So you've made it to the Last Light Inn. You're wandering around, trying to keep everyone from dying to the shadow curse, and you stumble upon a guy named Art Cullagh lying in a bed. He’s catatonic. He’s humming. Honestly, he’s a bit of a creep until you realize he’s the key to one of the biggest questlines in Act 2.
The problem? He won't wake up. You need a very specific item—Art Cullagh's lute (technically called the Battered Lute) to snap him out of it.
If you’re stuck looking for this thing, don't worry. It is remarkably easy to miss, especially if you have a habit of looting bosses and sending everything to camp without looking at the item descriptions. Here is exactly how to find it and what to do when the game inevitably glitches out on you.
Where to Find Art Cullagh's Lute
Basically, you need to go to the House of Healing. This is a lovely, cheerful place located southwest of the Last Light Inn. You'll know you're there when the architecture starts looking like a gothic nightmare and the "nurses" look like they haven't slept since the Second Age.
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Inside the main surgical theater, you'll find Malus Thorm. He’s the guy currently performing "surgery" on a very unlucky patient.
How to get the lute from Malus
You have a few options here. You can:
- Fight him: He’s tough. He has a bunch of sisters who assist him and he hits like a freight train.
- Talk him into death: If you have high Charisma, you can actually convince Malus to let the sisters practice on him. Or convince the sisters to practice on each other. It’s dark, but it’s the easiest way to clear the room without wasting spell slots.
Once Malus is dead—one way or another—loot his body. You are looking for the Battered Lute. It has an orange border in your inventory, which means it’s a quest item.
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Why You Can’t Find the Lute in Your Inventory
Here is the thing that trips everyone up: the Battered Lute does not look special. If you’re like me, your inventory is a disaster zone of rotten food, random keys, and white-tier equipment. It’s very common to accidentally click "Send to Camp" on this item because it looks like junk. If the quest marker is still pointing at the House of Healing but Malus is dead and his body is empty, check your Traveler’s Chest at camp. Seriously. Nine times out of ten, that’s where it is.
Another weird quirk? Sometimes the quest won't update until the lute is specifically in your main character's inventory. If Shadowheart or Karlach is carrying it, the dialogue option to wake Art might not even show up. Swap it over to your protagonist just to be safe.
Using the Lute to Wake Art Cullagh
Once you have the lute, head back to the Last Light Inn. Talk to the Fist standing over him (usually Counselor Florrick if she's alive, or Fist Jelas).
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The Halsin Connection
You absolutely need Halsin for this. If you haven't told Halsin about Art yet, go to your camp, find the big druid, and tell him there’s a guy at the inn who knows about Thaniel. Halsin will immediately rush to the inn and stand by Art’s bed.
Talk to Art (or Halsin) while you have the lute. You’ll get a specific dialogue prompt to play the lute. You don't actually need to be a Bard to do this. Your character will just pluck a few strings, Art will recognize the melody, and he’ll finally wake up.
What if Art Cullagh is Already Dead?
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game where things go wrong. Maybe the Last Light Inn fell. Maybe you accidentally hit Art with a fireball during the Marcus fight.
Don't panic. If Art Cullagh is dead, you can still progress the quest. Use Speak with Dead on his corpse. You’ll be able to ask him the same questions you would have asked him while he was awake. He’ll tell you about the lavender and Thaniel, and the quest to lift the shadow curse will continue just fine.
Summary of Next Steps
- Head to the House of Healing (Southwest of Last Light Inn).
- Defeat Malus Thorm (Combat or Persuasion).
- Loot the Battered Lute from his body.
- Check your Camp Chest if it's not in your inventory.
- Talk to Halsin and tell him about Art.
- Play the lute at Art's bedside in the Last Light Inn.
Once Art is awake, talk to him to get the location of Thaniel. This immediately leads into the portal defense mission with Halsin, which is one of the toughest fights in Act 2. Make sure you’re rested and have plenty of Area of Effect (AoE) spells ready before you head to the lakeshore with him.