Many of the side quests in Baldur's Gate 3 can take up a lot of a player's time within the game, with some even spanning multiple of the three acts. While some quests have a lot of steps, each requiring a lot of effort on the players' part, they can be highly rewarding for those willing to put in the extra effort.
From Act 1 all the way to the third and final act, Baldur's Gate 3 is chock-full of lengthy quests for players to pursue, and though some may require more than one gaming session to complete, they are sure to keep players entertained no matter how much work is required.
10 Explore The Ruins
This Act 1 side quest is likely to be one of the first convoluted quests that players undertake. Found just before the Druid Grove, it is a classic dungeon crawl. To begin, players must clear the outside, either fighting Gimblebock and his cronies or convincing them to leave.
Players entering the ruins will find more enemies to fight, a door that can only be opened by a hidden lever, another only opened with a key obtained in a trapped room, and finally, more enemies to fight. The reward, however, is an early and more narratively concise meeting with prominent NPC, Withers.
9 Save The Refugees
Also an Act 1 quest, this side quest is likely to last players the whole of the first act. Players can begin the quest by talking to Zevlor, the leader of the tiefling refugees, or Kagha, the temporary leader of the druids. Kagha plans to force the refugees from the Grove and seal it off with the Rite Of Thorns, and the game does a pretty good job of establishing that the tieflings will not survive on the road with the goblins wreaking havoc.
This quest can be resolved successfully in a number of ways, either by defeating all the goblins, killing Kagha, or investigating Kagha's secrets. Whatever option players take, saving the refugees requires a lot of effort.
8 The Hellion's Heart
Karlach's personal quest can be initiated in Act 1 but is likely to take players until Act 2 to complete. Karlach has an infernal engine for a heart and needs an infernal mechanic to repair it. As well as being long, this quest requires players to put a great deal of effort into searching for things.
First, players need to find her a mechanic. Dammon does the job. He is found in the Druid Camp in Act 1 and The Last Light Inn in Act 2. To mend her heart, however, he needs the player to collect infernal iron. The emotional reward for completing it makes it well worth the invested time, though.
7 The Chosen Of Shar
Shadowheart's companion quest, 'The Chosen Of Shar,' spans Acts 1 and 2 but requires the most effort in the second act. Shadowheart reveals quite early that she is a follower of Shar and aims to become a Dark Justiciar. This goal becomes tangible in Act 2 when the party finds the Gauntlet Of Shar.
The party can undertake various trials in Shar's honor. Completing the trials also requires a run-in with the orthon devil, Yurgir, and the necromancer, Balthazar. The quest can take a drastic turn, shaping the future of Shadowheart and the Shadow-Cursed Lands alike, but the payoff comes after, unsurprisingly, a lot of trials.
6 Deal With The Devil
Although this quest is specific to Act 3, it is a rather long one that takes players to a completely different plane - Avernus. It also opens up a couple of other quests for players requiring plenty of effort, namely 'Acquire The Gauntlets For Helsik' and 'Save Hope.' The quest begins with a deal from Raphael; he wants players to retrieve the Crown Of Karsus for him in return for the Orphic Hammer.
This deal isn't the only way to obtain the Hammer, however. Players can approach Helsik in the Devil's Fee to gain access to Raphael's House Of Hope, opening up a whole new area to explore with many new encounters. That said, Raphael will not respond well to a home intrusion.
5 Lift The Shadow Curse
Lifting the shadow curse spans most of Act Two and requires specific steps. Players must speak to the unconscious Flaming Fist, Art Cullagh, in The Last Light Inn, who will mutter the name 'Thaniel.' This intrigues Halsin, who travels to the inn. Players must wake Art, requiring taking his lute off Malus Thorm in the House Of Healing, potentially after a grueling fight.
Halsin undertakes a ritual to retrieve Thaniel from the Shadowfell, and players must guard him. He returns with Thaniel, sick, as if part of him is missing. To rectify this, players must find his missing half, Oliver, in the Ruined Battlefield, and fight until they can convince him to reunite with Thaniel. It is an important quest, tying in with Halsin's personal goals, but requires a substantial amount of effort.
4 Solve The Open Hand Temple Murders
This Act 3 quest is time-consuming and requires effort and a healthy amount of deduction from players. It is particularly hard to navigate, as it can be started and solved in a number of ways, making it feel like a real investigation. The best place to start the inquiry is The Open Hand Temple itself, where players can investigate the murder of Father Logan.
Fellow investigator, Valeria the hollyphant, is on the case, although seems content to blame the refugees. While exploring Baldur's Gate, players discover many deaths and more planned. A serial killer is on the loose; answers can be found in the temple basement, in Fraygo's Flophouse, or by catching the killer in the act after warning the intended victims.
3 The Grand Duke
This quest, connected to Wyll, ties into the main quest. Initiated in Act 1 and active into Act 3, players are likely to encounter it when rescuing Counselor Florrick from Waukeen's Rest. She tasks the party with rescuing Grand Duke Ravenguard, Wyll's father. He has been taken to Moonrise Towers in Act 2, where The Dead Three infect him with a tadpole, controlling his mind.
He is next found in Baldur's Gate acting as Gortash's thrall. After this encounter, the Duke may be kept in The Iron Throne, an underwater prison. The party can rescue him, but it has a challenging time limit. Before the party attempts to rescue the Duke or if he dies, Mizora will bargain with Wyll for his eternal servitude, but it is possible to rescue the Duke without submitting to Mizora.
2 Save Mayrina
'Save Mayrina' is officially an Act 1 quest, but players who truly want to save the girl will find that the quest progresses far into Act 3. Players will initiate the quest when entering the Sunlit Wetlands in Act 1, and the quest that follows is full of disturbing twists, turns, and challenging fights.
Although the quest seems finished once players have defeated the hag that has been tormenting Mayrina and dealt with her husband, Mayrina can be found again in Act 3, leading a group of hag survivors. The fight with Auntie Ethel isn't over yet, and there is a lot of investigating to be done in Baldur's Gate to find the hag and finally put an end to her plots.
1 Free The Artist
'Free The Artist' begins in Act 1 and picks up again in Act 3. Players first encounter the artist, Oskar Fevras, in the Zhentarim hideout in Waukeen's Rest. Saving him here is simple, as his freedom can be bought. The same cannot be said for the continuation of Act 3; Oskar has been possessed by his ex-lover, to the inconvenience of his newly-wed.
Breaking the possession requires progressing through their aggressively haunted mansion and finding correspondence between Oskar and Mystic Carrion. Players can undertake a whole new quest to find Carrion's runaway servant, Thrumbo, and potentially do another new quest to help him, all in order to perform an exorcism and free Oskar. The quest lasts from Act 1 until Act 3 and involves some of the most convoluted quest completion steps in the game, but it is a very fun one.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available on PC and will be released for PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023. A version for Xbox Series X/S is currently in development.
