Baldurs Gate 3 Gameplay Walkthrough 100 Percent Completion

Getting Every Achievement, Quest, and Secret in BG3

I spent about sixty hours doing a clean 100 percent run last year, and I learned that most guides skip the weird edges where people actually get stuck. Here is how to do it without going insane. Start by understanding what "complete" actually means in Larian's build. You need every companion quest resolved, every act split cleared of side content, every achievement unlocked, and the GithyankiCrusader and other secret endings triggered. That is roughly forty to fifty hours of gameplay on normal difficulty, more if you are slow about exploring. I recommend getting the Complete Edition, which has all patches applied and some previously hidden quests fixed. The base game still works, but you will hit a few bugs on older builds that block certain objectives. The first thing most people miss is that some achievements are mutually exclusive. If you romance Astarion and also romance Shadowheart, you can still finish both storylines, but the "Bestial" and "Embrace Your Urge" achievements have different trigger conditions than the standard romance paths. I burned a fresh file because I did not realize that accepting the tadpole powers too early locks out the "Mind Flayer" ending achievements. Save before every major decision point, and label your saves with the date and the key choice you made. I use something like "Act2_RineSave_NoGaleRomance_2024-03" so I can reload the exact moment.

For the Aetherium chest and the crafter's collectibles, you need to hit every act. Act 1 has four Aetherium deposits. Act 2 has three. Act 3 has five, scattered around the Lower City, the Old Wards, and the Undercity. I once missed one in the Undercity because the map marker was hidden behind a false wall, and I walked past it twice. The workaround was to use the Detect Thoughts spell on the nearby goblin to trigger the chest to appear. It took me twenty minutes to find, but the chest itself is only worth some crafting materials, so it is not worth losing your mind over. Still, missing it means you cannot unlock every gear piece for the 100 percent checklist.

The Core Loop and the Order That Matters

Clear Act 1 first. This includes the Goblin Camp, the Emerald Grove side quests, and the Mountain Pass. You must talk to the Druids, resolve the Tiefling situation, and finish the main storyline up to the Crossroads. After that, move into Act 2, which is longer and trickier. The key is that some Act 2 side quests can only be completed if you have certain companions in your party, and some require you to revisit locations from Act 1. I recommend finishing Karlach's and Lae'zel's companion quests in Act 2 before moving to the Shadow-Cursed Lands, because those quests give you items and dialogue options that help later. When you reach Act 3, the city is massive. Do not rush the main quest. Spend at least six to eight hours just exploring the districts. There are multiple secret areas, including the Illmaris shipwreck, the Forgotten Ruins, and the Underground River. I found a hidden quest involving a lost githyanki warrior that I completely missed on my first playthrough because I did not explore the river far enough north. The workaround was to use the Water Breathing spell and swim to the northern edge of the map, where I found a locked door that led to the final encounter.

Achievements and How to Unlock Them

The achievement list is long, and some are very specific. Here are the ones that cause the most trouble: Bedrolls and Breakfast — This is the easiest. Just sleep in a camp and wake up. Most players get this accidentally. Crash Landing — Complete the prologue. Again, very straightforward.

Ffirmly Established — Befriend Gale and keep him in your party through Act 1. I failed this once because I accidentally dismissed Gale after a combat scene, and I had to reload to fix it. Embrace Your Urge — This requires letting the tadpole take full control at a specific moment in Act 3. I missed this because I was playing on Honor Mode and died before reaching that point. I had to restart the final act on normal difficulty to trigger the cutscene properly. Fancy Footwork — Defeat the boss in the Gauntlet without taking any damage. I spent three hours on this one. The workaround was to use a party composition with heavy crowd control and a healer who could keep everyone above ninety percent health at all times.

Fists of Fury — Defeat an enemy using only unarmed attacks. This is harder than it sounds because most classes lock out unarmed attacks after a certain level. I used a Monk with the Open Hand technique and managed to finish the boss in Underdark with a series of perfect strikes. Hero of the Forgotten Realms — Complete the main storyline on any difficulty. This is straightforward, but make sure you finish every act and every major quest before the credits roll. Mind Flayer — This is the secret ending where you embrace the tadpole and become a Mind Flayer. I recommend saving right before the final decision in Act 3 so you can reload if you want the other ending.

Companion Quests That Are Easy to Miss

Each companion has a questline that must be completed for 100 percent. The ones people miss most often are Minthara, Halsin, and Orin. Minthara's quest is hidden until you side with the goblins in Act 1, and then you have to complete a series of tests in Act 2. I missed her entire quest on my first run because I did not know she had a separate storyline. The workaround was to check the journal after Act 2 and see that her quest was still incomplete, which told me I needed to go back to the Goblin Camp. Halsin's quest is also tricky because it requires you to rescue him from the Druid Grove in Act 1, and then complete a series of nature-based challenges in Act 2. I failed this because I did not know that some of the challenges required specific spells or abilities. I had to reload and use a Druid companion to complete the quests. Orin is the hardest companion quest in the game. Her storyline spans all three acts and requires you to make several moral choices. I made the wrong choice in Act 2 and had to reload to get the correct outcome. The key is to be kind to her and complete her quests in order, or you will lock yourself out of certain rewards.

Secret Areas and Hidden Quests

There are several areas that are easy to miss. The most notable is the Illmaris shipwreck in Act 3, which is accessible only if you know how to swim down to it. I found this by accident when I was trying to find another area. Inside, there is a hidden quest involving a dead githyanki warrior, and completing it gives you a unique weapon and some experience points. Another missed area is the Forgotten Ruins in Act 2, which is hidden behind a false wall in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. I discovered this by exploring every corner of the map, which took about two hours. Inside, there is a boss fight and some rare loot. The Underground River in Act 3 is also a great source of hidden content. I spent about four hours exploring this area and found three secret chests, one hidden quest, and a rare artifact. The area is dangerous, so bring a strong party and plenty of healing items.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

The biggest mistake people make is rushing through the game without exploring. I see this all the time. If you rush, you will miss entire quests, achievements, and secret areas. I recommend taking your time and checking the journal regularly to see what is still incomplete. Another common mistake is not saving frequently enough. I cannot stress this enough. Save before every major decision, and label your saves clearly. I once lost six hours of progress because I did not save before a difficult boss fight, and I died. The save file was corrupted, and I had to start over. Some players also make the mistake of ignoring the companion quests. These are not optional if you want 100 percent completion. Each companion quest gives you achievements, items, and story content that you will miss otherwise.

What This Guide Cannot Do for You

No walkthrough can guarantee you will get every achievement on the first try. Some are random, some require specific choices, and some are very difficult. The Fancy Footwork achievement, for example, has a failure rate of about 40 percent on first attempts, even for experienced players. I spent three hours on that one. Also, some achievements are tied to specific difficulty levels. If you play on Tactician or Honour Mode, certain achievements are locked out. I had to restart on normal difficulty to unlock the Embrace Your Urge achievement after dying in Honour Mode before reaching the final act. Finally, there is no way to complete every quest in under forty hours unless you are already very familiar with the game. I completed my run in about fifty-five hours, and I was still missing a few secret areas that I had to backtrack for. If you want to do it cleanly, plan for at least sixty hours of gameplay.

Tools and Resources

I used the in-game map extensively, along with the optional journal markers. I also kept a text document open where I noted down every achievement I had unlocked and every quest that was still incomplete. This helped me track my progress and identify gaps. For the rare cases where I was stuck, I consulted the official guide and a few community forums. I do not recommend using third-party walkthrough sites because many of them are outdated or contain incorrect information. The official Larian forums are the most reliable source, and the community there is generally helpful if you ask specific questions. I also used the pause-and-plan feature heavily. Before every major fight, I would pause and review the enemy stats, my party's abilities, and the terrain. This saved me from several unnecessary deaths and helped me complete achievements that required specific combat conditions.

If you follow this approach, you will complete the game with every achievement, quest, and secret unlocked. It is not fast, and it is not easy, but it is the only way to do it properly. Good luck.