How to Get to Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate 3
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Baldur’s Gate 3
How to Get to Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate 3
Before You Enter Late Act 2
Act 3 is the biggest and most content-heavy section of Baldur’s Gate 3. Reaching it with your companion quests, gear upgrades, and Act 2 side content already handled makes the city much easier to enjoy and navigate. If you are still optimizing your team before the transition, check the best party composition in Baldur’s Gate 3 before moving on.
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Reach Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate 3
To get to Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate 3, you must finish Act 2 by defeating Ketheric Thorm at Moonrise Towers and then again in the Mind Flayer Colony. After the final cutscenes, your party travels automatically toward Baldur’s Gate, and Act 3 begins in Rivington. There is no secret requirement — story progression alone unlocks Act 3. Before that, make sure you finish any important Act 2 quests because entering late Act 2 locks out several earlier objectives.
1
Reach Moonrise Towers through either the Mountain Pass or the Underdark. Both routes lead into Act 2, but Moonrise Towers is the critical destination for story progression. If you have not reached it yet, follow this Moonrise Towers guide first.
2
Progress the Infiltrate Moonrise Towers main quest until you confront Ketheric Thorm on the roof. This is one of the biggest Act 2 story fights, so it is best tackled around level 8 or 9 with your strongest spells, healing, and companion setup ready.
3
After defeating Ketheric on the roof for the first time, follow the story into the Mind Flayer Colony beneath Moonrise Towers. The colony is a late-Act-2 area that leads directly into the final confrontation and the transition out of Act 2.
4
Defeat Ketheric Thorm’s final battle in the Mind Flayer Colony. Once this encounter is resolved, Act 2 is effectively over and the game moves into the final story arc toward Baldur’s Gate.
5
Watch the post-battle cutscenes. After the story transition, the game automatically moves your party into Act 3, and you arrive in Rivington, the first area of the Baldur’s Gate region.
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Entering the Shadowfell is the real point of no return in Act 2. Before you do that, finish important side quests in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, resolve Moonrise-related objectives, and complete anything you still want to do in earlier regions.
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Complete major companion questlines tied to Act 2 before moving on. Shadowheart’s story in particular is heavily connected to the Gauntlet of Shar, and missing those choices can lock you out of major narrative outcomes.
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Loot Moonrise Towers thoroughly before the final fight — the armory and cells contain useful gear, and some items are missable once the tower’s fate is decided.
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Make a manual save before entering the Necrotic Laboratory. If you want to replay Act 2 content or try different choices, this is your last checkpoint before the transition.