Quest Design Study: Baldur's Gate 3
Note: Act 1 Underdark Spoilers ahead!
Playstyle: PC, PS DualSense Controller, minimap locked to North.
Being an RPG loyalist, it wasn’t long before Baldur’s Gate 3 caught my attention. Since it’s my first TTRPG video game, I’ll discuss one of my favourite quests - Save the Grymforge Gnomes and Deliver Nere’s Head.
One of the main reasons why I love this quest is the Myconids. I mean, look at how gorgeously designed they are (yes, slayer Glut too)! Also, they don’t want to kill me immediately unlike everything else in the Underdark.
Let’s not forget the great dialogue:
Morghal: The Twat-Soul caused a rockfall. Trapped tighter than a ring on a fat finger.
Player to Morghal’s donation request: I’ll take your head before you take my gold.
Spaw: In dealing death, you have brought this Circle life. And thus we name you -Life-Chanter.
Elder Rothe (using Speak with Animals): I outlived my mother, and her mother’s mother, and many mothers beyond. Blessed to see many live. Cursed to see many die.
Mapping out the full quest taught me how much can go into one, multi-linked story. Without including any side quests that aren’t activated keeps it pretty darn long at 9 side quests.
As such, I I’ve organized them between the Ebonlake Grotto and Grymforge.
Part 1: Ebonlake Grotto
My route:
(My character is a a half-elf Druid with high persuasion, wisdom and mid arcana skills.)
Being the curious Druid I am, I spoke to Thulla and Glut before agreeing to help Spaw. Gotta keep my options open.
I also let Omeluum un-tadpole my brain with no success, but it was fun to be disappointed (yet again).
I wanted to help Glut just to see how treason would play out, but the game bugged and didn’t let me:
Once Gekh Goal was defeated mid-battle, Sovereign Glut walked away and left my party to defeat the rest of the Duergar and undead.
I could not talk to Glut after defeating them, despite trying to bring Gekh Coal’s body to it. So I did not unlock Glut’s treason quest and sided with Sovereign Spaw. No regrets though. Now Glut hangs out, alive, at the Myconid Colony. I take this as a win-win.
I showed Corsair Greymon Thulla’s boots instead of trying to defeat him the second time I boarded the boat.
My route (coloured actions)
Part 2: Grymforge
Once at Grymforge, the quest splits into 8 side quests. This took me around 1.5 hours of trying every possibility to complete. I really disliked Nere. So to deal with the many duergar, I recruited Elder Brithvar after 3 rounds of failed persuasion checks. The dice rolls weren’t with me this playthrough!
Trivia:
Not enough History or Arcana for the checks with the dead Justiciars? Gale does the trick.
I fought the duergar with and without Elder Brithvar’s help. I wanted to loot him, but I ended up needing him and his party without dying. Oh, dilemmas.
I pushed Gale into the lava by accident while using Force Tunnel (Curse you Ilithid!). He’s the first character I’ve had Withers revive!
Killing the Scrying Eye without alerting other duergar took Astarion three tries. Had to get him really hidden. As they say, three times the charm.
There were some parts of the quest that weren’t immediately obvious:
Using the boat and meeting Corsair Greymon without boots or questline.
Glut being hidden away as a quest-giver
Luring the Scrying eye such that it always follows your party (to defeat it)
So many DC checks at Grymforge. Shuffling party members to pass them felt like a game of cards.
Although they didn’t affect the overall outcome of the main quest, I spent a lot more time resolving these out of FOMO over completing the objectives (Killing Nere / Thrinn).
In spite of it, the depth of this quest is a snapshot of how to make an enclosed side-quest engaging and though-provoking to players.
