At the end of Act 2 in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll be locked out of going back to where you came from. If you’re worried about missing things from Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, here’s a checklist of everything to do before finishing Act 2.
Everything you should finish before completing Act 2 in BG3
Let me remind you that this isn’t a list of every single quest available in Act 2 (if that’s what you’re looking for, scroll to the bottom of this article). This is a checklist of things you would’ve most likely ignored or forgotten to complete. Also, if you’re still on Act 1, we already have an Act 1 checklist guide. Otherwise, here is a checklist of all the things you should do before exiting Act 2 in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Shadow-Cursed Lands
The first area and the area between Moonrise Tower and Gauntlet of Shar are the Shadow-Cursed Lands. To make exploring here easy, I recommend getting the pixie. Here is the Act 2 checklist for the Shadow-Cursed Lands:
- Find the three ruins with hidden shadow people.
- Meet He Who Was, southeast of the Camp in the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
- Play hide and seek with Oliver in the House with Flowers.
- Find the Abandoned Potter’s Workshop, east of the Last Light Inn.
- Find Arabella’s parents in the House of Healing.
- Explore the Tollhouse to find plenty of gold, and the Thorm made of gold itself.
- Speak to the bartender in the Waning Moon.
- Find a Night Orchid and give it to Shadowheart (it’s her favorite flower).
- Fight the fish people outside Gauntlet of Shar.
- Discover the secrets behind the plaque puzzle.
- Save Rolan from the shadows.
Last Light Inn
Last Light Inn is the only true haven in BG3 Act 2. Here are all the activities in Last Light Inn:
- Speak with the Strange Ox.
- Give Dammon at the forge an Infernal Iron to help Karlach.
- Find Art Cullagh, who’s in a comatose state, which will progress Halsin’s quest.
- To unlock the Mason’s Guild, persuade Mattis to give you a special key.
- Talk to Mol after finding her playing Chess with Raphael. You can try to convince her to accept Raphael’s deal or not.
- Find the inn cellar to find an area connected to the Selunite resistance.
- Defend Halsin as he goes into and returns from the portal.
Moonrise Tower
Moonrise Tower is where Ketheric Thorm, the big bad of Act 2, resides. Though there are things to do in Moonrise Tower, you’ll likely need to visit Gauntlet of Shar before defeating Ketheric Thorm. Here are the quests in Moonrise Tower:
- Talk to the Drow alchemist with Astarion in your party.
- Rescue the prisoners.
- Search Balthazar’s room for books, a puzzle, and a moon lantern.
- Speak to the chef and gnolls, and be nice to them for good karma later on.
- Fight the Mimic upstairs.
Gauntlet of Shar
To progress through Act 2, you need to visit Gauntlet of Shar to deal with Balthazar and do something about the Nightsong. Here is everything you shouldn’t miss in Gauntlet of Shar:
- Complete all the trials like the Soft-Step Trial which I found particularly challenging.
- You can find Balthazar and convince him to give you a bell, allowing you to summon Flesh while in combat.
- Find and kill Raphael’s target to help Raphael, which in turn helps Astarion in his quest.
- Solve the puzzles in the Silent Library to get the Dark Justiciar’s Helm and Armor.
- Enter Shadowfell: This should be the final thing you do, as it’ll lock you out of the rest of Act 2’s quests and lead you to the Mind Flayer Colony.
Mind Flayer Colony
The last thing you do in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 2 is visit the Mind Flayer Colony. Here’s everything you can do in the Mind Flayer Colony:
- Rescue Mizora and Zevlor from the pods.
- Release “Us” to gain them as a summon in battle.
- Find and insert different “Minds” in the lab for a permanent buff and some lore.
BG3 Act 2 quest order
Note that a lot of the things you shouldn’t miss in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 2 aren’t official main or side quests. Here’s an optimal quest order to follow for Act 2 in BG3:
- Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse
- Follow the Convoy
- Resolve the Abduction
- Punish the Wicked
- Wake Up Art Cullagh
- Lift the Shadow’s Curse
- Find Arabella’s Parents
- Find Rolan in the Shadow
- Rescue the Tieflings
- Rescue Wulbren
- Investigate the Selunite Resistance
- Kill Raphael’s Old Enemy
- Find the Nightsong
- Find Zevlor
- Find Mol
Now that you are done with Act 2 and heading into Act 3, follow our BG3 Act 3 checklist to not miss anything there.
