Destroy the Necromancy of Thay

Key takeawaysSpoilers

The destruction route is short in objective structure but important for long-term rewards.

• Use Radiant damage The book does not respond to physical or other elemental attacks for the destruction objective. Use a Radiant-damage effect such as Guiding Bolt instead.
• Prepare before destroying it Three hostile Shadow enemies appear immediately after the book is destroyed. Restore the party and position your characters before starting the interaction.
• The choice is permanent in practice Destroying the tome removes access to its unique perks, including the path toward Speak with Dead, Forbidden Knowledge, and later Danse Macabre.
• The route has companion approval implications Destroying the book can provide minor approval boosts from companions including Karlach, Wyll, and Lae'zel.

Destroy the Necromancy of ThaySpoilers

Destroy the Necromancy of Thay is an optional Act 1 decision centered on a sinister tome found beneath the Blighted Village.

The Necromancy of Thay is a skin-bound book hidden in the cellar beneath the Blighted Village. It is connected to the Search the Cellar quest and presents a meaningful choice rather than a simple item interaction: the player can pursue the book's dark secrets, give it to a companion, or destroy it. This page covers the destruction route and the combat that follows it.

The destruction objective has a specific damage requirement. The book must be targeted with Radiant damage; physical attacks and other elemental damage types are ineffective for this purpose. Guiding Bolt is a commonly used solution because it applies Radiant damage directly to the tome, but the important requirement is the damage type rather than one particular spell.

Destroying the book is immediately followed by the appearance of three hostile Shadow enemies. They must be defeated as part of the encounter, so the decision should be made with the party ready for combat rather than while treating the cellar as a safe place to sort items. This route can suit a playthrough that rejects the book's influence, but it gives up the unique benefits available from keeping and unlocking it.

Where this sits

Requirements

Reach the Necromancy of Thay in the cellar beneath the Blighted Village and have access to a source of Radiant damage before choosing the destruction route.

• RequiredFind the Necromancy of ThayThe book is located in the cellar beneath the Blighted Village, in the area explored through Search the Cellar.
• RequiredA Radiant-damage effectThe destruction objective requires Radiant damage. Guiding Bolt is a common option, but any reliable way to target the book with Radiant damage serves the same purpose.
• RecommendedA combat-ready partyDestroying the tome summons three hostile Shadow enemies immediately, so prepare health, spell slots, actions, and positioning before attacking the book.
• RequiredDecide whether to give up the book's perksDestruction prevents access to the unique benefits associated with keeping and unlocking the Necromancy of Thay.

ObjectivesSpoilers

1. Reach the cellar beneath the Blighted VillageExplore the cellar connected to Search the Cellar until you reach the Necromancy of Thay.
2. Destroy the Necromancy of ThayTarget the book with Radiant damage; physical and other elemental attacks do not fulfil this objective.
3. Defeat the summoned Shadow enemiesThree hostile Shadow enemies appear after the destruction and must be defeated immediately.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Find the Necromancy of Thay

   Enter the cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   Travel to the Blighted Village and explore the cellar beneath it as part of Search the Cellar. Continue the cellar investigation until the Necromancy of Thay becomes available to interact with; do not assume that merely finding the cellar completes the destruction route.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   TipTreat the cellar as an active quest area and finish arranging the party before interacting with the tome.

2. 02

   Choose the destruction path

   Inspect the Necromancy of Thay

   Approach the skin-bound tome and review the available interaction rather than attacking it immediately. The book supports several possible decisions, so confirm that destruction is the intended route before committing to the damage action.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   Watch outKeeping or giving the book away leads to a different outcome and preserves possibilities that are lost when the tome is destroyed.

3. 03

   Use the correct damage type

   Prepare Radiant damage

   Place a character with a Radiant-damage spell or effect in a position from which the tome can be targeted. Guiding Bolt is a straightforward example, while physical attacks and other elemental damage types are ineffective for the destruction objective.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   TipCheck the effect's damage type before spending an action; the key requirement is Radiant damage, not a particular caster or class.

4. 04

   Destroy the Necromancy of Thay

   Target and destroy the book

   Use the Radiant-damage effect on the Necromancy of Thay to complete the destruction objective. Once the tome is destroyed, the encounter changes immediately, so avoid beginning this action while the party is injured or unable to respond.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   Watch outDestroying the tome prevents the party from gaining its unique perks and ends the route toward its later unlocks.

5. 05

   Defeat the summoned Shadows

   Respond to the Shadow ambush

   Three hostile Shadow enemies are summoned as the destruction takes effect. Treat their appearance as an immediate combat encounter and focus on stabilizing the party before attempting further exploration or inventory management.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   Watch outThe Shadows appear immediately after destruction; beginning the interaction without a ready party can turn the required follow-up fight into an avoidable failure.

6. 06

   Complete the destruction encounter

   Defeat all three Shadow enemies

   Finish the encounter by defeating each of the three hostile Shadows. Use the party's normal damage, control, and defensive tools while keeping characters close enough to support one another, then confirm that no summoned enemy remains before leaving the cellar.

   Location: Cellar beneath the Blighted Village

   TipAfter the fight, review the quest state and party resources before continuing the cellar exploration or moving on from the Blighted Village.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

The central mechanic is damage-type gating. The Necromancy of Thay cannot be destroyed through ordinary weapon damage or other elemental attacks, so the relevant action must deal Radiant damage to the object itself. Guiding Bolt is a commonly cited solution because it is a direct Radiant-damage spell, but the encounter is checking the damage type rather than requiring that exact spell.

The decision has two separate consequences: an immediate combat consequence and a long-term progression consequence. Immediately, destroying the book summons three hostile Shadow enemies. In the longer term, the destruction route removes the book's unique rewards, meaning the player cannot use this decision to both erase the tome and claim the benefits attached to preserving and unlocking it.

The alternate path is tied to the book's progression rather than to the destruction encounter. Keeping and unlocking the Necromancy of Thay can grant Speak with Dead and the Forbidden Knowledge passive buff, while finding the Tharchiate Codex in Act 3 is required to fully master that route and unlock Danse Macabre. These benefits explain why destroying the tome is a roleplaying and progression choice rather than an uncomplicated upgrade.

What works and what does notSpoilers

Encounter phasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Destruction trigger

   Starts: The Necromancy of Thay is hit with Radiant damage.

   The book is destroyed only when the correct damage type is applied. Physical and other elemental attacks are ineffective for this objective.

   • Use a reliable Radiant-damage effect such as Guiding Bolt.
   • Prepare the party before triggering the destruction.
2. 2

   Shadow ambush

   Starts: The tome is destroyed.

   Three hostile Shadow enemies appear immediately as a consequence of destroying the book.

   • Shadow assaultTell The hostile Shadows become the immediate combat threat after the tome is destroyed.Answer Keep the party ready to act, support vulnerable characters, and defeat all three enemies before leaving the area.
   • Do not begin the interaction with depleted health or resources.
   • Keep track of all three summoned enemies so the encounter is not left incomplete.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Destroy the Necromancy of Thay with Radiant damage

  The book is destroyed, three hostile Shadow enemies are summoned, and the unique perks associated with keeping and unlocking the tome become unavailable.

  Spoiler
• Read and keep the Necromancy of Thay

  The party can pursue the book's dark secrets and its unique progression, including Speak with Dead and the Forbidden Knowledge passive buff.

  Spoiler
• Give the Necromancy of Thay to a companion

  The book is not destroyed by the player and its disposition is handled through a companion-related choice instead. The exact result depends on the companion and interaction context.

  Spoiler

Destruction-route checklistSpoilers

• Locate the cellar beneath the Blighted VillageThis is where the Necromancy of Thay is found.
• Complete the cellar investigation far enough to interact with the bookThe tome is associated with Search the Cellar.
• Confirm that destruction is the intended choiceReading or giving away the book preserves a different progression path.
• Have a Radiant-damage effect readyGuiding Bolt is a common option.
• Position and prepare the party before attacking the tomeThree hostile Shadow enemies appear immediately.
• Destroy the Necromancy of ThayPhysical and other elemental attacks are ineffective for this objective.
• Defeat all three hostile Shadow enemiesThe combat is part of the immediate aftermath of destruction.
• Accept that the book's unique perks are lostDestruction prevents the alternate reward path.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Using the wrong damage typePhysical attacks and other elemental attacks do not destroy the Necromancy of Thay. Apply Radiant damage to fulfil the objective.
• Triggering the destruction while unpreparedThe three Shadow enemies appear immediately after the book is destroyed, so a weakened party may be forced into an avoidable combat disadvantage.
• Leaving before the Shadow encounter is resolvedDestroying the book does not by itself represent a fully safe conclusion; the summoned enemies must be defeated as the immediate follow-up.
• Destroying the book while intending to claim its unique perksThe destruction choice prevents access to the rewards associated with keeping and unlocking the Necromancy of Thay.

Rewards and dropsSpoilers

• Destroyed Necromancy of Thay
  The tome is removed through the Radiant-damage destruction route rather than preserved for its unique progression.
• Completion of the destruction encounter
  Defeating the three hostile Shadow enemies resolves the immediate aftermath of destroying the book.
• Minor companion approval
  Destroying the item can provide minor approval boosts from companions such as Karlach, Wyll, and Lae'zel.
• Lost book perks
  This is a consequence rather than a positive reward: the party cannot gain Speak with Dead, Forbidden Knowledge, or the later Danse Macabre path from the destroyed tome.

Characters in this mission

• KarlachCan provide a minor approval response to destroying the book.
• Lae'zelCan provide a minor approval response to destroying the book.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The Necromancy of Thay is described as a sinister, skin-bound tome rather than an ordinary spellbook.
• The destruction interaction is unusually specific because the book requires Radiant damage instead of accepting physical or other elemental attacks.
• The tome's progression can extend from Act 1 to Act 3 through the Tharchiate Codex, although that later progression is unavailable after destruction.

Relationships