I write from experience: the Beckoning Darkness Gloves change how you play in Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3. I’ve used them on rogues, warlocks, and monks and learned what actually works. They let you cast Darkness once per long rest and they pull enemies 3 meters when you attack them inside that darkness. That pull is small, but it’s tactical — you can drag foes off ledges, into traps, or into area spells. Honestly, that’s why I value them.
Want to find them? You’ll head to the Gauntlet of Shar in Act 2, specifically the Silent Library on the lower levels. You need at least one Umbral Gem to reach the library (you get gems by completing Shar’s trials). Expect Dark Justiciars on the shelf — tough undead who resist necrotic damage.
🔍 Where exactly — a quick map
Enter via the Grand Mausoleum in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Solve the button puzzle behind paintings to open the gauntlet. You’ll pass trials that reward Umbral Gems; use one on the main chamber platform to lower the elevator. The Silent Library sits below. I’ve died there more times than I care to admit (between us, bring good torches if you like seeing what you’re doing).
| Area | Feature | Loot / Danger |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance Hall | Shar statue, trial doors | Scrolls; shadow creatures |
| Self‑Same Trial | Mirror combat | Umbral Gem; risky |
| Soft‑Step Trial | Stealth maze | Shadow guards |
| Silent Library | Where the gloves sit | Dark Justiciars; books; Spear of Night |
⚔️ Fighting the Dark Justiciars — practical steps
These are high‑AC, high‑HP foes. They usually show up in groups, and they shrug off necrotic damage. I’ve noticed radiant cuts through them like a hot knife through butter, so clerics and paladins matter here. Use area spells to soften groups, then pick one down. Turn Undead helps buy time.
Basic tactic I use:
- Buff: Bless, Aid, Defensive spells
- Hold the doorway to force a choke
- Silence casters (watch this: silence can ruin their day)
- Focus one target until it’s gone
- Keep the healer safe in the back
There are exceptions: if the party’s low level or undergeared, the plan won’t work. This doesn’t always work against scripted encounters with reinforcements.
🎯 Best classes and how to build around the gloves
Warlocks with Devil’s Sight get huge mileage because they can see through Darkness you create. Eldritch Blast plus Repelling Blast, plus the glove’s pull, is nasty. Rogues (Assassin) and Shadow Monks also love the tools — darkness gives advantage and teleport plays nice (to be fair, teleport depends on subclass features).
- Warlock (Fiend/GOO): Devil’s Sight, Eldritch Blast + Repel
- Rogue (Assassin): Darkness for reliable advantage
- Monk (Shadow): Shadow Step inside darkness
- Sorcerer (Shadow): Use metamagic to copy darkness tricks
Surprisingly, some Clerics (Trickery) can layer on stealth and benefit from the gloves. I’ve found that builds focused on battlefield control outperform pure damage builds when using these gloves.
💀 Combos that actually work
Why do combos matter? The glove’s pull ignores sight and triggers on any attack inside the darkness. That means you can force enemies into hazards and keep them there. Here are reliable setups I use in real runs.
“Pull, then punish: create darkness, hit once to pull, then drop an AoE.” — my rule of thumb
Practical combos:
- Darkness + Hunger of Hadar: blind them, pull them into damage (great in corridors)
- Darkness + Wall of Fire: pull through flames (risky, but lethal)
- Darkness + Spike Growth: drag them through slow, painful terrain
Oddly enough, the pull plus a single well-timed fire spell can end a fight faster than multi-round setups. Counterintuitive? Maybe. But it works.
📊 Stats (clear and exact)
{
"name": "Beckoning Darkness Gloves",
"rarity": "Rare",
"armor_bonus": 1,
"darkness_casts": "1/long rest",
"pull_range_m": 3,
"save_dc_strength": 13,
"weight_kg": 0.5,
"value_gold": 190
}These numbers match what I tested in 2025; if Larian changes mechanics in a patch after 2025‑08‑01, expect differences. (I check patch notes whenever possible.)
🎮 Using pull effects — why positioning matters
The 3‑meter pull is short. It’s precise. That precision is the point. Use it to separate casters from meat‑shields or to shove ranged enemies into your melee. Who should you pull first? Spellcasters and archers — they usually fail Strength saves more than frontline fighters. Also consider enemy proximity to cliffs or hazards.
Priority targets (my order):
- Spellcasters (low STR)
- Archers and ranged attackers
- Enemies near cliffs/traps
- Units holding a formation
- Fleeing enemies
⚠️ Caveats, and a bit of controversy
Now for something debatable: some players call these gloves overpowered. I don’t think they break the game, but they do simplify certain encounters — especially scripted ones where the map gives you a pit or narrow choke. Others say they’re underwhelming because the darkness is only once per long rest; both views have merit. Honestly, it depends on your party and your playstyle.
Also: you can’t stack the glove’s darkness with every source every time. There are exceptions; sometimes environmental light cancels your plan, sometimes enemy abilities bypass darkness. So don’t expect a silver bullet.
Final tips — short list
- Bring a radiant dealer for Justiciars.
- Make darkness near hazards whenever possible.
- Use spells that force Strength saves to improve pull success.
- Experiment with weird combos — I’ve had success with Cloud Kill + pull once (surprising!).
Want a quick copyable setup? Here’s a snippet I use to plan fights:
// Example plan
// 1) Cast Darkness at choke
// 2) Use Eldritch Blast to pull key caster
// 3) Drop Wall of Fire where they land
Try variations. Watch how enemies move. You’ll learn the timings and become better at snapping up the advantage. I’ll say it again: the gloves are tools — use them creatively. You’ll get strange looks from other players when you pull a mage off a balcony. They’ll laugh. Then die.
