Everything To Do Before Finishing Act 2 Baldur's Gate 3 (2024)

Baldur's Gate 3 is split into three separate acts. Finishing each one progresses the story in such a way that some questlines and character interactions will become unavailable after that point. There are so many brilliant and important things to discover throughout the game and players can easily spend hundreds of hours seeing it all. However, as a result, it can also be hard to know which questlines continue into the next act and which need to be completed before moving on.

Act 2 is also a little more confusing than Act 1, as it has two points in the story that trigger major world events, potentially impacting other quests. The first is right before players find the Nightsong, and the second is when players finally take the road towards the eponymous city of Baldur's Gate, which also signals the act's end. It's also worth noting that while most of the companions' respective quests can be progressed somewhat in Act 2, Lae'zel must wait until Act 3 to continue hers, so players shouldn't worry that her story isn't moving forward. With that said, here are all the things players should complete in Baldur's Gate 3's Act 2, before moving on to the game's final Act.

Updated on August 5, 2024, by Antonio Samson: Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3 has a plethora of activities and decisions that can affect the story. While Act 1 introduces everything to the player, Act 2 throws players into the deep end of the game. This article was updated to include more entries and to meet CBR's editorial and formatting standards.

15 Investigate The Strange Ox at Last Light Inn

Find Out the Mystery of This Animal

Upon arriving at the Last Light Inn in Baldur's Gate 3, players may notice an unusual ox among the other animals. This ox, known as the Strange Ox, has an air of mystery. Players can uncover that this ox has more to it than meets the eye by using the Speak with Animals BG3 spell or a scroll. The ox will reveal cryptic messages and hints about a greater purpose or hidden agenda, implying that it has followed the party since Act 1 for a specific reason.

Engaging with the Strange Ox opens up unique dialogue options and potentially a side quest that delves into the creature's true nature. The ox might hint at its magical origins or a hidden power that it possesses. Depending on the player's actions and decisions, the ox might reveal a hidden item or provide valuable lore, adding depth to Baldur's Gate 3's story and the game world. There are multiple ways to resolve this encounter—the player can choose to help the ox, confront it, or even attempt to kill it, each leading to different outcomes and rewards.

14 Help Free The Pixie From Moonrise Tower

Freeing The Pixie Leads to Unique Rewards

During the player's journey in Baldur's Gate 3's Act 2, players may come across a captured pixie in Moonrise Towers. This encounter provides a crucial opportunity to gain protection from the Shadow Curse. The pixie is imprisoned in a magical lantern carried by Kar'niss, a drider who serves Ketheric Thorm. Players can release the pixie or imprison her if they defeat Kar'niss or persuade him to part with the lantern.

Freeing the pixie grants the player her blessing, which offers immunity to the Shadow Curse without needing to carry the lantern. Additionally, the grateful pixie may provide vital information or assist in future BG3 quests, enhancing the party's ability to navigate the shadowed areas safely. Keeping the pixie imprisoned while still providing protection may result in different outcomes later in the story.

13 Complete the Quest From He Who Was

Finishing "Punish the Wicked" Rewards Players With a Summonable Raven Familiar

He Who Was is a shadar-kai—an elven subspecies once bound to the Shadowfell plane and in service to the Raven Queen. Players can find this unsettling NPC and his raven companion in the north Ruined Battlefield, starting a side quest where he claims to be on a missing to punish a guilty soul named Madeline. He Who Was tasks the player with finding Madeline's ledger, which can be found in The Waning Moon bar in Reithwin Town—a locale connected to another side quest chain.

After bringing it to the shadar-kai, the player learns Madeline's backstory by talking to her via Speak with Dead. She reported to a Dark Justiciar that her friends were speaking negatively of Ketheric Thorm. The Dark Justiciar assured Madeline she just wanted to speak with the accused, instead violently torturing them to death. Madeline is wracked with guilt, and the player can choose to agree with He Who Was to condemn her or convince her to forgive herself. Condemning her sees He Who Was reward the player with the Raven Gloves, making Quothe the raven a summon in battle. Forgiving Madeline or forcing her to stab herself enough times to cause He Who Was serious blood loss prompts a fight between him and the party.

12 Get Protection From the Shadow Curse Early

Getting An Unbroken Moon Lantern Should Be The Party's Top Priority

• Ambush the Cultists
• Either persuade or kill Kar'niss
• Keep the pixie imprisoned or set it free, both offer the same reward.

One of the earliest problems that the Shadow-Cursed Lands will pose players is the Shadow Curse itself. This affliction causes Necrotic damage if there's no light source. Thankfully, the story naturally presents a few options to deal with the Shadow Curse relatively early on in Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3. The Broken Moonlantern found during Act 1's Grymforge can't be fixed, but a functioning Moonlantern can be obtained by the player shortly after the major battle at Last Light Inn by helping Harper scouts ambush a cultist group.

The group is led by a drider named Kar'niss—a drow elf cursed by the arachnid goddess Lolth to have a half-spider body. Persuading Kar'niss to give the player his Moonlantern can work, but it can also be looted off him by siding with the Harpers to kill his band of Absolute cultists. It's then revealed that the lantern is powered by a live pixie, leading players to choose between forcing the pixie to stay in the lantern or letting her go. Both options lead to immunity from the Shadow Curse, but the latter decision helps the player in a later side quest during Act 3.

11 Save Isobel At The Last Light Inn

Not Saving Isobel Has Disastrous Consequences For Everyone At The Last Light Inn

Soon after entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands in Baldur's Gate 3's second act, players will likely come across Last Light Inn. It's a haven that's protected from the darkness by a shield of light being maintained by an essential character. It's also where players first meet the famous druid, Jaheira, who's been a mainstay throughout the Baldur's Gate franchise. Players can talk to Isobel upstairs on her balcony in Last Light Inn to learn that she's the one maintaining the protective shield.

However, as players talk with her for the first time, they're interrupted by Flaming Fist Marcus. Players can choose to side with him, but it's much more beneficial to the people at the Last Light Inn for the player to fight alongside Isobel and ensure she survives the battle. To do so, players will want to have a strong healer, such as Shadowheart, in their party as Isobel will take a lot of damage with every attack. It's also best to take out Marcus' demon minions first before fighting him as it will make the battle a lot easier. Saving Isobel ensures everyone in Last Light Inn survives, which is linked to several other quests, and it also makes for some intriguing character interactions later on.

10 Progress Karlach's Companion Quest

For Players Who May Have Missed Dammon At The Druid Grove, Both Stages Can Be Launched Here

Karlach's companion quest in Baldur's Gate 3 largely revolves around the Infernal Engine in her heart that's overheating. She needs to find a specific mechanic who can help her fix it. Thankfully, a smith named Dammon will be able to help. Players may already have found him in Act 1's Emerald Grove, but he can also be found at the Last Light Inn, working the smithy in the cowshed beside the inn. Dammon requires one more piece of Infernal Iron to help stabilize Karlach's heart, but unfortunately, he can't fix it completely. Players may already have some Infernal Iron, but if not, there's a piece lying on a table in the center of the Mason's Guild in the middle of the map's Western half.

Completing this action will allow the player to touch Karlach for the first time, and doing this is the perfect opportunity to win some approval points from her. It can also potentially launch her romance if that's what the player has been waiting for. Karlach's quest continues further when she briefly meets an acquaintance at the end of Act 2, which then progresses through to Act 3, but there is no solution for permanently fixing her heart.

9 Recruit Minthara Becomes Possible If Players Spared Her During Act 1

Minthara Can Be Encountered At Moonrise Towers & Players Can Decide Her Fate

For players who sided with the tieflings and chose to simply knock Minthara unconscious during Act 1, rather than killing her outright, she can be found at Moonrise Towers in Act 2. Ketheric Thorm isn't very happy with her epic failure in retrieving the artifact. Sentenced to a slow and painful death for her failure, the party can save her from her fate by rescuing her from the dungeons and freeing her. With the right persuasion rolls, she will ask to meet back at the party's camp, where she can be recruited into the party.

Even if attempting to achieve a good playthrough, having Minthara in the party won't interfere with the player character's personal development. She can even become a romance option, for those who aren't turned away by the dark and twisted things she did in the name of the Absolute. Aside from siding with the Goblins in Act 1, this is the only other way to recruit Minthara.

8 Save the Prisoners of Ketheric Thorm

This Deed Is Part Of The "Leave No One Behind" Achievement

Players who helped the deep gnomes and the group of tieflings at Emerald Grove in Act 1 will find them once again in an unfortunate position in Act 2. Both groups have been imprisoned in Moonrise Towers, but players can help them escape. Upon entering the prison, players should speak with the gnome leader, Wulbren, who'll tell them he has a plan to escape. Players can agree to help and convince him to help the tieflings too.

Enacting his plan is the best way to ensure the prisoners escape, as it means they avoid fighting their way out the front door. Instead, players should loot Wulbren's hammer from the top floor of the prison watchtower, which is the large building in the center. Players can either turn invisible and sneak in or climb up the wooden scaffolding on the outside to enter through a window. They can then simply throw the hammer through the prison bars and Wulbren and the gnomes will be able to smash their way out the back of the prison. Players then need to fight off the guards to allow them enough time to also save the tieflings and escape.

7 Find and Help Arabella Once More

Arabella's Gotten Herself Into A Bind Again, And She Needs The Party's Help

Players who saved Arabella in Emerald Grove early in Act 1 will encounter the young tiefling once again in Act 2. She's been separated from the group and is found wandering the Shadow-Cursed Lands, between the House of Healing and the Mason's Guild, just North of the town square. She says she's gained some new abilities from touching the Idol in Act 1 but has lost her parents, requesting the player to help. In the meantime, she'll head back to the player's camp for safety.

Players can find Arabella's parents in the East Wing of the House of Healing. They're being looked after by a nurse, but unfortunately, they're already dead. Arabella understandably needs a little time to come to terms with the news, but once she does, she'll reward the player with a magical ring that allows the wearer to cast the Level 2 spell Shadow Blade. Later on, she can also teach a special version of the Entangle spell.

6 Defeat Ketheric Thorm's Cursed Family Members

The Thorm Family Are A Vile Lot, Consumed By Their Own Vices

Ketheric Thorm is the primary antagonist of Baldur's Gate 3's second act, but he's not the only member of his family that players will meet. Ketheric has three family members the player will need to confront to learn more information: Malus Thorm, the surgeon at the House of Healing, Thisobald Thorm, the barman at The Waning Moon and Gerringothe Thorm, the tollkeeper at the Tollhouse. All of them have become hauntingly twisted and, in some of the BG3's most satisfying villain encounters, all of them can be defeated by their own vices without the player having to do more than succeed at some saving throws.

Players can either take them on in normal combat, or they can approach things more cleverly. For example, players can pass several Religion or Persuasion checks to convince Malus to euthanize himself as a lesson for his students. Similarly, with several successful Constitution Saving Throws or Sleight of Hand checks, players can defeat Thisobald by drinking him under the table. Finally, Gerringothe can be defeated by either convincing her that she's lost sight of her work or by giving her the money she desires, which makes her so heavy that she'll die from fall damage. Not only is it extremely satisfying to take out the evil Thorm family in this way, but they also drop some extremely useful and powerful loot, and provide some insight into Act 2's big bad boss—Ketheric.

5 Progress Astarion's Companion Quest by First Meeting With Raphael

Raphael Wants The Party To Hunt Down & Kill An Old Friend In Exchange For Information

Astarion's companion quest revolves around his relationship with the Vampire Lord Cazador, who saved him from death and turned him into a Vampire Spawn. He reveals to the player that Cazador also carved a poem of sorts into his back, but he never learned the details about it. After discovering that it was written in Infernal, Astarion knows the only one who can help him get to the bottom of it is the devil they already know: Raphael. To launch this quest, the party must initially seek out Raphael in the Last Light Inn, where he will note that deciphering the writing will come at a cost, which he will think about and get back to the party with later.

After being tasked with entering Ketheric Thorm's family crypt, the party can find Raphael near the mausoleum entrance to the North on the Western side of the map. He promises to give Astarion answers if the party defeats an old enemy of his, an orthon named Yurgir lurking underneath the mausoleum. Much like encountering the Thorms, Yurgir can be tricked with high enough Insight and Persuasion rolls, allowing the party to avoid a pretty tough battle. Once completed, Raphael will appear in camp for a cutscene during the next long rest, where he will tell Astarion the nature of the writing on his back, informing him that is an infernal contract that will allow his former master, Cazador, to become the Vampire Ascendant through a brutal ritual. The quest can't be progressed further until Act 3.

4 Progress Shadowheart's Companion Quest and Find the Nightsong

Shadowheart Will Come Face To Face With Her Own Faith & Her Past

Shadowheart is certainly one of the most mysterious companions in the game. Upon entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands at the start of Act 2, she reveals that she's resistant to the curse because she's a follower of Shar. She wants to complete a series of trials set by her goddess to prove her devotion and become a Dark Justiciar, but to do this players will have to seek out the various hidden Sharran temples. This includes the Gauntlet of Shar beneath the mausoleum.

There are challenges that players must complete to unlock the final trial. Before entering the final arena, there is a small point of no return. Here, players need to ensure they've completed certain quests, such as saving the Moonrise Towers prisoners, before moving on. Shadowheart is tasked with killing the Nightsong someone, but when players reach them, it's revealed that this person is an aasimar trapped by Ketheric Thorm. Shadowheart wants to fulfill her Goddess' demands, but players can, and should, convince her not to kill the Nightsong, as her presence is massively useful in later battles. This also applies to the showdown with Act II's big boss, Ketheric Thorm.

3 Recruit Jaheira to the Party

Jaheira Is A Useful Ally, And Without Her, Players Can't Recruit Minsc In Act 3

Fans of the Baldur's Gate franchise will remember Jaheira as a key party member in both the original Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2: Shadow of Amn. The powerful druid is also a key figure in Baldur's Gate 3's Act 2, and she can even join the party towards the end of the act. To recruit her, players first need to ensure she survives that long by keeping her alive during both the fight against Marcus at Last Light Inn and during the assault on Moonrise Towers.

After the first stage of the fight against Ketheric Thorm, players will have the opportunity to speak to Jaheira before they jump down into the Mind Flayer Colony. It's at this point that they can ask her to join them, and she'll become a fully-fledged member of the party. It's a great feeling to have such a fan-favorite character return, and she's not the only one making a reappearance as players will find out in Act 3.

2 Recruit Halsin and Lift the Shadow Curse

Helping Halsin Lift The Shadow Curse By Saving Thaniel Is The Only Way To Fully Recruit The Druid

Players who save the druid Halsin from the Goblin Camp in Act 1 and allow him to join their camp will have the opportunity to fully recruit him to the party during Act 2. Halsin has been searching for a boy named Thaniel, who's essentially the spirit of the land and is therefore key to lifting the Shadow Curse. Players can trigger this quest by interacting with Art Cullagh, an ill man who can be found in a bed on the bottom floor of Last Light Inn, mumbling Thaniel's name. After this interaction, players can speak to Halsin at camp to make him rush to Last Light Inn, where players can offer to help further.

The next task will be to retrieve a special item, which can be found on the body of Malus Thorm, Ketheric's brother and the surgeon at the House of Healing. Halsin will then ask the player to protect a magic portal from an enemy assault while he goes inside to retrieve Thaniel from the Shadowfell region. Halsin will then return to camp, where players can speak to him once more to finally recruit him as a full-party member.

Even after retrieving Thaniel, however, the curse isn't fully lifted. The child has been split, and the party must search the Shadow-Cursed Lands for The House In Deep Shadow and interact with the child, Oliver, who is Thaniel's other half. Convincing Oliver to reunite with Thaniel makes Halsin incredibly grateful. Unfortunately, fully lifting the Shadow Curse can only be done by defeating Ketheric Thorm at the end of the Act. Doing so will also progress Gale's companion quest.

1 Release the Captives From the Mindflayer Colony and Find Zevlor

After players complete the first part of the Ketheric Thorm boss fight, he'll flee into the Mind Flayer Colony that's hidden underneath Moonrise Towers. Players must jump down to follow, and it's in this new area that players can rescue several important captives from the Mind Flayer's pods. The pods are found to the North of the map, by taking the first left after dropping down. Trapped inside are two important characters: the Tiefling leader Zevlor and the half-devil Mizora. Players can free them by using the control panel near the pods.

It's advisable to kill any Intellect Devourers before opening the pods, though, as several also contain powerful Mind Flayers, which are a key part of Baldur's Gate's lore. These are tough enough to fight on their own, without the need to deal with extra enemies. Players will want to ensure that the tiefling Zevlor survives to continue his story and releasing Mizora progresses Wyll's companion questline too.

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Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is arole-playing video gamedeveloped and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment in the Baldur's Gate series.

RPG

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Divinity 4.0

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

100+ Hours

Prequel(s)