After completing the Gauntlet of Shar in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll discover the Shadowfell entrance, which can fulfill a quest from the dark goddess. Although you may be eager to explore the mysterious Shar’s realm, it is best to tie up any loose ends, or you will skip out on several storylines. With that being said, we’ll show you what missions you should complete first before accepting the ‘Shadowfell point of no return’ notification.
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All Quests to Complete Before Entering Shadowfell in BG3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Shadowfell acts as a point of no return, pushing the story forward to the next section, locking you out of areas that were previously accessible, and potentially changing the world around you. When players receive the Shadowfell warning, they must either press forward or stick around the area for other active missions.
I highly recommend completing all side quests and exploring available areas before venturing into the Shadowfell, as any encounters or items located within Act 1 or Act 2 will be permanently lost upon moving forward.
After entering the Shadowfell, you will also wind up in several difficult encounters, first with Balthazar (depending on your choices), then with Z’rell, and lastly with Ketheric. Because of the difficulty of these battles, you may find yourself severely struggling to claim victory if you have not completed enough Quests beforehand to gain EXP and raise your level to an appropriate standard.
Here are some Quests within Act 2 that you may want to finish first:
Apart from Quests, you’ll also want to ensure you’ve scavenged all previous areas such as Emerald Grove, the Underdark, the Mountain Pass, and the Shadow-Cursed Lands for any valuable items, as this is often your only chance to nab them for the entirety of your playthrough. While not every item is a must-have, here are a few key powerhouse items that you should add to your checklist:
- Warped Headband of Intellect: Increases the wearer’s INT score to 17. Obtained from Lump the Enlightened’s body at Blighted Village.
- Gloves of Dexterity: Increases the wearer’s DEX score to 18 Purchased or looted from A’jak’nir Jeera at the Githyanki Creche.
- Amulet of Restoration: Grants usage of the Spells Healing Word and Mass Healing Word. Purchased from Derryth Bonecloak at the Myconid Colony in the Underdark.
- The Blood of Lathander: Once per Long Rest, when your hit points are reduced to 0, you regain 2d12 HP. Allies Within radius also regain 1d6 HP. Sheds holy light in a 6m radius. In combat, Fiends and Undead standing in the light are Blinded, unless they succeed a Constitution Saving Throw. Found by completing the Find the Blood of Lathander Quest in the Githyanki Creche.
- Potent Robe: Your cantrips deal additional damage equal to your Charisma Modifier. At the beginning of the wearer’s turn, the robe activates, granting them temporary hit points equal to their Charisma Modifier. You can nab this one as a thank you gift from Alfira for saving the Tieflings from Moonrise Towers.
The Shadowfell entrance is directly related to the Find Ketheric Thorm’s Relic side quest, where you attempt to discover the source of Ketheric’s invulnerability. Generally, you should visit Moonrise Towers first since you will get a mission that will direct you to Shadowfell, earning you some extra EXP along the way.
You also definitely want to rescue Wulbren and the Tieflings from the dungeon. If you complete the Shadowfell first, you won’t encounter the prisoners and will automatically fail the side quest, with the prisoners all dying as a result.
Lastly, exploring the Moonrise Towers before the Shadowfell is also better for the story. After all, there are multiple vendors to spend your hard-earned gold with (or pickpocket) to gain some extra gear for your builds, as well as some unique characters you can meet, such as the likes of Araj Oblodra, a strange drow woman who is very interested in the blood of True Souls. As soon as you enter the Shadowfell, you will be locked out of exploring Moonrise Towers freely, as the story progresses towards the big boss fight against Ketheric to close off Act 2.
After completing the Quest inside the Shadowfell, you will be pushed to rush straight to Moonrise Towers for this fierce combat and then continue into Act 3 for good. Because of this, it is highly important to only enter the Shadowfell once you are content with the level of your party, have completed every Quest you wished to do, and rounded up all items and conversations from the people at Moonrise.
Now that you know the best time to enter Shadowfell, consider checking out other Baldur’s Gate 3 guides on Twinfinite. For instance, you can read our article for the most popular classes in BG3 to see how other fans play the game.
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About the author
Gabriela Jessica
Gabriela has been a Freelance Writer for Twinfinite since 2023. She mainly covers Genshin Impact but also enjoys trying out new games. Her favorites are TOTK, Stardew Valley, RDR2, The Witcher 3, and RE4 Remake. Gabriela has a BA in English Literature from Ma Chung University and loves to spend her time reading novels and manga/anime.
