Investigate the House of Hope

Key takeawaysSpoilers

Treat the House of Hope as a one-way heist until the party has completed its objectives and found a route back.

• Enter through the Devil's Fee The party reaches the House of Hope by performing a ritual at the Devil's Fee in Baldur's Gate. Do not treat the ritual as a casual visit: the destination is a hostile planar location tied directly to Raphael. Access
• Free Hope Hope is imprisoned inside the house and can be rescued during the quest. Her chains and the surrounding encounters are part of the mission's central objective rather than incidental scenery. Hope
• Expect the house to react Taking the Orphic Hammer triggers a hostile response from the inhabitants of the House of Hope. The party should be ready for combat after the theft instead of assuming the rest of the route remains quiet. Alarm
• Use the Restoration Faucets The Restoration Faucets in the boudoir restore health and spell slots as if the party had taken a long rest. They are especially valuable before the confrontation with Raphael. Restoration
• Plan around the major rewards The House of Hope contains the Orphic Hammer, the Helldusk armor set, the Amulet of Greater Health, and the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength. The expedition is therefore relevant both to the story and to equipment-focused builds. Rewards

Investigate the House of HopeSpoilers

Investigate the House of Hope is an optional Act 3 quest that sends the party into Avernus for a dangerous raid on Raphael's personal domain.

The House of Hope is a prominent location in Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, and it functions as both Raphael's residence and a prison for his eternal debtors. The quest begins in Baldur's Gate, where the party can use the ritual at the Devil's Fee to cross into the House of Hope. Because the destination is outside the normal city environment, preparation and a clear exit plan matter before committing to the expedition.

Inside the house, the party is not simply exploring a dungeon. The location is structured as a high-stakes heist: the group must move through Raphael's domain, investigate its rooms, deal with traps and puzzles, and decide how far to interfere with the house's occupants. The imprisoned cleric Hope is central to the quest, while Haarlep represents one of the house's most notable encounters. Stealing the Orphic Hammer changes the situation by provoking a hostile response from the inhabitants.

The House of Hope contains several exceptionally valuable items, including the Orphic Hammer, the Helldusk armor set, the Amulet of Greater Health, and the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength. The quest's climax is a confrontation with Raphael, and freeing Hope is one of the expedition's defining objectives. The boudoir also contains Restoration Faucets that restore health and spell slots as if the party had taken a long rest, giving the group an important way to recover before the final confrontation.

Where this sits

Requirements

The known access requirement is reaching the Devil's Fee in Baldur's Gate and completing its ritual.

• RequiredReach Act 3The House of Hope is featured during Act 3.
• RequiredFind the Devil's FeeThe ritual used to reach the House of Hope is performed at this location in Baldur's Gate.
• RecommendedPrepare for a difficult expeditionThe house contains traps, puzzles, hostile inhabitants, and a final confrontation with Raphael.
• RecommendedReserve recovery resourcesThe Restoration Faucets provide an additional recovery option inside the boudoir, but the party should still arrive prepared for combat.

ObjectivesSpoilers

1. Perform the ritual at the Devil's FeeUse the ritual in Baldur's Gate to open access to the House of Hope.
2. Infiltrate the House of HopeExplore Raphael's residence and navigate its puzzles, traps, and inhabitants.
3. Free HopeRescue the imprisoned cleric from her chains.
4. Secure the Orphic HammerThe Orphic Hammer is one of the quest's key items, and taking it triggers a hostile response from the house.
5. Confront RaphaelComplete the expedition by facing the devil who owns the House of Hope.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Find the route into the House of Hope

   Reach the Devil's Fee in Baldur's Gate

   Travel to the Devil's Fee during Act 3 and investigate the ritual that provides access to Raphael's domain. The important transition is the ritual itself; the party cannot simply walk into Avernus through an ordinary city exit.

   Location: Baldur's Gate

   TipFinish any city business you want to handle before entering, because the House of Hope is a separate high-risk expedition.

2. 02

   Enter Avernus

   Perform the ritual

   Complete the ritual at the Devil's Fee to open the passage to the House of Hope. Once the party crosses over, it is operating inside Raphael's residence and should treat nearby environmental hazards and inhabitants as part of the mission.

   Location: Devil's Fee

   Watch outThe ritual begins the planar infiltration; do not start it while unprepared for a difficult sequence of exploration and combat.

   Checkpoint
3. 03

   Investigate Raphael's domain

   Explore the House of Hope

   Search the House of Hope rather than rushing directly toward the finale. The area contains complex puzzles and traps, so inspect rooms and routes carefully instead of assuming every apparent shortcut is safe.

   Location: House of Hope

   TipKeep the party together when examining unfamiliar mechanisms, and save before interacting with suspicious objects.

4. 04

   Free Hope

   Locate Hope

   Find the imprisoned cleric Hope and make her rescue one of the party's priorities. Her imprisonment is central to the quest, and freeing her requires the party to deal with the restrictions placed around her chains.

   Location: House of Hope

   Watch outDo not leave the house without checking whether Hope has been released; rescuing her is one of the mission's defining outcomes.

5. 05

   Claim the Orphic Hammer

   Search for the Orphic Hammer

   The Orphic Hammer is held within the House of Hope and is one of the expedition's most important targets. Taking it is not a silent theft: the action triggers a hostile response from the house's inhabitants.

   Location: House of Hope

   Watch outOnce the Orphic Hammer is stolen, expect the area to become hostile and prepare for the return route and final battle.

6. 06

   Restore the party before the finale

   Use the boudoir's Restoration Faucets

   The boudoir contains Restoration Faucets that restore health and spell slots as if the party had taken a long rest. Use this recovery point before the final confrontation if the party has spent resources during exploration or rescue.

   Location: Boudoir

   TipTreat the faucets as a deliberate preparation resource rather than spending every remaining spell slot before reaching them.

7. 07

   Resolve the Haarlep encounter

   Deal with Haarlep

   Haarlep is an incubus encountered in the House of Hope. The encounter is part of the house's dangerous social and combat landscape, so consider the party's preferred approach carefully and do not assume the interaction is harmless.

   Location: House of Hope

   Watch outThis encounter can expose the party to danger even before the main battle; save beforehand if you want the option to retry a failed interaction.

8. 08

   Survive the hostile response

   Prepare for the alarmed house

   After the Orphic Hammer is taken, the inhabitants respond hostilely. Reorganize the party, apply available defensive effects, and use the house's recovery option before committing to the final route.

   Location: House of Hope

   TipThe Restoration Faucets are particularly valuable here because they can refill both health and spell slots.

9. 09

   Defeat Raphael

   Confront Raphael

   The quest culminates in a confrontation with Raphael inside the House of Hope. Enter the battle with the party healed and with its strongest resources available, because the encounter follows the preceding infiltration rather than replacing it.

   Location: House of Hope

   Watch outThis is the quest's major combat climax; spending all high-value resources during optional encounters can make it substantially harder.

   Checkpoint
10. 10

    Finish the expedition

    Complete the heist and leave Avernus

    After the confrontation, confirm that the party has collected the rewards and completed the objectives it came for. The expedition is successful only when the party has dealt with the house's consequences and safely concluded its visit to Avernus.

    Location: House of Hope

    TipUse a final inventory check before leaving so that the Orphic Hammer and other desired items are not overlooked.

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

The House of Hope combines exploration with a theft-triggered escalation system. Before the Orphic Hammer is taken, the party can investigate Raphael's residence, deal with its occupants, and work through environmental obstacles. Taking the hammer changes the tone of the area and triggers a hostile response, so the order in which the party explores, rescues Hope, and prepares for the finale has practical consequences.

Recovery is unusually important in this location. The Restoration Faucets in the boudoir restore health and spell slots as though the party had taken a long rest, allowing the group to recover from the infiltration before the confrontation with Raphael. This makes the boudoir a useful preparation point, particularly if the party has already spent significant resources on traps, puzzles, or optional encounters.

The house also rewards careful observation. Its complex puzzles and traps make reckless movement costly, while its valuable equipment gives the party reasons to search beyond the most direct route. A thorough run should distinguish between the objective of escaping with a specific item and the broader opportunity to rescue Hope and collect the equipment placed throughout the domain.

What works and what does not

Encounter phasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Infiltration

   Starts: Entering the House of Hope

   The party explores Raphael's residence while dealing with environmental hazards, traps, puzzles, and the house's occupants.

   • Search carefully before taking the main objective.
   • Keep resources available for the later hostile response.
2. 2

   Theft and alarm

   Starts: Taking the Orphic Hammer

   Stealing the Orphic Hammer provokes the inhabitants and changes the expedition into an openly hostile escape and confrontation.

   • Complete priority exploration and rescue objectives before triggering the alarm where practical.
   • Use the Restoration Faucets in the boudoir before the final sequence.
3. 3

   Raphael's confrontation

   Starts: Reaching the quest's climax after the infiltration

   The party faces Raphael in the House of Hope after the heist has escalated into a direct conflict with its owner.

   • Arrive healed and conserve major abilities for this fight.
   • Treat the encounter as the finale rather than another ordinary room battle.

Raphael encounterEnding spoilers

• Location
  House of Hope
• Health
  Not specified in the supplied source pack.

Raphael is the quest's final confrontation. Enter after using the boudoir's Restoration Faucets, keep the party's strongest resources available, and account for the fact that the Orphic Hammer theft has already made the house hostile. The supplied sources do not provide a verified encounter-specific attack breakdown or numerical statistics.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Perform the ritual at the Devil's Fee

  The party gains access to the House of Hope in Avernus and begins the optional planar expedition.

• Rescue Hope from her chains

  The party completes one of the quest's central objectives and changes the outcome of its visit to Raphael's domain.

  Spoiler
• Take the Orphic Hammer

  The House of Hope's inhabitants respond with hostility, turning the theft into an alarmed escape and confrontation sequence.

  Spoiler
• Use the Restoration Faucets before the finale

  The party can restore health and spell slots as if it had taken a long rest, improving its readiness for Raphael.

House of Hope checklistSpoilers

• Reach the Devil's Fee in Baldur's GateThis is the known access point for the ritual.
• Complete the ritual to enter AvernusThe ritual opens access to the House of Hope.
• Explore the House of Hope before triggering the alarmThe Orphic Hammer theft causes the inhabitants to become hostile.
• Find and free HopeHope is the imprisoned cleric central to the quest.
• Investigate the boudoirThe room contains Restoration Faucets.
• Use the Restoration Faucets before the final fightThey restore health and spell slots as if after a long rest.Optional
• Collect the Orphic HammerTaking it triggers a hostile response.
• Search for House of Hope equipmentThe location contains the Helldusk armor set, Amulet of Greater Health, and Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength.Optional
• Resolve the Haarlep encounterHaarlep is a notable incubus encounter inside the house.Optional
• Confront RaphaelThe quest culminates in a battle with the owner of the House of Hope.

Notable itemsSpoilers

• 01
  Orphic Hammer

  Where: House of Hope

  A key item in the heist and one of the quest's most important targets. Taking it triggers a hostile response from the house's inhabitants.

  Missable
• 02
  Helldusk armor set

  Where: House of Hope

  A powerful equipment set found during the expedition.

  Missable
• 03
  Amulet of Greater Health

  Where: House of Hope

  A notable item available within Raphael's domain.

  Missable
• 04
  Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength

  Where: House of Hope

  A notable item available within Raphael's domain.

  Missable
• 05
  Restoration Faucets

  Where: Boudoir

  These devices restore health and spell slots as if the party had taken a long rest.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• The party enters without adequate preparationThe House of Hope contains traps, puzzles, hostile inhabitants, and a major final confrontation. Arriving without enough combat and recovery resources can make the expedition fail even if the route is understood.
• The party takes the Orphic Hammer unpreparedThe theft triggers a hostile response from the house's inhabitants. If the party has not completed priority exploration or positioned itself for the return route, the alarm can make the remainder of the quest much harder.
• The party ignores HopeLeaving without dealing with Hope means abandoning one of the quest's central objectives and losing that rescue outcome.
• The party spends its resources before RaphaelThe confrontation with Raphael is the quest's climax. Exhausting the party during optional exploration or encounters can leave it poorly equipped for the final battle.

RewardsSpoilers

• Orphic Hammer
  A major quest item found in the House of Hope.
• Helldusk armor set
  A powerful equipment set located in the house.
• Amulet of Greater Health
  A notable item available during the expedition.
• Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength
  A notable item available during the expedition.
• Hope's rescue
  Freeing the imprisoned cleric provides a central narrative outcome of the quest.

AftermathEnding spoilers

Trivia

• The House of Hope is located in Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells.
• The location serves simultaneously as Raphael's residence and a prison for eternal debtors.
• The boudoir's Restoration Faucets imitate the recovery of a long rest by restoring health and spell slots.
• Taking the Orphic Hammer is the event identified in the supplied source material as triggering the house's hostile response.

Sources

• House of Hope — bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki

Relationships