Baldur’s Gate 3 Quest Guide#

Quest Overview#

Baldur’s Gate 3 has more than 100 quests — spread across three acts. Many quests have multiple completion paths and branching choices — different choices affect later quests and endings. This guide lists the key quests and their best choices.

Quest Types#

Companion Quest Progress Table#

Act 1 Quests#

Main Quest: The Mind Flayer Infection#

Trigger: the start of the game — triggers automatically after the nautiloid crash Goal: find a cure — head to the Emerald Grove to seek Halsin’s help Completion: finish the Emerald Grove questline → rescue Halsin → travel to Moonrise Towers → find the trail of the cure inside the tower Key branch: you can accept the mind flayer tadpole’s power (strong skills but it affects the ending) or refuse it (cleaner, but fewer abilities). Recommended: use at least 1-2 tadpole powers — they are extremely strong and a single use doesn’t affect the ending

The Emerald Grove#

Trigger: triggers automatically when you reach the Emerald Grove Core quests: Rescue Halsin (enter the goblin camp / kill the three goblin leaders → free Halsin) / Minthara’s raid (she and the goblins plan to attack the grove — you can inform on her, kill her, or join the raid on the grove). Rescue Halsin (enter goblin camp/kill 3 goblin leaders → free Halsin) Rewards: Halsin joins camp (a key NPC later) — about 500 XP — plenty of gear Important branch: if you help Minthara raid the grove — you lose Halsin, and Wyll and Karlach may leave the party — but you gain Minthara as a companion. Usually the evil-route choice

The Goblin Camp#

It holds three goblin leaders — Minthara (the priestess), Priestess Gut (the goblin leader), and Dror Ragzlin (the hobgoblin chief) — kill all three to free Halsin. You can also bypass combat with the True Soul’s Ring. Recommendation: take them out one by one — Minthara is the hardest (shoot the bridge to drop her), Gut can be poisoned in dialogue, and Ragzlin can be fought directly or turned against his wargs. Minthara, Priestess Gut, Ragzlin — kill all to free Halsin. Can also bypass via True Soul Ring. Recommend: Eliminate one by one — Minthara hardest (shoot bridge to drop her), Gut poisoned in dialogue, Ragzlin fought directly or pitted against wargs.

The Nautiloid Crash Site#

Trigger: discovered automatically when you enter the inland area from the beach Quest: search the crashed nautiloid wreckage — find valuable gear and resources. The wreckage holds the Astral Silver Sword (a legendary githyanki weapon — one of the strongest one-handed swords in Act 1) and clues to the Necromancy of Thay. Note: phase spiders haunt the wreckage — recommended to explore after level 4

The Blighted Village#

Trigger: follow the road east from the grove to the village Quest: clear the goblins and ogres out of the village. Three ogres stand at the village entrance — you can persuade them not to attack through dialogue (Intelligence/Charisma checks) — you can even hire them. Key locations: the well in the village center (one route into the Underdark), the basement (the hidden bookshelf with the Necromancy of Thay), and the windmill (rescue the trapped gnome — choose whether to release the troll in the barn)

The Risen Road#

Trigger: set out from the grove’s north gate Quest: you meet Karlach (a hunted tiefling warrior) and Wyll (the devil hunter chasing her). Karlach needs a smith to fix her infernal engine — lead her to the smith Dammon at the grove. Along the way you’ll run into the Zhentarim (a smuggler organization) — you can join them or kill them. The Zhentarim Hideout holds plenty of rare gear and ammunition

The Underdark#

Trigger: the underground entrance beneath the Druid Grove or the Zhentarim Hideout Quest: explore the Underdark — areas like the Myconid Colony, the Arcane Tower, and the Duergar Camp. Core rewards include: the Arcane Staff from the Arcane Tower (one of the Wizard’s graduation weapons), the Myconid King’s armour (heavy armour), and the lost mirror (stat bonus). The Underdark has three routes into Act 2 — the Myconid portal, the boat, or through the Tortured Passage

Underdark Key Locations in Detail#

The Creche#

Trigger: reach the monastery through the Mountain Pass Quest: talk to the creche keeper → inspect the healing device (loot everything, but it has no real healing effect) → find the key information in the interrogation room → fight the inquisitor → enter the Astral Prism and talk to The Emperor Key items: the legendary githyanki weapon (defeat the inquisitor), and the monastery’s hidden legendary heavy bow, the Titanstring Bow — in the eagle nest on the monastery rooftop

Act 1 Hidden Quests#

Redeem the defeated knight: on the Risen Road you find an imprisoned tiefling knight — rescue them and they can appear as an ally in Act 3. The hag’s lair: defeat the hag in the swamp — you can kill her or spare her — sparing her grants the Hag’s Hair (permanent +1 stat) — highly recommended — one of the only permanent stat boosts in the entire game

The Silent Library: in the basement of Waukeen’s Rest — a forgotten library — you need to find the key to enter — inside are precious documents about the history of Baldur’s Gate — collect them all for the “Librarian” achievement

The House of Love: southwest of the grove stands an abandoned cottage — its cellar holds strange armour and love letters — the remnants of a cursed love story — you can find the separated lovers

Act 1 Quest Reward Table#

Act 2 Quests#

Moonrise Towers#

Trigger: reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands through the Underdark or the Mountain Pass Core quest: infiltrate Moonrise Towers → find Ketheric Thorm → gather intel on his weakness → go to the Nightsong → free the Nightsong → return and kill Thorm. Key NPC: Jaheira — can be recruited after the Moonrise battle. Key choice: spare or kill the Nightsong — sparing her grants a powerful ally and is necessary to beat Thorm — killing her grants the Nightsong Spear (a powerful weapon) but you lose Jaheira and the Thorm fight gets harder. Key NPC: Jaheira — can recruit after Moonrise battle. Key Choice: Spare or kill Nightsong — spare = strong ally + necessary to beat Thorm — kill = Nightsong Spear (strong weapon) but lose Jaheira + harder Thorm fight.

Moonrise Towers Infiltration Routes#

The Caravans of the Shadow-Cursed Lands#

Trigger: talk to the NPC near the Last Light Inn Quest: rescue caravans trapped by the shadows of the cursed lands. The caravans sit at three different spots — each rescue grants XP and gold. Rescue them all and a merchant appears at the inn — selling rare gear

Lifting the Shadow Curse#

Trigger: after finishing the Nightsong questline, talk to Halsin at the grove Quest: Halsin plans to lift the curse with Thaniel’s staff — but you must find Thaniel first. Thaniel is hidden in the hermit’s place within the shadows — defeat the undead there to obtain the staff. Final choice: Halsin can sacrifice himself (shapeshifting into an elemental form and charging into the heart of the curse) or leave it to you to destroy the curse’s heart. Recommended: let Halsin go — if he dies you can revive him with a scroll

Full Act 2 Quest Checklist#

Act 3 Quests#

Gortash’s Conspiracy#

Trigger: triggers automatically when you enter Baldur’s Gate Quest: Gortash has already crowned himself — you need to find allies across the city to fight his Steel Watchers and assassins. Key questlines: the Iron Throne (infiltrate the underwater prison and rescue allies) + the Steel Watch Foundry (sabotage Steel Watcher production) + Gortash’s coronation (infiltrate or assault his fortress). Optional shortcut: accept Gortash’s truce — he trades intel for your non-interference — but in the end you still have to defeat him

The Iron Throne Rescue#

Orin’s Quest#

Trigger: triggers when you enter the Lower City — Orin has kidnapped one of your companions (random) Quest: hunt for Orin’s trail across Baldur’s Gate — follow the Bhaalist leads — and finally face her in a deathmatch at the Temple of Bhaal. Orin will shapeshift into the form of one of your party members — watch for her true form — her true self speaks different lines before every attack Key reward: defeat Orin to obtain Bhaal Armour (B-tier legendary heavy armour — a bloody effect)

Raphael’s Request#

Trigger: talk to Raphael’s agent at the Devil’s Fee Quest: Raphael wants you to steal something from his home — but it is really a trap. Enter the House of Hope — talk to the NPCs inside for intel — find the legendary armour, the Armor of Hope — and finally battle Raphael himself Key rewards: Raphael’s Trickery (+3 rapier — fire damage + burn buildup), the Armor of Hope (legendary plate armour), art treasures xN (worth about 20000 gold)

The Final Battle#

All three main lines — the Gortash line, the Orin line, and the Brain line — must be complete before the final showdown. The final battle has three phases — the city defense → the assault into the brain → the final brain fight. Companion survival depends on earlier quest choices — companions whose quests are complete have special moments in the final battle. Gortash, Orin, and Brain — all must be completed for final battle. Three phases: City defense → Brain invasion → Final brain fight. Companion survival depends on quest choices — quest-completed companions have special moments in final battle.

All Ending Branches#

Act 3 Side Quest List#

Quest Efficiency Planning#

XP-Maximizing Route#

The Most Rewarding Side Quests#

Full Questline Dependency Chart#