Most Important Events In Act 1 Of Baldur's Gate 3

Highlights

Some events in Baldur's Gate 3 are crucial to the overall plot and future events, such as choosing sides in the swamp or sacrificing someone to the Lord of Murder.
The Dark Urge background and the existence of their sinister butler, Sceleritas Fel, are revealed in a canon event that involves a public act of violence.
The Owlbear cave is a key location where players can recruit the popular and adorable Owlbear cub as a companion, depending on their choices and actions.

Every playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 is different, which is one of the many reasons the game is still popular months after its official launch, but some events are essential to the overall plot no matter what choices the protagonist makes. These important scenes are triggered when the player character interacts with a certain person or animal, fails or succeeds in an important dice roll, or walks into a specific area.

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Not all the most important events in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 are connected to the main plot or the companion quests. Some of them are optional interactions that lead to characters and side quests that players don't need but are just fun to know and experience.

Some of the following events are canon events that give away certain plots and storylines. Spoilers ahead for those that have yet to side with the Goblins against the Grove, save the Gnomes, or play the Dark Urge Background.

5 Mayrina's Brothers

Choosing Sides In The Swamp

Players might have already met Auntie Ethel in the Druid Grove, but matters with her don't result in anything confrontational until the meeting in the swamp. She's arguing with Mayrina's brothers to the southwest of the Blighted Village.

This is the event in which players can side with either the brothers or Ethel, and depending on their class and abilities, they might not recognize that she's a Hag or that she's enchanted the swamp and the animals within it. Whatever happens here is one of those plot points that will determine later events in Act 3 that involve either the Hag or the survivors of her so-called "help."

4 Alfira And The Dark Urge

It's A Canon Event

There are ways to save Alfira for those keeners who don't mind some strategic moves with non-lethal weapon damage or avoiding her in the Grove altogether. If a player is playing the Dark Urge, however, someone has to be sacrificed to the Lord of Murder on that first Long Rest.

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This event reveals some of the Dark Urge's Haunted Background and the existence of their sinister butler, Sceleritas Fel. How someone decides to handle the fallout from this gruesome and public act of violence sets the tone for the rest of their Dark Urge playthrough. Options include waiting until everyone wakes up and confessing, trying to hide the body, or blaming the resident vampire spawn.

3 The Gnome And The Windmill

Introducing Barcus And The Deep Gnomes

Baldur's Gate 3 Barcus Wroot Tied To Windmill

Barcus Wroot is one of the best NPCs in the game, with his great lines, self-deprecating humor, and dedication to his fellow gnomes. He can also trade with players if they manage to meet and save him, and this starts a chain of events that leads through all three acts.

If players hit the release instead of the brake and send Barcus flying, then they won't start the chain of events that leads to the quests involving the Deep Gnomes, at least not yet. Meeting Marcus and helping him starts the quest chain that involves Wulbren, the Gnome's leader, and some powerful explosives that can be useful for an adventuring party.

2 The Fight At The Druid Grove

Several Important Plotlines Start Here

This crucial event not only gives away the location of the Druid Grove, where players will find several important characters, but they will also meet potential companions and NPCs in this location. The Grove also has several important, valuable, or magical items to either find or steal, depending on what kind of game you're playing.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Side With Wyll Or Karlach?

Should the player side with Karlach or side with Wyll and kill her in Baldur's Gate 3?

Players will meet Wyll, Aradin, and Zevlor in this encounter, and the Warlock not only helps with the fright but can lead them to another valuable companion, Karlach. It's possible to skip the Grove entirely and go to the Goblin camp first, which leads to a whole other turn of events and makes more sense for characters of a more evil moral persuasion.

1 The Owlbear Cave

Everyone's Favorite Companion

Walking into the Owlbear Cave and confronting the hostile resident triggers a whole series of events that decide whether you'll be able to recruit the game's most popular, valuable, and adorable companion into your campfire circle. The Owlbear cub is with his mother in a cave near the Blighted Village, and this is the only chance players will have to find and tame him.

Players can succeed in a saving throw after speaking to Momma Owlbear, which is easier for classes like Rangers or Druids who have skills like Animal Friendship, and this allows them to walk out of the cave without a fight and find the cub later. In this case, the goblins find the nest and end her instead, and players will find the cub at the Goblin Camp.

On the other hand, you might want to fight the Owlbear and defeat her instead. In this case, a cutscene will follow the mother's death which gives players the choice to either let the cub go or attack it. If someone had been to the Goblin Camp first, they would still be able to find their camp after a few long rests. Make friends with him, and he can help players in the final fight in Act 3 provided they also save Dammon, one of the Teiflings seeking refuge in the Druid Grove.