Best Act One Side Quests In Baldur's Gate 3

Highlights

Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 is where players create characters, recruit Companions, and set up storylines that shape the game.
Side quests offer action, gear, and new abilities, like saving a Teifling child or investigating a mysterious ox in the Druid Grove.
Exploring the Underdark for Sussar bark, uncovering Shadow Druid plots, or discovering Zhentarim hideouts are key quests in Act 1.

Baldur's Gate 3 is an RPG in three acts, with lots of players staying for an extended time in Act 1 just for the fun of creating new characters and recruiting the exciting and different Companions. This is where most storylines begin that last through the whole game, and how these main and side quests are completed, or not completed, determines how the rest of the role-playing game unfolds.

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The side quests in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 do more than just set up future events that will unfold later in the game; they provide diverting action and fun exposition along with introducing players to the friends that can be made along the way. Some of them also award decent gear, even for this level, or give a character new and useful abilities.

8 Find The Blood Of Lathander

A Handy Weapon For Travelers To The Underdark

Obtaining the Blood of Lathander mace in Baldur's Gate 3

Accessible via the Grand Inquistor's room in Crèche Y'llek

It's hard to resist a quest that involves the dying words of a holy man, a puzzle made of stained glass, and a magical weapon imbued with the power of a god. Find the Blood of Lathander has all of the above, and fighting through the Crèche means the party will walk out with a lot of nice gear and loot, including the game's best mace.

There are several ways to start and finish this quest. Players might get into the Monastery via the top floor, in which case they'll find the stained-glass window puzzle first. Should they visit the Githyanki first, they'll find the secret passage with the two statues. If it's the latter, and they decide to take the mace without the Dawnmaster's Crest, this will trigger a trap that destroys the whole Monastery.

7 The Adamantine Forge

Battle A Mechanical Beast & Obtain Powerful Weapon/Armor

Look for molds and mithril, mind the massive construct

Players will first start coming across clues about the Adamantine Forge when they encounter a Beholder in the Underdark. The mage that summoned it is carrying a special crystal that you can loot from his body, and it has some information about this mysterious place.

The mage near the Sussar Bark waypoint is also carrying a cryptic note that has a clue regarding how to destroy Grym, its fearsome guardian. There are a few more clues in various places in the Underdark, most of them in or near Grymforge.

There are a few types of armor and weapons that players can build to complete this quest, but they need the correct mold, a chunk of mithril ore, and to defeat Grym. Grym is the steel construct that is released when players use the Forge for the first time, and he's immune to virtually every type of damage there is.

6 Investigate The Beach

Save A Child And Access Mol's Underground

Follow the path next to Volo talking to the Bear, stay to the left, and follow the singing

The Druid Grove is one of the first places players will visit in Act 1, but not every adventurer strolls down to the beach on the southeastern side to find the Harpies. It's an easy quest to miss, and it doesn't start until players walk down to the beach and see a wayward Teifling child huddled by the water.

His name is Mirkon, and if players save him from the Harpies, he'll give them the password to the thieves' hideout, also known as the Dragon's Lair. If players have also saved Arabella, Mol will be happy to see Tav and the party, and will offer to Trade along with another tempting side quest; Steal the Sacred Idol.

5 The Strange Ox

Investigate A Strange Ox That Is Anything But An Ox

What is the Strange Ox in Baldur's Gate 3 (1)

Standing casually with the other oxen north of the center of the Grove

Someone in the party has to pass a Perception check to get this quest going, and then it's essential to have Speak With Animals to ask the Strange Ox about its secret plans. Then players have to pass a Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion check to coax him into revealing more, which he won't anyway. He'll mention that he's going to Baldur's Gate, which was already obvious, before telling Tav to move along.

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This seems like it goes nowhere, but this is no ordinary ox, and he can make an appearance at the Last Light Inn within Act 2, where players can further press him for information about his true identity. Whilst this is indeed a curious case, and some players might want to draw a blade and force this strange creature out of hiding, it's perhaps best to let the events unfold naturally, rather than brutally murdering a potential would-be ally.

4 The Secret Of The Sussar Bark

Explore The Underdark & Craft A Weapon That Can Silence Enemies

Craft a sickle, a dagger, or a broadsword that can silence enemies

Visit the Underdark to obtain Sussar bark, a dangerous and expansive area that will have players battling all sorts of enemies that could spell their demise, especially so early into their paths. It's best to take this on later in Act One, even if players can get there fairly easily through a few different ways, like finding the Zhenatrim hideout. After all, these brave smugglers are wise enough to have an elevator that takes them fairly close to the Sussar Tree and other dangerous Underdark oddities.

The Sussar Tree is located in the northwestern corner of the Underdark and has a Waypoint close by. Walk along the branch to tear the bark from the main trunk, and now players simply need to travel to the abandoned village's forge and fan the flame to craft a weapon of their choice, all with unique masterwork properties thanks to the Sussar Bark. It's a useful weapon early-game thanks to its Silence potential, and rare since players can craft but one.

3 Investigate Kagha

Uncover The Shadow Druid Plot To Take Over The Grove

Kagha is a character with an interestng side quest

A secret that leads into the Sunlit Marsh, found by reading a note addressed to Kagha in her secret Grove chest

Halsin's choice for a replacement was a poor one, and if players finish the Investigate Kagha Quest, they'll discover that the Rite of Thorns wasn't half of her evil plan. Characters keen on Sleight of Hand and sneaking can break into her chest and read her diary, which indicates she has some connection to a local Shadow Druid enclave.

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More hard evidence can be found in the Sunlit March, or the Putrid Swamp, if players have seen through the Hag's incantation. Be prepared to move through some difficult terrain in the form of mud and water, but if the party makes it to the southwestern corner of the map, they can find the evidence to expose Kagha as someone manipulated by Shadow Druids, or someone willing to commit to evils unspeakable.

2 Find The Missing Shipment

Discover The Local Zhentarum Hideout

Baldur's Gate 3 Zhent Chest Choice Collage

Follow the trail of gnoll corpses north on the road to find the lone survivors

There are a few ways to find the cave where a few desperate Zhentarim smugglers are making their last stand against some marauding gnolls. Whether or not players come through the booby traps or walk in the front door, if Rugan survives, he'll invite them to the nearby Zhentarim hideout.

What's great about this side-quest is the variations it can have depending on how players deal with Rugan. If Tav accepts his invitation and doesn't try to get the shipment, the quest leads them to the hideout but ends there. It's also possible to con Rugan out of the shipment, or kill him, and carry the mysterious and expensive prize, but there's a reason that the smugglers have been warned not to open it.

1 Search The Cellar

Read Through A Book Bound With A Face & Obtain Speak With Dead As A Cantrip

Baldur's Gate 3 finding the Necromancy of Thay

Find a cellar containing The Apothecary in the Blighted Village

There are all kinds of mysteries waiting to be discovered in and beneath the Blighted Village, and the Necromancy of Thay is one of them. It's behind several locked doors, traps, and a magic mirror, so unless player characters have decent Sleight of Hand and Deception, it might not be worth it.

Should they decide to brave these tests and take the book, it requires that they descend into the Whispering Depths to find an amethyst stone to unlock it, then pass some tense Wisdom checks to read it successfully. The rewards for this are learning Speak With Dead as a ritual spell, and should players carry the book into Act 3, the completed volume will teach them how to summon undead minions.