New (to me) Areas to Explore

[robertleegrant]

LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD!

According to Steam, I have over 1500 hours in this masterpiece of a game. Dozens of playthroughs? What boggles me is I am STILL finding areas that I have never explored before. I think by the time I get to Act III I am ready to push the story so I don't just randomly explore as much. This time I used that illithid flying power to the max and did an aerial tour of Baulder's gate rooftop to rooftop, house to house.

(Also...if you go exploring rooftops in the lower city, you will find a LOT of pigeon feathers and empty nests and some blood splatter. I assume that this is Gale's critter on a killing spree.
Also, things hidden away on the rooftops. Potions and disguise kits. Makes me wonder if these are Thieve's Guild stashes...)

None of what I found was important, really, but the amount of work that went into this game is mind-boggling. Here's some new areas, for me. What are some unexpected areas/encounters you have found off the beaten path?

Bonecloak's Basement
Gotash's Parents?!?
Mystic Carrion (I missed his stuff for a long time)
Hag's Lair in Baulder's Gate
Caves under Underlee's Temple
Blood Vendor's Shop
Retired Illithid Hunter's House
Jahira's House and Basement!

[EricHVela]

There was one that's on one of the beaten paths but a little to the side and easily missed and, even then, not always certain what to do with it. Turns out it's a way to destroy half of an encounter without doing anything else and without turning the remaining enemies aggro at that time (with the right convincing).

New to me. Now, it shall become my standard from here on out.

hashtag: NoSpoil. iykyk

[Orion Invictus]

There are caves under the Sea ♥♥♥♥♥'s temple?

[seeker1]

Potential Spoilers. Not gonna tag, but will warn.

Escrito originalmente por robertleegrant:

Gortash's Parents?!?

Yep, if you meet them, you get to realize homes had HIS OWN PARENTS tadpoled.

Mystic Carrion (I missed his stuff for a long time)
Hag's Lair in Baulder's Gate

The locations that are part of the two most interesting sidequests in Act 3.

... Help the Hag Survivors (AND Save Vanra)
... Free the Artist (AND Deal with Mystic Carrion) ...

Caves under Underlee's Temple
Blood Vendor's Shop

Didn't know about the first, either, in the second case ... are you talking about Araj Oblodra's destroyed little lab of flaming blood in Act 3?

Retired Illithid Hunter's House
Jahira's House!

Not sure what you're referring to in the first case; in the second, I like it, it really gives you a chance to realize, if you haven't up until that point, that Jaheira is a mom with five foster kids, and you get to meet them, and you get to realize how pissed they are they haven't heard from her in a long while.

[seeker1]

Escrito originalmente por Orion Invictus:

There are caves under the Sea ♥♥♥♥♥'s temple?

Apparently. Yeah, I've never been down there, either.

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Water_Queen%27s_Cellar

Seems you can see what loot is down there, if you're interested. (Doesn't sound all that compelling for me.)

[seeker1]

Escrito originalmente por EricHVela:

Turns out it's a way to destroy half of an encounter without doing anything else and without turning the remaining enemies aggro at that time (with the right convincing).

New to me. Now, it shall become my standard from here on out.

hashtag: NoSpoil. iykyk

Maybe you did just allude to what you're talking about with that hashtag, but I'm dense.

EDIT: OK, I'm not dumb enough not to know the abbreviation was "if you know, you know". LOL.

You can continue to be appropriately vague, perhaps another vague hint to this place could help some of us who might want to look for it (if we haven't stumbled into it ourselves).

[Raz]

Escrito originalmente por seeker1:

Potential Spoilers. Not gonna tag, but will warn.

Escrito originalmente por robertleegrant:

Gortash's Parents?!?

Yep, if you meet them, you get to realize homes had HIS OWN PARENTS tadpoled.

I mean, the bastards sold him to Raphael who beat and abused him for years 'til he made a deal with Helisk to break him out. It's zero wonder he tadpoled their asses.

Entire games plotline is set in motion due to these knucklehead parents.

Escrito originalmente por seeker1:

Retired Illithid Hunter's House
Jahira's House!

Not sure what you're referring to in the first case; in the second, I like it, it .

There is a dudes home between the park and where you get to Filgero's makeup/clothing shop, the house has as a main floor and second floor. On the second floor you find out the owner is a retired Adventurer who spent most of his life hunting Illithids on a vendetta and left a book on how to hunt Illithids for anyone who comes across it.

I believe dude comes OUT of retirement because he catches wiffs of Illithids in Baldur's Gate which is the only reason he isn't home when you go in. Bro is out slaughtering squidies.

[Orion Invictus]

Escrito originalmente por seeker1:

Escrito originalmente por Orion Invictus:

There are caves under the Sea ♥♥♥♥♥'s temple?

Apparently. Yeah, I've never been down there, either.

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Water_Queen%27s_Cellar

Seems you can see what loot is down there, if you're interested. (Doesn't sound all that compelling for me.)

It's not about the loot, it's about the newness.

[seeker1]

Escrito originalmente por Raz:

There is a dudes home near the park, the house has as a main floor and second floor. On the second floor you find out the owner is a retired Adventurer who spent most of his life hunting Illithids on a vendetta and left a book on how to hunt Illithids for anyone who comes across it.

Ah. That's Golbraith's Cellar.
https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Golbraith%27s_Cellar

Spoilers again?

Golbraith also has Abdel Adrian's shield, and what appears to be Yoshimo's Katana.

[robertleegrant]

Yes, Araj Oblodra's lab. I didn't trust myself to spell her name correctly. There's a house in act III. Inside is a retired Illidith Hunter who has passed his craft on to his son. He has a pretty cool shield that he will gift the party if prompted. Never did find his son, I think?

Yes, Jahira's house was pretty cool, as was Karlach's parent's tombstones.

[seeker1]

Escrito originalmente por Orion Invictus:

It's not about the loot, it's about the newness.

Yeah, I love the little details, too.

Seems if you gave up Foehammer to the priestesses, his dead body will be down in the cellar.

[seeker1]

Escrito originalmente por robertleegrant:

He has a pretty cool shield that he will gift the party if prompted. Never did find his son, I think?

That shield belonged to Abdel Adrian, who is supposed to be the canonical CHARNAME/Bhaalspawn of BG2 (and is now dead).

Yes, Jahira's house was pretty cool, as was Karlach's parent's tombstones.

Ya know ... I've never visited those tombstones with her, but it's supposed to be a real heartfelt scene if you do.

Ah, it's here. Dammit, there's so much info in the Wiki, and so many things I've missed, and the trick is how to find in the WIki what I haven't found yet, LOL.

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Graveyard_(Lower_City)

Spoiler again?

Apparently, the Ancient/Grand Mausoleum there, if you explore, has a Crumbling Journal that makes obvious what I think most of us all know already ... that Withers is really Jergal.

[robertleegrant]

Escrito originalmente por seeker1:

Escrito originalmente por Orion Invictus:

It's not about the loot, it's about the newness.

Yeah, I love the little details, too.

Seems if you gave up Foehammer to the priestesses, his dead body will be down in the cellar.

I have never gotten that quest to work. Not once. I can never get the priestesses to talk to me. Hey! I know who killed your friend! (no response).

[seeker1]

Quest walkthrough here ... spoilers.
https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Avenge_the_Drowned

I'm not sure if giving Foehammer up to the priestesses is the right thing to do; the robe reward isn't really worth it for me, and some companions will disapprove; I mean, the guy DID take you down to the Iron Throne in his sub, even if you had to trick him into doing so; but he kinda IS responsible for Holli's death, so he deserves some kind of justice. Plus, all along he HAS been helping Gortash keep the Gondians, Omeluum, the Duke, and all his other political prisoners hidden away down there. So look, the guy is basically a prick.

Granted, maybe the kind they dispense to him isn't fair either.
Ah well. Maybe I won't turn him over next time.

[Chaosolous]

I just found that fish place in the Underdark for the first time recently. Not sure how I missed it so many times before.

[EricHVela]

Escrito originalmente por Chaosolous:

I just found that fish place in the Underdark for the first time recently. Not sure how I missed it so many times before.

I wish they would change their chanting if the player managed to change something. I wonder if there's a mod out there for it.