The Defiled Temple sits beneath the Shattered Sanctum in the Goblin Camp, and the floor in its back room is a lock. Most players find it before they find the instructions, which is why the Baldur's Gate 3 Defiled Temple puzzle has a reputation for being fiddly when the rule behind it is actually very simple.

Short answer

Three stone dials ring the floor. Each one cycles through moon phases when you interact with it. Set all three to match the phase shown on the Selûnite prayer sheet — the full moon — and the floor opens onto the passage below.

Finding the room

The temple is reached through the Shattered Sanctum, the goblin-occupied ruin at the heart of the camp. Whether you fight your way in or talk your way past the guards makes no difference to the puzzle; the room is behind the area where the goblin leaders hold court, down the stairs and past the rubble.

Give the room a proper look before touching anything. The prayer sheet and several loot containers are in the immediate vicinity, and one of them is the hint you need.

See also: Baldurs Gate 3 Early Access — the closest BG3 answer to this one.

The rule

Each dial is a moon at a particular phase — new, crescent, half, gibbous, full. Interacting with a dial advances it one step, and the dials move independently. The door opens when all three read the same phase, the one Selûne's followers venerate: the full moon.

That is the entire puzzle. There is no ordering requirement, no timing, and no penalty for overshooting — keep cycling and the phase comes back around.

See also: Baldurs Gate 3 Game of the Year — the closest BG3 answer to this one.

Where the hint lives

The Selûnite prayer sheet, found in the temple area, states the answer in as many words. A character with decent Investigation or Perception will also flag the dials as interactive from further away, which saves a lot of walking in circles trying to work out which parts of the floor are mechanisms.

If you have already been to the Underdark's Selûnite outpost, you have seen the same iconography — the game uses it consistently, and the full moon is always the "open" state.

See also: Elden Ring Irina Quest — the same question, but for Elden Ring.

Three ways to skip it

  • Come from the other side. The passage below connects to the Underdark, and the Underdark has several other entrances — the well in the Blighted Village among them. Arrive from beneath and the door is simply already behind you.
  • Break the floor. The mechanism is destructible. It is loud, it is inelegant, and it works.
  • Send one character. Nothing about the puzzle requires your whole party in the room. Stealth one character in, cycle the dials, and let the rest catch up.

What is actually down there

Beneath the temple is the road to the Underdark and a shrine that matters a great deal to one companion in particular. If Shadowheart is in your party, take her — the scene you get there is one of the better character beats in Act 1, and it is easy to miss by clearing the area with a party you assembled for combat rather than conversation.

Baldur's Gate 3 FAQ

What is the solution to the Defiled Temple puzzle?

Set every dial to the full moon. Order and timing do not matter.

Can I fail the puzzle?

No. There is no lockout and no trap tied to a wrong configuration — you can cycle the dials indefinitely.

Do I need to do it at all?

No. It is one of several routes into the Underdark, and the well in the Blighted Village reaches the same region.

Should I bring Shadowheart?

Yes, if she is recruited. The area speaks directly to her questline, and the reactivity is lost if she is sitting in camp.

Three dials, one phase, and a prayer sheet that tells you which — it is a five-second puzzle once you know what you are reading.