Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a ton of quests, but some of them can fail if you dawdle. Players have compiled a list of which quests those are.
How can quests fail?
- Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you to rest. However, a long rest ends the day, which can cause quests to fail.
- However, there are certain triggers. For instance, you can take as much time as you want to explore each of the 3 acts. Only when a certain point is reached does the time run out.
- On Reddit, a player has gathered information from dozens of others and listed the quests that can fail if you dawdle too much.
These quests can fail: We have translated the list from Neville_Lynwood for you here and added information in some places. However, it’s not possible to keep the list completely spoiler-free. Those who want to explore the game entirely for themselves should skip the spoiler boxes here. There is more information below.
A general note: not only a rest can advance the time. For some quests, it may even be enough if you visit the camp or leave the area too often. We have confirmed many of the quests already, but not all.
Act 1
- True Soul Nere in the Underdark: Nere and the gnomes die if you rest for too long or leave the area as soon as you learn about the collapse.
- Owlbear: In the quest where you can get the owlbear cub, the owlbear is killed by goblins if you do not solve the task yourself before a long rest.
- Druid’s Ritual: If you do not stop Kagha or bring Halsin back, the grove will be sealed off after some time. The exact number of rests is still unclear.
- Lae’zel and the Githyanki: If you do not free Lae’zel yourself, she will be gone after a long rest, and you will find her corpse later. The same happens if you visit the camp after the cutscene at the mountain pass. You can resurrect the corpse.
- Halsin: Halsin will free himself if you start the attack on the grove or kill all 3 leaders before talking to him.
- Waukeen’s Rest: All people in the inn burn if you do not free them immediately upon entering the area.
- Examine the Beach: If you rest after starting the quest or finish the grove quest, the harpies will kill the young tiefling if you do not free him first.
- Arabella: The tiefling girl will be killed by Kagha if you do not save her. The exact timer is not yet known.
- Caravan Raid: The guards are dead if you rest for too long after discovering the gnoll attack.
- Tiefling Bard: If you want to learn the songs from the bard, you must do so before the goblin attack.
- Gnome at the Windmill in the Destroyed Village: The gnome disappears if you find him and rest for too long.
- Tiefling at the Telescope (no quest): A cave troll kills the tiefling woman if you do not save her. The troll moves as soon as you discover it.
Act 2
- Inn of the Last Light: All NPCs there are dead or taken over if you take a long rest after the quest with the Night Song. This also includes Jaheria, one of the possible companions.
- Prisoners in the Towers: The gnomes (and possible other prisoners) will be killed if you do not rescue them. The exact timer is unknown.
Act 3
- Headlines in the Newspaper: If you take a long rest after starting the quest, the press will report poorly about you.
- Kidnapping: Orin kills the refugee girl and your companion if you take too much time. If you complete the Tribunal quest, the timer should disappear.
- Execution of the Prisoners: Florric will be executed after 5 days.
- Gortash’s Coronation: If you kill Orin first, everyone except Gortash and his guards will die after a while. Exact number of days unknown.
If you know any more quests or can provide some of the numbers here, feel free to leave us a comment. We will try to keep the list as up to date as possible.
A short rest helps you heal without wasting time:
Resting and Healing as a Story Feature
If you want to prevent too much time from passing in the game, you should take a short rest more often. However, keep in mind that you can only do this 2 times a day. So plan your rests well.
Alternatively, you can heal with spells, potions, and even certain foods. Raspberries, for example, can be consumed for health points.
Also, it is helpful to rotate the characters. Leave injured companions at the camp and take those who are still fresh with you. Depending on the group, you may need shorter rests: Fighters and Warlocks, for example, are back to full strength after each short rest, making them ideal beginner classes.
Lastly, many players say that such time-sensitive quests are part of the story. Even heroes cannot achieve everything in one day, and if someone dies because of this, it is tragic but part of their story. Deciding when to rest or when to push through injured is part of the role-playing experience.
Alternatively, you can simply ignore what happens to the people around you. But then you have to live with the consequences:
Baldur’s Gate 3: I wanted to be really evil, but the game rubs it in my face
