Before you leave Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3, check that you have recruited the companions you want, started the quests that interest you, and collected any one-time rewards or distinctive items that suit your party. This spoiler-aware checklist flags opportunities and lockouts without assuming every route or outcome can be combined.
Scope: This is a practical checklist, not a promise to list every missable. Guide checklists cover different entries, and routes can conflict. The regional list at Gamestegy organizes quests, companions, and items by area; the BG3 Missables project focuses on events that may be broken by resting, traveling, or doing things out of order, generally using a neutral or good run as its baseline. Other playstyles may have different opportunities.
Before leaving the Nautiloid
- Optional: pursue Commander Zhalk and the Everburn Blade. The blade is a prologue-only opportunity, and the fight is not required. A September 2026 interactive Act 1 checklist describes Command: Drop as one way to obtain it. Decide whether the optional fight and reward are worth pursuing before you leave the ship.
- Check the consequential early interactions. The regional checklist includes saving Shadowheart and befriending Us, as well as selected mind-related items. Prioritize interactions with later relevance rather than trying to collect everything on the Nautiloid.
Recruit the companions you want
Look for Wyll in the Emerald Grove and Karlach on the Risen Road before advancing major faction events. The September 2026 checklist flags Wyll as easy to miss and notes that particular events involving Karlach can lock her out. Which companions remain available depends on your choices and game state.
- Talk to relevant characters and follow companion leads while exploring their areas.
- Before resolving the Grove and Goblin Camp conflict, consider whether there are companions you still want to recruit or companion-related content you want to start.
- Use your journal and party roster to spot unfinished companion threads; you do not need to pursue every companion in a single run.
Explore the Grove and Goblin Camp before resolving the conflict
Major faction events can change access to characters and alter or close side-quest triggers. The missables project specifically aims to flag opportunities that can be disrupted by resting, advancing to another area, or completing events out of order. Before committing to the central conflict, explore relevant parts of the Emerald Grove and Goblin Camp, speak with key characters, and start the quests you care about.
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There is no single route that preserves every outcome. Guides may assume a neutral or good playthrough; a different roleplay choice can open some possibilities and close others. Treat the checklist as a prompt to make deliberate decisions, not a demand to follow one morally preferred path.
Choose optional permanent rewards that fit your character
Two rewards highlighted by the September 2026 checklist are permanent, but neither is required to finish Act 1. Their value depends on your build and whether the associated choice suits your character.
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These are examples, not a complete inventory of build-relevant bonuses. Check a regional guide if you are hunting for a particular kind of reward.
Check distinctive equipment and area-specific quests
- Everburn Blade: check the Nautiloid before leaving; that is where the current checklists place this optional weapon.
- Phalar Aluve: the September 2026 checklist identifies this distinctive weapon in the Underdark. It is easy to pass by, but it is not essential for every build.
- Other locations: the regional checklist tracks further items, keys, quest objects, and subareas, including the Goblin Camp, Worg Pens, and Defiled Temple. Use it to target things that matter to your party rather than treating every entry as mandatory.
Read notes and speak to characters when they point toward a quest or clarify what to do next. Those information-gathering steps can matter as much as picking up equipment, especially when a quest depends on encountering a character or event in the right order.
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Make the final check before crossing into the Shadow-Cursed Lands
Crossing into the Shadow-Cursed Lands closes return access to the Wilderness, according to the September 2026 checklist. Before making that transition, use this final review to catch anything you still want from Act 1:
- Check the journal for unfinished quests or leads you intended to follow.
- Review your party and decide whether you still want to recruit any available companions.
- Collect any area-specific or vendor items you care about before leaving their areas.
- Resolve outstanding quest triggers you value, while remembering that no run needs to complete every thread.
For freshness, the September 2026 checklist says it was verified for Patch 8 (Hotfix 36). Larian’s support page lists Hotfix 36 and earlier patch notes. In an official announcement posted 15 April 2025 for version 4.1.1.6758295, Larian Community Manager Salo called it the studio’s “final major game patch”: Larian’s Patch 8 announcement. Check Larian’s patch notes when revisiting the checklist after later updates.
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