In a game as massive as Baldur’s Gate 3, knowing where Act One ends and Act Two starts is very important. The average playthrough for the game takes 75 to 100 hours and sometimes it is hard to differentiate between where things start and end as the story begins to come together.
The game is divided into three acts and all can be explored at different rates, so it’s unclear when a different Act starts, closing the other acts out for the time being. Read on to know how to tell when Act One ends and Act Two begins.
Baldur’s Gate 3: When does Act One end?
Act One ends when players leave the Underdark or the Mountain Pass. When you receive the message prompt, “You are about to progress your adventure. Make sure to tie up any loose ends before advancing!”, you know the next Act is about to be in play.
When ending Act One, players will interact with an elevator within the Underdark that takes you to Moonrise Towers. If you took the Mountain Pass, there will be a wooden tree branch gate that leads you straight into the Shadow Cursed Lands.
Others have said that Act One concludes upon entering Moonrise Tower, but that doesn’t really make any sense for a checkpoint, as there is no zone traversal or anything of that sort to enter the tower.
Regardless of whether you take the Mountain Pass or the Underdark, two things will happen—you’ll encounter the Weary Traveler just as you’re about to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and a popup warning will ask you to confirm that you’re ready to progress the game. If you select yes, you’ve ended Act One and begun Act Two.
Baldur’s Gate 3: When does Act Two start?
Act Two starts in the Shadow-Cursed Lands throw you straight into the fire. As soon as you leave the Underdark or the Mountain Pass, you are in Act Two. Moonrise Tower is not the ending of Act One, but rather the beginning of Act Two.
It’s an awesome detail how you can immediately feel the tonal shift between Acts. Act One has the player fighting Goblins in the woods, and Act Two almost immediately features nightmarish creatures and intense situations, and generally feels incredibly bleak overall.
Even after beginning Act Two by entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands, you can still return to Act One areas, however, there will be main quests that you will not be able to return to if you didn’t do them after entering the next Act.
Moving to the next Act will progress Act One stories into their Act Two phase. Thus, even though you can return to Act One after beginning Act Two, it is a good idea to complete all desired Act One content before moving on.
