Baldur’s Gate 3 players love Act 3’s “level 1” D&D side-quest

One Baldur’s Gate 3 side-quest has amused players by essentially being a level-one D&D task snuck into the late-game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 borrows a lot from Dungeons & Dragons, taking plenty of mechanics and lore from 5e. While certainly playable for those who have never played a TTRPG before, D&D players will immediately recognize the game’s classes, iconic monsters and more.

Beyond that, much of the game’s overwhelmingly praised freedom and options come from its tabletop inspirations. D&D players are known for creative, often absurd problem-solving, which Baldur’s Gate 3 manages to replicate even without a human Dungeon Master to keep things moving.

Now, players are drawing attention to a side-quest that feels like it’s pulled straight from a first D&D session – except it doesn’t happen until pretty late in the game.

Even Baldur’s Gate 3’s Journal thinks Act 3 quest is ridiculous

As shared by Reddit user almostb, one Baldur’s Gate side-quest gives players a pretty simple task: kill rats that are in the basement of Elfsong Tavern.

This is a pretty typical first quest for a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Rats are very basic foes that are perfect for level 1 parties and new DMs learning to run combat.

But what makes it so noteworthy in Baldur’s Gate 3 is that the tavern in question isn’t accessible until Act 3 when players are likely at or near the game’s level cap.

The fact that the quest comes so late means completing it will likely be a walk in the park. While there are dozens of rats in the basement, each only has 1 HP, so you’ll get through them pretty quickly if you have any area-of-effect spells like Fireball or Spirit Guardians at your disposal.

As one player put it, “they gave us a Level 1 ah side quest at like… Level 11.”

The commenter also assumed the task was a “red herring” with a much more difficult foe waiting to catch the party off-guard. But while there are more secrets hidden in Elfsong Tavern’s basement, this particular quest is as straightforward as they come.

Making things even more amusing is the Journal entry for the task, which includes the line, “It’s not clear why he can’t just do this himself…” As the poster jokes, “even the journal description questions why you’re doing the sidequest.”

Given how much is at stake in Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s clear killing rats in Elfsong Tavern’s basement is both a poor use of the party’s time and a very easy win.