Baldur's Gate 3: What to Do Before the End of Act One

Heavy spoilers ahead for Act One of Baldur's Gate 3.Baldur's Gate 3 is a massive and immersive game that is filled with characters, random events, and adventure around every corner. In a world where it's possible to interact with pretty much everything in the environment, it can get pretty overwhelming when figuring out what's important to complete before progressing the plot. Baldur's Gate 3's plot consists of 3 Acts, and each Act has a number of tasks to complete that impact the plot further down the line. These areas will be locked off at the end of each Act, so fans should make sure they're done before progressing to the next one.

Act One concludes upon entering Moonrise Tower, and so all of these tasks need to be completed before then. Act One is where all the Origins companions will be recruited, important spells like Speak with Dead and Speak with Animals are obtained, important plot points are introduced, and the matter of the parasite is brought up. However, many of the side quests are well-worth pursuing since they help make Baldur's Gate 3 so memorable.

The Essential Tasks in Baldur's Gate 3

The very first thing to do is recruit all the Baldur's Gate 3 companions: Shadowheart is close to the player companion and can't be missed. Astarion can be found east of the crash after defeating the intellect devourers. Gale can be found just north of the crash at the Roadside Cliffs waypoint. Lae'zel is found north of Gale's location, and needs to be freed from tieflings that have captured her. Wyll is found in the Emerald Grove, and Karlach can be found as a part of Wyll's personal quest after recruiting him.

Speak to Animals and Speak to Dead are two spells that should have priority because of how they open access to different features of gameplay. Speak to Animals is a Level 1 spell and is available for the following classes:

Barbarian (Wildheart only)
Bard
Druid
Ranger
Paladin (Oath of the Ancients only)
Warlock

Speak to Dead is only available to Wizards from their spell list, but Clerics and Paladins have dialogue options to use it, such as with Dror Ragzlin at the Shattered Sanctum. There are also spell scrolls and the Amulet of Lost Voices, which can be found in the Dank Crypt. Notably, the Dank Crypt also has Withers, who joins the player's camp and offers his respeccing services, and is essential to meet in Act One.

Saving the Emerald Grove

The Druids' Emerald Grove is at risk of attack by a cult of goblins who follow a god called the Absolute. A group of tieflings have found refuge from the goblin horde in the Grove, and any chance of escape means certain death with the goblins on the prowl. The Druid leader, Halsin, needs to be rescued from the goblin camp, and the goblins defeated.

Saving the Grove and the tieflings, rescuing Halsin, and finding a cure are all goals that align. Once all companions are recruited, the goblin camp can be infiltrated using Persuade or Deception or, if the player character is a Drow, just walk in. Halsin can be found inside the Shattered Sanctum in the Worg Pens near the back of the map, locked in a cage in his bear form. Upon freeing him, he recommends taking out the goblin leaders Minthara, Princess Gut, and Dror Ragzlin. Once they're defeated, players should loot their bodies for valuables, tadpoles, and the key to the treasure vault, which can be found at the back of Dror Ragzlin's room. The treasure vault has infernal iron, which is important for helping out Karlach.

Gamers should then fast travel back to the Grove from the Shattered Sanctum to avoid the masses of goblins outside, and Halsin will meet them there. With the goblin leaders defeated, the threat to the Grove is gone, and he's free to accompany the party to Moonrise Tower. Remember to speak to Rath to get access to the Druid vault as a reward for saving the Grove. Returning to camp for a long rest will trigger the party cutscene, where the first part of any romances with companions will be initiated.

Getting to Moonrise Tower requires traveling through the Underdark or through the Mountain Pass and Shadow-Cursed Lands. The Mountain Pass gives the opportunity to progress Gale's story, and put his pesky habit of consuming expensive gear on hold. The Mountain Pass also triggers Lae'zel's personal quest with the Githyanki, with some other side quests that feature the dragon-riders. The Underdark isn't to be missed, however, and should also be explored once the party has reached level 4 or above, as it's a very combat-heavy region.

Other Things to Do in Baldur's Gate 3's Opening Act

Defeating the goblin leaders through combat rather than through espionage or than siding with them also has the benefit of getting access to their Illithids and the skill tree that unlocks. Consuming the tadpoles is completely voluntary, but the powers they unlock are substantial and are a big help in combat. Any party member can consume them if convinced and, considering how rare a resource tadpoles are, gaining access to three of them is another argument for playing on the side of good in the Druid's conflict with the Absolute.

Aside from the main plot, there's a ton of content in Act One worth noting. This isn't a comprehensive list, though it does cover several things that players should look out for.