Chamber of Justice in BG3: How to Solve One of Act 3’s Trickiest Trials
There’s a moment in the Wyrmway where a lot of players just stop and stare at the screen. You’ve made it deep into Wyrm’s Rock Prison, you’re riding the high of Act 3, and then – bam – a fog-soaked room full of cryptic paintings blocks your path to one of the coolest bosses in the entire game. That room is the Chamber of Justice in BG3, and honestly, it trips up more people than it probably should.
Which is fair. The game doesn’t hold your hand here. There’s no glowing trail pointing you to the answer. What you get is a spectral judge drowning in cursed shadow, a ring of paintings telling a surprisingly sad story, and a vague instruction to “restore the balance of justice.” Cool vibes, zero clarity.
But once you understand what’s actually going on, the whole thing clicks. So let’s break it down properly – where the room is, what it wants from you, how to clear it the clean way, and what happens when things go sideways.
How to Find the Chamber of Justice in BG3 and Why It Even Exists?
Before you can solve anything, you need to get there. The Wyrmway sits beneath Wyrm’s Rock Prison in the Lower City – a secret dungeon that’s part of the “Legend of Ansur” questline. Most players stumble into this area through Wyll’s companion quest, specifically the chain that kicks off after rescuing his father, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, from the Iron Throne.
If you haven’t unlocked that quest yet, no stress. You can still access the Wyrmway independently – just make your way to Wyrm’s Rock Prison and figure out how to get inside the dungeon. The entrance requires you to have solved the Legend of Ansur book puzzle first, which gives you the lightning activation method to open the way in.
Once you’re inside the Wyrmway, the layout is a central hall with four trial chambers branching off it. The statues of Balduran in that hallway each hold a symbol – scales for Justice, a knight chess piece for Strategy, a book for Insight, and a sword for Courage. You need to clear all four chambers to open the door to Ansur’s sanctum at the far end.
The Chamber of Justice in BG3 is on the far left, and unlike some of the others, it has no locked door. Walk in and you’ll know exactly what kind of day you’re about to have.
What You’re Actually Looking at When You Walk In?
The room is dramatic in that classic Larian way – big, atmospheric, a little unsettling. Here’s what you’ll see:
- A massive statue of Balduran right by the entrance, which gives you a vague but meaningful clue: “Cleanse the world of those who would stand in the way of the righteous, but do not let such cleansing prevent justice. Restore the balance of justice.”
- Six paintings on the walls that tell a full story – starting with “The Apple” and ending with “The Judgement.” These are narrated by the game when you interact with them.
- A stone dais in the center with three more paintings on bookstands, all shrouded in cursed darkness. There’s also an empty niche – one slot is conspicuously missing a painting.
- The Judge – a shadowy, spectral figure standing inside a binding circle, radiating a dark fog called the Shroud of Dark Justice that covers those three central paintings.
The short version of the story told by the wall paintings: a man with fair hair steals apples to feed starving urchin children. He gets caught, gets hired to steal a powerful artifact instead, gets chased, gets detained, and then gets judged – harshly and unjustly, as it turns out. The judge in his story was corrupt. The creature in the middle of the room? Also a judge. Also corrupt. Coincidence? Not even close.
The whole chamber is basically asking you: can you see through corruption and deliver a punishment that actually fits the crime?
The Story the Paintings Tell (And Why It Matters)
A lot of guides skip over this part, but it genuinely helps to know the narrative before you make your choice.
| Painting Name | What Happens |
|---|---|
| The Apple | The thief steals apples to feed hungry children |
| The Theft | He’s caught – a petty crime, but a crime |
| The Bargain | He’s hired to steal a powerful artifact |
| The Chase | Guards pursue him across the city |
| The Capture | He’s finally detained and arrested |
| The Judgement | A corrupt judge hands down a brutal, disproportionate sentence |
The three central paintings – the ones covered in shadow – represent the punishments you can assign:
| Painting Name | What It Means | Right or Wrong? |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom | Release the thief with no consequences | Wrong – crime still happened |
| The Hanging | Execute the thief for stealing an apple | Way too harsh – pure tyranny |
| The Cell | Imprison the thief – fair and proportional | Correct answer |
That middle path. That’s always it in Larian’s moral philosophy. Not extreme clemency, not excessive punishment – a measured response that acknowledges the crime without destroying the criminal.
How to Remove the Judge: Two Methods That Actually Work
Here’s where the Chamber of Justice puzzle in BG3 gets a little unintuitive. Those three central paintings are completely off-limits while the Judge is standing there wreathed in shadow. You can “examine” them, but you can’t pick them up. And you can’t just attack the Judge – it’s invulnerable to all damage. You also can’t push it or banish it in the usual way.
The Clean Method: Remove Curse
The Shroud of Dark Justice is, despite all the dramatic presentation, just a curse. So, Remove Curse works on it. Cast Remove Curse directly on the Judge – not the paintings – and the shadow begins to lift. One cast is usually enough to dispel the entire shroud, making the Judge disappear and revealing all three central paintings clearly.
Who can cast it? Quite a few characters, actually:
- Shadowheart (Cleric) – your most reliable option if she’s in your party
- Wyll (Warlock) – he also has the spell available and is particularly useful here, since he gives you a puzzle hint too
- Gale (Wizard) – can learn it with spell preparation
- Minthara (Paladin) – can also access Remove Curse
If none of your party members have the spell prepared, you can pick up a Remove Curse scroll from vendors around the city – Sorcerous Sundries is a solid bet. Grab two just in case you misclick.
The Messy Method: Attack the Paintings
No Remove Curse? No scroll? There’s still a way through, though it’s loud. You can right-click each of the three shrouded paintings on the dais and attack them directly. This has the same effect as removing the curse – it eventually clears the shadow – but it also summons roughly a dozen hostile undead enemies to the room.
It’s a manageable fight, not a wipe threat, but it adds time and burns resources. Still worth knowing as a backup, especially if you’re running a more combat-heavy build and don’t mind the scrap.
There’s also a quirky third option some players have discovered: certain spells can exploit the Judge’s movement behavior within its binding circle. If you can push or lure the Judge’s shadow globe outside the circle, it dissipates. Cloud of Daggers, for instance, isn’t wide enough to do it – but some area-effect spells can get creative. Honestly, though, just cast Remove Curse. It takes two seconds.
Solving the Puzzle: Placing the Right Painting
Once the Judge is gone and the central paintings are visible, here’s what to do step by step:
- Read the wall paintings first if you haven’t already. The narrator’s descriptions are short, and they make your final choice feel earned rather than guessed.
- Pick up “The Cell” painting from the dais. Right-click it and select “Pick Up” from the context menu, or use Left Alt to highlight it in the environment.
- Walk to the empty niche – that single empty bookstand on the stone dais in the middle of the room.
- Interact with the niche and a crafting-style menu pops up. Open your inventory, find The Cell painting, and slot it in. Hit “Combine” or “Insert.”
- Done. The statue of Balduran acknowledges your judgment and calls you a Paragon of Justice. The matching statue in the central Wyrmway hall lights up, marking the trial complete.
If you’re running with Wyll in your party, he actually gives you a verbal hint before you need it: “The right path to justice often lies between the extremes.” Larian building the hint into the companion dialogue is a nice touch. It rewards players who actually brought the character connected to this storyline.
What happens if you pick wrong? Placing Freedom or The Hanging in the niche fails the trial and triggers a fight – hostile shadow guards flood the room. It’s not catastrophic, and you still get credit for the trial afterward (either by passing it cleanly or winning the combat), but it’s a rougher route. The experience reward is the same either way, and you still unlock access to Ansur’s sanctum.
Tips for Getting Through the Chamber of Justice in BG3 Smoothly
A few things worth knowing before you head in:
- Bring Shadowheart or prep Remove Curse – this is the single biggest prep step. If Remove Curse is on your active spell list, the whole chamber takes under three minutes.
- Interact with all six wall paintings before touching the central dais. The narrator descriptions are lore-rich and they actually help you understand why The Cell is the right call rather than just memorizing the answer.
- Wyll is a genuinely good companion here – not just for the hint, but because his connection to the city and to Ansur’s questline makes the whole sequence feel more personal. This is his storyline, after all.
- Don’t spam-cast on the paintings – some players accidentally try to cast Remove Curse on each wall painting individually. You only need to target the Judge in the center.
- You can grab the Journal of Past Adventurers Nº2 from a granite bench near the shrouded paintings. Easy to miss, worth picking up for the lore.
The Other Three Wyrmway Chambers at a Glance
The Chamber of Justice is just one of four trials. After clearing it, the matching statue in the central hall glows – but you still need to hit the other three before the final door opens:
- Chamber of Insight – tests your ability to sort good counsel from bad. You’re presented with three ghostly advisors and need to identify which one gives harmful advice for the city’s ruler. More of a reading-comprehension challenge than a combat one.
- Chamber of Strategy – a Lanceboard puzzle, which is basically Forgotten Realms chess. You need to deliver checkmate in two moves. The specific board setup is randomized at the start of your game, so there’s no single universal answer, but guides exist for each of the three possible configurations.
- Chamber of Courage – the most direct of the four. It tests nerve rather than intellect, and involves a more action-forward sequence.
Each cleared chamber contributes to unlocking Ansur’s sanctum. Once all four glow, the main door opens and you’re in.
FAQ
Where exactly is the Chamber of Justice in BG3?
It’s in the Wyrmway, a hidden dungeon beneath Wyrm’s Rock Prison in the Lower City during Act 3. Inside the Wyrmway’s central hall, it’s the trial chamber on the far left – no door, just an open entrance.
What is the correct answer to the Chamber of Justice puzzle?
The Cell. Pick up The Cell painting from the central dais after removing the Judge’s curse, then place it in the empty niche.
How do I remove the Judge in the Chamber of Justice?
Cast Remove Curse on the Judge directly. Shadowheart, Wyll, Gale, or Minthara can all do this. You can also use a Remove Curse scroll from vendors like Sorcerous Sundries.
What happens if I pick the wrong painting?
Placing Freedom or The Hanging in the niche fails the trial and spawns a wave of hostile undead. You can fight through them and still complete the trial – the door to Ansur’s sanctum opens either way.
Can I complete the Chamber of Justice without Remove Curse?
Yes. Right-clicking each of the three shrouded paintings and attacking them clears the shadow too, but it triggers a combat encounter with around a dozen undead enemies.
Does Wyll give a hint for the Chamber of Justice?
Yes – if Wyll is in your party, he says “The right path to justice often lies between the extremes,” pointing you toward The Cell as the measured middle-ground punishment.
Do I need to complete the Chamber of Justice to reach Ansur?
You need to complete all four Wyrmway trials – Justice, Insight, Strategy, and Courage – to open the main door to Ansur’s sanctum. You can fail any trial by losing the resulting combat and still proceed, but completing them cleanly is faster and more satisfying.
Wrapping Up
The Chamber of Justice in BG3 is one of those puzzles that feels harder than it is – mostly because the solution is so clean that people overthink it. Remove the corrupt judge, read the story, pick the fair punishment. That’s it. Larian built something genuinely thoughtful here, a little moral philosophy test wrapped in a dungeon crawl, and it holds up beautifully even on repeat playthroughs.
Once the chamber glows and you’re walking to the next trial, the whole sequence feels weirdly satisfying. Like you actually made a real call, not just clicked through a menu.
Now go light up the other three chambers. Ansur’s waiting.
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