BG3 House of Hope: All Unique Items (With Exact Locations) and Raphael’s Honour Mode Legendary Actions

The House of Hope packs some of BG3’s most powerful endgame gear into a single Act 3 dungeon — gloves that set Strength to 23, an amulet that pushes Constitution to 23, a helmet that eliminates critical hits, and Legendary armor that lets any class fly. The only price is Raphael: 666 HP, fire immunity, and a boss fight that ends Honour Mode runs regularly because players don’t understand how his legendary actions change between his two combat phases.

This guide covers every unique item at exact coordinates, the stealth route through the Archive that most players miss, and a complete breakdown of both Honour Mode legendary actions — what they do, when they trigger, and how to counter each. If you’re planning Act 3 around the House of Hope, read this first.

Verified on Patch 8 — BG3’s final patch.

Quick Start: 5 Steps to Clear the House of Hope

1. Pay or persuade Helsik at Devil’s Fee in the Lower City for portal access, then complete the five-item ritual upstairs.
2. Step through the portal and accept Hope’s disguise — your party becomes Debtors and can move freely without triggering the alarm.
3. Go to the Archive first. Use the northeast balcony jump to bypass the Archivist entirely and grab all three pedestal items safely.
4. Unlock Raphael’s Vault with the Inert Infernal Gem puzzle (DC 10 Wisdom + DC 20 Arcana), loot the Vault items, then free Hope from her prison using the Orphic Hammer.
5. Exit through the foyer — Raphael appears with six Vengeful Cambions. Destroy his Soul Pillars first, then finish the fight to escape and collect the Helldusk Armour.

How to Enter: The Devil’s Fee Portal Ritual

The portal to the House of Hope sits on the upper floor of Devil’s Fee, a shop in the northern Lower City just west of the Forge of the Nine. The owner, Helsik, controls access. She’ll sell you the ritual knowledge for 10,000 gold, or you can unlock it through dialogue: a DC 15 Persuasion check reduces the price, and a DC 25 Persuasion check gets the information for free if you’ve established rapport.

Upstairs, a heptagram on the floor has five marked positions. All five ritual items — a skull, Coin of Mammon, diamond, incense, and Infernal Marble — are available from Helsik’s shop or scattered around the same room. Placing each item in the correct position lights it with infernal flame to confirm placement. When all five are correct, the portal opens.

Once through, Hope’s projection greets you near the entrance and offers your party a disguise as Debtors. Accept it. The disguise grants free movement through the mansion without triggering combat. Without it, the entire house turns hostile the moment you’re spotted.

Use the restoration faucets in the Boudoir before starting a fight. These function as a free long rest — they restore all spell slots and remove conditions. They’re accessible while still disguised, and they work with pre-cast buffs like Heroes’ Feast and Freedom of Movement. Once you trigger the alarm, the faucets stop working.

House of Hope Layout and What Triggers the Alarm

The mansion has six zones. Three matter for loot: the Archive (western wing, three pedestals + Orphic Hammer), the Boudoir (northern wing, Haarlep + Raphael’s safe), and Raphael’s Vault (adjacent to the Boudoir). Two matter for the critical path: Hope’s Prison (underground via hatchway, accessible without triggering alarm) and the Foyer (Raphael’s final encounter).

Five actions trigger the alarm and turn the mansion fully hostile:

• Being spotted without Debtor’s Attire equipped
• Attacking any debtor, Haarlep, or key NPC while disguised
• Triggering Archive pressure plates without disarming them first
• Taking the Orphic Hammer or Raphael’s contract without managing the traps
• Freeing Hope from her chains (always triggers — plan for this)

The optimal sequence: get the Archive items and Vault items while still disguised, visit the Boudoir for Haarlep’s encounter, then trigger the alarm intentionally by freeing Hope — with all loot already secured.

All Unique Items: Complete Location Table

Every unique item in the House of Hope, with coordinates and acquisition method. Items in the Archive and Vault can be obtained before the alarm triggers; the Helldusk Armour and Gloves of Soul Catching only become available after the fight.

Item highlights: The Amulet of Greater Health sets CON to 23 with Advantage on Constitution saves — one of the most efficient defensive items in the game regardless of class. The Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength set STR to 23, ideal for any melee character running below that threshold. Both are available from the Archive before any combat begins. The Helldusk Armour is Legendary and equippable without armor proficiency — any class can wear it for AC 21 with built-in fire resistance, Fly, and 3 damage reduction from all sources. See our full BG3 items guide for where these rank in the broader endgame context.

How to Loot Everything Before the Alarm

Archive: The Northeast Balcony Bypass

The Archive has a pressure-plate trap system protecting its pedestals, and an Archivist NPC who turns hostile if you disturb anything. The standard route requires a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check to disarm each trap — a risky roll if your party’s rogue isn’t built for it.

The better option: from the main corridor, take the northeast balcony and jump across to the Archive from above. Even a character with 8 Strength can make the required jumps. This approach bypasses the Archivist entirely and lands you directly near the pedestals without triggering a single trap.

Once you’re inside via the balcony, the pedestal items (Orphic Hammer, Amulet of Greater Health, Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength) are still weight-triggered. The weight-replacement trick: place any item of equivalent weight on the pedestal before lifting the target item. This prevents the pressure sensor from registering a missing item and keeps the traps inactive. Any coin-stack or stackable inventory item works for this.

Raphael’s Vault: The Gem Puzzle

Raphael’s Vault is directly south of the Boudoir entrance. You’ll find an Inert Infernal Gem on the wall nearby. Activating it requires a DC 10 Wisdom check — low enough that most party members can pass it. Once activated, a DC 20 Arcana check unlocks the Vault door. Each party member gets one attempt at each check, so send your highest Wisdom character first, then your highest Arcana character. If both succeed, the Vault is open and you can grab the Helldusk Helmet and Staff of Spellpower without any further checks.

Boudoir: The Haarlep Decision

Haarlep, the succubus guarding the Boudoir, has two resolution paths. Taking the indulgence path (agreeing to her request) yields a key to Raphael’s safe, which contains the five Soul Coins. Refusing triggers a fight against Haarlep supported by six Vengeful Imps. Either path leaves the Helldusk Gloves available as a drop from Haarlep’s body — the key difference is whether you fight the Imps and skip the safe, or take the easier route and get both the gloves and the coins. The indulgence path is the cleaner choice for resource conservation before Raphael.

Hope’s Prison: Freeing Her

Hope’s Prison is below the main floor, accessible through a hatchway to the right of the east wing door. A Strength check opens the hatch — most party members can pass it. Two Spectators patrol the prison; they turn hostile if you linger, but you can navigate around them.

Hope is chained to two infernal crystals. The Orphic Hammer is the only item that can break these chains — its Unshackling Strike ability is built for this purpose. Once freed, Hope joins your party as a Level 10 Life Domain Cleric and an additional combatant in the Raphael fight. She has Mass Healing Word and Mass Cure Wounds as bonus actions, plus Divine Intervention: a once-per-run ability that resurrects fallen allies and restores the party as if completing a long rest, replenishing Hope’s own spell slots in the process.

Freeing Hope triggers the alarm. From this point, every Eternal Debtor in the mansion becomes hostile, Hell Spheres spawn near the exit, and Raphael intercepts you at the foyer.

Boss Fight: Raphael’s Mechanics

Raphael has 666 HP, AC 21 base (scaling to AC 27 with four active Soul Pillars), and is fully immune to fire damage, the burning condition, and banishment. He resists lightning, cold, and poison. Magic Resistance gives him Advantage on all saving throws against spells — this matters for any CC strategy you’re planning.

Soul Pillars: Why They’re Your First Target

The four Soul Pillars in the foyer each give Raphael cumulative bonuses while they stand: +1d12 fire damage on attacks, +3 Dexterity (up to +12 total, pushing DEX from 16 to 28), and one Soul Charge used as a spell slot. With all four active, Raphael has AC 27 and hits for an extra 4d12 fire damage per attack. Destroying them removes these bonuses one by one.

Pillars have 99 HP each and are vulnerable to bludgeoning and force damage, immune to fire, psychic, necrotic, piercing, and poison. Two Smokepowder Barrels per pillar detonated before combat begins is the fastest approach — they die before Raphael takes a turn. Alternatively, the Orphic Hammer’s bludgeoning damage and +3 enchantment makes it a reliable pillar-breaker in combat.

Each time a pillar is destroyed mid-fight, Raphael may trigger Fiendish Ascension and transform into his Ascended Fiend form, gaining +5 Strength and access to his claws and Multiattack. This transformation also grants new Soul Charges. In Phase 2, his Ravaging Inferno (20d6 hellfire) ignores fire resistance and immunity entirely — so fire-resistant characters like Karlach stop being tanky past this point.

Key Combat Mechanics

• Severed Soul: When Raphael drops a character to 0 HP, that character gains Disadvantage on attacks and ability checks until cured. Cure it by casting Restore Soul on any active pillar, or by destroying that pillar.
• Punish Divinity: A reaction that stuns Raphael briefly when he takes radiant damage. If your spellcasters deal radiant, coordinate a melee follow-up immediately after triggering this.
• Consume Souls: Raphael’s bonus action healing. Interrupting it denies him Soul Charges and forces him into Ascended form earlier with fewer resources.
• Hope’s Revoke Guest Status: Hope can cast Banishment as “Revoke Guest Status” — this permanently removes one Vengeful Cambion from the fight. Use it on the most dangerous Cambion early in the fight to reduce incoming damage.

Pre-combat checklist: Pre-place Smokepowder Barrels at each pillar’s base before triggering the fight. Cast Heroes’ Feast and Freedom of Movement via the Boudoir faucets. If running multiple spellcasters, check our Honour Mode guide for party buffing sequencing. Position your melee characters near the pillars, not Raphael, at combat start.

Honour Mode: Raphael’s Two Legendary Actions

This is where most guides stop — and where most Honour Mode runs end unexpectedly. Raphael doesn’t have one legendary action in Honour Mode. He has two distinct ones that activate in different phases, and the counter-strategy for each is completely different.

The number of uses per round for each legendary action equals the number of Soul Pillars still standing at the start of that round. With four pillars up, Raphael can use his legendary action four times per round — reactive to four separate attacks. With three pillars down, he gets one use. This is the mechanical reason to destroy pillars immediately: you’re not just removing his stat bonuses, you’re cutting his legendary action uses.

Phase 1 — Beguiling Rebuke

In his regular form, Raphael’s legendary action is Beguiling Rebuke: when any character attacks Raphael, he can react with a WIS save (DC 18) targeting that attacker and nearby allies in an 18-meter radius. Characters who fail the save become Charmed and cannot attack Raphael for the duration.

With all four pillars active, Raphael can charm up to four separate attackers in a single round — one per reaction to each incoming hit. If your party piles attacks onto Raphael before the pillars are down, you can charm your entire party simultaneously.

Counter-strategy for Beguiling Rebuke:

• Destroy pillars before engaging Raphael. Each destroyed pillar removes one Beguiling Rebuke use per round.
• Use Crowd Control instead of direct attacks during Phase 1. Hunger of Hadar, Web, and Grease keep him occupied without triggering the reaction.
• Characters with high Wisdom saves (16+ WIS, or with Advantage via items) are safe to attack regardless. The Helldusk Helmet’s +2 to spell saves helps here.
• Prone and Stunned conditions prevent Raphael from using legendary actions entirely — they’re reactions, and incapacitated enemies can’t take reactions.

Phase 2 — Soul Ascension

Once Raphael transforms into his Ascended Fiend form, Beguiling Rebuke is gone. The Phase 2 legendary action is Soul Ascension: a 4-meter necrotic column dealing 6d10 damage (DEX save DC 18) that simultaneously transforms all Vengeful Cambions in the fight into Hellfire Cambions. Hellfire damage ignores both fire resistance and fire immunity — so any character (including Karlach) can now take full damage from fire attacks.

Soul Ascension uses per round still equals surviving pillar count. If you destroyed all four pillars before the phase transition, Raphael gets zero Soul Ascension uses in Phase 2. If pillars survive into Phase 2, Soul Ascension fires whenever the Cambions are positioned near your party.

Counter-strategy for Soul Ascension:

• Destroy all pillars before the phase transition. If Soul Ascension fires with zero pillars remaining, it fires once — damage only, no Hellfire upgrade.
• If Cambions are already present, use Hope’s Revoke Guest Status to banish the highest-priority one before Raphael can apply the Hellfire upgrade.
• Spread party members more than 4 meters apart during Phase 2 to minimize how many characters a single Soul Ascension column hits.
• In Phase 2, Raphael also gains Multiattack with Action Surge — up to four claw attacks per turn at 3d6+5 each. Keep lower-HP casters at range.

Player Type Strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enter the House of Hope without paying Helsik?

Yes, via a DC 25 Persuasion check that unlocks the ritual knowledge for free. You still need the five ritual items, which you can buy from Helsik’s shop separately or find upstairs. There’s no other route into the dungeon.

Does the House of Hope reset if I leave and come back?

The portal at Devil’s Fee remains open for the rest of the game after you first use it. However, once Raphael’s alarm triggers and you fight him, the House of Hope cannot be re-entered for additional loot runs. Everything should be grabbed in a single visit before triggering the alarm.

What happens if Hope dies during the fight?

If Hope dies during the Raphael fight, you lose the Gloves of Soul Catching — she only gives them to the player character if she survives. You also lose her post-game correspondence. The fight can still be won without her, but if you want the gloves, keep her alive by prioritizing Hope’s position away from Soul Ascension columns and Cambion attacks.

Can I get the Helldusk Armour without killing Raphael?

No. The Helldusk Armour is only available from Raphael’s corpse. The Helldusk Helmet, Gloves, and Staff of Spellpower can all be obtained before triggering combat, but the Armour requires killing him.

Is the Helldusk Armour worth using even without heavy armor proficiency?

Yes. The Helldusk Armour has no proficiency requirement — any class can wear it for AC 21. AC 21 plus built-in fire resistance, Fly on a bonus action, and 3 flat damage reduction from all sources makes it one of the most efficient survival tools in the game for Act 3 melee characters. For casters, it competes against Robe of the Weave and Potent Robe for the final armor slot depending on build focus. See our party composition guide for which builds benefit most.

Sources

• House of Hope — bg3.wiki
• Raphael Combat — bg3.wiki
• Helldusk Armour — bg3.wiki
• Orphic Hammer — bg3.wiki
• Helldusk Helmet — bg3.wiki
• Helldusk Gloves — bg3.wiki
• Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength — bg3.wiki
• Staff of Spellpower — bg3.wiki
• Amulet of Greater Health — bg3.wiki
• Hope (NPC) — bg3.wiki
• House of Hope Complete Walkthrough — TheGamer

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.