Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to bursting with different choices to make, but one of the most impactful ones comes early on in the story. You’ll need to decide whether your party should journey forth via the Mountain Pass or the Underdark, and committing to one over the other locks you into a different version of Act 2’s conclusion. As such, you wouldn’t be blamed for wanting to know which path you should choose.
Worry not though, as we’re here to provide you with some guidance.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Mountain Pass or Underdark: Rewards and Consequences, Explained
In general, the path you choose to take in Baldur’s Gate 3 should be based on how difficult of a journey you want and which party members’ companion quests you’d like to pursue. But if you want to know what to expect, you can check out our guide on what level you should be for the Mountain Pass.
Both bring you to the Moon Tower and progress the main story in the same way regardless of your choice. However, the Underdark tosses you up against some nasty magical turrets and a rough boss fight almost immediately. The Mountain Pass, meanwhile, eases you into your trek a little more gently and won’t feel as insurmountable.
In terms of the companion quests, the Mountain Pass also offers the chance to progress both Wyll and Lae-zel’s storylines, whereas the Underdark only advances Shadowheart’s. It’s not exactly a deal-breaker if you’re focused on romancing other characters, but it can be inconvenient if you’re looking to be on the best terms possible with everyone.
As such, our personal recommendation is to take the Mountain Pass. It yields the most rewards overall and won’t have you banging your head against a difficulty curve nearly as often with the suitable level.
Can You Go to Both Areas? Answered
With all of this said though, you aren’t entirely locked into one area over the other.
So long as you don’t go past either route’s point of no return — which the game warns you about beforehand in both cases — you can explore both paths to a certain point without consequence. This can be especially useful if you want to maximize the Experience you gain for your characters, as both paths have enemies to fight and tasks to complete.
The only drawback is that this can cost you a lot of time and resources. Going through the Mountain Pass and Underdark can take several hours and exhaust your camping supplies if you aren’t careful, so exploring both paths can leave you drained of everything by the time you reach the Moon Tower.
Consider this carefully before trying to bite off more than you can chew. Should you still wish to see everything possible, we wish you luck and high dice rolls.
And with that, you’re all caught up on whether you should choose the Mountain Pass or the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If there are other topics you need help with, we’ve got you covered with a slew of related guides and articles down below.
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