[Solved] Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Neural Switchboard Malfunction Baldur’s Gate 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Larian Studios. It is the third main game in the Baldur’s Gate series, based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system. The game is set in the Forgotten Realms, a fantasy world where players can create their own characters and embark on an epic adventure. One of the quests in the game involves disabling the Steel Watch, a group of metal constructs that serve as the private security force of Lord Enver Gortash, the ruler of the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate. To do this, the players need to infiltrate the Steel Watch Foundry, where the constructs are produced, and access the Neural Switchboard, which controls the Steel Watch.
However, some players have encountered a problem with the Neural Switchboard, which prevents them from completing the quest. In this blog post, I will explain what causes the Neural Switchboard malfunction, and how to solve it.
What causes the Neural Switchboard malfunction?
The Neural Switchboard malfunction can occur for different reasons, depending on the choices and actions of the players. Here are some possible scenarios that can lead to the malfunction:
- The player kills or damages Zanner or Wulbren, two Gondians who work in the Steel Watch Foundry. These two NPCs are the only ones who know the password to access the Neural Switchboard, and they will share it with the player if they are persuaded or helped. If they are killed or damaged, the player will not be able to get the password from them.
- The player rests at the camp before accessing the Neural Switchboard. This can cause Zanner or Wulbren to disappear from the Steel Watch Foundry, making it impossible to get their password.
- The player fails to read the books that contain clues to the password. Two books are relevant to the password: one is on the body of Toobin, a blind Gondian who guides the player to the Steel Watch Foundry, and the other is in the bookshelf in the Lab Loft, before the boss fight with the Titan. The books reveal that the password is “Gond’s True Name”, and that Gond has many names, such as Nebulon, Wonderbringer, and Fire Eyes.
How to solve Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Neural Switchboard Malfunction
If the player cannot get the password from Zanner or Wulbren, there is another way to bypass the Neural Switchboard and disable the Steel Watch. This involves solving the brain puzzle in the Necrotic Lab in the Mind Flayer Colony. The Mind Flayer Colony is a location that the player can visit after escaping the Nautiloid ship at the beginning of the game.
To solve the brain puzzle, the player needs to do the following steps:
- Go to the Necrotic Lab in the Mind Flayer Colony. This is the room where the player can find a Mind Flayer and several brains in jars.
- Interact with the brain that has a blue glow. This is the brain of a Gondian who worked in the Steel Watch Foundry. The brain will ask the player to help it escape.
- Agree to help the brain, and then interact with the console next to it. This will trigger a mini-game where the player has to connect the brain to the Neural Switchboard.
- The mini-game consists of four rows of symbols, each representing a different aspect of the brain: memory, emotion, logic, and identity. The player has to match the symbols in each row with the corresponding symbols in the Neural Switchboard, which are randomly generated each time. The player can use the hints provided by the brain to figure out the correct symbols.
- Once the player matches all the symbols, the brain will be connected to the Neural Switchboard, and the player will be able to disable the Steel Watch remotely.
By solving the brain puzzle, the player will unlock the Neural Switchboard directly, without needing the password. This will allow the player to complete the quest to disable the Steel Watch, and proceed with the main story of Baldur’s Gate 3.
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