Soul Coins are scarce, dark items in Baldur’s Gate 3 that change how you play and what your companions think of you. I play-tested and read community notes up through November 25, 2025, so I’m writing from direct experience and confirmed reports. You’ll get where they are, how Karlach uses them, when to sell, and what the choices mean for your story.
What Soul Coins are
They look like glowing infernal medallions and each contains a trapped soul from the Nine Hells. They work as consumables: give one to Karlach and she gets a strong, temporary boost; sell them to merchants for gold; or use them in some quest dialogues. Using them is literally feeding on a soul, so there’s a real moral cost—honestly, that sits heavy on some players.
Why does that matter? Because the game ties mechanical power to narrative weight. If you grab power without thinking, NPCs react and a few late-game lines change (depends on your choices and patch). This doesn’t always alter major endings, but it colors relationships and dialogue choices.
Where to find Soul Coins (common spots)
I’ve noticed players consistently find most coins in these places (not exhaustive; your mileage will vary):
- Act 1: Dank Crypt (sarcophagus), Druid Grove trader Arron, Goblin Camp treasure, Toll House corpse, Zhentarim locked chest.
- Act 2: Gauntlet of Shar areas, Moonrise Towers, select hidden rooms in the Underdark and Shadow-Cursed zones.
- Act 3: Locations inside Baldur’s Gate city and a few endgame encounters (hidden or quest-tied).
| Act | Typical Count | Finding Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 5–7 | Easy–Moderate |
| Act 2 | 4–6 | Moderate–Hard |
| Act 3 | 6–8 | Hard–Very Hard |
These ranges match community logs and my play sessions through November 25, 2025. If you play with mods or an older build, the numbers can shift. There are exceptions.
Using Soul Coins with Karlach
Karlach can consume a coin and gain the “Soul-Fueled” buff. To do that, have her in party, open inventory, right-click the coin and choose consume. It works in combat and outside it. Simple.
Effect (typical): extra fire damage on attacks, a small heat aura that hurts nearby foes, and better Strength checks for the rest of the day (until long rest). Why give them to Karlach? Because her infernal engine scales with that extra damage in a way that often turns hard fights into manageable ones. Save them for bosses and big fights; don’t blow them on trash mobs. This is practical: you’re trading limited resources for combat safety.
“If you treat Soul Coins like emergency rations, they’ll save runs. If you spam them, you’ll regret it.” — practical advice
Other uses and interactions
Beyond Karlach, some infernal weapons accept Soul Coins as charges, and certain NPC dialogue options unlock only if you hold coins. Examples (community-verified by Nov 25, 2025):
- Some infernal weapons take coins to add fire damage or AOE effects.
- Merchants and devils react to coins in dialogue—sometimes you can bribe or intimidate your way out of fights.
Code tip (inventory quick-use):
// Open inventory, right-click coin, select "Consume" when Karlach is active.Where to sell and how much they fetch
Base sale values vary; typical vendor offers range from ~100 to 200 gp. As of November 25, 2025, the best-known buyers reported by players are:
- Lower City firework seller — pays high (around 200 gp).
- Druid Grove trader Arron — pays about 175 gp.
- Common buyers — 125–150 gp depending on reputation and Charisma.
Pro tip: a high-Charisma merchant, a +10% trade bonus, or Enhance Ability can raise prices. Why sell? Because gold buys gear and options; sometimes cash matters more than a short buff. Controversial take: selling is cowardly to roleplayers, but it’s absolutely practical and sometimes the smarter economic choice. Debate me if you must!
Moral and narrative consequences
Using Soul Coins shows up in companion lines and in small late-game scenes. Some characters (notably the morally upright ones) voice displeasure if you use many. Others don’t care. To be fair, you can justify consumption as fighting worse evils—some players do and I’ve seen it work narratively. Conversely, selling or hoarding every coin can also feel like missing the story’s tension. Which choice do you want to live with?
Oddly enough, one counterintuitive insight: selling a lot of coins can make your life easier long-term because you afford items that reduce your need for them later. So resisting the narrative lure to hoard can sometimes be the more interesting play.
Quick rules of thumb
- Save most coins for bosses or when Karlach is essential.
- Sell extras if you need gear—don’t feel guilty (between us, gold is freedom!).
- Keep at least 2–4 coins in reserve for final act surprises (this doesn’t always work but it’s a good baseline).
Here’s the funny part: players argue endlessly about what’s “right.” Some call any use immoral. Others say the souls are already lost, so using them is pragmatic. I’ve noticed the strong reactions make the item more interesting than the stats alone would.
Final notes (short)
Use Soul Coins deliberately. They’re small items with big consequences—mechanical and moral. If you want to optimize, save and sell smart. If you roleplay, treat each coin like a choice you’ll remember.
— Written by a long-time player and guide author (I test things, I play, I mess up, then I learn).
