How To Open The Sinister Door In Cazador’s Palace In Baldur’s Gate 3

Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 sees players inching closer to a face-off with Cazador, Astarion’s master, and the vampire lord with designs on the innocent people of the city. But while Cazador might be the ultimate target, there’s a tricky barrier in your path: a Sinister Door stalwartly guarding his ritual site.

If you’re thinking of sending in Astarion with a couple of thieves’ tools as usual, think again; you won’t be able to lock pick this door at all. This guide aims to help you decipher the secrets of this magically sealed entrance and make your way beyond the ballroom, where the horrors of Cazador’s Ascendant Ritual await.

Updated January 3, 2024, by Sean Murray: What lies beyond the sinister door in Baldur’s Gate 3 is not for the faint of heart. That’s why we’ve refreshed this guide with improved formatting and more links to other helpful BG3 topics.

Astarion can help you bypass several social and investigation checks, given his familiarity with Cazador’s abode and staff. We recommend having Astarion in your party for both narrative and mechanical benefit.

Where Is The Sinister Door?

Cazador is holding his ritual beneath the Szarr Palace (X:-70, Y:-55) just west of the Lower City Central Wall waypoint.

You can find this out by confronting Cazador’s vampire spawn hunting in the Outer City, and finishing the first step of the Investigate Cazador’s Palace quest.

You can also get into the Szarr Palace without meeting the vampire spawn—if you do so, the spawn will not warn Cazador about you. That said, Cazador cannot be surprised due to his Alert feature, so it makes very little mechanical difference.

Once you get into the Szarr Palace, either by fighting or deceiving the guards at the front door, you’ll be greeted by some of his servants, as well as the magically-sealed Sinister Door to the far north of the hallway.

To open the Sinister Door, you will need both two components: the Szaar Signet Ring which will serve as a key, as well as the Kozakuran Dictionary to tell you which incantations to read.

Cazador’s Sinister Door: Finding The Szarr Family Ring

Speak to Vilhelm and pass a DC 18 Persuasion, Intimidation or Deception Check to learn that Cazador’s kennel keeper, Godey, is the only creature who can unseal the door.

Finding Godey

You can find Godey on the lower floor of the Szarr Palace, down a long flight of stairs to the right of the Sinister Door.

Once you’ve reached the bottom of the stairs, follow the carpet, turn right, and walk to the end of the hallway. A DC 10 Investigation check will reveal a secret doorway.

Once you go through this door, Godey will be waiting to ambush you immediately to the right of the doorway, though a DC 15 Perception check will reveal him.

Without Astarion, speaking to Godey will immediately instigate combat. If you manage to perceive him, it may be more advantageous to make the first attack.

As a skeleton and an undead, Godey is immune to Poison damage and vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage.

He also has Magical Resistance, three attacks, as well as the Parry and Riposte fighter features, making him a surprisingly hardy foe.

You’ll be able to find the Szarr Family Ring on Godey’s body, as well as a Key to the Kennel, and Plate Armor (worth 400 gold).

Having Astarion In The Party

If you have Astarion with you in the party during this series of events, you will:

• Not need to make the check to learn about Godey from Vilhelm
• Automatically succeed on the secret doorway Investigation check, as Astarion will point it out
• Be able to make a series of social checks instead (DC 15 Intimidation / Deception, then another DC 20 Intimidation / Deception / Persuasion) to avoid fighting Godey and convince him to hand the ring over

Cazador’s Sinister Door: Finding The Kozakuran Dictionary

The next piece of the puzzle lies behind the door to the south of the Kennels where you found Godey.

An Arcana check will reveal that the door is hiding some powerful necrotic energy. Once you open the door, it’ll reveal a dead body inflicted with a Sapping Curse in the middle of the room, which will cause anyone nearby 3d8 Necrotic damage per turn, as well as cause the room to become difficult terrain.

The Kozakuran Dictionary that you need can be found in the mahogany wardrobe closer to the bed. It’ll take 60 feet of movement to reach the wardrobe due to the difficult terrain, but you can use movement spells such as Misty Step, Dimension Door, Fly, etc. to bypass it.

Alternatively, you can also use Remove Curse on the body to make the room safe to navigate.

If you have the health to spare, the Opulent Chest to the north of the room may also be worth mentioning, as it contains a fair bit of gold, a spell scroll of Globe of Invulnerability, as well as a Helmet of Grit.

With both the Szarr Family Ring and the Kozakuran Dictionary in your inventory, you’ll be able to interact with the Sinister Door and open it easily.

A tough fight awaits immediately after the Sinister Door. Heal up any damage taken from Godey or the Sapping Curse before opening the door.