Baldur's Gate 3: How to Use the Brain Jars

During the prologue of Baldur’s Gate 3, “A Nautiloid in Hell,” players can find and pick up a couple of unusual objects. These objects are brains in green jars that stand out against the red and purple color scheme of the mind flayers.

These brain jars don’t serve much purpose during the prologue, but players should hold onto them even so. If the party still has these jars at the end of Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, they’ll discover a place to use them in the depths of the Mind Flayer Colony, along with the six brain jars found within this region.

The Mind-Archive Interface

Southwest of the Necrotic Laboratory region in the Mind Flayer Colony is an isolated platform the party can jump to. This platform has a few shelves of interesting BG3 items, including Balthazar’s Notes, two Rune Slates with mind flayer information, a crystal ball, and a Resonance Stone.

To the left of the shelves is a “Slack-Skinned Head,” which is hooked up to a machine called the Mind-Archive Interface. The game doesn’t tell players directly how to use this device, but a green brain jar called True Mind sits right below it, and another jar called Willing Mind is on the shelf nearby.

Players should select the Mind-Archive Interface, then insert one of the green brain jars. Next, interact with the Slack-Skinned Head. The head will speak as if it belongs to the brain in the jar. After the dialog ends, players can collect the brain from the Interface and insert a new one.

Where to Find Brain Jars

There are six brain jars in the Mind Flayer Colony and two more players can collect from the nautiloid.

The True Mind provides information about the True Soul tadpole creation process and sits under the Mind-Archive Interface. The Willing Mind is on the shelf next to the Interface. The Closed Mind is in one of the rooms in the Barracks. The Waking Mind is behind the brain puzzle just east of the Mind-Archive Interface. The mind belongs to a githzerai, and they can give the speaker a permanent advantage on all Intelligence saving throws if the player agrees to their request. The Butchered Mind is on a shelf in the Morgue. The Fresh Mind is by a stack of crates near the elevator. The Dark Mind is on a table in the same room where players can find Shadowheart in the nautiloid. The Slave Mind is in the side room full of Mind Flayer Pods in the nautiloid.

Each brain has something interesting to say, and the Waking Mind, in particular, can provide a real mechanical bonus. That on its own is worth the effort it takes to understand the Mind-Archive Interface.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available now on macOS and PC and is coming to PS5 on August 31.