Alright folks, grab a snack, settle in. Wanted to see what happens if you just… ignore things in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3. Seriously, like, what actually blows up in your face if you take a vacation?
Getting into the Grit of Lower City
Right, I was chilling in Wyrm’s Crossing, just dealt with Gortash’s little coronation party. Figured, hey, the city’s tense, but maybe I’ll shop around first, see what fancy swords I can swipe, y’know? Normal adventurer stuff.
Then I stumbled into the Iron Throne prison rescue mission – gotta save Duke Ravengard and some Gondians trapped underwater. Got the quest marker, heard about the ticking clock. But honestly? I was kinda skeptical. How bad could it be to delay a tiny bit? The city wasn’t literally on fire yet.
Testing the Limits – “Eh, I’ll Do It Later” Mode Engaged
So, I decided to deliberately screw around. Here’s what I did while that clock ran down:
- Went and fought the House of Grief creeps to get Shadowheart sorted.
- Took a long, long detour exploring the Upper City ruins looking for fancy loot.
- Finally got around to messing with that Steel Watch foundry place.
Basically, any quest not screaming “DO ME NOW” was my priority. Wanted to see if that underwater prison was really on such a tight leash.
The “Oh Crap” Moment Hits
Finished messing with the foundry, took out some steel watchers. Felt good! Decided, alright, now I’ll check out the Iron Throne.
Went to talk to Gortash. He just grinned like a nasty piece of work. Said something like, “You took too long, fool.” Boom. Fade to black. Next thing I know, my Tav’s waking up on the docks.
- Outcome #1: Duke Ravengard? Gone. Poof. Vanished. Just… dead. No body, no drama later, just wiped from existence.
- Outcome #2: All those poor Gondian workers I was supposed to save? Nope. Toast. Gortash blew the whole place sky-high the second I showed up late.
- Outcome #3: Wyll? Utterly heartbroken. His whole personal quest to save his dad? Ruined. Completely wrecked him. That dude just slumped over, all hope gone.
Zero option to even try the rescue. Just… instant fail. The game straight up punches you in the gut for dragging your feet. It wasn’t a soft “things got harder,” it was a hard stop, total mission collapse.
The Newspaper Fiasco Side-Quest
Okay, feeling a bit bruised, I thought maybe the Iron Throne was unique. Big stakes. What about smaller timed stuff? Enter the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette. Got that quest where you can influence what the paper prints.
This one whispers “urgent” too. So, same deal – ignored it after getting the tip. Finished some random side fights, explored sewers for a day.
Came back later, tried to give the editor the story. He just sighed, shook his head. “Printing’s done, papers are out, too late mate.” What got printed? Whatever the Flaming Fist or Gortash wanted, which was pure smear campaign against me and my weirdo friends. Suddenly vendors are pricier, guards get shifty… the whole city vibe gets slightly more hostile. Can’t undo it. Just live with the consequences of my lazy bum.
So, What’s the Verdict on Timed Stuff?
- Big, Plot-Heavy Quests (like Iron Throne/Gondians): Fail these by waiting, and you get nuclear options. Major characters die or vanish, companion stories break hard, doors slam shut forever. No mulligans.
- “Minor” Timed Stuff (like the Newspaper): Fail these, and the world gets a bit nastier, maybe prices go up, rep takes a hit, but the main plot train keeps chugging. It’s a nuisance, not a game-ender.
Bottom line? Act 3 means business. If an NPC seems panicked or a quest screams “do it now!”, believe them. Wandering off to pick flowers has real teeth. Seeing Duke Ravengard just evaporate and hearing Wyll’s voice crack? Yeah, that stung. Lesson learned – no vacation until the brain’s dead.