Sunlit Wetlands

Walkthrough

The area in the order you play it. Tick things off as you go: they tick off in the checklists below too.

1. 1

   The Threshold Dispute

   When you cross south from the Blighted Village into the Sunlit Wetlands (X: 50, Y: 314), you find brothers Johl and Demir furiously confronting Auntie Ethel over their missing sister Mayrina. Choose whether to stay out of it or demand answers from Ethel, who teleports away in anger while the headstrong brothers refuse your aid and charge into the marsh. Regardless of how diplomatically you handle the encounter, the brothers cannot be persuaded to turn back and will meet their demise deeper in the wetlands.

   Tip: Siding with Ethel forces you to kill the brothers on the spot, so stay neutral or question her to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

2. 2

   Piercing the Veil

   Step into the marsh water or interact with the grazing sheep to trigger a passive check that unravels the hag's enchantment, instantly replacing the sunny paradise with the putrid, trap-ridden waters of the Putrid Bog. If you fail the passive check, you can instead speak with a sheep and succeed on a DC 15 Animal Handling check, or simply attack one to shatter the illusion manually. Watch your footing from this point on, as hidden spiked bulbs and deep mud will now impede your path across the swamp.

   The entire picturesque illusion breaks into the rotting Putrid Bog if you pass an automatic passive Perception check when wading into the swamp waters or examining sheep

   Tip: Shattering the illusion exposes all the redcaps disguised as sheep, allowing you to position your party advantageously before initiating any fights.

   Watch out: Do not consume the apples found in the idyllic state, as they turn out to be rotten and poisoned once the illusion is broken.

3. 3

   The Disguised Pasture

   As you push into the central waters of the bog, you encounter four "sheep" that reveal themselves as Redcaps and Redcap Blood Sages once the illusion breaks or when Ethel turns hostile. Engage them on solid ground where their Bloodlust and high-damage melee attacks cannot easily flank you in the mud. Loot their corpses for camping supplies and Bloodstones after clearing the central clearing.

   Tip: Redcaps hit exceptionally hard in melee; crowd-control them with spells like Grease or Web to prevent them from closing the distance.

4. 4

   Decrepit Sanctuary

   Navigate the raised wooden walkways and jump across the stepping rocks to the isolated island in the far southeast (X: 85, Y: 212). The moment you set foot near the massive twisted tree, Ancient Mud Mephits and Wood Woads ambush you in a brutal battle where mephits burst and summon reinforcements upon death. Defeat the Wood Woads to claim the Wood Woad Shield from their remains, then open the wooden chest nestled at the base of the massive trunk to acquire The Sparkle Hands.

   Key fight: Decrepit Sanctuary Ambush
   The Sparkle Hands: Inside a wooden chest sitting at the base of the massive tree stump within the Decrepit SanctuaryWood Woad Shield: Looted directly from defeated Wood Woad sentries on the sanctuary island Don't miss

   Tip: Use fire spells or grease against the Wood Woads to negate their regeneration while focusing down the Ancient Mud Mephits before they duplicate.

   Watch out: Mephits explode upon dying and deal area-of-effect damage, so avoid finishing them off with melee attackers standing in blast radius.

5. 5

   Kagha's Conspiracy

   Approach the backside of the great hollow tree on the Decrepit Sanctuary island and succeed on a Perception check to reveal a hidden wooden crevice. Reach inside to retrieve the Letter to Kagha detailing a sinister alliance with the Shadow Druids. Tuck this evidence away immediately so you can return to the Emerald Grove and expose Kagha before resolving the goblin conflict.

   Letter to Kagha: Inside a wooden crevice of the great hollow tree located on the Decrepit Sanctuary island Don't miss

   Tip: You can read the letter directly from your inventory to update the "Investigate Kagha" quest log without triggering any negative reactions.

   Watch out: Do not rescue Halsin or defeat the Goblin Camp leaders before finding this letter, or Kagha's conspiracy quest will immediately fail.

6. 6

   The Addled Frog

   Head to the secluded pool just north of the Riverside Teahouse (X: 13, Y: 290) to discover an agitated green amphibian muttering to itself. If you approach or cast Speak with Animals now, it frantically warns you away and will attack with lethal reflective mucus and 22 AC if antagonized. Leave it completely unharmed until after you deal with Auntie Ethel in her subterranean lair; returning then lets you speak with the delighted creature, which hops toward a hidden treasure pouch and gifts you its contents.

   A hidden treasure pouch revealed by the Addled Frog if spoken to using Speak with Animals only after Auntie Ethel has been eliminated

   Tip: Cast Speak with Animals before talking to the frog post-hag to understand its directions to the hidden cache.

   Watch out: Attacking or provoking the Addled Frog before dealing with Ethel usually results in party wipes due to its Reflective Mucus returning ranged spells and attacks.

7. 7

   Riverside Hunter

   Travel southwest toward the Riverside Teahouse waypoint (X: -10, Y: 250) to encounter Gandrel, a Gur monster hunter camped outside under the trees. Speak with him to learn he is tracking a vampire spawn named Astarion on orders from his patron in Baldur's Gate. You can mislead him, withhold your camp's location, or let Astarion assassinate him during dialogue to loot Gandrel's Aspiration from his body.

   Gandrel's Aspiration: Carried by Gandrel the monster hunter, looted if killed near the Riverside Teahouse waypoint Don't miss

   Tip: Gandrel can be pickpocketed for two Potions of Healing and special anti-beast arrows before you decide whether to fight him.

   Watch out: If Astarion is not in your active party and you reveal your campsite to Gandrel, he will kidnap Astarion during your next long rest, permanently removing him from your playthrough.

What you decide here and what it leads to.