Baldurs Gate 3 has a number of quests and encounters that are time sensitive. This guide will help you to navigate through the game without setting off triggers that can significantly impact your game.
Table of Contents
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All BG3 Time Sensitive Quests
Format:
Each entry will be formatted in this way:
- Quest or Encounter Name
- Description
- ST: Start Trigger
- ET: End Trigger
Act I
Companion Quests
- Gale is a Lil Hungry
- Gale will tell you he needs to consume magic items or he will be forced to do some shady stuff
- ST: Two long rests or his approval increases to “Fair”
- ET: Gale stops asking after being fed three times, or, will resort to other methods after enough long rests
- Karlach
- Karlach will leave the party if you do not kill her pursuers
- ST: Karlach joins party
- ET: Unknown amount of long rests
Wilderness
- True Souls Edowin, Andrick, and Brynna
- Andrick and Brynna will be gone after a long rest
- ST: Encounter triggered by proximity
- ET: A long rest will eliminate encounter
- Owlbear Momma
- Owlbear mother will be killed by goblins if you did not kill it
- ST: Owlbear cave is entered
- ET: Owlbear is dead after a long rest
Druid Grove
- Bugbear Assasin
- The bugbear assassin will kill the Tiefling girl by telescope if you do not intervene
- ST: Encounter is triggered by proximity
- ET: Girl is killed after in-game timer
- Investigate the Beach
- Child Tiefling on the beach will die if you do not intervene
- ST: Quest is initiated
- ET: Child will die, trigger is unknown
- Save Arabella
- Kagha will kill Arabella
- ST: Quest is initiated
- ET: Child will die, trigger is unknown. Also killed after attacking goblin camp.
- Save the Goblin Sazza
- Sazza will die if you break out Halsin or attack the druid grove
- ST: Initate quest
- ET: Break out Halsin, or the attack on the druid grove begins
- Druid Grove Ritual
- The ritual will complete, the grove will be closed off, and the Tieflings will be driven out and die. The only certain way to stop it is to deal with Kagha.
- ST: Entering the druid grove
- ET: There are several triggers that will close the grove such as stealing the idol, killing tieflings, or entering the mountain pass or Grymforge. It appears long rests have no impact. See video link in comments for more info.
- Raid the Druid Grove
- The sequence that leads to the raid on the druid grove will trigger once you talk to Minthara in the Goblin Camp. Long resting after this will begin the encounter and quests inside the grove will be locked and unable to be completed.
- ST: Initiate dialogue with Minthara
- ET: A long rest
Blighted Village
- The Gnome on the Windmill
- The Gnome will disappear
- ST: Proximity trigger
- ET: Trigger is unknown
Risen Road
- Find the Missing Shipment
- The caravan guards will be killed by Kobolds if left for too long. Quest will still be completable
- ST: Proximity Trigger
- ET: The guards will die after a long rest
- Rescue the Trapped Man & Rescue the Grand Duke
- Everyone in the burning inn will die if not rescued
- ST: Quest is initiated
- ET: In-game timer
Mountain Pass
- Lae’Zel Confronts the Githyanki
- Lae’Zel will die if she has left the party to talk to the patrol and you do not join her
- ST: Lae’Zel leaves party
- ET: Triggered if you leave the general area
Underdark
- Cure the Poisoned Gnome
- Thulla will die if not healed or given an antidote
- ST: Initiate Quest
- ET: Triggered by unknown amount of long rests or by completing the quest to deal with Nere
Grymforge
- Free True Soul Nere
- Nere and a few gnomes will die if you do not clear the rubble in time
- ST: Quest is initiated
- ET: In-game timer, or a long rest, or 2 camp visits
Act II
Shadow-Cursed Lands
- Don’t Let Rolan Die
- Rolan will be found on by the southern most bridge in the Shadowfell after leaving the Last Light Inn. He will die if not saved from the shadows that attack him.
- ST: Proximity trigger
- ET: In-game timer
- The Harpers Ambush Kar’niss
- The ambush won’t trigger properly if you delay too long after the harpers leave the Last Light Inn. This will result in being unable to obtain the moonlantern from Kar’niss
- ST: Harpers leave for the ambush
- ET: Unclear if long rest or in-game timer
- Lift the Shadow Curse
- You should play hide and seek with Oliver before Halsin rescues Thaniel from the Shadowfell. This will avoid bugs in this quest.
- Halsin will die if you leave while he enters the Shadowfell
- ST: Halsin enters the Shadowfell
- ET: A long rest
Moonrise Towers
- Rescue Wulbren & Rescue the Tieflings
- You must rescue everyone in the prison by the time you complete the area, otherwise they will die
- ST: Quests are initiated
- ET: It appears that entering the Shadowfell to find the Nightsong is the trigger.
Act III
Companion Quests
- Rescue Orin’s Victim
- A companion will be kidnapped by Orin and will be killed if you do not save them.
- ST: Entering the sewers
- ET: Unknown amount of long rests
Rivington
- Help the Devilish Ox
- The Strange Ox will disappear after some time if you have not agreed to help him
- ST: Entering Rivington
- ET: Unknown amount of long rests or entering the Lower City
Wyrm’s Rock
- Save Counsellor Florrick
- Counsellor Florrick will be executed if you do not save her
- ST: Unsure, possibly Gortash’s coronation
- ET: 5 long rests
Lower City
- Stop the Presses
- Your reputation will be tarnished if you do not stop the Baldur’s Mouth from publishing their story
- ST: Quest is initiated
- ET: A long rest (Reportedly changed to 2 long rests in Patch #5)
- Investigate the Murders
- Cora will be dead at the wine festival unless you warn her
- ST: Quest is initiated, or potentially entering the lower city
- ET: Unknown amount of long rests
- Save Duke Ravengard
- To rescue Duke Ravengard you must do the following sequence of events: Attend the Gortash coronation and do not kill Gortash, talk with Mizora and update the Wyll’s pact after a long rest, then go to the Iron Throne prison.
- The prison will be blown up by Gortash a number of turns after you dock. Be prepared to rescue the prisoners.
- ST: Docking at the prison
- ET: In-game combat, 5-8 turns
Don’t Let Rolan Die – Actually I couldn’t find him for so long time, eventually forgot about that quest, defeated Ketheric, remmembered about Rolan again, found him (with help from google), or more precisely – I found enemies where he should be (but he was not). Killed these shadows, returned to inn and found hm there thanking for help.
Just for information, at least on the current patch (#5) the time for “stop the presses” seems to be 2 long rests.
So there is no pressure about… the Absolut? That´s what stressed me out. xD The Earthquakes.
I looked into this and it appears that nothing happens if you delay going to the Upper City. It certainly is stressful with the earthquakes and the mind flayers popping out everywhere 🙂
Kudos for putting this together!
Ever since I left the people in Waukeen’s Rest to die because I didn’t realize Baldur’s Gate 3 even had time-sensitive quests, I’ve been on edge about this…
no time limit to visit the creche in act1?
I don”t believe there is a time limit to visit the creche. I believe there are repercussions if you move on to Act II before visiting the creche but that should be it.
I believe the kid on the beach will die if you don’t rescue him before saving the grove. That’s when it triggered for me.
That would certainly be correct. All grove quests are locked once the the grove is either saved or closed.
Save Duke Ravengard
If y go to the dock and do the docking to the prison before y had die long-rest event with Wyll and Mizora for the “new pact if she should save the Duke or not” the Duke was in my game already dead in his prison. so y need to had the event or he is dead. i was running to the prison with 1-2 turns and he was already dead, even as the quest said before the docking that he was alive and you be rescued.
Then i did the event quest, make a decision and he was alive by my next try.
*sorry not native english*
Act 1: Goblin Siege
Once you’ve entered the Goblin Camp long resting can, under certain circumstances, move the goblin attack forward. This will clear the goblin leaders from the camp and trigger the attack when you approach the druid grove. This also effectively ends or advances ALL quests related to the druids, tieflings, and goblins.
ADDITIONAL TRIGGER: Freeing Halsin AFTER speaking with Minthara and getting the betrayal options will soft-advance most of the goblin camp, removing the leaders and requiring a long rest, locking one into the druid grove siege version of the narrative.
I’d just like to add that the “Rescue the Trapped Man & Rescue the Grand Duke” quest in Risen Road is so easily missed. Once you step foot near Waukeen’s Rest, you have to enter the town immediately to trigger the quest. Even going to camp and coming back will have everyone in the area disappear before you’ve even seen them.
Beware of proximity trigger for Rolan quest on ACT 2. You might not see Rolan fighting for his life, but trigger distance is long enough…
Hey, with the owlbear, if you kill two idiots and then kill all the goblins before going into the owlbear cave. the owlbear mom stays alive, even after multiple long rests. did all the Act1 side of underdark and was about to walk into the mountain pass before checking last night. This probably means no little guy in camp. Will let you know as i progress the save.
To add on to “Rescue Orin’s Victim”: It was the very last quest I did before starting the endgame sequence. I honestly can’t recall how many long rests I did between the initial trigger and completion, but off the top of my head it was The Iron Throne, Gortash, Mage Tower, Cazador, House of Hope, Carrion, Shadowheart, and a handful of others. I think the only major questline I did before triggering the initial abduction was the hag survivors. If Orin’s victim is on a timer, it’s definitely more than 3 long rests. I’m pretty liberal with my usage of it.
Just a heads up, this guide was copied from my steam guide and is incomplete and contains lots of errors. For the actual guide, which is correct and updated, go to this link.
I’m not really sure about the “Rescue Orin’s Victim” one. After Orin told me that she has one of my mates I went back up, did the Cazador quest line, the mage tower, and other little quests around the city where I definitely made more than 3 long rests because of spell slots.
Ofc it’s always better to finish quests like this as fast as possible but maybe we have more time to rest than 3 “nights”.
also to add to my previous comment, i have not long rested after entering the cave… while all the goblins are dead. So will try that today.
rescuing everyone from moonrise towers has to be tied to long rests after progressing the make kethric thorm vunerable quest i think. I was worried about that but i finished progressing that quest and wanted to finish the area, it took 2 or 3 long rests and most of the tieflings and wulbrun were gone. the only people left were zevlor and the two ravenguard protectors