Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Explore the ruin quest is deceptive. Spoilers.

When I first got the quest I thought that you had to loot the place in search for actual supplies. Not go down into a crypt, look for a secret switch and talk to an undead mage.

To be fair, I think looking for supplies is the rationale the game is giving you for entering the ruin in the first place, rather than rushing to find a healer as you might otherwise do. This is particularly evident if you don’t rescue Shadowheart on the nautiloid so find her banging on the ruin doors. And there are supplies to be found.

The crypt and the undead are just what you happen to discover if you search the place thoroughly!

How is this "deceptive"? Were you only expecting to find a warehouse of healing potions, or an armory? What is it that gave you that impression that led you to believe that it's somehow "deceptive"?

This is D&D. Looting ancient crypts is what we DO!

In all my playthroughs I didn’t even know there is a reason to go there to begin with. Now when a I think about it, we do stumble on a group of randoms, murder them, take their stuff and then plunder the tomb ourselves.

Speak for yourself, I don’t (usually) murder randoms

But yes, if SH is banging on the ruin doors when you meet her on the beach she’ll explain that she’s hoping there might be something useful inside, giving a rationale to find a way in. Not sure if this is hinted even if you don’t find SH there, or I’m just letting knowledge from games where SH isn’t saved on the nautiloid bleed through into ones where she is!

Ah, fair enough. I have always seen that door more as SoulsLike type shortcut, meaning I didn't make a mental connection between door below and ruin above. Getting there is a bit roundabout for me to connect the two until I emerged below after exploring the dungeon. As such I never assumed that player is meant to reach the ruin with intention of finding the space behind the door, but I think you are right.

OP: And what's the problem with that?

If you don't explore the crypt then you don't meet Withers. I don't know how important a role he plays in the game beyond Act 1, but it means that you do miss out on his resurrection services.

I don't think this is a tragedy, but I do think that it would be nice to have a minor quest hook or two that push new players towards the crypt.

IF withers is important, then the quest, or lack of one, is indeed odd. There's no good reason to go into that crypt that we're given. I hope they don't pull another magic box at the right time situation, where withers just shows up in your camp one day if you don't go to the crypt.

Larian do have play testers, heat maps and statistics, surely they know if players skipping the crypt (and therefore Withers) is an issue.

Agreed, it feels less pressing if you rescue Shadowheart on the nautiloid. If you don’t, then you get the Explore the Ruins quest when you speak to her by the doors even if you don’t recruit her, though that may depend on what dialogue options you choose. I can’t recall when you get the quest otherwise, but at least if there’s a potential companion making a racket near the ruins it attracts attention gives you a good reason to approach. To be honest, I don’t know why you don’t find SH there even if you do free her from her pod. She could easily have landed in the spot near you, come round sooner, and wandered off.


Um, I think he might. Or at least I vaguely remember something to that effect, but I’ve never not gone and found him so may be imagining that.

Withers appears "at the appropriate place" and "at the appropriate time"; which I think translates to, he appears at your camp regardless of your dungeon-delving. I'm 90% sure i have ignored the crypt in the past and still had withers appear in camp; but as this is EA, we don't really know if anything we currently experience will remain unchanged at release.

does anyone else find it odd that she doesn't just pick the lock instead of banging on the door... i mean she has tools there and the skill

Hmm, interesting. Though does she actually have lockpicks at that point? I didn't think she did. Admittedly it would seem more in character for a trickery cleric to go find some and unlock the door than keep futilely banging on it with a mace.

Now am actually imagining Shadowheart trying lock picking the doors instead banging it with a mace scene. Then her jumping in fear, when she notices us and warning us, would be much better? And more to her chara? Ofc she would fail her lockpicking in the scene and start offering other solutions (or she pulls her weapon out and start banging it in frustration because lockpicks failed, then this noise would attract nearby 2 brain enemies, or you could prevent it with a choices and successful dice)
But I guess, they made it like this, because she is in sort of “panic” because of the Tadpole, so shes trying to search for more direct brute like ways (because no time to nitpick around the lock) + her banging on the doors attracts player to discover her up…
This game rn has no slow coherent build up to the things at all…
I hate that Withers is in that place at all, because he seems like someone really important but how we meet him is so meh to me… I would make those ruins just as simple ruins to loot and introduce him somewhere else…

Your journey taking you to unexpected places is part of the fun. And looking for supplies that you need it's a legit reason to check out the place.

But, only on my 4th playthrough i discovered you can get a quest for the ruins in Druid's Grove by interacting with a journal, next to Arron Trader. But if your Tav is not the type to snoop into other people stuff, it's kind of hidden...you have to stealth to read it. https://imgur.com/5Zp6zKh

It's a pretty high DC if I remember. Maybe she doesn't trust her lock-picking proficiency... XD