As you follow Shadowheart’s storyline in Baldur’s Gate 3, you get to find an artifact called the Mirror of Loss, which may be confusing to use when you first encounter it. This strange object offers a rare bonus to your character’s stats once you hit Act 3 of the story. However, the Mirror also grants a curse that lowers certain scores in exchange for the powerful buffs that you may need for the final sections of the game.
The Mirror of Loss may be found as early as Act 2 within the Temple of Shar once your party travels to the Underdark. The Chamber of Loss hosts this glowing sphere of purple magic, but going to this location costs 1,000 Gold every time. The Mirror itself cannot be interacted with until you reach Act 3, so make sure to build more approval with Shadowheart’s quests in order to reach this area later.
How To Use The Mirror of Loss In Baldur’s Gate 3
Once you approach the Mirror of Loss during Act 3, it asks you to offer up your character’s memories in exchange for buffs if you pass an Arcana check on the object. Pray to the artifact and pass a Religion check to fully understand exactly what this means. The Mirror allows you to take a -2 in any Ability Score for a +2 bonus in any other stat of your choice, giving you a chance to adjust your character sheet in Baldur’s Gate 3.
While this may sound like a steep sacrifice for your character, you have the chance to trick the Mirror of Loss with a false memory. Instead of the options in Baldur’s Gate 3 that would give up memories, simply make a high enough Deception check to deceive the artifact. This gets around any negative penalty, leaving you only with the increased score and all of your history still within your character’s head.
Shadowheart or any character with the Remove Curse spell can get rid of the -2 penalty given by the Mirror of Loss as soon as you finish giving up your memories.
If you choose to read the Necromancy of Thay in Baldur’s Gate 3, you have the option to get rid of the Forbidden Knowledge memory as well. Managing to pass the difficult Wisdom checks needed to understand that book only gives a +1 to all Wisdom rolls, making the Mirror’s offer a bit better. Choosing to give up the taboo knowledge leaves no curse, letting you use the Mirror of Loss without a downside in Baldur’s Gate 3.