You can discover the creators of the Steel Watch guards f you explore the Steel Watch Foundry during your Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough. There, you’ll meet Gondian Zanner Toobin, who is, along with the other Gondians, being held against his will to create the Steel Watch for Gortash.
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Although you can work with Wulbren to destroy the factory, the alternative is to work alongside Gondian Zanner to free his family, and then rise up against the Steel Watch. The choice is yours, and the alternative is to destroy the Steel Watch Foundry using the Runepowder Bomb. Here’s what you need to know about how to save the Gondians in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to Find The Gondian Prison in Baldur’s Gate 3
You’ll learn about the Gondian prison by speaking with Zanner, who is in the back of the Steel Watch Foundry. Speak with him in the Lower Cities of Baldur’s Gate, and he’ll ask that you make your way to the level below, where you can learn about where the prison could potentially be in Baldur’s Gate 3.
This next area is heavily guarded, and I only took one character through this location. They were exceptional with stealth as a Shadowfist Monk and a level 4 Rogue, giving them a distinct advantage in Baldur’s Gate 3.
When sneaking through this area, I found it best to hug the right side of the wall and jump onto the crates, where you can reach the pipes. This should make it easier for you to navigate above the several crowds of NPCs, and then reach the center walkway, overlooking the workshop. This will be your primary goal to reach in Baldur’s Gate 3, and then you want to make your way to a small shelf, where you can find a distinct piece of paper labeled Vessel Identified. Reading this sheet of paper will give your character knowledge of where you can find the Gondians, and how they’re being held in an underwater prison.
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After learning this, return to Zanner, and he’ll confirm that if the prison is underwater, the guards need to get there by using a submarine. He urges you to search somewhere on the docks for them to learn more. You can find a hidden facility used by Gortash and his followers to the northwest of the Steel Forge, at a location called Flymm Cargo.
The doors to the dock are locked, but a Baldur’s Gate 3 character with a high Sleight of Hand and Lockpicking kit should be able to open it. There are a handful of Worgs guarding this location and have you take them out, look for the hidden hatch on the northwest part of the building, and you’ll be able to head down.
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Once inside this basem*nt, head down to the other end of the area, where you’ll find Redhammer, the one who brings anyone Gortash wants to the underwater prison, also known as the Iron Throne. You’ll need to pass a Skill Check to convince him to take you down and that you’re there on Gortash’s orders and no other reason. After you’ve finished convincing him, you’ll be able to make your way inside the facility.
How to Escape The Iron Throne in Baldur’s Gate 3
Unfortunately, regardless of your array of choices, Gortash will signal the submarine and begin speaking with you. He’ll offer you the chance to turn around, or he will destroy the whole facility and everyone inside of it. There does not appear to be a way to prevent Gortash from not setting off the bombs, and you have a short amount of time to get everyone out, including Wyll’s father.
For my Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough, I only had six turns to rescue the Gondian hostages, every other hostage in the prison, and Wyll’s Father. If you worked with Omeluum in the Underdark, he’d reach out to you to ask for assistance during this escape plan, as Gortash also captured him. What makes this encounter difficult is you have to spread out your party members to unlock the doors, avoid fighting the creatures appearing from the water, and ensure everyone gets out alive. You can escape Iron Throne with every Gondian, but it takes good luck and preparation.
Before I entered Iron Thron, I saved my game and reloaded this save to try it again. What I found to be most effective was ensuring every party member has a way to teleport themselves around the map and they have Speed Potion on them. Speed is exceptionally useful to perform multiple actions in a single turn, and those actions are primarily used to cast Dash, rush to the levers, and unlock the prisoners. For my Baldur’s Gate 3 encounter, I avoided fighting nearly all the aquatic creatures that appeared, focusing on getting everyone unlocked as quickly as possible.
Three to four of the creatures would spawn each turn to cause even more problems. For my group, I sent Karlach and Shadowheart to the south, my main character as a Monk/Rogue to the west, and the Wyll to the west, where he saved his father. In my first turn, I reached all of the rooms with prisoners, and by the second one, they were making their way to the submarine. What came in handy was Karlach using Misty Step, Wyll using Dimension Door, my Monk could use Shadow Step, and Shadowheart was a simple dash with the Speed Potion.
As a bonus, Omeluum can teleport himself and one person in melee range straight back to the submarine. I used this on him and Karlach, and then I sent him down to the entrance of the Iron Throne. I would not have made it out of the submarine without all of the prisoners had it not been for him during my Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough.
After the encounter, speak with Obelia, Zanner’s daughter. You can explain how you learned about her from her father and return to the surface. You must defend Redhammer when you arrive to the surface, so prepare for another fight.
Saving the Gondian Families & Destroying the Steel Watch Foundry in Baldur’s Gate 3
After you’ve completed this quest, return across the harbor to the Steel Watch Foundry, and make your way to Zanner on the other side of the harbor. You can let him know that all the Gondians have been saved, and you can plan the next move in Baldur’s Gate 3. When you arrive at the foundry, a fight has broken out with the Gondians, as they rise against Gortash’s people to take control of the building and the Steel Watch.
After clearing out all of the enemies, speak with Zanner, and you’ll have the choice to plan the Runepowder Bomb, or you can work with Zanner to recapture control of the Steel Watch. For those who want a more destructive playthrough, using the Runepowder Bomb is more effective, but it might cause some later collateral damage. Hearing out Zanner and reaching the facility’s center might be better.
The process will be the same, regardless of your choice. You’ll need to head down to the next floor with your Baldur’s Gate 3 group to clear out the guards and save any Gondians that you can on the way. However, the final bottom has the most fearsome enemy you need to fight: The Titan.
The Steel Watcher Titan is the most fearsome of the Steel Watchers. It will be locked away in the final room, protecting the precious location you need to reach to destroy the facility. For this fight, I initially tried to focus my entire Baldur’s Gate 3 group on defeating the Steel Titan, but that wasn’t the solution. Instead, I focused on fighting the three Steel Watchers beside it and then taking on the Steel Watcher Titan itself.
Fighting the Titan is not easy. It has a large amount of health and several defensive attacks to help boost it, making it difficult to hit, with a large AoE that it unleashes when it enters its Bulwark Form. It’s better to remove the supportive Steel Watchers in this room before focusing everyone on the Titan, where you can do the most damage.
After you finish this fight, Zanner will enter the room, and you can destroy the Steel Works facility. Wulbren will appear at the end, and you’ll have to choose to kill the last of the Gondians, or you can let them live, forcing Wulbren to leave, who vows revenge in the future.
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