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In Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3, you and your ragtag band of adventurers finally arrive in the big city with a truly overwhelming number of things to do, and so, it’s recommended you utilize an Act 3 Checklist to avoid missing any of it. No matter which area of Baldur’s Gate you explore first, this checklist will help you keep track of everything you can do before the grand finale.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3]
If you’ve completed everything in Act 2 and left the Shadow-Cursed Lands behind, you and your party will probably be around Level 8 or 9. At this point, your party ought to be running like a well-oiled machine with your character build well underway. Note that your chosen playstyle and morality may lock you out of some of the content listed here, but it doesn’t hurt to check.
The Town of Rivington
Don’t Miss Plenty Of Quests Right Outside The City Walls
Your first stop in Act 3 will be the charming hamlet of Rivington, situated just outside Baldur’s Gate. It’s highly recommended that you stay and explore the town rather than beelining straight for the city gates. There’s a lot of story content here and you can’t enter the Lower City just yet. Finding a way into Baldur’s Gate will be your main objective for the first part of Act 3, but be sure to enjoy as much content as you can before focusing on that primary objective.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Speak to Yenna |
Encounter |
As you enter Rivington, a girl named Yenna will run up and ask for your help since her mother disappeared. Dialogue options allow you to help her out or simply walk away. She will show up at camp later and can join your party camp permanently if invited to stay. |
|
Deal with the squatters |
Encounter |
Directly ahead of where you meet Yenna, a local nobleman named Arfur can be found shouting at refugees to leave his property. Players can side with Arfur or the refugees. Optionally, an Insight check can reveal he’s worried about the basement, starting Investigate the Suspicious Toys. |
|
Explore Arfur’s basement |
Side quest |
You can explore the basement of Arfur’s mansion to find a blackmail letter as part of Investigate the Suspicious Toys. |
|
Investigate the Suspicious Toys |
Side quest |
Head east to find Manip Nestor at the refugee camp. You can persuade him to let you inspect the supplies, and uncover teddy bears for refugee children that have been boobytrapped with explosives. |
|
Speak to Ferg Drogher |
Side quest |
Ferg Drogher can be found in the refugee camp. Speaking to him progresses Shadowheart’s Daughter of Darkness companion quest – essential if you’re romancing Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3. |
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Help the Devilish Ox |
Side quest |
The Strange Ox returns in Act 3 if spoken to in Acts 1 and 2. Players can help it sneak into the city proper. |
|
Feed the Mind Flayer |
Side quest |
Players can follow a blood trail into an abandoned windmill in the fields east of Rivington. Inside is a newborn mind flayer that can be killed for loot or fed brains in return for an Illithid skill point. |
|
Explore the Rivington Well |
Encounter |
Climb down Rivington’s well to find some dead refugees that can be looted. It’s one of the easiest things to miss in Act 3. |
|
Find the Missing Letters |
Side quest |
Players can chat to the supervisor at Sword Coast Couriers and help find some missing letters. The missing letters can be found on top of the Open Hand Temple, along with Tara, a tressym (winged cat) who belonged to Gale. |
|
Find Scratch’s former owner |
Encounter |
Players can speak to the caretaker at the Sword Coast Couriers kennels about Scratch. She turns out to be abusive towards her dogs and can be intimidated into leaving. |
It’s also a fantastic idea to take some time off from adventuring to visit the Circus of Last Days as there is plenty to enjoy there as well.
Circus Of Last Days
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Trade with Zara the Mummy |
Encounter |
Players can trade with Zara for dyes and face paints. |
|
Win Akabi’s Spin The Wheel Jackpot |
Side quest |
The djinni Akabi runs a rigged Spin the Wheel contest, providing junk and comic items. Players can trick him and win, at which point he sends the winner on a small side adventure to the distant land of Chult. |
|
Obtain a love reading from Zethino |
Encounter |
Players can test the strength of their romance with a love reading from the dryad Zethino. |
|
Commission a statue of yourself |
Encounter |
You can commission a statue of yourself for camp from Boney and Stoney. The statue can be in full armour, camp clothes, or entirely nude, and provides a permanent Bless buff to the character depicted. |
|
Watch Dribbles the Clown |
Side quest |
Players can watch Dribbles the Clown’s comedy routine, with disastrous results. In the aftermath, players can speak to the circus master Lucretious to help her find Dribbles the Clown’s body parts. |
While outside the main city, you can also enter Rivington’s Open Hand Temple to start a crucial quest and find other important quests that may affect the story later on. Furthermore, while exploring Rivington, you will encounter Orin the Red, the shapeshifting Chosen of Bhaal. Watch out for her as you continue onward, as she will become someone of importance.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Solve the Open Hand Temple Murders |
Side quest |
Players can visit the Open Hand Temple and investigate Father Lorgan’s recent murder. The true culprits can be found underneath the temple, a chilling introduction to the Bhaal cult. |
|
Help the Cursed Monk |
Side quest |
Players who got the Sentient Amulet from the Adamantine Forge can resolve that quest by finding Shirra Clarwen in the Open Hand Temple’s Crypt. |
|
Aid the Underduke |
Side quest |
Players can follow the beach below the cliffs north of Rivington to find the Guild, Baldur’s Gate’s main criminal gang, fighting off a new gang led by the mysterious Stone Lord. |
|
Speak to the Gur |
Companion quest |
Players can encounter the Gur tribe on the outskirts of Rivington. They request assistance with hunting the vampire lord Cazador. This is important to Astarion’s companion quest, especially if you’re romancing Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3. |
|
Avenge the Ironhand Gnomes |
Side quest |
While attempting to pass the Steel Watcher at the gates, the checkpoint will be attacked by gnomes. Players can track them down and speak to Wulbren and Barcus if either or both were rescued in Acts 1 and 2. This starts a quest to investigate the Steel Watch Foundry in the Lower City. |
Wyrm’s Crossing and Wyrm’s Rock Fortress
How To Reach Baldur’s Gate & Everything You Can Do Along The Way
Once you’ve passed the guards, you’ll enter the Southern Span of Wyrm’s Crossing. The bridge to the city is lined with shops and other establishments, which means plenty of side quests are available, so you’ll want to visit them all before entering Wyrm’s Rock Fortress and progressing into the city.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Visit Fraygo’s Flophouse |
Side quest |
Players can visit the upper floors of Fraygo’s Flophouse to find definitive evidence for solving the Open Hand Temple murders. Two vampire spawn can also be found here and can be intimidated by Astarion into providing more information for his companion quest. |
|
Visit Raphael at Sharess’ Caress |
Side quest |
Players can speak to the devil Raphael at Sharess’ Caress. Raphael will be debating with Kithrak Voss about Prince Orpheus and will offer players a deal to free Orpheus. You can choose whether to take Raphael’s deal and ultimately whether to side with Orpheus or the Emperor. |
|
Find the Stern Librarian Ffion |
Side quest |
Players can help Mamzell Amira find the Stern Librarian Ffion. Her body is under the bed in the Bhaal cultist’s room in Fraygo’s Flophouse. In return, she’ll provide discounts for visits to some of Baldur’s Gate 3’s one-time romance partners. |
|
Report back to Inspector Valeria |
Side quest |
Players can also deliver their report on the murder investigation to Inspector Valeria in Sharess’ Caress. Valeria won’t be interested but tells players to follow up with his colleague in the Lower City. This allows you to enter the Lower City. |
|
Track down Arfur |
Encounter |
Arfur Gregorio can be found at Sharess’ Caress. Players can intimidate him to find that he boobytrapped the teddy bears using supplies from Felogyr’s Fireworks in the Lower City. He also provides a pass for entering Wyrm’s Rock. |
With Jaheira in your party, you can also visit Danthelon’s Dancing Axe to meet with the city’s Harpers. However, things won’t go to plan.
Finally, you can enter Wyrm’s Rock Fortress, where you’ll be escorted to attend Enver Gortash’s coronation as Archduke of Baldur’s Gate. Wyll’s father, Duke Ravengard, will be present and Karlach will also want to kill Gortash. However, choosing to battle him now leads to an extremely tough combat encounter, as Gortash has lots of backup present. He also offers the player a deal, which you can take or leave. Either way, you and your party will be back later, but head into the Lower City for now.
Lower City
Be Careful Not To Miss A Thing In Baldur’s Gate 3’s Largest Area
The Lower City is the biggest part of Baldur’s Gate 3, with dozens of quests and encounters that you can find. Your main goals will be to:
- Defeat both Gortash and Orin for their Netherstones.
- Decide whether to free Orpheus or side with the Emperor.
- Recruit allies for the final battle.
This list will focus on those goals first, but there are also lots of other quests, including significant companion quests, that you can do. Try to mix and match these quests; some of the fights involved can be tough if you’ve not yet reached Level 12.
Defeating Lord Enver Gortash
It’s generally recommended that you side with Gortash and turn on him later, but your decision also depends on what sort of character you’ve chosen to play. Defeating Gortash involves disabling the Steel Watch at the Steel Watch Foundry before returning to Wyrm’s Rock to fight him. This aligns nicely with the Ironhand Gnomes’ goal of revenge on the Gondians: the mechanics responsible for creating the Steel Watchers.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Disable the Steel Watch |
Main quest |
Players can enter the Steel Watch Foundry near the Lower City Docks to disable the Steel Watch. It’s revealed that the Gondians are being coerced by Gortash’s lackeys, starting Save the Gondians. Players can destroy the foundry straight away using the Ironhand Gnomes’ runepowder bomb, or work with Zanner Toobin to destroy it while also saving the Gondians. |
|
Save the Gondians and Iron Throne Prisoners |
Main quest |
Explore Flymm Cargo on the opposite side of the docks to find Redhammer, a dwarf who pilots a submarine down to the Iron Throne, an underwater prison. The families of the Gondians are being held here as leverage, along with Wyll’s father, Duke Ravengard and Omeluum.Saving the Iron Throne Prisoners is very challenging as you have a limited number of turns to rescue as many prisoners as you can. |
|
Avenge the Ironhands/Save the Gondians |
Side quest |
Once the Steel Watch Foundry is destroyed, Wulbren will arrive with the Ironhand Gnomes and demand that any surviving Gondians be killed. Players can side with the Ironhands or the Gondians to recruit them as allies. Wulbren can also be intimidated or convinced to give up his leadership to Barcus so that players gain both sides as allies. |
|
Get Gortash’s Netherstone |
Main quest |
Destroying the Foundry or Iron Throne will end Gortash’s alliance with the player. He can be confronted and defeated at Wyrm’s Rock, allowing you to claim his Netherstone. This also progresses Karlach’s companion quest. |
If players speak to Wyll at camp after Gortash’s coronation, Mizora will appear and offer Wyll a choice between saving his father and ending his pact with her. The best choice is to end his pact, as Duke Ravengard can still be rescued from the Iron Throne regardless. Mizora will attempt to interfere in the Iron Throne, but this is easily escapable. This also unlocks Wyll and Karlach’s shared epilogue.
It’s worth noting that an alternate route does exist where players kill Orin and bring her Netherstone to Gortash to honor their alliance. However, defeating Orin is no easy feat.
Defeating Orin The Red
Orin will constantly try to provoke the player in Act 3, kidnapping one of your party members, impersonating them, and taunting you with murders until you track her down. To find and defeat Orin, you need to pursue and save murder targets all over the Lower City, face the Murder Tribunal, and enter the Temple of Bhaal.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Investigate the Murders |
Main quest |
Players can track down eight potential murder victims in the Lower City. Players can save Figaro Pennygood, the last target, from Dolor, a dwarf assassin and would-be assassin of Bhaal, to gain access to Bhaal’s Murder Tribunal. Alternatively, players can murder the targets themselves to Impress the Murder Tribunal. |
|
Face the Murder Tribunal |
Main quest |
Once you defeat Dolor or murder all your targets, you can take their hands to Candulhallow’s Tombstones and face the Murder Tribunal. Players will face Sarevok Anchev and can either fight Sarevok or swear themselves to Bhaal by killing Inspector Valeria. |
|
Get Orin’s Netherstone |
Main quest |
Once you’re done with the Murder Tribunal, you can enter the Temple of Bhaal in the Undercity Sewers to confront Orin. Players can defeat her as she transforms into the monstrous Slayer and claim her Netherstone. |
|
Rescue Orin’s Victim |
Main quest |
Orin threatens to kill the person she kidnapped from camp. They can be saved through dialogue checks. Alternatively, if players sneak into her quarters and use |
Speak with DeadDark Urge players have a different relationship with Orin and can face her in a one-on-one duel. This can be either a pro or con of playing Dark Urge depending on your chosen class. Dark Urge characters can also embrace or reject Bhaal by facing Orin. Aside from retrieving the Netherstones, players will also have to decide whether to free Orpheus, with or without Raphael’s help.
Freeing Orpheus Or Siding With The Emperor
If you take Raphael’s deal, you can sign a pact with him, and he will provide the 
Orphic Hammer , a tool needed to free Orpheus. Alternatively, you can seek outside assistance by invading his home in the House of Hope and taking it for yourself.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Enter the House of Hope |
Side quest |
Players can complete the House of Hope by seeking help from the diabolist Helsik in the Lower City. This involves stealing the Orphic Hammer and defeating Raphael. If Yurgir was saved in Act 2, he will tell the party about Helsik. Alternatively, you can speak to her at the Devil’s Fee and pass Perception checks to ask her about her services. |
|
Save Hope |
Side Quest |
Hope will be encountered shortly after entering the House of Hope and must be freed using the Orphic Hammer. If you agree to help her, she will help guide you throughout the house. Once you have the hammer, run back and free her, after which you will need to defeat Raphael to complete her quest. |
|
Escape the Deal |
Side quest |
Players can also steal their contract if they accept Raphael’s deal. |
|
Help Kithrak Voss |
Side quest |
Players can show the Orphic Hammer to Kithrak Voss. He will depart, and players will eventually gain the opportunity to free Orpheus near the end of the game. However, this leads to the Emperor joining the Absolute. |
|
The Githyanki Warrior |
Companion quest |
Depending on your previous actions, obtaining the Orphic Hammer and freeing Orpheus may complete Lae’zel’s companion quest. |
Companion Quests
Most of your companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 have companion quests that end in Act 3. This doesn’t include Halsin, whose arc is complete by the end of Act 2, and Karlach and Minthara, whose quests are resolved by killing Gortash and Orin, respectively. Lae’zel’s quest is also linked to freeing Orpheus. However, the others have quests you can complete.
|
Companion |
Quest |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Astarion |
The Pale Elf |
Find and beat Cazador at the Szarr Palace. Players can convince Astarion to remain as he is or to ascend. This affects whether he frees or kills the vampire spawn. If freed, players gain the Gur as allies in the final battle. |
|
Gale |
The Wizard of Waterdeep |
Steal the Annals of Karsus from Sorcerous Sundries. Gale will then have an audience with Mystra; players can encourage him to pursue his ambitions or return the Crown of Karsus to Mystra to become her Chosen again. |
|
Jaheira |
The High Harper |
Visit the Guild at the Guildhall; players may have already won their favor by defeating the Stone Lord’s minions in Rivington. Players can then go to the Counting House and track Minsc into the sewers. Recruiting Minsc in Baldur’s Gate 3 concludes Jaheira’s quest. |
|
Shadowheart |
Daughter of Darkness |
Find and complete the House of Grief. Depending on your decisions, Shadowheart can either defeat the Sharrans and find her parents or take over the Sharran cloister herself and stay loyal to Shar. Remember to use the Mirror of Loss if possible. Players can also betray Shadowheart to gain the Sharrans as allies for the final battle. |
|
Wyll |
The Blade of Frontiers |
Read the Legend of Ansur and enter the Wyrmway to find and defeat the undead dragon Ansur. |
Side Quests And Encounters
Even after all the important quests of the act are completed, there are still several less-important side quests you can complete if you want more content. Furthermore, plenty of small moments don’t constitute an entire side quest but still add some touches to the overall story if you’re willing to look for them.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Save Vanra |
Side quest |
You can find Lora at the Basilisk Gate and offer to help her find her missing daughter Vanra at the Blushing Mermaid tavern. This links to the Hag Survivors’ side quests. |
|
Help/Avenge The Hag Survivors |
Side quest |
You can find posters for an Anti-Hag Support Group around the city and visit them. If Mayrina survived Auntie Ethel in Act 1, she will reappear here. To help the Hag Survivors, players can hunt Ethel down at the Blushing Mermaid and defeat her for the final time. To save Vanra, make sure to use Hag’s Bane on Ethel before killing her. |
|
Stop the Presses |
Side quest |
Speak to Estra Stir near the Basilisk Gate, and she will explain that the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette is about to print a false article about the party. Players can sneak inside the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette and change the article to be more favorable. Changing the article is easier if you freed the pixie from the Moonlantern in Act 2. |
|
Visit Roveer’s Storehouse and the Emperor’s old hideout. |
Encounter |
While saving the murder target Roveer, players can clear out rats from his storehouse in the Elfsong Tavern. The Emperor also has a hideout in the Elfsong that he will reveal while the party is present. |
|
Find the Mystic Carrion’s Servant |
Side quest |
Enter the secret door to Philgrave’s Mansion and speak to Mystic Carrion, the necromancer. He will ask you to track down his servant Thrumbo. However, players can also complete End Mystic Carrion’s Immortality by tracking down and destroying his organs before defeating him in a boss fight. Make sure to pick up the Torch of Revocation for Free the Artist. |
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Return Rakath’s Gold |
Side quest |
While fighting Minsc in the sewers, players can also defeat Roah Moonglow before she flees to reclaim the Counting House’s stolen gold. |
|
Aid the Underduke |
Side quest |
After finding Minsc, the Zhentarim will attack the Guild. Players can enter the Guildhouse and join either the Guild or the Zhentarim to recruit them as allies. |
|
Find Mol |
Side quest |
Finding Mol in Baldur’s Gate 3 is only possible if you saved the refugees in Act 1. She can be found and spoken to in the Guildhall. |
|
Find Arabella |
Encounter |
If saved in Act 1 and 2, Arabella can be found in the Lower City Sewers and can be recruited for the final battle. |
|
Investigate Felogyr’s Fireworks |
Side quest |
If players investigated the suspicious toys in Rivington, they can complete their investigation by visiting Felogyr’s Fireworks in the Lower City for a potentially explosive encounter. |
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Free the Artist |
Side quest |
If rescued in Act One, Oskar Fevras can be found at Lady Jannath’s Estate. Players can help him by investigating the estate’s haunting. |
|
Find the Nightsong |
Side quest |
You may have found the Nightsong in Act 2 and can track down the wizard Lorroakan in Ramazith’s Tower (Sorcerous Sundries) to confront him about sending adventurers to find the Nightsong. You can help Lorroakan or the Nightsong to gain either as an ally. |
|
Avenge the Drowned |
Side quest |
Speak to Allandra Grey in the Water Queen’s House near the docks about a monster that killed a person swimming in Grey Harbour. This refers to Redhammer and his submarine. After saving the Iron Throne prisoners, players can either give Redhammer to the Umberlees or side with him against them. |
|
Free Counsellor Florrick |
Side quest |
Read the execution notice on the gallows near the Basilisk Gate. This leads you back to Wyrm’s Rock Prison, where you can stage a prison break to rescue and recruit Counsellor Florrick as an ally. If not saved within 5 Long Rests, she will be executed. |
|
Save Volo |
Encounter |
If saved from the Goblin Camp in Act 1, Volo can be found near the docks about to be executed by a mob. You can recruit Volo as an ally by stopping the mob. |
It’s highly recommended that you thoroughly explore the Lower City, as there are many smaller encounters with minor characters that would otherwise be missed. This checklist lets you recruit all the allies for the final fight and includes all the major moments in Act 3. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 is also excellent in its smaller moments, so make sure to explore the city as much as you can.
Source: YouTube/ZaFrostPet
