Baldur’s Gate III is a massive game, and a huge amount of its content isn’t plot-critical. This means, moving about the world organically, you’ll likely miss a lot of the best quests! Some are cleverly hidden, others require special stat checks or certain prerequisites to be met before you can reap the rewards, and it’s all too easy to just walk past them, never even knowing they were there. To address this, I’ve highlighted some of my favorite hidden quests you may have missed on your first playthrough.
Several of these quests begin early in the game and have multiple sections which unfold as the game progresses, which means that missing the beginning in Act 1 locks you out of some good payoffs later on. Others are one-hits that require a bit of extra work. But keep in mind this is a small sample of hidden quests—there are too many of them to write about them all! So keep exploring every corner, speaking to every character, trying every dialogue option, and using every item to find your own surprises.
But now, click next and let me help you find some of the best secret and hidden quests in the game you might otherwise have completely missed.
Search The Cellar – The Necromancy of Thay
Quest Start Location: Act 1 – Under the Blighted Village
To find this hidden extra in the Search The Cellar quest, enter the door next to the Waypoint in Blighted Village and go behind the bar to find a door leading to the basement. Walk towards the back of the room and you’ll need to pass a passive Perception check to discover a lever on a slanted wall beside some stacked crates.
Flip the lever and follow the path revealed behind the bookcase to find a mirror. Intimidate, or otherwise convince it to let you pass to find a hidden room. Head to the locked gate and disarm the traps, unlock the door, then disable the pressure plate beneath the strange tome, letting you pick up the Necromancy of Thay.
To be able to unlock and read the book, you’ll need to go beneath the Well in the Blighted Village. Climb down and fight through the spiders and monsters and, at the end (beneath the spider matriarch boss) you’ll find a purple stone on the lower level.
You will need to use Stealth if you want to get the gem without fighting the boss, and you’ll want to be at least Level 4 before you fight it. Use the amethyst to open the book, which can grant various boons (and be of importance to Astarion) as the game progresses, assuming you are hardy enough to resist its evil influence.
Auntie Ethel’s Hideout
Quest Start Location: Act 1 – Emerald Grove
Auntie Ethel can first be met in the Emerald Grove, but she’ll leave if you ask her for help. Later, you will find her on the road with two men, bent on her harm. After that, you can find her in the swamp south of the Blighted Village. It’s worth pursuing this mysterious stranger—although perhaps not entirely safe.
The Riverside Teahouse is her home, but walk close to the fireplace and a perception check will reveal that it’s an illusion.
She’s keeping some things hidden down there, but proceed at your own peril. Your reward for fighting her is increasing a stat of your chosen character by one. A powerful boon indeed.
You can also find Ethel later in Act 3, in the basement of the Blushing Mermaid, where she’ll drop a powerful Wild Mage ring.
The Strange Ox
Quest Start Location: Acts 1 (Emerald Grove)
To start this question, you need to get a potion, spell, or item (some can be found by looting nearby containers) that allows you to Speak To Animals, then speak to the Strange Ox at the Emerald Grove in Act 1, found along with the other livestock just north of the first vendor.
After speaking with it, you’ll next encounter the ox in the Last Light Inn in Act 2 near the blacksmith.
In Act 3 it can be found in Rivington, just west of the Requisitioned Barn. Climb the small hill and open the shabby barn door to speak with the bizarre creature, and continue to complete the final part of this missable, surprising quest.
Lifting The Shadow Curse
Quest Start Location: Act 2 – Last Light Inn
While Act 2 can begin as a wretched place, painful to navigate, the zone isn’t doomed for all eternity. You can actually lift the shadow curse from those lands by helping Halsin find the imprisoned caretaker of the area! That changes the whole experience.
Evil players won’t be able to do it if their actions “alienated” Halsin during the first Act, but if you still have him on your side, you’ll find Art Cullagh in the Last Light Inn. Listen to Art ramble in his sleep, then speak to Halsin.
Next, go to the House Of Healing and get the lute from Malus Thorm (by hook or by crook), then return and play it for Art. Next, head to the beach and defend Halsin while the rescue of Thaniel takes place.
Separately, and at any time, you can play ‘hide and go seek’ with Oliver. Head to the eastern reaches of the shadow-cursed lands to meet him, as he’ll be necessary for Thaniel’s recovery.
The Blood Of Lathander
Quest Start Location: Act 2 – Crèche Y’llek
In the southeast of the Shadow-Cursed Lands, you’ll find a path to the mountains. Follow the long path to reach the Rosymorn Monastery.
You can explore the area fully to find all three Ceremonial weapons, then place them on the correct altars in the small room upstairs to avoid setting off a trap later. Doing so awards you the Dawnmaster’s Crest. Once you have it (or you decide you’d rather do an escape sequence later on than bother gathering them), then work your way to the basement to find Crèche Y’llek, the home of Lae’zel’s allied Githyanki.
After reaching the final area and making your decision regarding the artifact, you’ll be free to explore once again. At the far west of the chamber, you can find a hidden door beyond some barrels. Move through and head down to another area.
Bypass or disable the series of traps to find the resting place of the legendary mace, the Blood Of Lathander. Loot the mace and place the Dawnmaster’s Crest in its place and walk out toting a powerful weapon. If you didn’t gather the Crest, you’ll need to escape quickly before the area collapses.
All That Glitterbeards Is Gold – The Counting House
Quest Start Location: Act 3 – The Counting House
I won’t spoil the surprise, but if you are a big Baldur’s Gate fan like I am, you will find plenty worth your time in The Counting House in Baldur’s Gate’s Lower City.
You can get a pass to gain entry, but it isn’t required. Head into the lobby and convince your way past the Captain, then go downstairs and persuade the second guard to let you pass, as well. Beyond that, you’ll need to solve the puzzle leading to the High Security Vaults. (The solution for me was standing on 1, 3, 5, 6, read like a phone’s number pad). Head inside for a sweet surprise.
Faerûn Is Full Of Secrets
You’ll be able to find a litany of hidden quests as you travel through Faerûn, but these should give you some awesome starting places, great rewards, and an idea of what you can be looking out for as you move through the world. Good hunting, adventurers!
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