Stop the Press

Key Takeaways

The central risk is not a conventional boss fight but the interaction between the Gazette's publication schedule and the party's long-rest choices.

• Act before resting The quest must be completed before a long rest if the party wants to stop the planned slanderous article from being published. Time limit
• Treat the basement as an infiltration area Steel Watchers guard the basement, making stealth, invisibility, and deliberate positioning important tools for reaching the printing materials. Basement approach
• The editor has several access routes The editor's key can be acquired through persuasion, intimidation, or force, so the quest does not require one fixed social or combat solution. Editor’s key
• The printing press is the objective Success depends on exchanging the negative news template for a positive one rather than merely entering the building or confronting the editor. Printing press

Overview

Stop the Press is a time-sensitive Act 3 quest set in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate 3. The party must interfere with the Baldur's Mouth Gazette before it prints a slanderous story intended to damage the party's standing with the people of the city.

The quest centres on Ettvard Needle, the editor of the Baldur's Mouth Gazette. His planned article is more than a piece of hostile commentary: if it is published, it can worsen how non-player characters regard the party and make interactions with them more expensive. The quest therefore connects exploration and infiltration with a broader consequence for the city’s attitude toward the group.

The practical objective is inside the Baldur's Mouth building. The party must reach the basement, locate the printing materials, and replace the negative news template with a positive one. The basement is watched by Steel Watchers, so an approach based on stealth, invisibility, or careful positioning is safer than treating the building as an ordinary combat encounter.

The editor's key provides one route through the building and can be obtained through persuasion, intimidation, or force. The printing press itself may also allow the news stories to be exchanged directly in some circumstances. Because the newspaper’s publication is tied to the party’s next long rest, delaying the quest can allow the slanderous article to appear before the party has changed it.

Where this sits

Requirements

The quest has no supplied requirement for a particular class, companion, spell, or combat build. Its decisive requirement is acting before the relevant long rest.

• RequiredAct 3 accessThe quest is located in the Lower City during Act 3.
• RequiredReach the Baldur's Mouth GazetteThe party must get inside the newspaper building to pursue the basement objective.
• RequiredAvoid or manage the Steel WatchersThe basement guards make stealth, invisibility, or careful positioning useful for completing the infiltration.
• RecommendedAn access strategyThe editor's key can be obtained through persuasion, intimidation, or force; the available sources do not establish that one of these routes is mandatory.
• RequiredAvoid a long rest until completionResting before the quest is complete can result in publication of the slanderous article.

Objectives

1. Enter the Baldur's Mouth buildingReach the newspaper office in the Lower City and find a way to proceed toward its basement.
2. Get past the basement securityUse stealth, invisibility, or careful positioning to deal with the Steel Watchers guarding the relevant area.
3. Obtain access to the printing materialsPursue the editor's key through persuasion, intimidation, or force, or use the available route to the press.
4. Replace the negative news templateSwap the slanderous story for a positive one before the publication deadline.
5. Prevent the damaging article from appearingFinish the intervention before taking a long rest.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Find the Baldur's Mouth Gazette

   Reach the Baldur's Mouth Gazette in the Lower City

   Travel to the Baldur's Mouth Gazette during Act 3 and enter the newspaper building. The quest is time-sensitive from this point: do not take a long rest while the negative article is still scheduled for publication.

   Location: Lower City

   TipTreat this as an urgent objective even if the game allows you to continue exploring elsewhere.

   Watch outA long rest before completion can cause the slanderous piece to be published.

2. 02

   Reach the basement

   Find a route toward the basement

   Search the Gazette building for the way down to the basement, keeping the building’s security in mind rather than assuming the area can be crossed safely in the open. The basement is the important destination because that is where the printing materials and guarded press-related objective are located.

   Location: Baldur's Mouth Gazette

   TipPrepare stealth or invisibility before committing to the guarded section, and position characters so a failed movement does not expose the whole party at once.

3. 03

   Pass the basement guards

   Get past the Steel Watchers

   The basement is guarded by Steel Watchers. Use stealth, invisibility, or careful positioning to avoid detection where possible; if the party is discovered, the sources do not specify a fixed combat sequence, so do not rely on an undocumented enemy count or scripted encounter.

   Location: Gazette basement

   Watch outDetection can turn a careful infiltration into a dangerous confrontation and may make it harder to reach the press without interruption.

4. 04

   Obtain access to the printing materials

   Secure the editor's key or another way to the templates

   The editor's key is one available access tool, and the sources identify persuasion, intimidation, and force as ways to obtain it. Choose the approach that fits the party, while remembering that the actual goal is access to the printing materials rather than simply winning an argument with Ettvard Needle.

   Location: Baldur's Mouth Gazette

   TipA social solution can avoid unnecessary violence, but force remains an identified route if negotiation does not suit the party.

5. 05

   Change the printed article

   Swap the negative story for a positive one

   Use the printing press and its templates to replace the negative news template with a positive one. The press itself can sometimes be interacted with directly to exchange the stories, so check the machine rather than assuming that the editor or a separate combat encounter is the only way to complete the objective.

   Location: Gazette basement

   Watch outThe quest is not safely complete until the negative template has been replaced before the next long rest.

   CheckpointMissable
6. 06

   Prevent publication

   Leave the quest with the publication prevented

   Once the positive template has been installed, finish the quest state before resting. The intended result is that the slanderous article is not printed, avoiding the reported reputation and price consequences associated with its publication.

   Location: Baldur's Mouth Gazette

Mission mechanics

Stop the Press uses a deadline mechanic rather than a displayed combat timer. The important trigger is the party’s next long rest: if the quest remains unfinished, the planned article can be published. This means ordinary camp management becomes part of the solution, and players should avoid resting simply to refresh resources while the newspaper problem is unresolved.

The Gazette basement is designed around access and detection. Steel Watchers make an obvious approach risky, while invisibility, stealth, and careful positioning provide ways to control when the party is seen. The supplied material does not establish a precise patrol map, alarm sequence, or enemy count, so the safest general advice is to move deliberately and keep the objective in view.

The quest also separates social access from mechanical completion. Ettvard Needle’s key may be obtained through persuasion, intimidation, or force, but the final task is still to change the news template at the printing press. In some circumstances the press can be interacted with directly, allowing the party to focus on the template exchange instead of treating the editor as the sole gate to success.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Persuade Ettvard Needle or use another social route to obtain the editor's key.

  This provides a non-violent access option identified by the available quest information; the precise dialogue outcomes are not supplied.

• Intimidate Ettvard Needle to obtain the editor's key.

  This is another reported route to the key, though the available material does not document every dialogue branch or later reaction.

• Use force to obtain access.

  The quest information recognises force as an option, but does not establish a complete combat layout or all consequences of choosing it.

  Spoiler
• Avoid detection with stealth, invisibility, or careful positioning.

  This reduces the risk of an immediate confrontation with the Steel Watchers while the party reaches the basement objective.

• Take a long rest before changing the template.

  The slanderous article is published, producing negative NPC attitudes and increased prices according to the supplied source.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Reach the Lower City during Act 3The quest takes place in this district.
• Enter the Baldur's Mouth GazetteThe building is the quest’s primary location.
• Plan for the next long restDo not rest while the article remains unchanged.
• Prepare an infiltration approachStealth, invisibility, or careful positioning can help with the basement guards.
• Locate the basementThe printing materials and Steel Watchers are associated with this area.
• Choose how to obtain the editor's keyPersuasion, intimidation, and force are all identified routes.Optional
• Check whether the printing press can be interacted with directlyThe press may provide a direct way to exchange the stories.Optional
• Replace the negative news templateThis is the central completion action.
• Confirm the quest is complete before restingCompletion prevents the time-sensitive failure outcome.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Take a long rest before completing the template exchangeThe slanderous article is then published, rather than being stopped in time.
• Leave the negative news template in placeEntering the building or reaching the basement is not enough; the story must be replaced before the deadline.

RewardsSpoilers

• Prevented slanderous publication
  Completing the quest before a long rest prevents the planned damaging article from appearing.
• Improved public outcome
  Stopping the article avoids the reported negative NPC attitudes and increased prices associated with its publication.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The quest’s title refers to stopping the printing process rather than defeating a named boss.
• The editor's key is not tied to only one type of interaction: persuasion, intimidation, and force are all identified as possible routes.
• The printing press may be directly interactive, so the key is an access option rather than the only stated way to pursue the objective.

Sources

• Stop the Presses quest guide — fextralife.com

Relationships