Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot of content to explore in each of its three acts, but it's possible for the party to end up locking themselves out of content depending on the order in which they visit specific areas or complete quests. The most obvious points of no return for completing content in a certain act occur when the party is getting ready to move to the next act, and a pop-up appears to warn them that they can't go back if they continue past that point. However, some content locks are much easier to miss.

Once the party gets to Act 3, there are a lot of questlines that can be started, and quite a few quests that start in previous acts end here. The problem is that the design of Act 3 has the party spending the majority of their time in the city of Baldur's Gate and its surrounding areas, which leads to a much less linear structure. Therefore, if the party doesn't know how certain questlines interact with each other, they can end up locking themselves out of content depending on the order in which they complete objectives, and that's frustrating.

You Should Briefly Visit The Steel Watch Foundry First In BG3

The Source Of Gortash's Security

In Act 3, Karlach wants revenge against Gortash, who is the reason she ended up in Avernus. Wyll wants to save his dad from Gortash, having discovered that he's being controlled and imprisoned so that Gortash has more power within the city.

Additionally, the party has the task of getting Gortash's Netherstone from him, which usually means killing him, but the Steel Watch guarding him and watching the citizens in the streets makes that a tough situation. Unfortunately, these three tasks interact with each other in ways that can prevent the other tasks from being completed.

It's possible to complete all three tasks, but only if they're done in a specific order. Otherwise, one or more of them will end up being unavailable due to the consequences that come with completing them in a different order. In order to avoid locking content, the party should visit the Steel Watch Foundry first, but avoid completing the area. Instead, only go far enough into the foundry to find and speak with the Gondians, who explain that they're being forced to work because their family have been imprisoned and will be killed if they disobey.

Once the party speaks with the Gondians, they're able to pick up a quest to help free the Gondians' family , and then they'll receive help with deactivating the Steel Watch in return. Luckily, the Iron Throne is where those prisoners are being held, and that's the same location where Wyll's dad is being imprisoned. However, continuing through the foundry will result in the Iron Throne no longer being accessible, since Gortash isn't thrilled about the Steel Watch being deactivated, and he's needed to go to the Iron Throne.

You Should Go To The Iron Throne Before Disabling The Steel Watch

Saving The Gondians And Wyll's Dad

After visiting the Gondians at the foundry and learning about their plight, the party needs to leave the area. At this point, the party doesn't need to travel much deeper into the foundry to cause the hostages to be killed, thereby preventing any rescue attempts to help the Gondians, so it's safer to take a step back at this point if the party plans on saving the Gondians - or even plans to ignore them to help Wyll's dad. Otherwise, there's a risk of locking the Iron Throne and making it inaccessible.

It can feel like saving the Gondians in the Iron Throne isn't worth it in BG3, because the encounter has a turn limit. This makes it tough to save every Gondian that's being held captive, but even saving a few Gondians will earn the party their help when deactivating the Steel Watch, and give them help at the end of the game during the final raid against the Netherbrain. Saving some Gondians also gives the party access to more story content. So, while it's a tough encounter, it's worth attempting to save both the Gondians and Wyll's dad.

Of course, there are some strategies that make saving the prisoners in the Iron Throne a bit easier. Spells that provide movement are invaluable, so either equip casters with these spells, or prepare scrolls with them in advance. These spells include Haste, Fly, Dimension Door, and Command spells to deal with enemies. Additionally, Dash, Enhanced Leap, and Longstrider are great tools to have at the party's disposal, and the characters with these abilities should focus on getting Iron Throne prisoners to a safe location.

After clearing the Iron Throne and hopefully saving at least a few Gondians and Wyll's dad, the party can return to the Steel Watch Foundry without fear that they'll lock themselves out of more content if they enter with the intent of disabling the Steel Watch this time. Just like the section where the party storms Moonrise Tower, fighting through the foundry is easier with even a small amount of extra help. Without their family being used as leverage, the Gondians at the factory are willing to help the party.

Step Lightly Around Gortash Before The Iron Throne In BG3

Gortash Can Destroy The Iron Throne

The party will usually speak with Gortash at least at his ceremony when they enter Act 3, but it's possible to visit him in his office rather early, like right after he's given his title, to be exact. Karlach wants her revenge, so it might be tempting to go after him as soon as possible, but doing this is a mistake if the party wants to save Wyll's dad and have the chance to help the Gondians. It's far too easy to engage in a fight with Gortash when meeting with him in his office, but the party needs to hold back, otherwise he'll blow up the Iron Throne.

Baldur's Gate 3 is an amazing adventure with a lot to explore, but there are some quests that need to be done in a specific order if a party is looking to complete as much content as possible during their run. That's why it's good to go into Act 3, in particular, with a plan. While it can be frustrating to end up locked out of content, it's always possible to start a new journey and try again in Baldur's Gate 3.