The Soft-Step Trial in Baldur’s Gate 3 seems tricky at first, but if you come in prepared, it’s very easy. This part of the Gauntlet of Shar requires you to sneak past two patrolling enemies while avoiding obstacles. Luckily, there aren’t any restrictions concerning which abilities you can use, which means you can turn this test from challenging to trivial.
How to complete the Soft-Step Trial in Baldur’s Gate 3
There are multiple solutions to the Soft-Step Trial in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can play it straight and try to sneak your way through, which can be challenging, or just cheat. However, to make the Soft-Step Trial easy, you’ll need to prepare properly:
- Choose one character with high Sneak, Dexterity, and Slight of Hand (Astarion is the obvious pick here).
- Ungroup them from the rest of the party.
- Give them items or scrolls that allow them to use Misty Step or Dimension Door. The more, the better.
- Give them as many charges of Invisibility as you can.
To start the trial, you must interact with the altar and offer it some blood. Now, you’ll need to follow a specific path through the maze:
- Go through the leftmost of the three doors and cast Invisibility.
- Head west until you hit a wall.
- Turn south and hit the lever.
- Pass through where the walls dropped and grab the Soft-Step Trial key on the table as you go.
- Head west through the hall with the grease trap until you hit a wall with a window.
- Flip the lever on the other side of the window.
- Turn north and use Misty Step or Dimension Door to project yourself as far as possible (this should avoid an Explosion trap).
- Round the corner and head south through the door that you opened with the last lever.
- Head around one more corner and go north until you see a large Wrought-Iron Gate.
- Use Misty Step or Dimension Door to pass to the other side of the gate.
Now, all you have to do is grab the Umbral Gem, and the Soft-Step Trial is complete. You can explore the chamber and then take the Umbral Transporter back to the beginning of the maze where your party is waiting.
BG3 Soft-Step Trial FAQ
A: The Soft-Step Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar requires players to sneak past enemies and obstacles to obtain the Umbral Gem without being detected.
A: Opt for a character like Astarion, who excels in Sneak, Dexterity, and Sleight of Hand. Isolate this character from the rest and equip them with tools allowing Misty Step, Dimension Door, and multiple charges of Invisibility.
A: Start by offering blood to the altar. Move through the leftmost door, use Invisibility, and head west then south to a lever. After walls drop, retrieve the Soft-Step Trial key. Proceed west to a wall with a window and activate the nearby lever. Travel north, bypass an Explosion trap using Misty Step or Dimension Door, and continue south. Finally, head north to a Wrought-Iron Gate, use an ability to cross, and secure the Umbral Gem to complete the trial.
