There are so many things you can do in Baldur’s Gate 3, so much so that many new and veteran players may not even know what to do first. You’ll find plenty of advice online on these matters, from the most detailed walkthroughs to the most secret tips and tricks. But our guide will focus on the Top 10 things you should do in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1, which will shape the rest of your walkthrough in the most positive way.
Top 12 Things You Should Do in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you should do in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Loot everything you can.
- Get the best early gear.
- Learn how to respec.
- Learn crafting and alchemy.
- Be sure to recruit companions.
- Learn animal tongues.
- Acquire the Mask of the Shapeshifter.
- Unlock Adamantine Forge.
- Acquire Chest of the Mundane.
- Find Explosives.
- Travel Through the Mountain Pass.
- Don’t forget to rest.
Loot Everything You Can
Don’t be shy about collecting as much loot as possible in Act 1. You may not need everything that you find, but you can always sell those unwanted things to merchants for gold. The more items you loot, the more you sell, and the more money you get. It’s really an easy habit to form during your first days of gameplay, which will allow you to hoard a significant amount of gold really fast.
Get the Best Early Gear
The best early location for getting your gear is Blighted Village, which is located to the west of your campsite in Emerald Grove. First, pick up the Hasty Helm from the chest at the Blighted Village waypoint. Then, find a Steelforged Sword inside the chest at the abandoned house in the village. Lastly, pick up The Speedy Lightfeet boots from the wooden hatch under the mill.
Learn How to Respec
There’s such an abundance of classes and subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 that it’s absolutely necessary to learn how to respec your character early on. You do this by releasing Withers from the Overgrown Ruins, after which he’ll appear in your camp. Speak to Withers, and for 100 gold, he’ll let you respec your stats. Note that your progress won’t be lost!
Learn Crafting and Alchemy
Crafting and Alchemy are two of the most important skills that you need to master early on in Badlur’s Gate 3 Act 1. These skills won’t only save you money but also introduce you to a whole array of useful potions and items. I’d recommend picking up any and all organic ingredients that you find on your way by holding the “ALT” key. Then, you can craft anything you want by pressing the “H” key.
Be Sure to Recruit Companions
There’s no question about just how important companions are in Baldur’s Gate 3. They’re not only very helpful, especially in the early stages of the game, but they can also fill the gaps in your own skills and stats. That’s why I strongly suggest recruiting companions that synergize with your main character. For example, if you focus on combat, then recruit Shadowheart for support or Gale for magic spells.
Learn Animal Tongues
Animals hold a lot of information about the wilderness of Baldur’s Gate 3. Some of the races and classes can speak to animals and understand them, including Forest Gnomes, as an exclusive trait, and Bards, Druids, Rangers, Warlocks, Barbarians, Paladins, and Clerics, after using the Potion of Animal Speaking. You can craft this potion using: 1 Essence of Accorn Truffle + 1 Salt (Any).
Acquire the Mask of the Shapeshifter
The Mask of the Shapeshifter allows you to change your race and appearance at any point in the game without losing your progress. I must warn you that this item is available only to the owners of the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game. You can find it inside the traveler’s chest at the Emerald Grove campsite at coordinates X:-670 Y:-193.
Unlock Adamantine Forge
Adamantine weapons and armor are extremely strong, and that’s why unlocking Adamantine Forge is definitely one of those things that you must do in Act 1. You can do so by speaking to Duergars in Grymforge. Then, use Mithral Ore in the Crucible and the Mould Chamber to craft some incredible gear at the forge, which is located at coordinates X: -569 Y: 252.
Acquire Chest of the Mundane
At one point, you’ll have so much junk that you won’t know what to do with it. The best way to solve this issue is to pick up the Chest of the Mundane at the entrance into the Arcane Tower at coordinates X:-37 Y:-265. This chest has magic on it, which turns all items super lightweight. That’s how you can store so many more items without needing to get rid of them.
Find Explosives
Once you traverse the depths of the Underdark, you’ll encounter unpassable areas that can be cleared with the help of explosives. You can find explosives by completing the “Rescue the Gnome” quest at Blighted Village. At the end, if you open the gnome’s backpack, you’ll find some unused explosives there. Alternatively, you can loot the corpses of two dead gnomes in Grymforge at coordinates X: -610 Y: 409.
Travel Through the Mountain Pass
If you don’t want to enter the Underdark, then you can take another route through the Mountain Pass. We’ve covered the differences between these two paths in detail in our guide: Mountain Pass or Underdark? Differences Explained. Basically, Underdark is a longer and more challenging route, while Mountain Pass is shorter and easier. So I strongly recommend taking the Mountain Pass route.
Don’t Forget to Rest
The last thing you should definitely do is take a rest. This action restores your HP and spells, but it also finishes the day. You can take either a long rest, which fully restores your HP and requires you to have at least 40 Supplies, or a partial one, which restores only a chunk of your HP. You can find both of these options on the mini-map icon.
Those are the Top 10 things you should do in Baldur’s Gate 3: Act 1. Stay tuned for more BG3 tips and tricks articles right here.
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