In Baldur’s Gate 3 if you want to respec your character, or respec origin characters or any other companions, there’s only one guy who can do it for you. His name is Withers, and he’s a spooky but friendly undead dude who will hang out at your camp providing respec services in exchange for gold.
Finding Withers isn’t exactly easy, but it can be done very early on in Baldur’s Gate 3, and it’s well worth it to recruit him as soon as possible. As a bonus, Withers can also revive dead companions or provide hirelings for a fee.
Letting you respec is probably the most important function Withers can provide. Who hasn’t built a character and then decided later that they want to try something else without starting the game over from scratch? Or maybe you just want to tinker with the abilities and skills of other members of your party? Here’s how to respec your character and companions in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to respec in Baldur’s Gate 3
Before you start you should:
- Be level 2 or 3
- Have at least 2 companions
- Have lockpicks
- Have a trap disarming kit
First, you’ll need to track down Withers. He’s in the Dank Crypt close to where you begin the game after the ship crashes. From the shipwreck, just head north along the Ravaged Beach until you find the spot where Shadowheart is trying to open an ancient door.
You’ll need lockpicks and luck: there’s a DC 20 sleight of hand check to open this lock. If you keep failing or don’t have lockpicks, there are other ways into the crypt, though they’re a lot more dangerous. We’ll cover those entrances further down this page.
Finding Withers in the Dank Crypt
If you’ve come in through the ancient door, you’ll see two chambers ahead. Be careful in the first one. It’s got two traps: grease vents on the floor and a fire trap on the walls. The traps will be activated if you open the sarcophagus in the middle of the room. Successful perception rolls will reveal the vents (which can be disarmed if you have a trap disarming kit) and a button on the pillar to your right that will shut off the traps.
Even if you set off the traps, you should have time to grab the loot from the sarcophagus in the middle of the room (it contains a key) and then run into the next chamber (in turn-based mode). In the first round the grease will come from the vents, but the flames won’t start until the second round.
Through the large oak doors to the north you’ll enter another, larger crypt with a statue against the far wall. You’ll also see some corpses lying around—loot them before you do anything else because they’re about to come back to life. On the northwest side of the statue a perception check will reveal a button. When pushed it’ll open a secret door leading to Withers’ sarcophagus. (And it’ll animate those corpses. If you looted them, they’ll be a bit easier to fight. You can loot them again after, and they’ll suddenly have gold in their pockets.)
How to bring Withers to your camp
To recruit Withers, you’ll just have to have a quick chat with him. He’ll ask you a question about life and death, and then he’ll bounce. (Don’t forget to loot his sarcophagus.) You’ll see Withers again as soon as you make camp, when he’ll be chilling out by the boat along the water.
To respec your custom character, an origin character, or any companion, just speak to Withers. Tell him you want to change your class and for 100 gold you’ll be taken to the character creation screen. Note: you can’t change your looks here, just your class and distribution of your ability points.
Once you’ve changed class, you’ll be level one again and can level up immediately. If you change an origin character’s class the story will ignore the fact Karlach is now a wizard, but you’ll know better.
Other entrances to the Dank Crypt
Chapel Entrance: If the lock on the ancient door isn’t working out, then head to the chapel entrance, which you’ll find up the hill to the north and west of the ancient door. At the chapel entrance you’ll encounter several bandits (you can fight them or intimidate them into leaving). There’s also a patch of stone floor that’s crumbling near a statue. If you walk over that part of the floor, it’ll break, dropping your party into the refectory below. You can also shoot the rope holding the up the stone above it, which is handy in the fight.
Just outside the chamber you land in is a large party of bandits you’ll have to fight (take advantage of the doorway into the room, which is a nice bottleneck). There’s also a locked door with no handle or lock. Once you’ve defeated the bandits, head through the refectory until you find another statue. Behind it on the wall is a skull that is actually a lever. It’ll open the locked door in the first chamber. From there, you can proceed into the Dank Crypt.
Wooden Hatch: If you continue past the chapel entrance you’ll find a narrow path along the coast, overlooking the beach. Follow that path north and you’ll find a hatch. Picking the lock will take you into the Dank Crypt.
