How Long Does It Take To Beat Baldurs Gate 3 If You Skip Side Quests

Baldur’s Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios, is one of the most expansive role-playing games in recent years. With its deep narrative, complex character systems, and branching dialogue paths, players often spend dozens—if not hundreds—of hours exploring every corner of the Forgotten Realms. But what if your goal isn’t to experience everything, but simply to complete the main storyline as efficiently as possible?

For players with limited time or those who prefer a streamlined experience, skipping side quests can drastically reduce total playtime. Understanding how much time this actually saves—and what trade-offs are involved—is essential for planning your playthrough.

Main Story Focus: What You’re Skipping

Baldur’s Gate 3 is structured across three distinct acts, each containing a central narrative arc that drives the player toward the final confrontation. The main questline involves escaping the mind flayer ship, uncovering the origins of the tadpole infection, navigating political tensions in the region, and ultimately confronting the Elder Brain and other cosmic threats.

Side content in the game is extensive. There are over 40 major side quests and countless minor interactions, companion loyalty arcs, hidden dungeons, optional puzzles, and environmental storytelling elements. While these enrich the world and deepen character development, they aren't required to reach the ending.

By focusing exclusively on the critical path, players bypass:

• Companion personal quests (e.g., Shadowheart’s amulet mystery, Astarion’s vampire lord past)
• Major faction missions (such as helping the Emerald Grove druids or resolving conflicts in Grymforge)
• Exploration rewards (like unlocking hidden areas in the Underdark or rescuing prisoners)
• Optional combat encounters (e.g., defeating Ketheric Thorm or solving the Moonrise Towers puzzle early)

Skipping these doesn’t lock you out of the ending—but it does mean missing significant lore, character growth, and some of the game’s most memorable moments.

Tip: Use an online guide or checklist to identify main story triggers only—this helps avoid accidentally starting a side quest while trying to stay on track.

Estimated Playtime: Main Quest Only

According to data from community tracking sites like HowLongToBeat.com, the average completionist playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 spans between 120–150 hours. However, players who focus solely on the main story report significantly shorter times.

The consensus among speedrunners, minimalists, and time-tracking communities suggests the following estimates:

Playstyle	Average Hours	Key Characteristics
Main Story Only	50–65 hours	No side quests, minimal exploration, direct route
Main + Some Key Companions	75–90 hours	Loyalty quests completed, moderate exploration
Completionist	120+ hours	All quests, all endings explored, multiple playthroughs

Skilled players using optimized builds, fast travel after unlocking it, and efficient decision-making have reported finishing the main story in as little as 48 hours. At the higher end, more cautious or new players may take up to 70 hours even when avoiding tangents.

It’s important to note that “main story” still requires completing certain seemingly optional objectives. For example, progressing through Act 2 often involves entering Moonrise Towers—even though it feels like a major detour. These are considered part of the critical path because later story beats cannot be triggered without them.

Factors That Influence Completion Time

Even within a focused main-story run, several variables affect how quickly you’ll finish Baldur’s Gate 3.

Player Experience Level

Newcomers to CRPGs or turn-based combat may spend extra time learning mechanics, managing inventory, or reloading after difficult fights. Veterans familiar with D&D rules or previous Larian titles (like *Divinity: Original Sin 2*) tend to move faster through both dialogue and combat.

Difficulty Setting

Higher difficulties (especially Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Custom) increase enemy strength and reduce healing effectiveness. This leads to longer battles, more frequent rests, and potentially repeated attempts at tough encounters—adding 10–15 hours in extreme cases.

Party Composition & Build Optimization

A well-balanced party with complementary abilities (e.g., a tank, healer, damage dealer, and crowd control) progresses more smoothly than one built around novelty or roleplay alone. Players skipping side quests benefit greatly from choosing companions who unlock automatically rather than pursuing romance-driven recruitment.

Use of Guides or Spoilers

Players relying on external walkthroughs can skip trial-and-error problem solving, avoid dead-end dialogue branches, and head straight to mission-critical NPCs. This alone can save 8–12 hours over the course of the game.

“We’ve designed the critical path to stand on its own, but the soul of Baldur’s Gate lives in the side stories.” — Swen Vincke, Creative Director at Larian Studios

Step-by-Step Timeline for a Focused Run

If you're aiming to beat Baldur’s Gate 3 in under 60 hours while skipping non-essential content, follow this structured approach:

1. Act 1 – Escape the Nautilus (8–12 hours): Complete the opening sequence, rescue your companions, and defeat the Githyanki Commander. Avoid detours to the goblin camps unless necessary for survival. Head directly to the surface once freed.
2. Travel to Rosymorn Monastery (15–20 hours): En route, ignore most camp interactions. Skip aiding the druids near the river, bypass the Goblin Camp politics, and avoid investigating the strange mirror unless it appears unavoidable. Your sole objective: reach the monastery and confront the central mystery there.
3. Enter Act 2 via Moonrise Towers (12–16 hours): Despite its scale, infiltrating Moonrise Towers is mandatory. Focus only on objectives tied to rescuing Karlach and advancing the main plot. Do not engage with Orin’s full arc or attempt to free the prisoners unless required.
4. Advance to Risen Road and the Myconid Colony (8–10 hours): Travel through the Underdark efficiently. Use fast travel if available. Skip philosophical dialogues with myconids unless they block progression. Retrieve the key item needed to proceed and exit promptly.
5. Final Act – Confront the Source (7–10 hours): In Baldur’s Gate, prioritize meeting with key figures like Duke Ulder Ravengard and progressing toward the climax. Avoid getting drawn into city-wide investigations, noble house intrigues, or companion backstories. Push directly toward the final dungeon and conclusion.

This timeline assumes minimal backtracking, no grinding, and use of optimal routes. It also presumes you accept that emotional depth and world-building will be sacrificed for speed.

Tip: Save before major decisions—even in a rush-through—to preserve the ability to experience alternate outcomes later without replaying entire sections.

Mini Case Study: A 54-Hour Main Story Run

James, a software developer and occasional RPG player, wanted to experience Baldur’s Gate 3’s story without committing months to gameplay. With two young children and a busy schedule, he set a personal challenge: finish the main quest in under 60 hours.

He began by selecting a pre-built character to avoid early-game optimization debates. He recruited only mandatory companions—Shadowheart, Gale, and Karlach—and avoided romantic subplots. During Act 1, he ignored the goblin chief Ifan’s fate and skipped the Spirit Tree entirely, losing access to Lae’zel’s full arc but saving nearly three hours.

In Act 2, James used a minimalist walkthrough to identify which rooms in Moonrise Towers were essential. He avoided fighting Ketheric until the story forced it and didn’t attempt to break his immortality early. When given dialogue options that led to extended cutscenes or moral dilemmas, he chose the fastest resolution—even if it meant less satisfying outcomes.

By Act 3, he had unlocked fast travel and moved swiftly between key locations. He skipped the Watcher’s Keep side dungeon and avoided engaging with the City of Coin’s criminal underworld. His final battle occurred at the 54-hour mark, and he experienced one of the canonical endings without seeing most of the game’s alternate conclusions.

“I missed the deeper layers,” James admitted afterward, “but I got the core story—the struggle against the mind flayers, the weight of choice, the final sacrifice. That was enough for me this time.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you truly skip all side quests and still finish the game?

Yes. Every objective required to trigger the final sequence is part of the main questline. Some quests feel optional but are actually gatekeepers—for instance, retrieving the \"Nameless One’s Essence\" in Act 3 is labeled as a personal mission but blocks progression. As long as you distinguish between truly optional content and disguised main objectives, you can skip the rest.

Do you miss important items or gear if you skip side quests?

You do miss powerful equipment—such as the Slayer’s Armor from Wyll’s quest or the Black Dragon transformation from Minthara’s arc—but the main story provides sufficient gear upgrades to remain viable. Smart resource management and level scaling ensure you won’t be underpowered, even on higher difficulties.

Does skipping side content affect the ending?

Only partially. The final cinematic and ultimate outcome depend on key choices made during main quests (e.g., destroying or claiming the Dark Urge). Companion presence and approval influence epilogue slides, but their absence doesn’t prevent reaching the end. However, skipping major arcs means fewer post-game epilogue scenes and reduced emotional payoff.

Checklist: How to Stay on the Critical Path

• ✅ Identify which quests are labeled “Main” in your journal
• ✅ Avoid initiating conversations with NPCs unless prompted by the story
• ✅ Decline invitations to investigate mysteries or help strangers
• ✅ Use fast travel aggressively once unlocked
• ✅ Stick to default companions; don’t go out of your way to recruit others
• ✅ Consult a main-story-only guide if unsure whether a task is required
• ✅ Save before pivotal moments to preserve options for future playthroughs

Conclusion: Speed vs. Depth in a Living World

Baldur’s Gate 3 rewards patience, curiosity, and engagement. But not every player has the luxury of time—and that’s okay. Completing the main story in roughly 50–65 hours by skipping side quests is a valid and achievable goal. It allows you to grasp the overarching narrative, experience the game’s dramatic highs, and understand why it captivated millions.

However, consider this first run a foundation. Once you’ve seen where the road leads, you might find yourself returning to explore the paths you passed by—the whispered secrets in shadowed alleys, the unspoken pain behind a companion’s smile, the quiet heroism of saving someone no one else remembers.

🚀 Ready to begin your journey? Whether you blaze through the main story or wander every hidden trail, Baldur’s Gate 3 awaits. Start your next adventure today—and decide how deeply you want to dive.