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In Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3, an intense encounter with Ketheric Thorm results in the villain making a strategic escape deep beneath the Moonrise Towers—into a hidden mindflayer laboratory, full of gruesome secrets.
One of the most challenging puzzles that can be found here, however, is the neural node puzzle found in the southeast of the lab. This puzzle has you link up various color-coded brains, unlocking a room filled not just with intriguing lore but also a treasure trove of valuable equipment.
Where To Find The Brain Puzzle In The Necrotic Laboratory
You can access the Necrotic Laboratory as a whole after completing the first part of Ketheric Thorm's battle on the rooftop of the towers, after which he'll make his escape into the Mindflayer Colony underneath the towers.
Follow him through the tunnel, and you'll find yourself in the long, fleshy hallways of the Necrotic Laboratory.
This puzzle in question can be found near the end of the area, in the southwest corner.
How To Solve The Brain Puzzle In The Necrotic Laboratory
You won't be able to use your character's high perception or intelligence as a crutch with this one, making it one of the trickier puzzles of the game.
There are four brains, Reason (pink), Memory (green), Emotion (yellow), and Speech (blue).
To unlock the door behind the puzzle, you'll need to connect each colored brain to its corresponding symbol at the end of the puzzle via neural nodes. These lines cannot overlap and each neural node can only be assigned one color.
The logic is pretty straightforward, but solving it might be easier said than done due to the three-dimensional aspect of the puzzle.
Not to worry though—this video will walk you through exactly how to solve the puzzle!
Necrotic Laboratory Brain Puzzle Rewards
For a few minutes of clicking, this puzzle rewards you with a sizable amount of cool gear (especially good for Enchantment Wizards and Lore Bards), and some lore tidbits about the game's overarching mindflayer story.
Progress past the door that opens after you finish connecting the neural nodes, and look in the skeleton to grab a Circlet of Mental Anguish, Braindrain Gloves, and a Blade of Oppressed Souls.
Circlet of Mental Anguish (Rare) | Psychic Leech: When an enemy fails a Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom Saving Throw against one of your spells or cantrips, you regain 1-4 hitpoints. |
|---|---|
Braindrain Gloves | Mental Interference: When you deal Psychic damage, you also inflict Mental Fatigue* for 2 turns. *Mental Fatigue: Has -1 penalty to Charisma, Intelligence of Wisdom Saving Throws for every turn remaining |
Blade of Oppressed Souls | +1 Longsword, Versatile 1d10 (1d8) Slashing + 1d4 Psychic Damage |