Should you go through the mountain pass or underground in BG3?

Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of choices, but there is a junction point that happens on an exceptionally large scale. After finishing the party’s business in the Emerald Grove and the nearby Goblin Camp, it’s finally time to head to a new area, and two paths offer divergent methods of beginning the journey toward the city of Baldur’s Gate. The Mountain Pass and the Underdark seem threatening in their own ways, but both the risks and rewards of adopting either approach are ultimately radically different.

Mountain Pass, true to its name, is an overland approach that takes the party through winding hills that can be found east of Goblin Camp. The Underdark, on the other hand, plunges the journey into a dangerous subterranean environment that can be accessed through the Goblin Camp’s Corrupted Temple or several other entry points. While there is nothing wrong with just choosing the most convenient path, careful consideration can reveal much more about the nature of the decision.

Benefits of getting the Mountain Pass in Baldur’s Gate 3

The quick and easy way, comparatively

The main reason to consider taking Mountain Pass comes from what it adds to the story of Lae’zel, the irritable Githyanki companion who can be saved from the militant tieflings and recruited into their group. Lae’zel spends a lot of her time in Act 1 talking about how the solution to the parasite problem can probably be found at a nearby Githyanki nursery, and as it turns out, that base of operations is found along the Mountain Pass. Getting rid of Illithid worms is not that simple, but the nursery is a key place for your personal history.

Even if the party doesn’t have Lae’zel present, Mountain Pass is still home to some interesting areas and useful items. The abandoned Rosymorn Monastery found along the way contains several powerful weapons, most notably the The Blood of Lathander

which imbues its wielder with some holy powers and the level six spell sunbeam

. While obtaining Lathander’s Blood is not a quick process, it should be fun for those who enjoy solving puzzles.

The Mountain Pass is a good option for those who don’t want more problems than necessarysince it’s ultimately a smaller affair than the Underdark. The dangers on land do not match the problems of the depths, and it is easier to pass through the area with minimal confrontation, even if avoiding too much combat may come back to harm the party later.

Benefits of going underground in BG3

Underground Civilizations Have Serious Problems

The journey through the Underdark doesn’t relate as directly to any party member as the Mountain Pass relates to Lae’zel’s story, but it offers a lot of narrative material in a more general sense. It is the larger of the two options in terms of contentand deciding to ignore it permanently could cause the party to miss some of the most interesting parts of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1. Like Mountain Pass, it also offers an apparent chance to solve the parasite problem, although things are once again not as simple as they might seem.

The Underdark contains significant quests relating to a colony of Myconid fungal creatures and a facility called Grymforge that is currently controlled by the forces of the Absolute. Taking sides in a Myconid dispute offers valuable rewards regardless of choice, and Grymforge contains the Adamantine Forgea location that allows the party to craft some of the best early-game weapons and armor if they defeat a challenging boss.

Grymforge is also home to several captive deep gnomes, and choosing to save them or side with their duergar lords could have implications for secondary content in the rest of the game. Any fan of the hapless gnome Barcus Wroot should help the gnomes, as skipping this content will mean the end of their involvement in the story. In addition to the main destinations, there is also a defense-filled Arcane Tower that contains some loot for groups intrepid enough to take it on.

You must go underground first in BG3

The longest path is the most meaningful

Happily, following a path to Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t actually exclude the other. It’s possible to backtrack before reaching the end of either route or simply revisit areas after entering Act 2, and those looking for a reasonably complete experience would do best to eliminate both options. Act 2 features a distinct point of no return that can block content from the first act, but it’s not something to worry about immediately after entering the area.

Ultimately, The most important area for any campaign that isn’t centered around Lae’zel is the Underdark, and it’s the best one to tackle first overall. After traveling through the Underdark, it’s easy to enter Act 2 via the Underdark, find where the Mountain Pass crosses the Act 2 lands, and enter from that exit point. Because it’s a smaller area without the same scale of progression, heading in the wrong direction to enter Mountain Pass works perfectly. It is also possible to stop before the end of the Underdark and cover the Mountain Pass before entering Act 2.

Doing things in the other order is also acceptable, especially for those who aren’t quite ready for the challenge of the Underdark, but visiting the Underdark after reaching Act 2 will feel more like backtracking. For those who don’t want to cover both areas, it’s best to stick with Underground and skip Mountain Pass. The sacrifice to Lae’zel’s story is significant, but the total amount of game lost doesn’t match how much is lost by avoiding the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3.