Complete Baldur's Gate 3 Act 1 Walkthrough: Maps & Checklist

Act 1 Progression Roadmap

Essential Starting Tips

Baldur's Gate 3 opens aboard the Nautiloid ship, serving as both a tutorial and the first major quest, "Escape the Nautiloid." You begin infected with a mind flayer tadpole during a chaotic githyanki attack. The ship is careening through planes before crashing in Avernus.

This sequence is critical, setting the stage for the entire narrative.

Key Early Decisions

Your first major decision involves rescuing Shadowheart from her pod. This requires a simple [ILLITHID] [WISDOM] check (DC 2), making success highly likely. Freeing her grants immediate access to a powerful cleric companion.

Leaving her means finding her later on the beach, significantly delaying her availability.

Commander Zhalk and the Everburn Blade

The centerpiece of the Nautiloid combat is confronting Commander Zhalk, who wields the formidable Everburn Blade. A popular strategy involves having Shadowheart use the "Command: Drop" spell to disarm him, as players have tested.

Alternatively, focus fire with Lae'zel while the allied Mind Flayer distracts him.

The Nautiloid Timer

Be mindful of the strict 15-turn timer before the ship crashes. Prioritize efficiency and avoid unnecessary backtracking. Thoroughly loot corpses for critical items like the Everburn Blade and utility keys.

Connect the transponder to transition to the beach and begin the "Find a Cure" quest.

Regional Exploration Guide

Emerald Grove Overview

The Emerald Grove, also known as the Druid's Grove, serves as Act 1's central conflict zone. It houses both tiefling refugees from Elturel and druidic protectors led by interim leader Kagha. This location presents your first major moral decision that profoundly impacts the entire game narrative.

Key Locations

Key locations within the grove include:

• The Hollow (X:179 Y:554), a large cavern serving as the tiefling refugee camp.
• The Sacred Pool (X:262 Y:518), where druids perform the Rite of Thorns ritual.
• The Druid's Chambers, where Healer Nettie provides medical assistance.
• The Enclave Library containing valuable druidic knowledge.
• The eastern path to Secluded Cove (X:279, Y:527), where you can find the Ring of Color Spray.

Major Factions and Choices

The grove features three main paths:

• Defending the tieflings
• Siding with the druids
• Raiding with goblins

Each choice carries significant consequences for companion relationships and available content. For instance, raiding the grove causes Karlach and Wyll to immediately leave your party.

Defending the tieflings preserves access to Halsin as a companion and enables additional questlines in Act 2.

Exploration and Secrets

Multiple secret passages connect different grove areas. They offer strategic advantages and hidden treasures throughout your exploration.

Complete Quest Checklist

Entering the Underdark

The Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3 Act 1 offers four distinct entrance methods, each leading to different starting points.

• Zhentarim Hideout Elevator: For stealthy characters, this requires pickpocketing a Mechanism Key from Karad at Waukeen's Rest and navigating past guard animals.
• Phase Spider Cave: Combat-oriented parties might prefer this entrance beneath the Blighted Village. You'll need to defeat the Phase Spider Matriarch and use Feather Fall to safely descend.
• Defiled Temple Puzzle: Puzzle enthusiasts can tackle the Selune Puzzle in the Goblin Camp. It requires specific rotations of moon/darkness symbol disks.
• Auntie Ethel's Mushroom Circle: Defeating Auntie Ethel and obtaining the Whispering Mask grants access through her Mushroom Circle.

Key Underdark Locations

Once underground, prioritize exploring key locations.

• The Sussur Tree for Masterwork Weapon materials.
• The Grymforge for powerful gear crafting.

The Underdark is best explored around level 5. Each entrance offers unique pathways to uncover hidden areas like the Festering Cove and Ebonlake.

Permanent Bonuses and Must-Have Loot

Game-Changing Permanent Bonuses

Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 hides game-changing permanent bonuses and legendary gear that can define your entire playthrough. Securing these early provides scaling benefits that remain potent through all three acts, but many are easily missed.

Legendary Gear: Blood of Lathander

The crown jewel of Act 1 loot is the Blood of Lathander, a legendary mace found in the Githyanki Creche beneath Rosymorn Monastery. Obtaining it requires solving the ceremonial weapons puzzle.

You must place the Ceremonial Warhammer, Battleaxe, and Longsword on the correct pedestals. Its Lathander's Blessing can revive you from near-death, while its light blinds undead.

Permanent Stat Boosts

For permanent stat boosts:

• Sparing Auntie Ethel at the Riverside Teahouse grants her hair. This provides +1 to any ability score—even breaking the 20 cap.
• In the Underdark's Festering Cove, BOOOAL's Benediction offers permanent advantage against bleeding targets.
• Loviatar's Love from the Shattered Sanctum adds +2 to attacks when below 30% health.

Priority Underdark Gear

Experienced players also prioritize Underdark gear like the Phalar Aluve longsword and Corellon's Grace light armor.

With over 50 must-have items identified by the community, thorough exploration is key.

Secrets, Easter Eggs, and Missable Content

Hidden Treasures

Baldur's Gate 3's Act 1 is a treasure trove of hidden content, with secrets that even veteran players continue to uncover.

• The Scuffed Rock Treasure southwest of the Nautiloid crash site. It requires a character with at least 13 Strength to move and reveal an ornate chest.
• The Secret Vault with Two Thrones requires simultaneous sitting to unlock valuable loot including the Gloves of Heroism.

Easter Eggs and Undiscovered Content

The game's secrets extend beyond hidden areas. According to Reddit discussions, BG3 contains undiscovered easter eggs teasing Larian's next game. They were placed by one of the writers and are still waiting to be found by the community.

Players should also watch for secret encounters. One Redditor reported accidentally discovering a secret boss fight as recently as April 2024.

Tracking Missable Content

With progression locking players out of earlier areas, the community has created comprehensive missables guides. These guides help track this extensive hidden content before it's permanently lost.

Conclusion: Mastering Act 1 for Optimal Game Progression

Baldur's Gate 3's first act serves as the foundation for everything that follows, with decisions made here echoing through all three acts of your adventure. The Emerald Grove choice alone can determine which companions remain loyal, which questlines remain available, and even which romantic options open up.

By thoroughly exploring every corner of the Underdark, securing permanent bonuses like Auntie Ethel's hair, and solving puzzles for legendary gear like the Blood of Lathander, you create a powerful foundation. This will serve you well against the challenges ahead.

Remember that progression points will eventually lock you out of Act 1 content. Use this checklist to ensure you've experienced everything this rich opening chapter has to offer before moving forward.