Baldur’s Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained

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If you’re trying to get to Baldur’s Gate as soon as possible in BG3, you’re far from alone. The city that gives Larian Studios’ Dungeons and Dragons adventure its namesake is a key location in the game and the centrepiece of the final act. You’ll no doubt be eager to step foot in the city. But how do you actually get there? In this guide, we’ll go over how to get to Baldur’s Gate in Baldur’s Gate 3, and the best routes to take. The journey is a long and difficult one, so make sure you and you’re well prepared with a variety of strong classes, abilities, and perhaps even the best mods once you set out on your odyssey.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: Baldur's Gate comes under attack in the opening cinematic of the game.
The titular city can be seen as early as the intro cinematic. Image by VideoGamer

How do you get to Baldur’s Gate in BG3?

To get to Baldur’s Gate, you need to reach Act 3 of the game by making your way through Act 1 and Act 2 first. The Lower City region of Baldur’s Gate comprises much of this third act, with parts of the Upper City coming into play in the game’s finale. You’ll also get to explore Wyrm’s Rock and Wyrm’s Crossing, which lead into the city, and Rivington, the suburban district outside of the city walls. To reach Act 3, just follow these steps.

  • Leave Act 1 and head through either the Mountain Pass or The Underdark.
  • Travel through Act 2 and overcome the dangers at Moonrise Towers.
  • Exit Act 2 once you’ve finished at Moonrise via the western road out of the town.
  • Traverse the main road through Rivington until you reach Wyrm’s Crossing.
  • Pass over the bridge and through Wyrm’s Rock.

It’s a long journey to the city, and enemies on the way are increasingly challenging. We recommend that you make sure your character and all your companions are a minimum of level 5 before leaving the first act of the game. Now let’s cover each step in a little more detail.

Leaving Act 1: How to reach Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3

You have two routes available to reach Act 2. If you do complete Act 1, finding these routes and navigating through them will be a fair bit easier. Your two choices are:

  • Travelling through the guarded Mountain Pass.
  • Traversing the depths of the Underdark.

We’ll walk you through both these routes in turn.

Route 1: the Mountain Pass

This is the easier to find of the two routes, but potentially the more difficult. To find the Pass, head west of Wuakeen’s Rest. This is located up at the north of the map, past the area where you’ll encounter Karlach. Keep following the roads upwards, and you’ll eventually find the Mountain Pass directly north of the Goblin Camp in terms of its alignment on the map.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: The Act 1 map, focused on the northern area.
The mountain pass is located in the north-western corner of the Act 1 map. Image by VideoGamer

Getting to the pass is hardly the real challenge though – getting through it is. When you reach the Pass, you’ll quickly find it occupied by Githyanki patrols. Confronting them will almost certainly lead to a fight, and these are some savagely tough enemies. Make sure you’re prepared. You can however talk your way out of things if you’ve got Lae’Zel with you. If you’re intent on taking the pass, we’d strongly encourage you to bring her, as it’ll make your journey far easier. Once you make it past here, you’ll be able to reach the next map. You’ll come out in a place that leads to the Rosymorn Monastery.

Route 2: the Underdark

Your second option is the Underdark. This is a bit safer if you don’t feel like taking on Githyanki warriors. You’ve got several different ways to reach this place during Act 1. You can find your way in through the bottom of the Hag’s Lair, through the Zhentarim outpost, the end of the Phase Spider Matriarch’s Cave, or the temple of Selune puzzle at the Goblin Camp. Our recommendation would be the Hag’s Lair route, unless you’ve already cleared the Goblin Camp by this point – in which case go that way.

✓ You can access the Mountain Pass even if you choose to use the Underdark

Contrary to what the game suggests, one path does not close the other so feel free to return and complete both the Mountain Pass and Underdark content.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: The Underdark.
The Underdark hides plenty of dangers as well as quests. Image by VideoGamer

Entering the Underdark from the Hag’s Lair

To reach the Underdark from this route, you’ll need to head southwest, following the path down below the Blighted Village. You’ll find the Riverside Teahouse waypoint, which is just before the entrance to the Hag’s Lair. It’s up to you whether or not you want to carry out the associated quest or not, but you don’t have to in order to get to the Underdark. After an initial fight against some Redcaps, you can follow the Hag down into her lair. One more fight against some possessed adventurers will ensue, and then your path is open.

You’ll come across a door that seemingly can’t be passed within. This door is actually an illusion, and if you roll a high enough Arcane check, your character will notice this. Alternatively, you can equip one of the masks from the possessed victims, which will reveal the same thing and allow you to simply pass through. Be warned that wearing this in combat against the Hag allows her to take control of your party members.

You’ll find a long, treacherous descent to the Hag from here, but if you’re heading for the Underdark you actually want to veer off the downward path to the left. You’ll find another illusory door here, and passing through this one will bring you to a room with a portal that takes you into the Underdark.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: A portal to the Underdark in the bottom of the Hag's Lair.
The fairy circle will transport you from the Underdark closer to the Hag’s Lair. Image by VideoGamer

Navigating the Underdark

Once you reach the Underdark, you’ll want to head to Grymforge, found near the centre of the area. From the Hag’s Lair entrance, follow these steps.

  1. Go to the illusory rock wall of the room you spawn in at, take the second portal down to the ground of the Underdark.
  2. Destroy the glowing orange plants before proceeding.
  3. To your left should be a staircase leading to the Arcane Tower. Just to the right of this staircase is a difficult jump.
  4. Take the jump, and use Feather Fall if you have to. The surrounding area will be a rundown village populated by purple crystals.
  5. Head down to the beach at the center of the village, where you can take a boat to the Grymforge.

You’ll encounter a fair few followers of the Absolute along the way, but if you pass the necessary skill checks, you can avoid fighting any of them. We’d also strongly suggest sticking to the route unless you’re at a higher level or very confident. While some parts of the Underdark like the Arcane Tower are manageable with good strategy, many areas are populated with deadly, high-level enemies who can prove overwhelming threats for the unprepared.

Once you reach the Grymforge, you’ll want to head up and to the left, where you’ll find a small elevator that can take you up to the Act 2 entry point. There are a good number of quests to do here and lots to explore. If you’re finding yourself just shy of reaching level 5, check out the Adamantine Forge. It’s not an easy encounter, but you’ll get lots of XP and some stunningly good loot for your troubles. Coming up into the Act 2 map from here will still leave you with some challenges to face, but you’ll be a lot closer to Last Light Inn than if you took the Mountain Pass.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: The Elevator in the Underforge up to the Act 2 map.
The Grymforge elevator leads up to Shadow-cursed lands. Image by VideoGamer

The road to Baldur’s Gate from Act 2 – What do you need to do?

Baldur’s Gate is still some distance away, unfortunately, but you are getting closer. To reach the city, you’ll need to progress through Act 2 and get past Moonrise Towers. To reach the next part of your road to your goal, we’d suggest carrying out the following parts of the main quest.

  • Reach Last Light Inn and save Isobel.
  • Find Shar’s Gauntlet and destroy the source of Kethric Thorm’s immortality.
  • Travel to Moonrise Towers and defeat Kethric Thorm.

Once Myrkul’s Chosen is dealt with, you’ll be free to exit the Act 2 map if that’s what you want to do. Riethwin Town is split by two major roads, one running north-south and one running east-west. It’s the latter path that will lead you to Baldur’s Gate. As long as you’ve overcome Kethric, the army of The Absolute previously camping just beyond the west road should have moved on, allowing you to freely move into the Act 3 map.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: Entering the Shadwocursed Lands.
These lands have suffered under a mysterious curse. Image by VideoGamer

Reaching Baldur’s Gate from Act 3

Once you begin the third and final act of the game, you’ll be on the doorstep of the jewel of the Sword Coast. In fact, the route is pretty simple from here. Once you arrive in Rivington, you just need to travel north, following the main road. You’ll pass by some big landmarks like the Open Hand Temple and the Circus of Last Light. Eventually, you’ll reach the South Span of Wyrm’s Crossing. From here, it’s a straight run over the bridge. You may need to do a bit of convincing to get the guards to let you in, or you can start the Murder Investigation quest at Open Hand temple, which will result in you eventually getting a temporary pass to reach the city.

Baldur's Gate 3 how to get to Baldur’s Gate fast explained: A player stares out from camp at the distant cityscape of Wyrm's Crossing and Baldur's Gate.
Baldur’s Gate is visible from Rivington – just a little bit left to go. Image by VideoGamer

That covers how to get to Baldur’s Gate in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re still working through Act 1 and levelling up though, don’t worry, there’s plenty to do. If you fancy adding an owlbear cub to your party or just want to find the treasure under the scuffed rock, we can help you out.

About the Author

Finlay Cattanach

Fin is a Guides and Reviews writer for Videogamer.com. He's worked previously with Startmenu, The Loadout, and more. He plays everything from strategy and sandbox titles to FPS and souls-likes.

Baldur’s Gate 3

  • Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
  • Genre(s): Adventure, RPG, Strategy
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