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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFor the untouched Defiled Temple puzzle in the full-release version of Baldur’s Gate 3, activate the discs in this order: North, North, East, West, South, South, East. Face the sealed passage before identifying the directions: the disc farthest from the entrance is North, while the illuminated disc nearest the entrance is South.
NORTH / TOP
▲
WEST / LEFT ● EAST / RIGHT
▼
SOUTH / BOTTOM
illuminated disc
When complete, the black or new-moon symbols are gathered on the southern illuminated disc, and the full-moon symbols align with the stars toward the north. The hidden passage then opens and leads to the Selûnite Outpost in the Underdark.
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What is the Defiled Temple moon puzzle?
The Defiled Temple moon puzzle is a floor mechanism made from four interlocking circular stone discs. It is inside the ruined Selûnite temple beneath the Goblin Camp’s Shattered Sanctum.
You may see it called the Defiled Temple puzzle, moon puzzle, moon door puzzle, moon-stone puzzle, stone-disc puzzle, or Selûne temple puzzle. These names refer to the same four-disc puzzle. They do not refer to the separate Moonstone defense mechanism found later at the Selûnite Outpost.
Opening the passage provides one route into the Underdark and advances the Act 1 progression connected to Find the Nightsong and Travel to Moonrise Towers. Solving it can also award the Sage inspiration The Phases Unfold, if a party member has the Sage background.
Quick solution: activate these seven discs
First, stand so that you are looking toward the sealed passage and the collapsed-statue side of the room. Do not use your character’s original camera position to decide what “top” means.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall- North/top: the disc farthest from the entrance.
- South/bottom: the illuminated disc nearest the entrance.
- West/left: the disc on your left while facing the sealed passage.
- East/right: the disc on your right while facing the sealed passage.
| Move | Activate |
|---|---|
| 1 | North/top |
| 2 | North/top |
| 3 | East/right |
| 4 | West/left |
| 5 | South/bottom |
| 6 | South/bottom |
| 7 | East/right |
Activate one disc for each entry in the table. The compact version is:
N → N → E → W → S → S → E
The current BG3 Wiki reference identifies this as one of three known seven-activation solutions and notes that no shorter solution is currently known. Because this is community-derived, it is more accurate to call it the shortest known solution than to claim Larian has officially proved seven moves is the mathematical minimum.
What the solved puzzle should look like
If you want to verify the result visually rather than trusting the sequence alone, check the symbols after the final activation:
- All four black/new-moon symbols should be on the south/bottom illuminated disc.
- The full-moon symbols should be toward the north/top, matching the star pattern.
- The remaining symbols should occupy the west and east discs in the completed interlocking arrangement.
The passage should open as soon as the game recognizes the completed arrangement. The intended logic is summarized by the Selûnite Journal: bring the full moons to the stars and place darkness at the bottom. This is clearer than older guides that describe the goal only as moving “white dots” away from the light.
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Where to find the Defiled Temple
The temple is reached from the Goblin Camp, inside the Shattered Sanctum:
- Enter the Goblin Camp and proceed into the Shattered Sanctum.
- Find Priestess Gut’s private chapel and quarters.
- Open the locked door leading into the Defiled Temple. The entrance is approximately at X: 253, Y: -7.
- Use the Priestess’s Key or pass a DC 10 Sleight of Hand check to lockpick the door.
- Continue through the ruined temple and deal with, sneak past, or otherwise get around Polma, Gut’s ogre bodyguard.
- Enter the room with the four circular floor discs.
You do not have to kill Priestess Gut or formally side with her to reach the puzzle. Depending on your choices and abilities, you can take the key, lockpick the door, sneak through Gut’s quarters, or use alternate access into the temple area. The Defiled Temple reference and Game8’s location walkthrough cover the available approach details.
Why different guides give different sequences
Older walkthroughs may list nine activations or an even longer string. That does not necessarily mean they are wrong: several sequences can solve the standard starting arrangement, and a longer route can still reach the same final state.
The current reference lists these three seven-move solutions for the untouched puzzle:
- N → N → E → W → S → S → E
- N → N → W → E → S → S → E
- W → N → N → E → S → S → E
These are alternative input sequences for the same initial arrangement, not three different solutions that produce different doors or rewards. A fixed sequence only works directly if the discs are still in their normal starting state.
Some Early Access guides also show a different-looking arrangement. Community reports document that the puzzle changed between Early Access and the full release; the full-release target state and sequence above are the ones to use for an unmodded current game. Patch 8, released on April 15, 2025, was described by Larian as the final major patch, and the Patch 8 notes reviewed do not mention a Defiled Temple redesign. The official BG3 news page lists later small updates, including Hotfix #36 on March 26, 2026. Modded installations can still alter gameplay or area behavior.
Clues that explain the intended arrangement
The Selûnite Journal
A Selûnite Journal is in a cabinet near the bed in Gut’s quarters, approximately at X: 386, Y: 8. Its central instruction is to bring the full moons to match the stars
and put darkness at the bottom. The journal gives the conceptual answer even if it does not hand you the seven-click sequence.
The Dwarf’s Poem
You can obtain the Dwarf’s Poem from Klagga in the outer Goblin Camp. Its references to the full moon, stars, darkness, and the Moonmaiden’s door point toward the same completed arrangement.
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Party checks
After reading the relevant clues, party members may comment on the puzzle or react to it after a DC 15 Investigation check. This check is optional: you do not need to pass it to activate the discs or use the seven-move solution.
How to bypass the puzzle with the hidden lever
If the puzzle has already been rotated, or you simply want to skip it, a hidden lever opens the same passage.
- Walk toward the sealed passage and the nearby collapsed statue.
- Let the party make its passive Perception check. The lever is on the right-hand wall near the stairs, approximately at X: 442, Y: 64.
- With a successful DC 15 Perception check, the hidden lever becomes visible. The exact discovery depends on the party member’s passive Perception and position.
- Lockpick the revealed lever with a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check.
- Pull the lever to open the passage without completing the discs.
If the lever does not appear, move closer to the relevant wall and use a character with the best Wisdom and Perception bonuses. You can also reload a save from before the discovery check. The lever itself remains a separate lockpicking check after it has been revealed. See the Dot Esports bypass instructions for the same two-check process.
The trade-off is inspiration: solving the discs can grant the Sage inspiration The Phases Unfold, while bypassing the puzzle does not grant that inspiration at that moment. According to the current community reference, you can still solve the puzzle after using the lever and obtain the inspiration then, where applicable.
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Troubleshooting: the sequence did not work
You used the wrong orientation
This is the most common mistake. “North” does not mean the side nearest the entrance. Turn toward the sealed passage first. The far disc is North/top; the illuminated disc behind you, nearest the entrance, is South/bottom. East is your right and West is your left from that viewpoint.
You followed an Early Access or older guide
Do not compare an old screenshot or a nine-move route with the current full-release arrangement and assume your game is broken. Use the target-state description above and the seven-move sequence for the standard current layout.
The discs show the right symbols, but the passage stays closed
- Confirm that all black/new-moon symbols are on the south/bottom illuminated disc.
- Confirm that you began from the untouched arrangement if you followed the fixed sequence.
- Wait for the final disc’s animation to finish before activating anything else.
- Make sure you are solving the Defiled Temple discs, not the later Moonstone obstacle in the Selûnite Outpost.
- Reload and retry if the visible arrangement is correct but the passage still does not open.
The final animation and reload advice are practical recovery steps rather than documented official bug fixes. If the puzzle has been partially rotated, manual restoration or the lever bypass is more reliable than repeating the original sequence.
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What happens after the passage opens?
The route descends into the Underdark and reaches the Selûnite Outpost. The outpost has defensive statues powered by a separate Moonstone above the statue of Selûne.
- Destroy the Moonstone to disable the outpost’s defenses.
- Use the lever near the northeast side of the central statue.
- The lever opens the portcullis so you can continue through the Underdark.
Destroying this later Moonstone is not part of the Defiled Temple moon puzzle. It is the next obstacle after entering through the temple route. Destroying it can grant the Acolyte inspiration Shatter the Moon, according to the Moonstone reference. The outpost’s defenses and portcullis are described in the Selûnite Outpost guide.
Is the Defiled Temple puzzle mandatory?
No—not for entering the Underdark overall. It is mandatory only if you want to use this particular Goblin Camp route. The known Act 1 entrances are:
| Route | What to know |
|---|---|
| Defiled Temple | Leads down to the Selûnite Outpost after solving the discs or using the lever. |
| Zhentarim Hideout | Uses the hideout’s elevator and requires reaching that area. |
| Overgrown Tunnel | Uses the mushroom circle route. |
| Whispering Depths | Requires Feather Fall or an equivalent way to survive the chasm descent. |
The alternatives can be more dangerous, require separate exploration or quest progress, and place the party in a different part of the Underdark. For the shortest route through the Goblin Camp, the seven-disc solution above—or the hidden lever—is usually the relevant answer. The Underdark overview and travel guide list the route options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reach the Defiled Temple without killing Priestess Gut?
Yes. You can use Priestess Gut’s Key, lockpick the door with a DC 10 Sleight of Hand check, sneak through her quarters, and get past or around Polma without killing Gut.
What is the difference between the Defiled Temple puzzle and the Selûnite Outpost Moonstone?
The four-disc Defiled Temple puzzle opens the passage from the Shattered Sanctum into the Underdark. The Moonstone at the Selûnite Outpost is a separate defensive device encountered afterward; destroying it disables the outpost’s statues.
Does the seven-move sequence work after I have already turned a disc?
Not necessarily. The sequence assumes the normal untouched starting arrangement. Reload a pre-puzzle save, restore the target state manually, or use the hidden lever if you can reveal it with passive Perception and lockpick it with DC 15 Sleight of Hand.
The Bottom Line
Face the sealed passage, then activate North, North, East, West, South, South, East. The solved state puts the black/new moons on the illuminated southern disc and the full moons against the northern stars. If the puzzle has already been disturbed, use the hidden lever on the right wall or restore the arrangement manually.
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