The first Act in Baldur’s Gate 3 culminates in the party preparing to set foot into the hostile Shadow-Cursed Lands, and discovering new leads for a cure to the parasite in their heads. In comparison to the first Act, the second Act takes place against a gloomy backdrop with danger lurking around every corner.

Despite its hostile nature, the second Act is equally full of interesting quests that progress the main plot and companion stories. However, it’s critical that you’re mindful about how you pick up and progress certain quests, as there’s a chance of locking yourself out of content or turning a region hostile if certain quests are completed before others. With that said, here’s the best quest order for Baldur’s Gate 3 in Act 2.

Spoilers below, proceed with caution.

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Entering The Shadow-Cursed Lands

The Shadow-Cursed Lands is a gloomy and hostile region, enshrouded in the Shadow Curse. The Shadow-Cursed Lands spans across the entire playable region in Act 2, except a few indoor and underground areas. In the Shadow-Cursed Lands, your primary goal is to find a safe hub that offers protection from the Shadow Curse. Fortunately, the Last Light Inn happens to be closer to both the Mountain Pass and Underdark exits.

Whichever option you choose to approach the Shadow-Cursed Lands, an important NPC named “Weary Traveler” will be waiting for you. Interacting with him progresses Gale’s quest.

If you have Shadowheart in your party as you enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands, you can explore special dialogues with her and learn that she is immune to the curse shrouding the region.

Once you’re in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, head west to find a group of Harpers. Help them fight the shadow creatures and then continue further southwest to discover the Last Light Inn. The inn serves as a safe hub housing important NPCs, including Jaheira (companion), Raphael, Dammon, Mol, etc.

Here are quests and their recommended order of acquisition in the Shadow-Cursed Lands:

• Follow the Convoy (if you took the Mountain Pass road)
• Seek Protection from the Curse (if you took the Underdark)
• Lift the Shadow Curse (Acquired upon speaking to Halsin at the camp)

Take In The Last Light Inn

The Last Light Inn is your save haven amid the Shadow-Cursed Lands, populated with important NPCs and merchants. After acquainting yourself with Jaheira, take your time to explore the inn and speak to the various NPCs inhabiting it.

The following are the key NPCs you should prioritize interacting with:

• Mol: Progress Mol’s story
• Raphael: Consider having Astarion in your party before interacting with Raphael for special dialogue.
• Dammon: Provide Dammon with Infernal Iron to stabilize Karlach’s heart.
• The Strange Ox: You can choose to kill it to acquire some valuable loot.
• Mattis: Persuade her to access additional inventory
• Isobel: Only speak to Isobel once you’ve interacted with every NPC in the inn as it would put you straight into a challenging fight.

You can pick up and progress the following quests while at the Last Light Inn:

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Explore The Shadowed Battlefield

With Isobel safe or captured, you can head out to the inn’s main entrance to find a group of Harpers who are on the hunt for a goblin convoy. You can accompany them to acquire a Moonlantern, which will protect you from the Shadow Curse. You can explore the Shadowed Battlefield for valuable items and gear. Here are the two quests you should pick up while exploring this region:

On To Moonrise Towers

West of the Shadowed Battlefield lies the Moonrise Towers. However, you should consider exploring the nearby Tollhouse and Waning Moon tavern to interact with two unique NPCs.

Next, you can then head north from the Moonrise Towers waypoint to discover the Sharran Sanctuary. After defeating the enemies around the structure, you can proceed to solve the plaque puzzle to enter the sanctuary.

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Explore Moonrise Towers Under The True Soul Cover

You can now head south to discover the Moonrise Towers waypoint and enter the tower. It’s recommended to save your game before talking with the guards, as it’s not recommended to enter open combat at this moment in the game.

You should consider talking to the following NPCs while in the Moonrise Towers:

• Lann Tarv (Merchant): To obtain three Soul Coins
• Roah Moonglow (Merchant)
• Araj Oblodara: Considering bringing Astarion along to obtain a power potion
• Sazza (if she survived in Act 1)
• Disciple Z’rell: Create a quick save before interacting with her

Here’s a quest you can progress at this point in the Moonrise Towers:

• Decide Minthara’s Fate (if she survives in Act 1)
• Discover the History of Prince Orpheus
• Rescue the Tieflings

Explore The Reithwin Town

From the Moonrise Towers waypoint, you can head north to discover the Riethwin Town, which leads to the Mason’s Guild and House of Healing. On your way to the House of Healing, you should find Arabella, who’ll ask your help in finding her parents.

Consider interacting with the following NPCs while you’re at the House of Healing:

• Sister Lidwin
• Sister Sinda
• Arabella: After discovering her parent’s fate
• Malus Thorm

The following quests can be progressed in the Reithwin Town:

Progress Astarion’s Quest At The Grand Mausoleum

Heading east from the House of Healing, you can encounter Raphael, who promises to translate Astarion’s inscription provided that you do something for him in return in the Grand Mausoleum.

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Lifting The Shadow Curse

You can now return to Last Light Inn and wake up Art Cullagh by playing the Battered Lute you picked up after defeating Malus Thorm at the House of Healing. Next, you can speak to Halsin and help him defend the portal. After the fight, you can head back to the camp where Halsin can be recruited to the party. To finally lift the Shadow Curse, you must journey back to Oliver and save Thaniel.

You should consider interacting with the following NPCs while at the Last Light Inn:

Also, the following main quest can be progressed at this point in the game:

Explore The Grand Mausoleum

The Grand Mausoleum grants you access to the Gauntlet of Shar, where you can progress through Shadowheart’s companion quest and tackle Raphael’s request. The following are the important NPCs you should consider interacting with while in the Grand Mausoleum:

• Balthazar
• Yurgir
• Lythindor

Consider progressing the following quests in the listed order while at the Grand Mausoleum:

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Deciding Nightsong’s Fate At The Shadowfell

You can find a caged and defenseless Nightsong in the Shadowfell and make a major decision on whether to kill or spare her. The following quests can be progressed at the Shadowfell:

• Find the Nightsong
• Daughter of Darkness (Shadowheart’s companion quest)
• Infiltrate Moonrise Towers

Assault On The Moonrise Towers

With Nightsong’s fate decided, your party can now march on to the Moonrise Towers and take on Disciple Z’rell’s army before facing Ketheric Thorm. Consider quick saving after every combat encounter to reset if things don’t play out as planned.

You can also get Jaheira to join your party, but it’s best to recruit her after taking on Ketheric Thorm for the first time.

The following quests are progressed automatically when assaulting the Moonrise Towers:

• Infiltrate Moonrise Towers
• Defeat Ketheric Thorm

Confront Ketheric Thorm

As Ketheric Thorm sees his imminent defeat, he retreats from the Moonrise Towers’ rooftop and waits in ambush in the Mindflayer Colony. Once you’ve cleaned up Ketheric’s remaining forces on the rooftop, you can interact with Jaheira to recruit her, provided you convince her to become a temporary ally before facing Ketheric.

You can kill Ketheric Thorm in the mindflayer colony, effectively completing the second act of the game. Here is the recommended quest progression order as you enter the Mindflayer Colony:

• Find Mol
• Find Zevlor
• The Blade of Frontiers (Wyll’s companion quest)
• Defeat Ketheric Thorm
• The Wizard of Waterdeep (if you decide to finish the game early at the cost of sacrificing Gale and your entire party)

Systems

Franchise

Baldur’s Gate

Released

August 3, 2023

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

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

X|S Optimized

yes

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only

Number of Players

1-4

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Cross Save

yes

Cross-Platform Play

Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t support crossplay

PC Release Date

August 3, 2023

PS5 Release Date

September 6, 2023

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

December 7, 2023

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