You might not hit all the side content at first, so can you go back to Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3 after you’ve left? With all the quests and secrets to unlock in Larian’s massive CRPG, it feels impossible to complete everything in the first section, especially if it’s your first time going through it. However, you might not get the chance to return, depending on which point you’ve reached in BG3.
Related: Best Quest Order in Baldur’s Gate 3 by Gamerjournalist
Can You Go Back to Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3 Explained
The answer to whether you can go back to Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3 is yes and no. There’s a soft-lock point of no return, named so because while you can return, some side quests aren’t available. There’s a hard-lock later that bars you from returning completely.
The soft-lock point is when you go through the Mountain Pass or Underdark, and the game notifies you that this is your last chance to go back and complete content you haven’t in Act 1. After you continue past this point, you can return to Act 1, but you won’t be able to access the majority of side quests anymore because NPCs’ locations change here.
The hard-lock is when you complete the Gauntlet of Shar in Act 2. At this point, Act 1 becomes fully locked off, and you can’t return at all. Again, Baldur’s Gate 3 warns you that this is a point of no return, so you can back out of the Gauntlet if you need to before Act 1 becomes unavailable.
For what it’s worth, Baldur’s Gate 2 also has a similar point of no return in a similar portion of its Act 2, as well. It makes sense that Larian would continue the design choice with the sequel.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is designed so you can return to Act 1 until you complete the Gauntlet of Shar, but most of the side quest NPCs will no longer be available after you go through the Mountain Pass or Underdark. With such a large game, it makes sense to lock off earlier sections, but I’m just glad that I get a warning before I go past a point of no return. If you’re concerned, you can check out our list of the top 10 things you should do in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1 from our BG3 guide hub.
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