Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3 opens with players on the outskirts of the titular city, Baldur's Gate. Unfortunately, while there's plenty to do in Rivington, a massive fortification bars the way to the city itself: Wyrm's Rock Fortress.
To get to the meat of Act 3, players will need to find a way into Wyrm's Rock, and much like other major quests in Baldur's Gate 3, there are a few ways to accomplish this goal. None of them are easy, but all the following methods will end with the drawbridges lowering and opening the way forward.
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Bribe the Guards
Players may be a bit on edge after the incident at the South Span Checkpoint, regardless of how it ends. Still, even if the Steel Watch would've arrested the party, the Flaming Fist guards at the drawbridge itself are willing to speak to the party without any suspicion. However, they won't lower the bridge even to a Baldurian since Gortash's coronation is currently taking place on the top floor of the fortress.
The most direct approach players can take is to use Persuasion to offer a bribe to the Flaming Fist guards. However, this is a bad idea for two reasons: first, the Persuasion check is against a very difficult DC of 25. Second, even if players succeed, the price of the bribe is 20,000 gold. This amount can wipe out even the wealthiest of parties, and the only benefit is to get access to Wyrm's Rock. Considering how many cheaper ways there are to reach the fortress, players should avoid this method even if they have 20,000 gold.
Get a Pass
By engaging in the various quests in Rivington, players can get their hands on at least two passes that the gate guards can't afford to ignore. One comes from solving the Open Hand Temple murder, and one comes from investigating the suspicious toys.
To get the Open Hand Temple pass quickly, players should enter the temple, encounter the hollyphant investigator, then head to the Fraygos Flophouse on the South Span Bridge. Unlock the wardrobe on the top floor to enter a secret room, then pick up the Bloodstained Parchment. Present this parchment to the hollyphant, who is now across the street in the Sharess' Caress. Players will get the Lower City Pass, which will open the gates of Wyrm's Rock.
Getting the suspicious toys pass is a bit more complicated. Players must investigate the basem*nt of Arfur's Mansion and find the Blackmail Letter, and also sneak into the Requisitioned Barn and inspect the box of toy bears. After doing both tasks in either order, confront Arfur and Intimidate him to learn what he knows. He'll give the party an invitation to the coronation.
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Get Arrested
The prison in this region is on Wyrm's Rock, on the lowest level of the fortress. This means that one way to get past the drawbridge is to get the party arrested and then break out of prison. The South Span Checkpoint is one opportunity for this, and getting caught in the Requisitioned Barn is another guaranteed way to get imprisoned. Players should also be aware that only one party member needs to be arrested for this trick to work.
To get out of the prison cell, players should interact with the skull on the back wall shelf. The skull will offer to free the prisoners, but it'll teleport them next to the equipment chest if they answer two riddles correctly and teleport them next to the guards if they fail. The answers are "a shadow" and "an anvil."
Once out of the cell, the party will have to lie low for two real-time minutes. If they don't, the party will have to fight their way out of the prison. One good spot to hide is on the other side of a broken wall near the prison's main intersection. When the "on the lam" condition ends, players can either escape the prison by breaking a wall in the prison's storeroom or by using Deception to convince the guards that they're just visiting.
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Leap Across
From a spot east of the drawbridge, the Baldur's Gate 3 party has a clear shot to a natural path along the base of Wyrm's Rock Fortress. The leap can deal around 30 to 40 damage, but at this point in the game, the party should be able to survive the fall. Players can also avoid this damage with Feather Fall spells or potions, or other spells like Misty Step and Dimension Door.
Once the party has reached this lower path, they can go around the east side of the fortress to find a crack that leads into the prison (behind the weak wall in the storehouse), or they can go around the west side to find a wooden platform and a set of vines that lead up to the fort's Audience Chamber. The party will need to pick or break open a door to get in, but the Flaming Fist guard inside won't attack or arrest them. They'll get upset if players try to open one of the interior doors, though, so hide and wait for them to turn around before doing so.
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Spells, Abilities, and Glitches
If all else fails, or if players are feeling especially creative, there are a few ways to use spells and other abilities to bypass the drawbridge more directly.
- While the drawbridge makes the space beyond it "out of sight" for spells like Misty Step and Dimension Door, Baldur's Gate 3 characters who can fly thanks to Bestow Flight and other abilities can pass through the bridge as if it wasn't there.
- Characters can walk along the ledge just below the statue to the west of the drawbridge. A party member who reaches this ledge and who has a strong jumping ability can leap through the space between the bridge and the wall.
- A good jumping ability can also get a party member onto the roof southwest of the drawbridge, and from here a triple jump can cross to the upper level of Wyrm's Rock. The balcony is a little higher than the roof, so the jumper won't take falling damage.
- This rooftop is just close enough for a Dimension Door spell to reach the southwest corner of the upper fort level.
Once one party member reaches the Audience Chamber or the main passageway through Wyrm's Rock, the Steel Watch will stand down and Gortash will offer the party an alliance. Players can respond however they like, but the encounter will end peacefully and both the Wyrm's Rock drawbridges will lower. From now until the end of the game, players have free access to the city of Baldur's Gate.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on macOS and PC, and it's coming to PS5 on September 6.
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