So FYI, Act 2 isn't shorter than Act 1

[Poop King]

A lot of people saying act 2 is too short - they likely skipped one of the areas.

Act 1 is the overworld part and underdark.

Act 2 has the Gith Creche map and Shadow place. If you only do one area you will likely find it too short.

I'm 23 hours into act 2, did the creche first then moonrise, and I'm nowhere near done. Act 1 people say on average takes about 30 hours, so it seems about the same. I took 3 restarts doing Act 1 so didn't time how long it took the last time.

[Caldrin]

Act 2 is a good size and change of pace after act 1 really enjoyed it .

[i2um1]

I have 115 hours in total. A difficulty level is Tactician Mode.

Act 1 = 30 hours - I did everything, killed Lae'zel
Act 2 = 40 hours - My friend killed everybody in the first city on the first encounter and all githyanki in the camp - too many arrogant people here you know
Act 3 = 45 hours - I killed Gortash before the coronation and didn't finish several boring quests

The time is small because it's co-op so you can do things faster and don't spend time on the inventory game. I opened all boxes of course.

[Fluff]

Originally posted by Skobone:

Originally posted by StepBroccoli:

Creche / Monastery is Act 2.

Misplaced achievement is another thing but it doesn't matter much. Unless people live their life as steam achievements tell them without questioning. You lose some quests if you proceed without completing them first.

You receive the same warning from the boat to Grymforge. Grymforge is Act 1 all the same.

Grymforge doesn't have same warning and doesn't end your quests from Act 1 as incompleted.

Act 2 starts with area that render your unfinished quests as incompleted / failed.

If some people use their head only for food and let steam achievements decide their life and f*ck their wife - their choice, I don't care. But I play GOG version offline and having to reload previous save to finish quests I forgot because game rendered them as failed, showed me where Act 1 ends much better than a misplaced steam achievement that noone cares about.

[Moist Butt]

i am surprised that ppl are still confused about act 1 and act 2. u literally get an achievement that pops up saying u finished act x.

[Shyba]

Originally posted by StepBroccoli:

Originally posted by Skobone:

You receive the same warning from the boat to Grymforge. Grymforge is Act 1 all the same.

Grymforge doesn't have same warning and doesn't end your quests from Act 1 as incompleted.

Act 2 starts with area that render your unfinished quests as incompleted / failed.

If some people use their head only for food and let steam achievements decide their life and f*ck their wife - their choice, I don't care. But I play GOG version offline and having to reloaded previous save to finish quests I forgot showed me where Act 1 ends much better than a misplaced steam achievement that noone cares about.

again only the grove quest "times out" on going to mountain pass (and it does the same if you go to Grymforge) Gyrmforge warning is there A for that.. and B because you can't LEAVE once you go without timing out the Nere rescue. so it needs to say HEY ARE YOU SURE?
Grymforge is clearly "act 1" still in most peoples minds.. so why is mountain pass apparently Act 2? (despite the obvious DEV CREATED achievment that only pops on entering the shadow lands)

[mitchincredible]

Originally posted by Poop King:

A lot of people saying act 2 is too short - they likely skipped one of the areas.

Act 1 is the overworld part and underdark.

Act 2 has the Gith Creche map and Shadow place. If you only do one area you will likely find it too short.

I'm 23 hours into act 2, did the creche first then moonrise, and I'm nowhere near done. Act 1 people say on average takes about 30 hours, so it seems about the same. I took 3 restarts doing Act 1 so didn't time how long it took the last time.

Act 2 is just the Shadow land however I think it's pretty chonky with content if you take your time with it

[Fluff]

Originally posted by Shyba:

That is untrue and you can leave Nere. It times out after 3 long rests. Info in the internet for a long time already.

[Moist Butt]

Originally posted by StepBroccoli:

Originally posted by Shyba:

That is untrue and you can leave Nere. It times out after 3 long rests. Info in the internet for a long time already.

its 1 long rest... at least that was for me.

[Fluff]

Actually we even have some info in steam as well https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3024365536

3 camp visits mark a fail* or more than a long rest ye. But after you initiated the quest itself, so after you got info about clearing the rubble. You can investigate all forge before that with rests afaik.

[Sevati]

They key to not missing tons of act 2 content is: DO NOT finish the Gauntlet of Shar (from the way point after the trials, the second way point) until you finished up things up in the zone, including the early stuff where you can infiltrate Moonrise Towers, prior to raiding the place with Jaheria, There are a couple other skip events too.

First time I did the Gauntlet early, and missed a lot of content as a result because it triggers many things that make you skip the entire infiltration and rescue aspects and some other stuff.

It still feels a lot shorter than Act 1. I have around 85 to 90 hours in Act 1 and only 65 or so or so in Act 2, with all Act 2 content done save completing the last part of the Gauntlet of Shar and the following invasion and after and end stuff. They may be about equal.

I assume people are speed skipping a lot of things from side quests to voice dialogue, or not reloading to see what other options there are that lead to more content. I assume there is a lot more evil play through content which I will never see because I have zero desire or curiosity to be evil.

Many of those hours are also AFK time mostly in Act 2.

Mountain Pass and Underdark/Grymforge are both Act 1. You can do both, just don't do the triggers from either zone to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands from either Mountain Pass or Grymforge.

In Act 2, Finishing the Gauntlet will lock you out of most the Act 1, and anything uncompleted there, way points, quests, etc. I can still go back in my current play through where i have done all the Shadow Cursed zone content up the infiltration visit stuff at the moment. I saved the last step of the Gauntlet for when I am ready to trigger things to move forward. Its not intuitive (and also a bit unfortunate that you find the Gauntlet so soon in Act 2) that completing the Gauntlet makes some huge and sweeping changes to what you can do in Moonrise Towers. How you handle the things before lifting the curse also leads to some interesting changes.

Anyone figure out if a one of the cats like Steelclaw or His Majesty can be gained as a camp pet?

[Shyba]

Originally posted by StepBroccoli:

Originally posted by Shyba:

That is untrue and you can leave Nere. It times out after 3 long rests. Info in the internet for a long time already.

leaving Grymforge in anyway advances that timer same as a camp visit not just long resting (he's died on me just going to the myconid colony and that's sure as hell not a long rest)

just like you can long rest a few times before the ritual happens. but GOING to grymforge/MP automatically advances it to the next stage regardless of current state (Raid happens or Tieflings leave both are bad if you haven't cleaned it up yourself)

the grymforge warning exists for that. just like there's a warning on the elevator and the END of MP for "hey are you sure?" to advance to act 2.

[Fluff]

Originally posted by Shyba:

No to everything. I understand you want it to be true, but it's not. I teleported everywhere on a map from grimforge without failing a quest, visited vendora multiple times and took rests before initiating an exact quest to clear marble and save Nero. I linked steam stamps and there is more detailed in internet as well for other people' experience.

While proceeding past Act 1 via any of 2 roads cancel and fail several quests if you haven't finish them. But honestly I am getting tired of repeating it, so am out. You do you

[Moist Butt]

Originally posted by StepBroccoli:

Originally posted by Shyba:

No to everything. I understand you want it to be true, but it's not. I teleported everywhere on a map from grimforge without failing a quest, visited vendora multiple times and took rests before initiating an exact quest to clear marble and save Nero. I linked steam stamps and there is more detailed in internet as well for other people' experience.

While proceeding past Act 1 via any of 2 roads cancel and fail several quests if you haven't finish them. But honestly I am getting tired of repeating it, so am out. You do you

So let me get this straight. your main argument is because certain quest fails means it must be act 2?

If so explain why I can't go to creche or gyrmforge (act 2 area according to u) after defeating ketheric? Everywhere else is accessible. I mean one explanation is that creche and gyrmforge is act 1 area, but clearly that's not the case here so enlighten me.

There's also another logic flaw in that argument because the same type of stuff happens in act 2 as well. Once u "retrieve" the nightsong in act 2 a bunch of quests can potentially fail if u dont complete them first. Does that mean once u retrieve the nightsong u have entered act 3? Ofc not. Basically u can fail quest without entering into a new act and if u finished act 2 u would know what I am talking about.

It doesnt make sense from a theme perspective either. The emphasis of act 1 was learning about the infection/absolute and finding a cure. All the sub quest line of "find a cure" takes place in act 1 and goes with the main theme. If we assume MP is act 2 then it makes "find the githyanki creche" the only sub quest line under "find a cure" that takes place in act 2. Doesn't feel right at all with what act 2 is suppose to accomplish.

[i2um1]

Originally posted by Sevati:

Mountain Pass and Underdark/Grymforge are both Act 1. You can do both, just don't do the triggers from either zone to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands from either Mountain Pass or Grymforge.

Mountain Pass is act 2 because Steam gives me an achievement.

[Sevati]

Originally posted by i2um1:

Originally posted by Sevati:

Mountain Pass and Underdark/Grymforge are both Act 1. You can do both, just don't do the triggers from either zone to enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands from either Mountain Pass or Grymforge.

Mountain Pass is act 2 because Steam gives me an achievement.

Perhaps the Achievement is a bug and should be changed to when you actually enter the Shadow Cursed Lands from Mountain Pass or Grymforge?

Those things do happen. There are a boatload of missing achievements from Early Access that never made it to release, perhaps since Mountain Pass was not a part of early access that is why. Underdark was.

You can do BOTH, though I never tried Mountain Pass first, I always do Underdark and Grymforge first then go back.

One path Must be taken to Shadow Cursed Lands, but as far as I can tell Shadow Cursed lands cannot be skipped so calling Act 2 Mountain Pass does not make sense if there isn't a companion and exclusive Achievement for the Underdark/Grymforge to the same destination and the two entry points in Shadow Cursed Lands are not too far apart. Its more like Goblin Path vs Harper/Halsin Path. You meet the Drider/Goblin caravan going thru mountain pass and you meet the Harpers going up the Grymforge Elevator and through the Shar Shrine at the top.

If you skip Mountain Pass then does that mean you don't get that Achievement?

Also if so, and its critical to other internal parts of the game, then there is a whole boatload of bugs and people missing content likely around that Steam Award Designation that seems very misplaced if that is truly how it works.

Choose path A get achievement, Choose path B no achievement, Do both... moot point.

The problem with the Steam Achievement is pretty clear, it should be on entering Shadow Cursed Lands. I wouldn't call that a game or content bug, but a Steam Integration bug and apparently for people who like and care about those things the "law of the land"

Personally, if that is true, only mountain pass and its a very short walk around a corner to the Shadow-Cursed Lands. I think both of those paths are grey areas in terms of the story and content. Act 2 is clearly Shadow Cursed Lands to me. There is zero point in returning if you did the previous zones once you enter shadow cursed lands and everything you wanted from there, other than maybe to farm for gold draining vendors.

You don't even really have to do anything in Mountain Pass, zero content just walk a short distance to enter Shadow Cursed Lands. Same with the Underdark/Grymforge path which is much longer and I think there are certrain things without stealth/invis you are forced to participate in.