Baldur's Gate 3 is already an enormous game in its Early Access release version, and fans have spent the past three-ish years in the game's first act – an incomplete first act, that is. But despite all the updates the game has received throughout the years, the places to go first in BG3 remain unchanged.
For the most part, the story should guide players in these directions, but it can be difficult to figure out exactly where everything is in the game. The first thing players have to do is escape the Mind Flayer's ship in the tutorial sequence, but after that, the world opens up. Players who head to these places first will be well on their way to experiencing everything Baldurs Gate 3 has to offer.
Escape The Nautiloid & Beat The Tutorial
After beating the first boss of Baldur's Gate 3 – the incredibly deep character creator – and watching the opening cutscenes, players find themselves aboard a Mind Flayer's vessel, called The Nautiloid. This area of the game is meant to teach players the basics of how BG3 works, but it can be a bit confusing to get around.
To leave the starting area, head towards the fleshy door opposite the spot where your character woke up. There is a large room here, one worth exploring, and an exit on the other side. Continue down this exterior path to meet Lae'Zel, fight a group of imps, and meet Shadowheart, who is trapped inside a Mind Flayer pod. There are two paths that lead from this penultimate room: one leads to a body with the key to Shadowheart's pod, and the other leads to the final encounter.
After freeing Shadowheart, head to the opposite side of the room from her pod and continue through to the end. In the final encounter, players are told by their Mind Flayer captor to "connect the transponders". Indeed, the only thing players actually need to do in this combat is make it to the other end of the room and interact with neural transponders. Just focus down the enemies who target party members, and make liberal use of Dash to get to the other side faster.
Gain Party Members On The Sword Coast
After escaping the Nautiloid, players are thrust into yet another unfamiliar location, a beach on the Sword Coast. Avoid the wreckage nearby and simply head along the coast to find Mangled Fisherman bodies, and Shadowheart once again. If you freed her on the ship, she will be on the beach lying down, but if you avoided her pod, she can be found banging on a door a little further on.
Shadowheart, a Trickery Cleric, is far from the only companion players can acquire in this initial area, but she is the first players can find before having to engage (or sneak past) a pack of Intellect Devourers.
- The Rogue Astarion can be found on the other side of the Intellect Devourer fight, and makes an attempt on the player's life before realizing they both have a Tadpole in their minds.
- Gale, a Wizard, appears after interacting with the Waypoint found just past the crashed ship.
- The Fighter Lae'Zel is near Gale, practically just around the corner hanging from a cage above some Tieflings who can't decide whether to kill her or not.
- A bit further down the path, towards the Druid Grove, players will find the Warlock Wyll as he joins in the battle to defend the front gate from goblin raiders.
Defeat Intellect Devourers In The Crashed Ship
After waking up and adding Shadowheart to your party, the best place to go next is into the wreckage of the Mind Flayer's ship. There are a few Intellect Devourers still alive, though badly wounded. Two of them appear first in a small clearing just outside of the ship, which leaves them open for a surprise attack. But take too long, and they will run inside to regroup with the other Intellect Devourer.
After these are all killed, loot their bodies (and the bodies of the Mind Flayer corpses nearby), as well as the Treasure Chest atop a platform. Once the coast is clear, continue through the beginning of Baldurs Gate 3 to find more companions nearby and multiple narrative threads to follow.
Head To The Druid's Grove (But Prepare For A Fight)
After exploring the area around the crashed ship a bit, players will eventually stumble across a fight that's about to break out between a camp of Tieflings and humans and a pack of goblins. Their shouts can be heard in the distance, signaling that you are going the right way. After the cutscene plays out, and combat begins, players can jump in to kill the attackers and gain access to the Druid Grove.
The Druid's Grove is a hub of activity and side content, as well as ways to progress the "main" story, being the removal of the Tadpoles from players' brains. While at the Druid's Grove, be sure to speak with Auntie Ethel, who asks you to meet her back at her shack for a cure, Zorru, who progresses Lae'Zel's quest, and either Wyll or Nettie, who will guide players towards the Goblin Camp where the Druid Halsin can be found.
Start Looking For A Cure To The Tadpoles
The main objective for players throughout Baldur's Gate 3 is to remove the Tadpole from your character's brain, after it was inserted during the opening cinematic. There are lots and lots of ways to go about looking for ways to do this, including finding a Healer like the Druid Halsin or Auntie Ethel, going to a Githyanki Creche to perform a cleansing, or one of many, many other methods to try to deal with this parasite.
In the end, Baldur's Gate 3 is all about player agency, and the ability to go about one's goals in whatever way is desired. The Tadpole questlines are very interesting, though, even in the Early Access version, as players often grapple with the benefits of removing the paradise vs. the price that must be paid. One method, for example, requires players lose one of their eyes – talk to NPCs, follow companion quests, and pay attention to dialogue options to naturally fall into a method to remove Tadpoles in Baldur's Gate 3.
Baldur's Gate 3 will release from Early Access on August 3, 2023 for PC, and on September 6, 2023 for PlayStation 5.