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QuestcoreMain storyModerate

Find a Cure

The primary Act One quest in Baldur's Gate 3 follows the search for a way to remove the protagonist's mind flayer parasite before ceremorphosis, opening leads involving healers, potential allies, and major regional conflicts.

RoleMain-story quest and Act One narrative through-line
Statusactive
Importancecore
RewardProgression through the main story and access to multiple parasite-related leads
  • Quest typeMain story
  • Primary actAct One
  • BeginsAfter the prologue
  • Core problemMind flayer parasite
  • StructureMulti-lead investigation
  • ContinuationLater story milestones

The quest does not have one fixed encounter count, reward table, or universal completion point; its journal state changes as the party investigates leads and advances the story.

Key takeaways

The most important thing to understand about Find a Cure is that it gathers many investigations under one continuing objective.

  • It begins after the prologue Find a Cure is the primary Act One quest immediately following the opening sequence, so it forms an early route into the game's wider exploration. Starting point
  • There is no single early solution The party must investigate several healers and sources of information. Conversations with Healer Nettie, Auntie Ethel, Volo, Omeluum, and leads connected to Halsin can all shape the quest. Investigate leads
  • The journal can remain open Completing an initial objective or exhausting one possible treatment does not necessarily end Find a Cure. The quest can continue as the party reaches later story milestones. Continuing objective
  • Local conflicts matter The search for a cure intersects with the druids-and-goblins conflict, so decisions made while pursuing local leads can affect the broader route through Act One. Regional conflict

Find a Cure

Find a Cure is the central Act One quest in Baldur's Gate 3, beginning immediately after the prologue and tying together the party's earliest search for answers.

The quest starts with an urgent personal problem: the protagonist and several companions have been implanted with mind flayer parasites, and the party fears that the infection will eventually transform them into mind flayers. Rather than pointing to one guaranteed solution, Find a Cure sends the party across the early game world in search of healers, researchers, rumors, and anyone who might understand the parasite. Each lead can create a separate interaction or subquest, so the journal may continue to track the same long-term problem after an individual consultation is complete.

The Emerald Grove is one of the first important places to investigate. There, the party can seek out Healer Nettie, while the wider situation introduces the conflict between the druids and the goblins. Other investigations bring the party into contact with Auntie Ethel, Volo, Omeluum, and Halsin. These figures do not all approach the parasite in the same way, and their scenes differ in reliability, danger, and usefulness, making the quest as much about judging potential solutions as locating them.

Find a Cure is deliberately longer-lived than a single conversation or combat encounter. Exhausting an early lead does not necessarily resolve the underlying quest, and progress eventually points toward larger story milestones, including the search for further answers at Moonrise Towers and the confrontation with Ketheric Thorm. Because the quest is woven into exploration and companion recruitment, players should treat its objectives as a route through Act One and beyond rather than as a narrow checklist with one required healer.

Where this sits

PrologueThe quest begins after the opening sequence
Act One investigationsSearch for healers, researchers, and leads
Regional conflictsThe search overlaps with the druids-and-goblins conflict
Later milestonesFurther answers are pursued as the main story advances
  1. 1Prologue completeprerequisiteThe quest becomes available immediately afterward.
  2. ●Search for a curemainInvestigate possible treatments and sources of information.
  3. 3Pursue associated leadsinvestigationMeet characters including Healer Nettie, Auntie Ethel, Volo, Omeluum, and Halsin.
  4. 4Advance the main storymilestoneThe long-term objective can point toward Moonrise Towers and Ketheric Thorm.

Find a Cure starts as an Act One emergency and continues as a story-wide investigation.

Requirements

The only firm starting requirement supplied for this quest is completion of the prologue. Most practical requirements are investigative rather than level-based: the party needs to explore, speak with relevant characters, and decide which leads to pursue.

  • RequiredComplete the prologueFind a Cure begins immediately after the opening sequence.
  • RequiredReach the early-game worldThe quest depends on visiting places where healers, researchers, and other possible sources of information can be found.
  • RecommendedExplore and converseProgress is built from investigations and interactions rather than one mandatory cure item or one required combat encounter.
  • RecommendedManage unresolved leadsThe journal may retain the quest while the party moves between objectives and later story milestones.

Objectives

  1. Find a way to remove the mind flayer parasite.The party's central concern is avoiding transformation into a mind flayer.
  2. Search for healers and possible treatments.Investigate available medical, magical, and other specialist leads across the world.
  3. Question potential sources of information.Speak with people such as Healer Nettie, Auntie Ethel, Volo, Omeluum, and characters connected to Halsin.
  4. Navigate the conflict between the druids and goblins.The local political and military crisis intersects with the party's search for answers.
  5. Continue pursuing answers after early leads end.Find a Cure can remain a long-term objective as the story moves toward later milestones.

Walkthrough

  1. 01

    Begin Find a Cure

    Finish the prologue and enter Act One

    Complete the opening sequence so the party reaches the early-game world and Find a Cure enters the journal. The quest is not a self-contained mission that ends at the first camp or conversation; it becomes a continuing objective for the exploration that follows.

    Checkpoint
  2. 02

    Search for a cure

    Start the search instead of waiting for one prescribed route

    Treat the quest as an investigation with multiple leads. Explore accessible areas and speak with people who claim medical, magical, or unusual knowledge rather than assuming the journal points to a single required healer.

    TipKeep notes on which leads have been exhausted and which remain unresolved.

  3. 03

    Find a healer

    Investigate the Emerald Grove

    The Emerald Grove is one of the first major places connected to the cure search. Speak with Healer Nettie and pay attention to the grove's wider crisis, because the druids-and-goblins conflict can affect how the area and its associated investigations unfold.

    Location: Emerald Grove

    Watch outDo not treat the local conflict as unrelated background; it is one of the quest's major intersections.

    Checkpoint
  4. 04

    Investigate Auntie Ethel

    Follow the Auntie Ethel lead carefully

    Auntie Ethel is another notable figure associated with the parasite investigation. Her offer and methods should be approached as a dangerous lead rather than assumed to be a safe, definitive treatment; resolve the scene according to the party's judgement and resources.

    Location: Auntie Ethel's associated area

    TipSave before committing to an unfamiliar treatment or bargain.

  5. 05

    Question Volo

    Pursue Volo's investigation

    Volo is associated with an attempt to investigate or remove the parasite. Speak with him when his path intersects the party's journey, then evaluate the outcome as one more piece of evidence rather than the guaranteed conclusion of Find a Cure.

    TipA completed interaction with Volo may advance or redirect the investigation without closing the overall quest.

  6. 06

    Pursue the Halsin lead

    Look for Halsin and related answers

    Halsin is connected to the party's efforts to understand the parasite and is also tied to the grove-and-goblins situation. Pursuing this lead may require engaging with the regional conflict and deciding how much of that situation to resolve before moving on.

    Location: Emerald Grove and the surrounding Act One region

  7. 07

    Consult Omeluum

    Investigate Omeluum when the opportunity arises

    Omeluum is associated with a more specialized investigation into the parasite. Reach this lead through exploration and conversation, and read the resulting journal update as information about the infection rather than an automatic promise that the quest is over.

    TipBring the party's accumulated knowledge to the conversation; this lead is most useful when treated as part of the larger investigation.

  8. 08

    Exhaust available Act One leads

    Resolve or move past the early leads

    After the party has investigated available healers and researchers, the journal may mark individual objectives complete while leaving Find a Cure active. Review the remaining text before leaving an area so that an unfinished associated lead is not mistaken for a resolved main quest.

    Watch outSome associated scenes and opportunities can depend on broader story progression, so avoid assuming every early lead remains available indefinitely.

  9. 09

    Find further answers

    Advance toward the next major story milestone

    When the early investigation stops producing a cure, continue the main story rather than repeatedly revisiting the same source. The quest's later direction can involve pushing toward Moonrise Towers and seeking answers connected with Ketheric Thorm.

    Location: Moonrise Towers and later story locations

    Checkpoint
  10. 10

    Continue the long-term investigation

    Use the journal as a continuing guide

    Find a Cure is designed to update as the party learns more, so its completion state is tied to story advancement rather than a single early reward screen. Follow newly named people and places, and distinguish an exhausted lead from the end of the parasite storyline.

    Watch outThis step contains major story progression beyond the initial Act One search.

    Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

Find a Cure functions as a narrative through-line rather than a conventional quest with one entrance, one dungeon, and one final encounter. Its objectives are distributed across exploration, dialogue, regional crises, and later main-story milestones. That structure means the party can make meaningful progress without following a single order, while the journal preserves the parasite as an unresolved reason to keep moving.

The quest's leads also test the party's judgement. Healer Nettie, Auntie Ethel, Volo, Omeluum, and Halsin represent different kinds of expertise and different kinds of risk, but the supplied quest information does not establish that any one of them provides a definitive early cure. A useful approach is to gather information, make a save before risky interventions, and treat unusual promises with caution.

The druids-and-goblins conflict is mechanically important because it can change which conversations and associated objectives are available. The cure search therefore rewards players who explore the surrounding situation instead of beelining from one named healer to the next. When an early objective closes, the correct interpretation is often that one lead has been investigated, not that the entire long-term problem has been solved.

What works and what does not

Strengths

  • Provides a clear personal motivation immediately after the prologue.
  • Connects exploration with dialogue, potential allies, and regional conflicts.
  • Allows several different investigations instead of forcing one narrow route.
  • Remains relevant as the story advances beyond the first set of leads.

Weaknesses

  • Its open-ended structure can make the journal feel unfinished even after an individual lead is resolved.
  • The quest does not present one obvious early solution, so players may be uncertain which investigation matters most.
  • Associated objectives can be affected by the wider druids-and-goblins conflict and by broader story progression.

Best uses

  • Use it as a checklist of investigations rather than a linear dungeon route.
  • Return to the journal after major conversations to identify the next named lead.
  • Explore the region around each lead before advancing too far into the main story.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

  • Decide which possible healers and investigators to trust.

    The party can pursue different approaches to the parasite, and each lead may produce a different interaction or follow-up rather than a uniform treatment.

  • Engage with the conflict between the druids and goblins.

    The local conflict can shape access to associated conversations, objectives, and potential allies connected with the cure search.

    Spoiler
  • Accept or reject risky offers connected with the parasite.

    Investigations involving figures such as Auntie Ethel should be treated as consequential decisions, especially when a proposed solution is uncertain.

    Spoiler
  • Continue the main story after early leads are exhausted.

    The quest's search for answers can move toward Moonrise Towers and Ketheric Thorm, extending the parasite investigation beyond the initial region.

    Spoiler

Completion checklist

  • Complete the prologue and enter Act One.This is the quest's starting point.
  • Investigate the Emerald Grove.The grove contains an important early lead and a major local conflict.
  • Speak with Healer Nettie.One of the named early healers.
  • Consider the Auntie Ethel lead.Approach unusual offers cautiously.Optional
  • Pursue Volo's associated investigation.His involvement is one of the parasite-related leads.Optional
  • Look for information connected with Halsin.This lead intersects with the grove and goblins situation.
  • Consult Omeluum when available.A specialized parasite investigation associated with the quest.Optional
  • Review the journal after each major lead.An individual objective can finish while Find a Cure remains active.
  • Advance toward Moonrise Towers when early leads stop progressing.Later answers are tied to broader story milestones.Optional

Failure conditions

  • Assuming one completed lead ends the questFind a Cure can remain active after an initial objective is marked complete. Check for new journal directions before considering the long-term investigation finished.
  • Allowing the regional conflict to advance without reviewing associated leadsThe druids-and-goblins conflict is connected to the quest's narrative route, and broader progression can affect available interactions.
  • Treating a risky offer as a guaranteed cureThe named investigators do not all provide the same kind of help. Save before committing to uncertain interventions, especially those involving unusual promises.
  • Advancing too far without checking the journalSome associated scenes and opportunities may depend on wider story progression, although the supplied material does not define every exact cutoff.

On failure

The quest's reliable checkpoints are journal updates and major story milestones, not a single universal completion trigger.

Rewards and drops

  • Quest progression
    Investigating leads advances the main-story thread concerning the parasite.
  • Access to associated interactions
    The search brings the party into contact with potential allies and investigators, including figures linked with the Emerald Grove and later regions.
  • Further story milestones
    Continuing the investigation can lead toward Moonrise Towers and answers connected with Ketheric Thorm.

AftermathSpoilers

The cure search is a long-term objective

Do not read an early journal update as a definitive resolution. Once the party has investigated the available Act One leads, Find a Cure can continue to direct the main story toward larger milestones, including Moonrise Towers and the search for answers connected with Ketheric Thorm.

Trivia

  • Find a Cure begins immediately after the prologue and serves as the primary main quest of Act One.
  • The quest uses a single long-term objective to connect several otherwise different healer, researcher, and ally encounters.
  • Its journal state can remain active even after initial objectives have been completed.
  • The parasite investigation is deliberately entangled with the conflict between the druids and goblins.

Sources

Relationships

context

  • Baldur's Gate 3GameFind a Cure is a core quest in Baldur's Gate 3.

locations

  • Emerald GroveEarly investigation siteThe party can investigate Healer Nettie and the druids-and-goblins conflict here.

progression

  • Moonrise TowersLater milestoneThe continuing search for answers can point toward Moonrise Towers.

characters

  • HalsinAssociated characterHalsin is connected with parasite-related investigation and the regional conflict.
  • OmeluumAssociated characterOmeluum is associated with a specialized investigation into the parasite.