk Meadhoney and successfully passing Intimidation, Persuasion, or Deception skill checks, which earns you an official pass for vault area entry.

Upon receiving clearance, you’ll navigate through corridors containing smaller secured vaults protected by magical barriers. Your objective focuses on the massive door at the corridor’s end, protected by a sophisticated four-digit combination mechanism.

Pro Tip: Before attempting skill checks, ensure your party member with the highest Charisma leads conversations. Consider using buffs like Guidance or Enhance Ability to significantly improve success probabilities for these critical interactions.

Stealth approaches provide reliable alternatives when social engineering fails or seems too risky.

The essential vault combination resides within the heavily guarded Head Banker’s Office on the building’s second level. Two vigilant sentries patrol this area, and detection triggers an extremely challenging DC25 skill check or immediate combat escalation.

The most effective method utilizes Astarion’s exceptional Stealth and Sleight of Hand capabilities. Execute this strategy by ungrouping your party and casting Greater Invisibility on Astarion, enabling undetected traversal past the guards.

• Maintain party separation and apply Greater Invisibility for secure hallway crossing
• Expertly lockpick the office door and locate the historical text referencing year 1356
• The critical vault code is definitively 1-3-5-6 based on this chronological reference
• If invisibility expires prematurely, utilize fast travel to regroup safely outside

Druid Alternative: Characters with Wild Shape capabilities can transform into feline form, accessing the second floor through ventilation systems in the lower-level storage room.

Shape-shifting into smaller creatures provides unique environmental navigation opportunities beyond conventional approaches.

Return to the imposing vault entrance and carefully observe the numbered floor panels arranged before the secured door. The solution requires precise sequential activation of panels corresponding to the discovered code.

You must input 1-3-5-6 in exact order while avoiding contact with incorrect plates.

Optimal strategy involves party separation and individual positioning adjacent to target panels. This meticulous preparation prevents pathfinding errors and accidental missteps that could reset the puzzle mechanism.

Common Pitfall: Group movement often causes characters to step on wrong plates due to automatic path calculation. Manually control each character’s movement to designated positions before initiating the sequence.

Strategic party positioning ensures flawless puzzle execution without accidental miscalculations.

Upon successful puzzle completion, prepare immediately for combat as you enter the vault chamber. Minsc recognizes Jaheira but appears mentally compromised, triggering the emergence of multiple Bhaal cultist adversaries.

These opponents present significant tactical challenges with invisibility capabilities, stunning attacks, and Sanctuary spell protection making them temporarily invulnerable to direct assaults.

• Position party members strategically before entering to control engagement angles
• Utilize area-of-effect spells like Ice Storm carefully to avoid damaging neutral bank guards
• Wait for Sanctuary-protected cultists to make their moves since you cannot target them while the spell remains active
• Focus fire on visible targets while preparing countermeasures for invisible attackers

After eliminating all hostile forces, thoroughly search the area for valuable loot. The primary vault chest contains Elegant Studded Leather armor with exceptional properties: 14 AC rating, +2 Initiative bonus, Stealth check advantage, and additional Shield spell capability.

Gallery

Left: Minsc isn’t himself; Right: You have to eliminate the cultists.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Baldur’s Gate 3 – Counting House Vault Guide Complete guide to solving the Counting House vault puzzle and recruiting Minsc in Baldur's Gate 3 Act 3