Every Act in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ Ranked

With players easily clocking over 80 hours of gameplay in Baldur’s Gate 3, newcomers might feel a little intimidated by the game’s sheer size. And I won’t sugarcoat things, it’s a big ol’ game! I took my time and still barely even scratched the surface of all the content you can discover and experience.

What might makes things a little less massive is knowing that Baldur’s Gate 3 is divided into three separate acts. Each of these acts varies in scale, quest variety, and narrative scope, yet they all come together seamlessly to create a pretty memorable adventure.

That said, even though each act is incredibly fun, some are more gripping than others! After a bit of deliberation, this is the ranking we feel is most honest to the game’s whole experience. You’re welcome to share your own rankings in the comments!

Act 2

Act 2 is where you finally start to unravel the deeper mysteries of the game. You think things are going to go one way, but they end up going in pretty surprising directions. Your relationships deepen, face challenges, and yes, you’re forced to pick a romance if you were a filthy little animal like me and put your hand in multiple jars at once.

It’s the smallest act in the game, yet Act 2 packs some of the most cinematically gripping and exciting quests, so if there’s any part of the game you should thoroughly explore, it’s this one. I think a lot of what makes this act so exciting is how small it is, since the devs could give more attention to each and every facet of it.

Plus, this is the act where you meet Jaheira, who is perfect in literally every way.

Act 1

Act 1 is the prologue, the setup to it all, the big cheese, the one we spent hours playing in Early Access until there was literally no stone left unturned. In this act, you’re just trying to figure out what to do with the tadpole that’s been jammed in your brain, and there’s a variety of ways you can go about this.

This is the act where you meet some of the most essential characters that you’ll likely run into later, including most of your companions. You can start building friendships and helping your buds out, you can get a little weird and antagonistic, and you can even start a friendship/situationship or two. The possibilities are just beginning to open up for you and your sick widdle brain, and the mystery of it all is engrossing.

Act 3

As the biggest act in Baldur’s Gate 3 by far, Act 3 can be a little stuttery and clunky, but it’s also immensely satisfying since you finally get to see so many things through to completion. Try not to listen to the naysayers out there who say it’s the worst part of the game; yes, it’s pretty buggy, and the sheer size of it forced me to pace myself, but it’s still incredibly cool to roam around the city of Baldur’s Gate and discover the many things within it.

Just because Act 3 is on the bottom here doesn’t mean it’s “bad.” It just gets knocked down half a peg or so for the bugs and the overwhelming nature of it. I still thoroughly enjoyed playing through Act 3, if only because by then, your party is a powerhouse that can easily handle most fights.

(featured image: Larian Studios)