In Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3, Your party of misfit adventurers enters the Shadow-cursed landsA small area with many of the game’s most important quests, which is why an Act 2 checklist is recommended to avoid missing any of the key moments. Since the land is cursed with lingering darkness, exploring and discovering the secrets on your own can be challenging.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3.]
After completing everything in Baldur’s Gate 3s Massive First Act, you will enter the shadow-cursed lands of the Mountain Pass or the Grimforge and the Underdark. The route you take does not matter, as you may have only explored one of the two areas. However, for completion’s sake, this guide assumes you explored both areas for maximum story content and XP.
Related
Enter the shadow-cursed lands
Reach the last light inside
At the beginning of Act 2, you will find yourself in the ruined battlefield. If you enter the shadow-cursed lands of the Grimforge, you will run into a group of Harpers and have a particularly terrifying encounter with the shadow inhabitants of the area.. Therefore, before you search for the best-kept secrets of Act 2, it is highly recommended that you follow the Harpers to their base in the last light inside first. Keep in mind that the Shadow Curse will damage anyone in your party who is not protected by a light source.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Seek protection from the shadow curse |
Main quest |
You can help the Harpers fight hostile shadows, at which point they’ll give your party directions to Last Light Inside. |
When you enter from the mountain pass, you will meet an absolutist convoy led by a man named Kar’nis. Kar’niss holds a Moonlantern to keep the curse at bay and will guide you to Moonrise Towers. Along the route, you and the convoy will be ambushed by Harpers.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Follow the convoy |
Main quest |
When ambushed by the Harpers, you can side with them, kill the cultists and take the Moonlantern for protection. Alternatively, you can side with the convoy and go to Moonrise Towers. |
The route you take depends on your character’s alignment. Good-aligned players will likely go to the Last Light Inn with the Harpers, while Evil-aligned players can go straight to Moonrise Towers.
The last light inside
Meet Jaheira and prepare to explore the shadow-cursed lands
In The Last Light Within, the Harpers will confront your party, led by the druid Jaheira, a returning character from the previous Baldur’s Gate Games. Other characters will also be present here, if they survived Act One, including Barcus Wroot and any surviving Tiefling refugees.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Talk to Damon |
companion search |
If Damon survived the events of Act One, he can be found working at the forge in the courtyard. You can give him General Iron to help Karlach modify her infernal engine heart and progress her companion quest. This is important if you want to romance in Karlach Baldur’s Gate 3. |
|
Talk to the funny ox |
Guess |
The strange ox comes back again in last light if you talked to him in the emerald grove. |
|
Talk to Mattis |
Guess |
Mattis is out if he survives act one. He sells various things, and you can too Convince him to hand over a tower-shaped key, which you can use later. |
|
Talk to Alfira |
Side search |
Alfira appears if she survived Act One. Dark Urge players may need to take extra steps to save Alfira. Talking to her reveals that the other Tieflings were taken to Moonrise Towers, starting Save the Tieflings. |
|
Talk to Rolan |
Side search |
Rolan can be found drinking his sorrows away at the bar in the back. He reveals that his siblings Kal and Leia have been taken to Moonrise Towers. |
Related
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Talk to Barcus Wroot |
Side search |
If you saved Barkus twice in Act One, he reappears here and you can talk to him. He will ask for help to rescue his friend Wolverine from Moonrise Towers, Triggering the Rescue Wulbren side quest. |
|
Meet Mul and Raphael |
Guess |
If she survives act one, Mol can be found playing a game with the devil Raphael. You can intervene and help her win the game. |
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Wake Art Kullah |
Side search |
In the western room, you can find the unconscious Art Kullah under the guard of a group of Flaming Fists. Art can’t be revived yet, but he sings a song about someone named Taniel. |
|
Lift the shadow curse |
Side search |
Talk to Halsin about the Shadow Curse, and he will mention Taniel. Then you can tell him about Art Cullagh to start the Lift The Shadow Curse quest. Once you’ve retrieved Art’s lute from Reithwin, you can play it to wake him up. |
|
Help Halsin |
Side search |
Once Art is awake, you can help Halsin down by the riverside near the last light inside. This involves protecting a gate from waves of enemies while Halsin rescues Taniel. It is highly recommended that you create a save point right before starting the fight alongside Halsin. |
After talking to everyone you meet in Act One, you can talk to Jaheira and get to know yourself properly. She will suggest Infiltrating Moonrise Towers by pretending you are a cultist And then direct you to Isobel, a cleric of Selun who can offer you a way to get through BG3s shadow curse. Before talking to her, it is recommended that you create a new save point because the inn will be attacked immediately after initiating the conversation, which can lead to dire circumstances.
Isobel can be found upstairs, and she will provide you with some protection against the Shadow Curse, allowing you to explore further. After you finish speaking, your party will be confronted by Marcus, a traitor Flaming Fist, and other dark creatures sent to capture Isobel. If you side with Isobel, you will need to defeat all the intruders, including Marcus, before they can take down Isobel.
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Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Protect Isobel |
Main search |
If you side with Isobel instead of Marcus, you have to fight against Marcus and his creatures. If Isobel is downed, Marcus will kidnap her, stripping the last light of its protection against the shadow curse and transforming the NPCs into shadow creatures. Saving Isobel and beating Marcus is not easy, and you need to pull enemies away from you. |
|
Stop the abduction |
Main search |
You can also side with Marcus and capture Isobel for the absolute. |
After the battle, if you saved Isobel, you can talk to some Harpers outside. They will ask for your help in ambushing a cultist convoy. This is the same convoy that Cornis led from before, which will allow you to get the monolantern that lets you into the Rithwine and the Moonrise Tower.
If you play as The Dark Urge Baldur’s Gate 3Saving Isobel has consequences. Your servant, Skleritas Fel, will visit you later in the camp, and demand that you kill her. Refusing to kill Isobel will also have consequences.
Explore the shadow-cursed lands
Departure from Last Light Inn & Journey to Moonrise Towers
With Isobel’s protection, you can explore the shadow-cursed lands without worrying too much about the curse damaging your party members in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you haven’t already, your first step should be to get the Moonlantern from the Druid Convoy. With the Moonlantern, you will be given a choice to release the Pixie inside, and luckily you can release the Pixie without losing the protection of the Moonlantern. The party’s goal at this point is to safely reach Moonrise Towers.
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Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Investigate the cellunite resistance |
Side search |
You can investigate Last Light’s basement to find evidence of a resistance led by Selunites. A note points to the Masons’ Guild in Reithwin. |
|
Punish the wicked |
Side search |
When you explore, you may encounter He who wasA mysterious elf is performing a strange ritual on the corpse of Madeline, a supposed murderer. If you talk to him, he will ask the party to bring him Madeline’s ledger from the inn in Raithwin. There are some pros and cons to help him who was. |
|
Play hide and seek with Oliver |
Side search |
You can meet Oliver in a ruined house northeast of the Waypoint of Shadowlands. You can play hide and seek with this mischievous spirit to get these . Oliver is also revealed to be the missing half of Taniel, so you can talk to him to progress lifting the shadow curse. |
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Find Rolan in the Shadows |
Side search |
Rolan can be found near the bridge in Reithwin. The party can Save him from hostile shadows and send him back to last lightensuring his survival in Act 3. |
|
Confront Gerringote Thorm |
Boss meet |
When you pass the Reithwin Toll House, you can find Gerringothe Thorm, the toll collector, on the second floor. This is a tough fight, but you can actually beat Gerringothe Thorm without fighting. |
Ring of ShadowsRelated
Moonrise Towers (first visit)
All time-sensitive quests in Moonrise Towers
Once you’ve passed through the Reithwin Toll House in Baldur’s Gate 3You can now infiltrate Moonrise Towers or spend some time exploring Reithwin. However, it is recommended to infiltrate Moonrise first, as there is quite a lot of time-sensitive content linked to the area. Talk your way past the guards and enter the main hall.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Trade with Lan Torb |
Guess |
The merchant, Lon Tarb, will offer to give Karlach three soul coins, all the while listening to the stories of the souls trapped inside. |
|
Trade blood with Araj Oblodra |
Guess |
The drow, Araj Oblodra, performs experiments with blood. You can trade your blood for rare elixirs and gold. Giving her Astrion’s blood gives a special elixir that permanently raises the potion’s strength by 1. |
|
Decide Minthara’s fate |
companion search |
If not killed in Act One, Minthara can be found in the main hall and will eventually be sent to Moonrise Towers prison. You can find her in the prison and decide her fate. You can also choose to recruit Minthara to your party. |
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Find Balthazar |
Main search |
Student Zerel can be found on the first floor. If you talk to her, she will order the party to follow the necromancer Balthazar. |
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Explore the first floor |
Guess |
The party can explore Balthazar, Ketheric and Isobel’s rooms on the first floor. Balthazar’s room contains a secret ritual that Gale can complete if he is in the party. The final slate about Prince Orpheus can also be found here and given to Lae’zel. |
Related
Then, if you’re playing as a well-aligned character, you can go down to the Moonrise Towers prison to free the imprisoned tieflings and wolverines.. These are the most important quests you must do before you follow BG3S Nightsong. They are time-limited and will automatically fail if not done before this mission.
Explore Reithwin Town
Complete some of Act 2’s best sidequests in Reithwin
Once you’re free of Moonrise Towers, you can explore Reithwin Town to track down Balthazar in the Grand Mausoleum north of town. In this area you’ll find many of Act 2’s best side quests BG3, So it’s worth spending the extra time exploring and getting as much content from the area as you can before moving on with your main quests.
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Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Find Arabella’s parents |
Side search |
If she survives Act One, Arabella can be found alone near the entrance to the Raithwin Cemetery. You can send Arabella to camp or Alfira, but she will ask you to find her parents. Their bodies can be found in a wing of the House of Healing. |
|
Confront Malus Thorm |
Boss meet |
While exploring Raithwin’s House of Healing, you’ll encounter surgeon Malus Thorm “teaching” surgery to a group of nurses. Like Gerringothe, Malus Thorm can be defeated without a fight. You can claim Art Cullagh’s lute from his body, which can be played to awaken Art. |
|
Explore the Mason’s Guild |
Guess |
You can enter the basement of the Mason’s Guild and Use these |
Tower-shaped keyRelated
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Confront Thisobald Thorm |
Boss meet |
As you explore Reithwin’s The Waning Moon Tavern, you can meet the bartender, Thisobald Thorm. Similar to others, it is possible to defeat Thisobald Thorm without fighting. |
|
Get Madeline’s ledger |
Side search. |
You can grab Madeline’s ledger from under the floorboards behind the bar in the waning moon. If the ledger is given to him, players can complete Punish the wicked. |
|
Open the Sharran Sanctuary |
Guess |
The statue in the center of Reithwin has plaques on each side of its pedestal. If you Press the north, west and east plaques in this order, you can enter a hidden Sharan shrine And pray to receive various blessings from Shar. Shadowheart can successfully pray and receive blessings without passing the checks. |
Once you’ve explored Reithwin, head north to find these Grand Mausoleum and the Gauntlet of Shar. Raphael will stop you just outside to warn you about a dangerous entity lurking inside.
The Gauntlet of Shar
Progress Shadowheart’s Daughter Of Darkness Quest
After entering the Grand Mausoleum, you will find that Balthazar has entered the Gauntlet of Shaar: a final testing ground for aspiring Dark Justices. As such, it is highly recommended that you bring Shadowheart to progress you”Daughter of darkness“ companion search. Completing the Gauntlet of Shar is no easy feat, so ensure your party is well-rested and properly equipped. This is the point of no return for earlier time-sensitive quests, such as rescuing the tieflings.
Related
To open the entrance to the gauntlet, head to the back of the mausoleum and click the buttons under the paintings. The correct order is Moonrise Towers, Grief and General.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Find the relic of Ketheric Thorm |
Main search |
This quest involves completing the trials in the Gauntlet of Shar. You can also meet Balthazar. You can help him finish his mission to find the Nightsong, form a temporary alliance, or fight and kill Balthazar outright. |
|
Kill Raphael’s old enemy |
Side search |
When you complete the Gauntlet of Shaar, you will need to confront Yurgir, a powerful Orton who is reluctantly contracted to Rafael. You can kill or save Yurgir. This includes fighting him and his minions, convincing him to kill himself, or convincing him to let you help him fulfill his contract. Killing him has negative effects if you chose to romance Astarion. |
|
Break Yurgir’s contract |
Side search |
If you offer to help Yurgir with his contract, head down to the bottom of the Shar statue to find a ritual. It is revealed that the final Dark Justiyar that Yurgir had to kill turned into a rat to avoid death. You can take the contract from the Justiciar or kill him for Yurgir. |
|
Find the Nightsong and Daughter of Darkness |
Side search/companion search |
Find the Nightsong in Baldur’s Gate 3 Involves completing the Gauntlet of Shar. At the end, your party will come face to face with the Nightsong, revealed to be Aileen, daughter of Selun. As part of Shadowheart’s companion quest, you can choose to free or kill the Nightsong. |
Once you’re out of the Gauntlet of Shar, the next step is to return to Moonrise Towers. Well aligned players will likely add Siege to Moonrise with the Harpers, Aylin and Jaheira, Who can be asked to join your party. Evil-aligned players will return in triumph to gain an audience with the Absolute.
Moonrise Towers (second visit)
Return to Moonrise Towers and defeat Keterik Torm
Regardless of your path to this point, you will find yourself in the Mind Flayer Colony under Moonrise Towers. The visit to Moonrise Towers will be the conclusion to Act 2, so if there’s anything you’ve wanted to complete up until this point, now is the time to do it. Otherwise, go ahead and finish Act 2 so you can start the third and final act of Baldur’s Gate 3.
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Find Zevlor |
Side search |
To find and save Zevlor, free him and the others from the mind flyer pods. This will also trigger a tough fight with some mind fliers. |
|
Find Mizora |
Side search |
Wyll’s patron, Mizora, is also trapped in a mind flyer pod. You can choose to save or kill Mizora; However, killing her will result in Will’s permanent death. |
|
Save us |
Guess |
If you joined us on the nautiloid, and it didn’t die, you can find it and release the friendly intelligence devourer from a cage. You may have to fight or convince the butcher chap to let you take us. |
Related
|
Activity |
Type |
Notes and output |
|---|---|---|
|
Solve the necrotic laboratory puzzle |
Guess |
You can solve the mind link puzzle to access some rare loot and artifacts. This includes the waking mind. |
|
Speak to the waking mind |
Guess |
Place the Waking Mind in the Mind Archive interface to get these Githzerai view barrierA useful permanent buff. |
|
Talk to Kressa Bonedaughter |
Guess |
Kressa can be found in the barracks, which has additional dialogue for the Dark Urge. |
|
Defeat Keterik Torm |
Boss meet |
Act 2 ends with a gigantic boss battle against Ketheric Thorm and the Apostle of Myrkul. |
The Find time And The Grand Duke Side quests may point you to Moonrise Towers, but you won’t find any of these NPCs until Act 3.
After beating Ketheric, Act 2 is basically complete. After a long rest, you will be able to resume your journey to Baldur’s Gate. Many of the quests and encounters in Act 2 affect what happens to your characters in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3So make sure to complete all the Shadow-Cursed Lands quests you’d like to do before moving on.
Source: YouTube / CerealOverdrive, YouTube / MinMaxRPG
- platforms
-
PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X
- Released
-
August 3, 2023
- developer(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Multiplayer
-
Local multiplayer
- ESRB
-
B For Adults: Blood and gore, partial nudity, sexual content, strong language, violence
- How long to beat
-
100+ hours
- Metascore
-
96
- Split screen orientation
-
Only vertical
- Number of players
-
1-4
- PS Plus Availability
-
N/A
- Steam deck compatibility
-
Yes
- Local co-op support
-
1-2 players
- Cross save
-
Yes
- Cross-platform game
-
Baldur’s Gate 3 does not support crossplay