Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 begins with the players on the outskirts of the titular city. Unfortunately, although there is lots to do in Rivington, a large stronghold called Wyrm’s Rock Fortress stands in the way.
To get to the heart of Act 3, players must find their way inside Wyrm’s Rock, which, like other key tasks in Baldur’s Gate 3, has a few options. None of them are simple, but they all result in the drawbridges being lowered and the route ahead being opened.
Bribe the Guards
Regardless matter how the situation at the South Span Checkpoint concludes, players may be on edge. Even if the Steel Watch had detained the group, the Flaming Fist guards at the drawbridge are eager to converse with them without suspicion. They will not, however, lower the bridge even to a Baldurian since Gortash’s coronation is now taking place on the fortress’s upper level.
The most straightforward method is for players to use Persuasion to give a bribe to the Flaming Fist guards. This, however, is a horrible idea for two reasons: First, the Persuasion check is against a DC of 25, which is quite tough. Second, even if the players succeed, the bribe costs 20,000 gold. This price may devastate even the most affluent parties, with the sole reward being access to Wyrm’s Rock. Players should avoid this strategy even if they have 20,000 gold since there are numerous cheaper methods to access the castle.
Get a Pass
By completing the different missions in Rivington, players may get at least two passes that the gate guards cannot afford to overlook. One comes from examining the odd toys, and the other from solving the Open Hand Temple murder.
To easily get the Open Hand Temple pass, players should enter the temple, interact with the hollyphant investigator, and then go to the Fraygos Flophouse on the South Span Bridge.Unlock the closet on the top level to get access to a hidden area, then take the Bloodstained Parchment. Present this parchment to the hollyphant, who is presently in the Sharess’ Caress across the street. Players will get the Lower City Pass, which will allow them to enter Wyrm’s Rock.
Getting the suspicious toys through is a little more difficult. Players must search Arfur’s Mansion’s basement for the Blackmail Letter, as well as sneak into the Requisitioned Barn and check the box of toy bears. Confront Arfur and intimidate him to discover what he knows after completing both tasks in any order. He’ll send an invitation to the coronation celebration.
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Get Arrested
The jail in this location is located on Wyrm’s Rock, on the fortress’s lowest level. This indicates that one method of getting beyond the drawbridge is to get the party imprisoned and then escape from jail. The South Span Checkpoint is one possible location for this, while being trapped in the Requisitioned Barn is another. Players should also be aware that this method only requires the arrest of one party member.
Players must interact with the skull on the rear wall shelf to escape the jail cell. The skull will offer to liberate the captives, however it will transport them close to the equipment chest if they properly answer two riddles and next to the guards if they fail. The correct responses are “a shadow” and “an anvil.”
Once out of the cell, the party must remain silent for two real-time minutes. Otherwise, the group will be forced to battle their way out of the jail. One ideal hiding area is on the opposite side of a damaged wall near the major crossroads of the jail. When the “on the lam” condition expires, players may either escape the jail by breaching a wall in the prison’s storeroom or use Deception to persuade the guards that they’re only visiting.
Leap Across
The Baldur’s Gate 3 party has a clean shot to a natural passage along the base of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress from a location east of the drawbridge. The jump can deliver 30 to 40 damage, but the party should be able to survive the fall at this stage in the game. Players may prevent this harm by using Feather Fall spells or potions, as well as other spells such as Misty Step and Dimension Door.
Once the party has reached this lower path, they can either go around the fortress’s east side to find a crack that leads into the prison (behind the storehouse’s weak wall), or they can go around the fortress’s west side to find a wooden platform and a set of vines that lead up to the fort’s Audience Chamber. To enter, the party must choose or break open a door, but the Flaming Fist guard inside will not assault or arrest them. They will get agitated if players attempt to open one of the inner doors, so hide and wait for them to turn around before doing so.
Spells, Abilities, and Glitches
If all else fails, or if players are feeling especially creative, there are a few ways to use spells and other abilities to bypass the drawbridge more directly.
- While the drawbridge makes the space beyond it “out of sight” for spells like Misty Step and Dimension Door, Baldur’s Gate 3 characters who can fly thanks to Bestow Flight and other abilities can pass through the bridge as if it wasn’t there.
- Characters can walk along the ledge just below the statue to the west of the drawbridge. A party member who reaches this ledge and who has a strong jumping ability can leap through the space between the bridge and the wall.
- A good jumping ability can also get a party member onto the roof southwest of the drawbridge, and from here a triple jump can cross to the upper level of Wyrm’s Rock. The balcony is a little higher than the roof, so the jumper won’t take falling damage.
- This rooftop is just close enough for a Dimension Door spell to reach the southwest corner of the upper fort level.
The Steel Watch will stand down whenever one of the party members reaches the Audience Chamber or the main corridor through Wyrm’s Rock, and Gortash will offer the group an alliance. Players may reply in whatever way they like, but the encounter will conclude amicably, and both Wyrm’s Rock drawbridges will descend. Players get free access to the city of Baldur’s Gate from now until the conclusion of the game.
