Saving the Gondians is easily the most frustrating thing you’ll do in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3. It just is. You’re deep into the Lower City, you’ve got Gortash breathing down your neck, and suddenly you’re tasked with rescuing a group of gnome engineers who seem actively determined to die. It’s a mess.
If you’ve played through the Steel Watch Foundry before, you know the pain. You spend three turns setting up the perfect defense, only for a Gondian to Misty Step directly into a pool of Hellfire or provoked an Opportunity Attack from a Steel Watcher for no reason. It’s enough to make you want to side with Wulbren Bongle, despite him being a total jerk. But if you want the "best" ending for the Ironhand Gnomes and the city’s defense, you’ve gotta keep these pacifists alive.
How to save the Gondians BG3 style: It starts at the Iron Throne
You can't just kick down the front door of the Foundry and expect everything to go well. Well, you can, but the Gondians won't help you because Gortash is holding their families hostage in an underwater prison called the Iron Throne.
This is the "point of no return" for this questline.
Once you take that submersible down to the prison, Gortash is going to blow the place up. You get a limited number of turns—determined by your difficulty setting—to get everyone out. On Tactician or Honour Mode, it’s a tight squeeze. You need to prioritize the Gondians in the cells, but you also have Duke Ravengard and Omeluum (if you followed his quest) to worry about.
Speed is everything here. If you aren't using Haste, Misty Step, or Dimension Door, you're basically failing already. I like to send my highest-mobility character, usually a Monk or a Rogue with Cunning Action, toward the furthest cells. The Gondians are terrified. They won't move until you open those doors, and even then, their pathfinding can be... questionable.
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One thing people often miss is the levers. You don't need to lockpick the cells; just hit the levers. Using a summon, like a Spiritual Weapon or a Scratch, to trigger levers can save your actual party members' precious Action points. Once the prisoners reach the ladder in the center, they’re safe. Don't wait for them to climb; as long as they’re in that center room when the timer hits zero, the game counts them as rescued.
The Foundry Floor: Combat is the easy part
After the Iron Throne, you head back to the Steel Watch Foundry. This is where the real nightmare begins. The Gondians here are technically on your side now, but they fight with the tactical awareness of a wet paper bag.
They love to cast Grease. They love it so much they’ll cast it right under your own Paladin. Then they’ll walk into it and fall prone.
To keep them alive, you need to control the battlefield. This isn't just about damage; it's about positioning. The Banite guards have an ability called "Motivate" that effectively functions like a lethal command. If the Motivator device isn't deactivated within a turn, the Gondian collars explode. This is your number one priority. Forget the Steel Watchers for a second; if you see a Banite drop a metallic device on the floor, someone needs to interact with it immediately.
Crowd control is your best friend. Confusion or Hypnotic Pattern can shut down half the room, giving the Gondians fewer things to kill themselves on. Also, consider using Banishment on the Steel Watchers when they get low on health. When a Watcher reaches a certain HP threshold, it starts a self-destruct sequence. The blast radius is huge. The Gondians, bless their hearts, will often stay right next to the exploding robot to get one last measly dagger poke in.
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Banish them. Or use Telekinesis to chuck the exploding robot into a corner.
Dealing with the Titan and the Final Room
The basement of the Foundry is where things get truly sweaty. You’re up against the Steel Watcher Titan and three regular Watchers. By this point, you usually have Zanner Toobin following you around. He’s the blind Gondian leader who knows how to blow the place up.
Honestly? Leave him by the door.
Don't let Zanner enter the actual combat area if you can help it. He has very little health and the Titan's legendary actions (if you're on Honour Mode) will turn him into a puddle of grease in one turn. The Titan has a defensive protocol where it becomes nearly immune to damage unless you hit it with a high-damage burst. Lightning damage is the key here. If you have a Storm Sorcerer or a Tempest Cleric, this is their time to shine. Chain Lightning or a max-level Call Lightning will melt the Titan's armor.
Use Globe of Invulnerability. It's a level 6 spell, so it's expensive, but it's the only guaranteed way to keep the Gondians safe during the Titan's massive AoE attacks. If you can cluster the friendly NPCs inside the globe, you can just wait out the explosions.
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Why Wulbren Bongle is wrong (mostly)
Once the dust settles and the Foundry is a smoking ruin, Wulbren Bongle will show up. He wants to execute the remaining Gondians. He’s obsessed with the idea that they’re collaborators, ignoring the fact they were literally enslaved.
If you’ve managed to keep even one Gondian alive—specifically Zanner—you can argue for their lives. This is a high-difficulty Persuasion or Intimidation check. If you fail, you might have to fight Wulbren and his Ironhands. Barcus Wroot, if he’s still with you, can actually step up here and take over the Ironhands, which is by far the most satisfying conclusion to the whole subplot.
Most players struggle with this because they try to play "fair" combat. BG3 isn't fair. Use Invisibility on the Gondians. Cast Sanctuary on them. Use Feign Death if you have to! If an NPC is "dead" to the AI, they won't target them, but they’ll still be alive when the fight ends.
Practical steps for your rescue run
If you're currently staring at a reload screen because a gnome just ran into a fire, here is the exact workflow you should follow to make this work:
- Prep for the Iron Throne: Bring every Potion of Speed you own. Split your party. One person goes South, one East, one West. Omeluum is to the Northwest; send someone with teleportation there, as he can instantly teleport himself and the rescuer back to the sub.
- The Foundry Entrance: Use Counterspell on the Banite mages. They cast a nasty spell that can stun multiple Gondians, making them sitting ducks for the Watchers.
- The Motivators: Assign one character (usually your highest initiative character) to be the "cleaner." Their only job is to click on the Motivator devices. Don't use them for damage until the devices are clear.
- The Self-Destruct: When a Steel Watcher hits 15-20% health, it will prime. You have one turn. Use Repelling Blast, Thunderwave, or a simple Shove to get the Gondians away from it. They won't move on their own.
- Healing: Bring a Life Domain Cleric or someone with Mass Healing Word. You can't rely on the Gondians to heal themselves. They will stay at 5 HP and try to melee a giant robot. You have to be their babysitter.
The Gondians represent the best of Baldur's Gate's ingenuity, even if their combat AI represents the worst of its programming. Saving them is a badge of honor. It’s a test of your ability to manipulate the game’s systems rather than just hitting things until they die.
Once you’ve cleared the Foundry and told Wulbren to kick rocks, head over to the Lodge or check your camp. The Gondians provide significant help in the final battle (if you’re into the "Gather Your Allies" mechanic), and seeing Barcus finally take charge is a top-tier character arc completion. Just remember: Sanctuary is a level 1 spell. Use it. It's the difference between a saved civilization and a pile of gnome-sized shoes.
To wrap this up, focus on control over damage. If you stop the enemies from moving, the Gondians can't find ways to die. Use your environment, use your level 6 spells, and don't be afraid to shove a friendly gnome if it gets them out of an explosion's path. They'll thank you later. Or they'll just stand there staring into space. That's the Gondian way.