Summary
The amount of things to see and do inBaldur’s Gate 3can be overwhelming to new players, even in the opening act. With plenty of people to talk to, quests to begin, and fights to win, it can be hard to know where to start. Players may become so focused on the admittedly strong main quest drive that they forgo other storylines, and some really aren’t to be missed.
While the thought of exploring new areas can draw players towards progressing the story, entering Act Two ofBaldur’s Gate 3can significantly change outcomes from Act One. It is important that players progress confident that they have gotten everything that they wanted out of the first act. Players who would like a little guidance can explore the following options to get the most out of Act One before continuing their journey.
Updated July 23, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Baldur’s Gate 3 is a gigantic game with tons of locations to explore, secrets to discover, and enemies to beat. The developers have tried their hardest to make exploring the world rewarding. Besides the main storyline, players are given very little direction on where to go and what to do. Naturally, this means that there are items to be found off the beaten path, and they often go overlooked, even over the course of multiple playthroughs. For completionists and those who want to see everything BG3 has to offer, finding these missable things to do is of the highest priority.
22Meet Withers
An Appropriate Introduction To An Important Character
Withers,Baldur’s Gate 3’speaceful, sentient undead, is perhaps one ofthe most mysterious charactersin the game, thanks to his vast knowledge, complete invulnerability, and seldom-used extremely powerful abilities. Despite this air of mystery, Withers is a guaranteed camp companion for all players and is one of the earliest that players can meet.
Given Withers’s necessity for gameplay, all players are guaranteed to get Withers showing up to their camp rather unceremoniously. However, this great character deserves a worthy entrance, and players will get exactly that if they meet Withers in the Ruins near the Nautiloid Crash Site not long into the game.
21Investigate Waukeen’s Rest
Gives Players Good Rewards At A Low Level
Waukeen’s Rest is an inn just off The Risen Road, although it’s certainly seen better times when the players first get there. In the wake of a drow and goblin raid, Waukeen’s Rest and the adjacent buildings have been left ablaze.
Players can help to stop the fire in any number of different ways, thanks to the versatility ofBaldur’s Gate 3, and this is well worth doing. Primarily, saving Counsellor Florrick in the main building will kick off the Rescue the Grand Duke quest and reward players with their choice of The Sparky Points, The Joltshooter, or The Spellsparkler - all rare weapons.
20Get The Spider Egg Sac
An Unusual And Helpful Consumable Item
While this consumable item does have a disgusting name, it can be quite useful inBaldur’s Gate 3’sfirst act. On top of its utility, this item is also quite an unusual one to find and has some interesting interactions.To retrieve the egg sac, players will need to interact with a rocky crevice, passing a DC15 animal handling or sleight of hand check to avoid disturbing the spiders within (or singing them to sleep as a bard).
The reason this item can be quite tricky to find is that the rocky crevice is by a Harper Outpost on some cliffs that aren’t obviously scalable. Jumping up the cliffs opposite the entrance to the Druid’s Grove main entrance will allow players to find it. The Spider Egg Sac summons five friendly Crag Spiders.
19Free Oskar Fevras
Opens Up A Questline In Act Three
Oskar Fevras is a talented artist who has found himself captured by the shady Zhentarim network. Fortunately for him, compassionate players can choose to free him from the Zhentarim, either by passing some tough charisma checks, by giving in to the ransom that his captor is charging, or by successfully removing the Zhentarim from the picture.
The ‘Free The Artist’ quest can easily be missed, as the Zhentarim’s hideout at the back of Waukeen’s Rest is easily missed, especially if players haven’t previously spoken to Rugan and Olly at the gnoll camp. It is well worth doing, however, as it actually opens up a whole new convoluted and quite interesting questline once players reach Baldur’s Gate in Act Three.
18Find The Iron Flask
Gives Players A Unique Item
Speaking of Rugan and Olly, players are going to be interacting with them a little more if they want to find the unique item, the Iron Flask.Rugan and Ollyare the last remaining Zhentarim attempting to protect a mysterious shipment for a wealthy benefactor in Baldur’s Gate. Should loot-hungry players inspect the cargo for themselves (perhaps making an enemy of the Zhentarim in the process), they will find this interesting item.
The Iron Flask is a terrifying-looking flask that seems to contain a creature inside. Should players open it, it will release a powerful spectator, ready to fight. Players should take care when they use it, however, as the spectator is hostile to all creatures, not just the player’s enemies.
17Finish The Masterwork Weapon
Gives Players A Powerful Weapon In The First Act
Players can find a master blacksmith’s blueprints long abandoned in the Blighted Village. This is also where players can find a forge, presumably belonging to said blacksmith. The blueprints allow players to finish the blacksmith’s work and craft a Masterwork Weapon.
to do so, players will need to take a little detour into the Underdark, which can handily be accessed via the well in the Blighted Village, assuming players have some way to negate fall damage. Players will be looking for the Sussur Tree in order to take some of its bark. Players can then craft either a Sussur dagger, sickle, or greatsword, powerful weapons that silence the target on a successful hit.
16Kill (or Save) True Soul Nere
A Deciding Moment For The Playthrough
TheTrue Soul Nere encounteris not one that can be missed before players venture into the Shadow-Cursed Lands of Act 2. Nere can be found trapped under rubble in the Grymforge, and practically everyone in the area will inform the players of his predicament, including Nere himself. What many players may not realize, however, is that this encounter is timed in a way that’s not immediately obvious.
If players interact with the rubble the Drow is trapped in once and long-rest multiple times without doing anything about the problem, they might return to find he has died because they waited too long. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it can save them from having to fight a hard battle, but for those hoping to see the other potential outcomes of the encounter, it’s a letdown.
15Get Lump’s War Horn
A One-Time Summon Item To Turn The Tide Of A Battle In Act 1
A missable item in Act 1 that’s potentially extremely useful isLump’s War Horn, which players can obtain from the Blighted Village very early in the campaign. To get it, survive the goblin ambush at the town entrance to discover the Waypoint. A trio of Ogres can be found in the house just before the Windmill, and approaching them will trigger a cutscene with them.
Players can use their wit, charm, and the promise of money to convince the most intelligent of these Ogres, called Lump the Enlightened, to give them an item called Lump’s War Horn. This is a one-time-use summon item that will disappear upon use, but the Ogres are potent fighters that can turn the tide of a difficult battle quite handily. Just remember to call upon them before leaving for Act 2 as the summon contract only works in Act 1.
14Resolve The Druid Grove Conflict
Outcomes Of This Quest Are Irreversible After Act One
It is hard to miss the conflict in the Druid’s Grove between the druids, the tiefling refugees that are sheltering there, and the goblins that threaten everyone’s safety. That is because players have to encounter a cutscene depicting the battle between the druid grove and some goblin raiders before they progress further into the environment.
However, players don’t have to get involved immediately. It is worth mentioning that leaving Act One before resolving the situation in Druid Grove will result in terrible and irreversible outcomes. If players allow the Rite of Thorns to go ahead, the Druid Grove will be forever sealed off, and the tiefling refugees can all be found killed at the site of a goblin ambush.
13Unlock The Ancient Tome
Ultimately Unlocks An Incredibly Powerful Summon
Hidden within the Blighted Village, players can find a cellar that leads to an ornate mirror. Players will need to prove to this magical mirror that they are allies of its master or face a fiery threat. But, behind its enchantment, players can find a room containing a powerful book, The Necromancy of Thay. To unlock this book, players will need to place a Dark Amethyst in it, found in the Whispering Depths.
Players then have to succeed on three wisdom saving throws, increasing in difficulty each time, to unlock it. Fail, and the book will remain closed for the rest of that save. As evil as the book clearly is, it is worth doing, as act three allows players to fully unlock the book, gainingan incredibly powerful summon.
