Since its release last year, Baldur’s Gate 3 has already made its mark as one of the most successful and engaging RPGs of all time. With its high degree of customization, in-depth game mechanics, and seemingly endless possibilities revolving around player choice, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers an incredibly unique experience that appeals to D&D veterans and newcomers alike. In a game that is packed to the brim with a wealth of exciting content, it is no surprise that almost a year after release, players continue to uncover more hidden secrets in Larian’s masterpiece title. 

A Hidden Quest

In Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition-based Baldur’s Gate 3, acquiring three magical artifacts known as the Netherstones is an essential task that must be completed in order to defeat the game’s main antagonist, the Netherbrain. But what happens if you lose or misplace these artifacts during your playthrough? That is the question that video creator Proxy Gate Tactician set out to answer. In his video, “Unlocking The Secret Netherstone Fail-safes in Baldur’s Gate 3”, PGT tests what happens if you somehow lose the Netherstones. Instead of an instant game over, Larian gives the player a second chance to reclaim the stones in the form of a hidden quest. 

Lost And Found

PGT tests this scenario by dropping the first Netherstone that you get from defeating Ketheric Thorm in the Astral Plane. He notes that this area in the game is the only location where the player is not explicitly told to pick the stone back up. However, after leaving the Astral Plane, the Emperor tells the player that they left the stone behind, so in turn he has sent it to the player’s camp. Next, PGT drops a Netherstone in the underwater prison beneath the Iron Throne; a location that players are unable to revisit after departing. Once again, after returning to Baldur’s Gate, the Emperor directs them to the closest shore were it can once again be picked up. 

Pushing Your Luck

Although Larian clearly accounted for player choice and/or carelessness, it seems these fail-safes are not without their limits. For instance, PGT drops a stone in the Steel Watch Foundry before blowing it up, rendering the location impossible to reenter. The player is directed by the Emperor to search the rubble for the stone, which has been taken by a pack of kobolds. However, if the player doesn’t eliminate the kobolds before the escape with the stone, a cutscene plays where the whole party dies as a result, leading to an instant game over. PGT next leaves the stones in the Chult Jungle, a location where losing the stones results in a soft-lock of the quest.

Freedom Of Choice

While developing Baldur’s Gate 3, it is abundantly clear that Larian gave great consideration to player choice. This is reflected within the many quests and decisions that players are presented with in this meticulously crafted game. This incredible attention to detail puts Baldur’s Gate 3 among some of the best RPGs available. The fact that Proxy Gate Tactician discovered this hidden quest after a whopping 1400 hours of gameplay makes us wonder what else could be hidden away. With so many secrets and hidden quests in Baldur’s Gate 3 being discovered everyday, it seems gamers have barely scratched the surface of what possible hidden treasures lie within, just waiting to be uncovered.

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