Time sensitive activities

Time Sensitive Activities are activities that automatically end based on the party moving to a certain location, completing a quest, or performing a number of Long Rests.

General Trigger Points

There are various points in the game where a pop up appears asking the party if they wish to proceed to the next area and suggesting they tie up loose ends. If the party proceeds on, this causes many interactions and events to automatically resolve. These major choke points are as follows:

• Entering the Mountain Pass for the first time.
• Entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
• Entering the Shadowfell.
• Leaving the Shadow-Cursed Lands for Baldur's Gate at the end of Act Two.
• Entering the Morphic Pool at the end of Act Three.

Time-Sensitive Interactions

Recruiting Shadowheart on the Ravaged Beach

• Event Starter: Completing the prologue after rescuing Shadowheart.
• Length of Time: Shadowheart will wake up and leave for the Druid Grove alone if not interacted with before going to camp, fast traveling, or entering the Grove.

Bugbear Assassinates Nadira

• Event Starter: Approaching Nadira's location.
• Length of Time: The Bugbear immediately begins sneaking up to Nadira and sneak attacks her unless the party initiates combat.

Ethel's Shop in the Druid Grove

• Event Starter: Entering the Druid Grove
• Length of Time: Ethel leaves the Grove after the party enters the Sunlit Wetlands or after she is robbed for the first time (regardless of whether the player got caught or not).

True Soul Edowin's Family

• Event Starter: Approaching the location of Edowin.
• Length of Time: Edowin's siblings leave after returning to camp or Fast Travel.

Owlbear Cave

• Event Starter: Interacting with the Owlbear in the Owlbear Nest.
• Length of Time: The owlbear dies after one Long Rest.

Aradin and his gang

• Event Starter: Approaching Aradin near the entrance to the Blighted Village if he decided not to stay in the Emerald Grove.
• Length of Time: Aradin and his band of adventurers leave after one Long Rest or Fast Travel.

Dying Illithid

• Event Starter: Starting Act One
• Length of Time: Entering the Shattered Sanctum. The goblins steal the illithid's corpse for Dror Ragzlin to commune with. Entering the Emerald Grove, the Illithid will already be dead and you only find the body.

Dolly Thrice

• Event Starter: Acquiring Kar'niss' Moonlantern.
• Length of Time: Dolly Thrice dies if the party doesn't free her before entering Act Three.

Time Sensitive Quests

See also the category Time-Sensitive Quests for a list of quests

Companion Quests

The Wizard of Waterdeep

• Event Starter: Gale reveals he needs magical artefacts to survive.
• Length of Time: Gale is not fed an artefact for two Long Rests.

The Githyanki Warrior

• Event Starter: Approaching the githyanki patrol with Lae'zel in the party (Triggered after the cutscene, when she walks down).
• Length of Time: Lae'zel dies after one Long Rest if Kith'rak Voss is not spoken to.

Our Fiery Friend

• Event Starter: Start of quest.
• Length of Time: Karlach leaves the party if Anders and the Paladins of Tyr are not killed for Hunt the Devil and the party enters the Mountain Pass or Shadow-Cursed Lands.

Act One

Explore the Ruins

• Event Starter:
  • Approaching the Chapel Entrance north of the Overgrown Ruins X: 287 Y: 332, either falling through the cracked stone or using the door.
  • A hatch on a nearby cliff X: 317 Y: 363
  • Lockpicking the Ancient Door X: 284 Y: 305 northeast of the Overgrown Ruins waypoint (DC 20), then use the Heavy Oak Doors to enter the crypt.
• Length of Time: Withers disappears from the tomb after entering the courtyard of the goblin camp.

Find the Missing Shipment

• Event Starter: Approaching the cave on the Risen Road.
• Length of Time: One Long Rest causes Rugan and Olly to be killed by the gnolls.

Investigate the Beach

• Event Starter: Approaching the beach north of the Inner Sanctum.
• Length of Time: Completing a Long Rest causes Mirkon to die.

Raid the Grove

• Event Starter: Freeing Sazza or informing Minthara of the Druid Grove's location.
• Length of Time: The goblin leaders disappear after one Long Rest.

Rescue the Gnome

• Event Starter: Start of quest.
• Length of Time: After entering the Mountain Pass or Shadow-Cursed Lands, Barcus Wroot dies and his corpse can be found in the Blighted Village.

Rescue the Grand Duke

• Event Starter: Approaching Waukeen's Rest.
• Length of Time: One Long Rest or Fast Travel.

Rescue the Trapped Man

• Event Starter: Approaching Waukeen's Rest.
• Length of Time: One Long Rest or Fast Travel.

Rescue the Druid Halsin

• Event Starter: Learning about Halsin being last seen in the Goblin Camp.
• Length of Time: Entering the Mountain Pass or the Shadow-Cursed Lands causes Halsin to die in his cell. If freeing him but not celebrating / doing a long rest before passing a trigger point, Halsin quests can still be completed. Take a look at "Rescue the Druid Halsin#Notes".

Save Arabella

• Event Starter: Approaching the Inner Sanctum of the Druid Grove.
• Length of Time: Completing Defeat the Goblins or Raid the Grove.

Save the Goblin Sazza

• Event Starter: Start of quest
• Length of Time: Completing Defeat the Goblins or Raid the Grove causes Sazza to die. Entering the Mountain Pass or the Shadow-Cursed Lands before finishing the quests causes this quest to complete with the following journal entry: "We didn't free Sazza. Who knows what happened to her?"

Save the Refugees

• Event Starter: Start of quest
• Length of Time: Entering the Mountain Pass or the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
  • If leaving without completing Investigate Kagha, the Rite of Thorns is completed, blocking all outsiders from the Druid Grove.
  • If leaving after completing Investigate Kagha, but before finishing Defeat the Goblins, the grove will still be accessible, but the tieflings will be gone. The journal entry says: "We left without helping the tieflings. They'll likely die on the road." Entering the Mountain Pass or the Shadow-Cursed Lands after completing Defeat the Goblins but before taking a long rest to trigger the party that night will produce the same effect.
• Additional Info: The completion of the Rite of Thorns is not tied to Long Rests.

Cure the Poisoned Gnome

• Event Starter: Approaching Thulla at Ebonlake Grotto.
• Length of Time: Thulla becomes a myconid husk after three Long Rests.

Free True Soul Nere

• Event Starter: Entering Grymforge. (It appears that only if approaching the rubble that Nere and the gnomes are trapped in does the timer start.^{[Needs Verification]})
• Length of Time: Fast traveling or long resting more than once causes Nere to die.

Save the Grymforge Gnomes

• Event Starter: Entering Grymforge. (It appears that only if approaching the rubble that Nere and the gnomes are trapped in does the timer start.^{[Needs Verification]})
• Length of Time: Fast traveling or long resting more than once causes the gnomes to disappear.

Deliver Nere's Head

• Event Starter: Freeing True Soul Nere from the rubble.
• Length of Time: Fast traveling or long resting once causes Nere to disappear.

Act Two

Find Rolan in the Shadows

• Event Starter: After beginning Resolve the Abduction, approaching Rolan's location in the Ruined Battlefield.
• Length of Time: If the location is approached, combat between Rolan and the shadows will begin immediately, and he will be slain if the party does not intervene in time.

Lift the Shadow Curse

• Event Starter: After Wake up Art Cullagh is completed and Halsin opens the portal to the Shadowfell to rescue Thaniel.
• Length of Time: Portal must be protected for four combat turns.

Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse

Obtaining the Moonlantern

• Event Starter: After Resolve the Abduction, approaching the Harpers near the entrance of the Last Light Inn (if Follow the Convoy was not completed)
• Length of Time:

Rescue the Tieflings

• Event Starter: Start of quest
• Length of Time: Entering the Shadowfell as part of Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic.

Rescue Wulbren

• Event Starter: Start of quest
• Length of Time: Entering the Shadowfell as part of Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic.

Point of no return: All maps prior to the Shadow-Cursed Lands become inaccessible after entering the Shadowfell as part of Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic.

Act Three

Free Counsellor Florrick

• Event Starter: Reading the Execution Notices posted around the Lower City or speaking to Duke Ravengard and getting him to reveal the execution during Gortash's coronation.
• Length of Time: Counsellor Florrick is executed after the fifth Long Rest.

Help the Devilish Ox

• Event Starter: Meeting the Strange Ox in Rivington.
• Length of Time: Entering the Lower City.

Investigate the Murders

Cora Highberry's Death

• Event Starter: The party has read the Bloodstained Parchment and has approached the proximity of the Wine Festival in the Lower City.
• Alternative Starter: Party enters the Murder Tribunal.
• Length of Time: One Long Rest

Figaro Pennygood's Death

• Event Starter: Starting Impress the Murder Tribunal.
• Length of Time: If the party enters the Murder Tribunal (ie by providing a hand of a murder victim), Dolor automatically completes his killing quest by murdering Figaro. ^{[Needs Verification]} (This didn't happen for me, I defeated Dolor at the wine festival and then collected 2 hands myself and went to the tribunal where Dolor then showed up. The assassination on Figaro was "on hold", everything was still the same, even Devella was still there (though not paraylysed), except that Dolor wasn't there and the 2 dopplegangers in the first room were already hostile)

Save the Gondians

• Event Starter: Quest start
• Length of Time: After arriving at the Iron Throne, 5 turns of combat, or 8 for Explorer difficulty or completing Avenge the Ironhands without visiting the Iron Throne.

Rescue the Grand Duke

• Event Starter: The party attended Gortash's coronation without attacking him and spoke to Mizora at a Long Rest.
• Length of Time: After arriving at the Iron Throne, 5 turns of combat, or 8 for Explorer difficulty or completing Avenge the Ironhands without visiting the Iron Throne.
• Additional Info: If Wyll agrees to sell his soul to Zariel for all eternity, then Mizora resurrects Duke Ravengard regardless of if he dies or not.

Retrieve Omeluum

• Event Starter: Quest start
• Length of Time: After arriving at the Iron Throne, 5 turns of combat, or 8 for Explorer difficulty or completing Avenge the Ironhands without visiting the Iron Throne.

Stop the Presses

• Event Starter: Speaking to Ettvard Needle after initiating the quest.
• Length of Time: The party's reputation is tarnished after one Long Rest unless the news is altered.
• Additional Info: If the party defeats Gortash without talking to Ettvard, the news of Gortash's death supercedes the article about the heroes and their reputation is not tarnished.

Notes

• Although Rescue Orin's Victim appears to be time-sensitive - it is not. The party can take an unlimited number of Long Rests without Orin killing her kidnapping victim. The companion's life is only at risk once Orin is spoken to in the Temple of Bhaal.
• The vampire ambush of Astarion is not time-sensitive or related to meeting the vampires at Fraygo's Flophouse - it occurs as a random Long Rest event after entering the Lower City.