While the main story of Baldur’s Gate 3 is certainly an epic that’s worth unfolding, the side quests in the game hold some of the best moments you can experience. There are a few that are simple fetch quests, but then there are others that truly redefine what a side quest can be in an RPG.
There are dozens and dozens of side quests you are able to take on in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there are only a handful that truly stand out from the rest. In this guide, I will be taking you through what I feel are the five most memorable side quests you can complete in BG3.
As a note, these side quests will be explained in some detail, so a spoiler warning is in effect. I will also only be listing true side quests, so this excludes companion quests and main story quests.
Most memorable Baldur’s Gate 3 side quests
5) Solve The Open Hand Temple Murders
While this quest technically does tie into a main story quest, the majority of it is treated as a side quest in BG3. You can start the Open Hand Temple Murders quest when you first reach Act Three and speak to some of the residents of the temple. At first, this quest seems like a simple murder mystery that you can finish by figuring out what happened to Father Lorgan. It evolves into a multi-hour investigation that has you tracking down a serial killer who leaves bloody corpses in their wake, though.
It’s a grand adventure that plays out over the course of Act 3 and should not be missed by any player.
4) Free the Artist
Free the Artist is perhaps the longest side quest that you can undertake in BG3. It humbly begins in the Zhentarim Hideout when you meet a man named Oskar Fevras, who has been captured by the Zhentarims. If you kill the Zhentarims or buy Oskar’s freedom, he will tell you to track him down in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, which can only be accessed in Act Three.
Reaching Oskar in Act Three leads you to another investigation that involves several characters, breaking a curse, and making crucial decisions that can lead to a few different deaths. There are also some fantastic twists and turns in Free the Artist that make it memorable for more than one reason.
3) Find the Adamantine Forge
There are numerous magical and unique locations spread across the various maps in BG3, but few are more jaw-dropping than the Adamantine Forge. You can start this quest in a variety of ways, but they all lead to the Underdark’s Grymforge. Here, you have to figure out how to start the Adamantine Forge so that you can craft some special gear using molds and mithril ore.
Of course, in classic BG3 fashion, making your gear isn’t that easy. After figuring out how to work the Adamantine Forge, you are attacked by a massive enemy named the Grym who requires a unique combat method to defeat. Meanwhile, all of this is taking place over a river of bright orange lava, making for a terrific scene and a quest you won’t soon forget.
2) Blood of Lathander
I believe the best side quests are the ones that end with a fantastic reward and require some wit to complete. Enter the Blood of Lathander. This quest begins in the Rosymorn Monastery but ends far underneath the Githyanki Creche in the Mountain Pass. You have to figure out several things for yourself in this quest, which makes the end reward all the more sweeter to earn.
While the Rosymorn Monastery section of this quest is intriguing, Blood of Lathander doesn’t truly pick up until you reach the Githyanki Creche. Here, you have to get past guards in cunning ways, open secret doors, and possibly make a decision that kills an entire colony of githyankis all in pursuit of a single weapon. Even with the Blood of Lathander weapon aside, this is easily one of the best quests in all of BG3.
1) Auntie Ethel
I’m titling this final side quest as just “Auntie Ethel,” as she needs no other introduction. Technically, Auntie Ethel has two different side quests in BG3, and both are a masterclass in story-telling. You first encounter Auntie Ethel in Act One, where she’s arguing with two men who claim the old woman stole their sister from them, which begins the “Save Mayrina” quest. This turns out to be true, as Auntie Ethel has kept a woman named Mayrina locked away in her hut.
This was all for a good reason, however, as Mayrina needed Ethel for a very important task. If you make it far enough into this quest, you will also learn that Ethel is a hag, which plays a large role in her second side quest down the line.
Ethel can reappear in BG3 in the Lower City, where she is masquerading as the owner of a tavern. When this was revealed during the side quest “Save Vanra,” I let out an audible scream. Never in a million years did I expect Ethel to return after the events of Save Mayrina, and the rest of the Save Vanra quest is just as unbelievable as her big reveal. Both Save Mayrina and Save Vanra are two quests you should absolutely put at the top of your list in BG3, and it’s all because of the child-hungry Auntie Ethel.
