Key takeaways
- Faerûn is the continent, not merely Baldur’s Gate The playable game covers a small western section of it.
- The main geographic focus is the Sword Coast and the Chionthar corridor, although the game also visits the Underdark, Shadowfell, Astral Plane and Avernus-linked locations.
- Act One contains two major routes forward the Underdark and the Mountain Pass. They are not mutually exclusive, and a thorough playthrough can visit both before entering Act Two.
- Act Three is broader than the city proper Rivington, Wyrm’s Crossing, Wyrm’s Rock, the Lower City, the sewers, the Undercity, the Upper City and numerous hidden interiors all belong to the Baldur’s Gate sequence.
- Progression is state-dependent The grove, goblin leadership, Last Light Inn, Moonrise Towers and many Act Three quests can change or become unavailable after major story decisions.
- The game’s continuity is its own version of the Forgotten Realms Earlier Baldur’s Gate characters and events exist, but their presentation and consequences should not be treated as a complete map of tabletop Faerûn.
Overview
Base-game guide, including the prologue, Acts One to Three, optional areas and story-linked special regions. Spoilers through the ending.
Base-game guide, including the prologue, Acts One to Three, optional areas and story-linked special regions. Spoilers through the ending.
Introduction
Faerûn is not a single explorable map in Baldur’s Gate 3. It is the continent in which the game’s story takes place, while the playable adventure occupies a comparatively small part of western Faerûn, chiefly the Sword Coast and the lands around the River Chionthar. The game begins away from the surface on an illithid nautiloid, reaches the wilderness east of Baldur’s Gate, passes through the Underdark or Mountain Pass, crosses the Shadow-Cursed Lands, and eventually enters Baldur’s Gate itself.
This distinction matters. “Faerûn” is the setting-level boundary, not the name of one region with a single fast-travel map. Within it are several separate game regions, subterranean areas, planar locations and temporary story spaces. The game’s own material presents Faerûn as the setting of the adventure, while the in-game regional structure divides the journey into areas such as Wilderness, Underdark, Grymforge, Rosymorn Monastery Trail, Shadow-Cursed Lands, Rivington, Wyrm’s Crossing and Baldur’s Gate.
What is not included
The following are part of wider Forgotten Realms or Faerûn lore but are not ordinary explorable regions in the base game:
Some are mentioned by characters, appear in books or are associated with companions, but they are not additional playable regions. Waterdeep, for example, is important to Gale’s history but is not a visitable city during the main adventure.
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The game’s area hierarchy is easiest to understand in four levels:
The community-maintained BG3 Wiki defines a region as a large game area whose locations are connected under one map grouping, usually separated by loading screens. Its act structure lists the Nautiloid for the prologue; Grymforge, Rosymorn Monastery Trail, Underdark and Wilderness for Act One; Shadow-Cursed Lands for Act Two; and Rivington, Wyrm’s Crossing, Wyrm’s Rock Fortress and Baldur’s Gate for Act Three. It separately identifies special regions such as the Astral Plane, Campsite and Shadowfell.
What is not included
What is not included: steps
- 01Setting: Faerûn
- 02Regional zone: Wilderness, Shadow-Cursed Lands, Rivington or Baldur’s Gate
- 03Connected subarea: Emerald Grove, Goblin Camp, Moonrise Towers or Lower City
- 04Interior or dungeon: Shattered Sanctum, Gauntlet of Shar, Iron Throne, House of Hope or the Guildhall
Directory: top-level playable regions
Special or planar regions
This directory distinguishes actual game regions from the much larger continental setting. The general location category contains many additional named interiors, homes, businesses and dungeons, so a continent-level list should not be confused with a list of all map markers.
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Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Special or planar regions
3.1 The Nautiloid and the opening transition
The adventure opens aboard a mind flayer nautiloid travelling through the Hells. This is not a normal Faerûnian surface region, but it establishes the game’s planar scale immediately. The player meets Lae’zel, encounters the mind flayers and githyanki, and can recruit or temporarily cooperate with Shadowheart before the ship’s destruction.
The nautiloid is a self-contained prologue. It teaches movement, combat, environmental interaction, recruitment and the parasite premise. It also contains optional content that is easy to miss, including the opportunity to rescue Shadowheart and obtain the Everburn Blade by defeating Commander Zhalk or using the surrounding cambions and control console to escape.
The crash ends on the Ravaged Beach, which is the first true surface location.
3.2 The Wilderness
The Wilderness is the broadest early-game surface zone. It represents a frontier section of the Sword Coast hinterlands and includes several settlements, roads, ruins and hidden interiors. The BG3 Wiki describes it as a forested region in Elturgard containing part of the Risen Road and the River Chionthar.
Why the Wilderness matters
This region contains the game’s first major political conflict:
The region is also built to reward lateral exploration. The main road is not the only route. Players can climb, jump, sneak, use spells, enter through locked doors or descend into underground areas. The Blighted Village, for example, has obvious streets but also cellars, wells and hidden passages.
Directory: named Wilderness places
Some of these are map locations, while others are interior or descriptive names. They should not all be treated as towns or settlements.
Principal Wilderness subareas
Directory: named Wilderness places
3.3 The Underdark
The Underdark is a large subterranean environment beneath the Wilderness. It is not simply a cave beneath one entrance. It is a separate region with several entrances, factions and routes, including the Myconid Colony, the Arcane Tower, the Sussur tree area and Grymforge.
The player can enter through the Whispering Depths, the Zhentarim Hideout, the priestess’s chambers beneath the Goblin Camp or Auntie Ethel’s tunnels. Different entrances change the starting position, but they lead into the same broad underground journey.
Directory: named Underdark places
The Underdark is one of the most rewarding regions to complete before Act Two because it combines experience, rare equipment, faction quests and a second route into the next act.
Principal Underdark areas
Principal Underdark areas: The Underdark contains several major optional storylines
Directory: named Underdark places
3.4 Grymforge
Grymforge is often treated as part of the Underdark but is sufficiently distinct to deserve separate treatment. It is an abandoned Sharran and duergar-controlled forge complex reached by boat from the Underdark beach.
Practical route
Missability warning: the Nere situation is time-sensitive. Long resting repeatedly after discovering the cave-in can cause the trapped area’s situation to resolve without the player’s preferred intervention. The game’s progression state also changes when the player leaves Act One.
Its major content includes
Practical route
- 01Reach the Underdark beach.
- 02Speak to the duergar and board the boat.
- 03Explore Grymforge before committing to the Nere rescue.
- 04Collect moulds and mithral ore.
- 05Activate the Adamantine Forge.
- 06Prepare for the Grym fight, using the hammer and lava carefully.
- 07Resolve the Nere and deep gnome situation before leaving.
3.5 Rosymorn Monastery Trail and the Mountain Pass
The Mountain Pass is the second major Act One route. It is not simply a road connecting two maps. It includes the Rosymorn Monastery Trail, the ruined monastery itself and Crèche Y’llek beneath it.
Principal locations
This route is central to Lae’zel’s personal story and the githyanki’s hunt for the Astral Prism. It also contains:
Blood of Lathander route
Missability warning: the crèche can become hostile depending on dialogue and story choices. Lae’zel’s personal quest may also move into a decisive state after the inquisitor and Vlaakith scenes.
The Mountain Pass can be visited alongside the Underdark. The game does not require choosing one and permanently abandoning the other, although entering the next act can resolve or alter some Wilderness and grove content.
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The Shadow-Cursed Lands are a separate region dominated by a magical curse that harms or kills unprotected travellers. The region contains the remnants of Reithwin, the Last Light Inn, Moonrise Towers, the Gauntlet of Shar and the Grand Mausoleum.
The central navigation problem is protection from the curse. Depending on the player’s route, this may involve:
Principal locations
Blood of Lathander route
- 01Explore Rosymorn Monastery and find the stained-glass window puzzle.
- 02Recover the ceremonial weapons or use the puzzle’s alternate solution.
- 03Obtain the Dawnmaster’s Crest.
- 04Enter the monastery’s lower sections.
- 05Reach the secret chamber beneath the monastery.
- 06Place the crest before taking the mace to avoid the monastery’s destructive security sequence.
Principal locations
Last Light Inn
Last Light Inn is the main safe settlement in Act Two and the headquarters of Jaheira’s Harper allies. It is also where the player learns how fragile the region’s resistance is.
The inn provides a safe base, merchants, dialogue and companion-related developments. Its state can change dramatically if Isobel is abducted, killed or left undefended.
Major spoiler and missability warning: the assault on Last Light Inn can kill or remove many named NPCs, including merchants and quest contacts. If protecting the inn is important, resolve the Marcus and Isobel situation before allowing the relevant abduction sequence to proceed.
Moonrise Towers
Moonrise Towers is the main Absolute stronghold and the political centre of Ketheric Thorm’s regime. It is possible to enter initially under cover, speak to cultists, trade with merchants and explore the prison before openly attacking the tower.
The towers contain several prisoner rescue opportunities, including the tieflings and gnomes. These quests are substantially easier if started before the assault.
Gauntlet of Shar and Shadowfell
The Gauntlet of Shar is a major dungeon beneath the Grand Mausoleum. Its trials, libraries and hidden routes lead to the Shadowfell and the Nightsong decision.
Major point of no return: entering the Shadowfell after the warning prompts advances the Act Two story and can close or resolve many quests in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Complete exploration, rescues and companion preparation before entering.
Directory: major Act Two names
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Act Three begins outside the city proper. Rivington is the southernmost district of the outer city and is crowded with refugees, travellers, soldiers and merchants. The game then moves through Wyrm’s Crossing and Wyrm’s Rock before opening into the Lower City.
Main objectives include
Directory: major Act Two names
5.1 Rivington
Rivington is the first place where many Act Three threads converge:
Directory: named Rivington places
The circus is not merely a decorative landmark. It contains merchants, performances, a murder investigation, the Djinni Akabi and the jackpot sequence that can lead to the legendary trident Nyrulna.
Rivington contains
Directory: named Rivington places
5.2 Wyrm’s Crossing and Wyrm’s Rock
Wyrm’s Crossing is a built-up bridge district containing Fraygo’s Flophouse, Sharess’ Caress, the Flaming Fist checkpoint and routes to the Lower City. Wyrm’s Rock Fortress is the fortified seat of Gortash’s political power.
The region is heavily affected by the Steel Watch and by the coronation of Gortash. Depending on the player’s choices, the fortress can initially be entered peacefully or become hostile.
Important locations include
5.3 The Lower City
The Lower City is the largest urban region in the game and contains most of Act Three’s shops, faction headquarters, homes and side quests.
Major named locations
The BG3 Wiki location category separately lists many of these as distinct location pages, including Felogyr’s Fireworks, Flymm Cargo, Flymm’s Cobblers, Fraygo’s Flophouse, House of Grief, Iron Throne, Guildhall, Lady Jannath’s Estate and the Lower City graveyard.
Major named locations
Major Lower City quest centres
| Location | Main relevance |
|---|---|
| Elfsong Tavern | Camp, refugees, Emperor-related developments, murder investigation |
| Sorcerous Sundries | Gale, Lorroakan, Nightsong, powerful spell scrolls and vaults |
| House of Grief | Shadowheart’s personal quest and the Sharran enclave |
| Cazador’s Palace | Astarion’s personal quest |
| Counting House | Stone Lord, Minsc and the Guild conflict |
| Guildhall | Nine-Fingers Keene and the criminal faction |
| Stormshore Tabernacle | Clerical services, offerings and divine trials |
| Felogyr’s Fireworks | Dangerous business tied to the Banites and the Steel Watch plot |
| Lady Jannath’s Estate | Oskar Fevras and the haunted-house quest |
| Iron Throne | Prison rescue and Gondian storyline |
| Flymm Cargo | Access route connected to the Steel Watch and underwater prison |
| Blushing Mermaid | Auntie Ethel’s return and Captain Grisly |
| House of Hope | Raphael’s realm, Orphic Hammer and high-level optional encounter |
5.4 The Lower City sewers and Undercity
The sewers are a substantial underground network rather than a single corridor. They connect to the Guildhall, the Counting House, the Temple of Bhaal, the Abandoned Cistern and the Undercity Ruins.
Directory: sewer and Undercity places
The sewers support several routes through Act Three:
Directory: sewer and Undercity places
5.5 The Upper City and endgame
The Upper City is not freely available from the beginning of Act Three. It becomes accessible during the final stage of the story. This is a progression state, not an ordinary district that can be visited at will throughout the act.
The Upper City is therefore separate from the Lower City in both access and progression. Treating it as merely another neighbourhood produces an inaccurate map hierarchy.
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Faerûn in Baldur’s Gate 3 is defined as much by competing communities as by geography.
Key endgame places include
Principal companion connections
Residents should be distinguished from temporary visitors. For example, the tieflings are refugees moving through the region, while the Flaming Fist are an established Baldurian security force. The Harpers appear in several locations but are not the ordinary civic authority of Baldur’s Gate.
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Principal companion connections
| Character | Main Faerûn connection |
|---|---|
| Shadowheart | Shar, the Astral Prism and House of Grief |
| Lae’zel | Githyanki, Crèche Y’llek, Vlaakith and Orpheus |
| Gale | Waterdeep, Mystra and the Crown of Karsus |
| Astarion | Baldur’s Gate, Cazador’s Palace and the Szarr legacy |
| Wyll | Baldur’s Gate, the Flaming Fist, Mizora and Ravengard |
| Karlach | Avernus, Gortash and the Steel Watch |
| Halsin | Emerald Grove, the Shadow Curse and Thaniel |
| Jaheira | Harpers, Baldur’s Gate and the Bhaalist crisis |
| Minsc | Rashemen, the Guild and the Stone Lord plot |
| Minthara | Absolute cult, goblin leadership and Moonrise Towers |
Roads and routes
The game does not present a continuous overworld road network in the manner of a traditional open-world RPG. Instead, roads are represented by connected maps, transition points and narrative travel.
Important routes include
Security forces
Baldur’s Gate’s security can be bypassed, manipulated or fought depending on disguises, dialogue choices, passes, alliances and quest outcomes. A business or building name alone does not establish that it is a shop, safe house or public facility.
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Security forces
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Emerald Grove guards | protect the druid settlement and enforce its internal rules. |
| Goblin patrols | control roads around the Goblin Camp and act for the Absolute. |
| Duergar | enforce slavery and control access around Grymforge. |
| Harpers | operate from Last Light Inn and patrol against the shadow curse. |
| Flaming Fist | provide official security in and around Baldur’s Gate. |
| Steel Watch | serve Gortash and create a surveillance and enforcement network. |
| Bhaalists and Sharrans | operate covertly rather than as public law enforcement. |
Act Three
Important distinction: some named establishments are functional shops, some are service locations, some are decorative storefronts, and some are entered only for a quest. The game’s map contains all four types.
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Encounters may be avoided, resolved through dialogue, altered by faction choices or replaced by allies. Randomised loot and ordinary hostile groups should not be presented as fixed boss rewards.
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A completion-oriented route that preserves the most content is:
This order is not mandatory, but it reduces avoidable losses caused by major progression transitions.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 uses the Forgotten Realms as a living setting rather than as a museum of every established location. The game assumes that Faerûn contains old gods, active divine cults, infernal politics, githyanki astral warfare, ancient elven and Sharran ruins, and powerful cities with their own histories.
The game also sits after the earlier Baldur’s Gate titles, but it does not require detailed knowledge of them. Jaheira and Minsc provide the clearest direct continuity, while the setting includes references to Bhaal, Sarevok, the Bhaalspawn crisis and earlier companions. Those references are part of the game’s version of the setting and should not be used to infer that every previous-game location is nearby or playable.
The wider setting is also larger than the Sword Coast. Faerûn contains regions and civilisations far beyond the game’s map, while the adventure focuses on one crisis moving through a relatively narrow geographic corridor. The official game material likewise frames Baldur’s Gate 3 as a Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game in the world of Faerûn, rather than as a simulation of the entire continent.
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Act Three
Act Three
| Region | Notable encounters |
|---|---|
| Nautiloid | Commander Zhalk, cambions, mind flayer |
| Wilderness | Auntie Ethel, Phase Spider Matriarch, Anders, gnoll leader Flind, goblin leaders |
| Goblin Camp | Priestess Gut, Dror Ragzlin, Minthara |
| Underdark | Spectator, Bulette, Hook Horrors, Glut’s enemies |
| Grymforge | Grym, Nere, duergar forces |
| Mountain Pass | Death Shepherds, githyanki inquisitor, Crèche leaders |
| Shadow-Cursed Lands | Marcus, Kar’niss, Yurgir, Malus Thorm, Gerringothe Thorm, Thisobald Thorm |
| Moonrise | Ketheric Thorm, disciple forces, Mind Flayer Colony enemies |
| Rivington | Akabi’s circus sequence, Open Hand murder suspects |
| Lower City | Cazador, Lorroakan, Sarevok, Ansur, Mystic Carrion, Auntie Ethel |
| Sewers | Emperor-related encounters, Bhaalists, Orin |
| House of Hope | Raphael |
| Finale | Netherbrain and associated forces |
Act Three: steps
- 01Finish the Nautiloid and explore the Ravaged Beach.
- 02Recruit available companions.
- 03Explore the Emerald Grove without immediately resolving the tiefling crisis.
- 04Visit the Blighted Village, Risen Road and Waukeen’s Rest.
- 05Investigate the Goblin Camp and Shattered Sanctum.
- 06Complete the Auntie Ethel, owlbear and Whispering Depths content.
- 07Enter the Underdark and visit the Myconid Colony, Arcane Tower and beach.
- 08Travel to Grymforge, complete the forge and resolve Nere.
- 09Visit the Mountain Pass and Rosymorn Monastery.
- 10Complete Crèche Y’llek and the Blood of Lathander sequence.
- 11Enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
- 12Establish Last Light Inn and protect its important residents.
- 13Explore Reithwin, Moonrise Towers and the surrounding areas.
- 14Rescue prisoners before the Moonrise assault.
- 15Complete the Gauntlet of Shar and only then enter the Shadowfell.
- 16Begin Act Three in Rivington.
- 17Explore the circus, Open Hand Temple, Gur Camp and Wyrm’s Crossing.
- 18Enter the Lower City and establish a city base.
- 19Complete companion quests and major faction storylines before the endgame.
- 20Enter the Upper City only after finishing the desired optional content.
Before the Act Three endgame
Is Baldur’s Gate 3 open-world Faerûn?
No. It offers large, interconnected regions with considerable freedom, but it does not provide one seamless continent-sized map. Faerûn is the setting; the playable maps are selected regions within it.
Can I visit Waterdeep?
No. Waterdeep is important to Gale’s backstory and appears in dialogue and lore, but it is not an explorable city in the base game.
Are the Underdark and Mountain Pass separate acts?
No. Both are Act One routes. You can generally visit both before committing to Act Two.
Is the Shadowfell part of the Shadow-Cursed Lands?
It is a special connected region reached through the Gauntlet of Shar. It is not simply another surface district of the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Is Rivington part of Baldur’s Gate?
It is the outer southern approach to the city and is treated as a separate Act Three region. The city proper begins through the Wyrm’s Crossing sequence and expands into the Lower City and later the Upper City.
Can I return to earlier regions?
Access depends on progression. Some earlier regions remain reachable for a time, while major act transitions and story decisions can close quests, change NPCs or make areas inaccessible.
Is every named building a usable business?
No. Some are active shops, some are homes, faction bases, decorative storefronts or mission-only interiors. Establishment names should not be treated as proof of services without checking the location’s actual function.
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Sources
- Baldur's Gate 3 — baldursgate3.game
- Faerûn - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Baldur's Gate 3 — baldursgate3.game
- Region - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Category:Locations - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- List of locations - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki
- Act Three - bg3.wiki — bg3.wiki