eXputer

QuestsupportingSide missionModerate

Stop the Presses

An Act 3 quest in Baldur's Gate 3 where the party infiltrates Baldur's Mouth and changes a hostile newspaper story before it damages their reputation.

RoleReputation-protection quest involving stealth, infiltration and the Baldur's Mouth printing press.
StatusAvailable in Act 3; time-sensitive
Importancesupporting
RewardA positive article can replace the negative headline; the supplied sources do not establish a complete reward list.
TimeNot established by the supplied sources.
  • ActAct 3
  • Quest typeSide mission
  • Core activityStealth infiltration
  • Primary locationBaldur's Mouth
  • Time limitBefore a long rest
  • Key obstacleSteel Watchers
  • Main antagonistEttvard Needle

The supplied sources do not establish a recommended level, mission number, exact completion time, experience reward, or complete item reward list.

Key takeaways

Keep the following points in mind before entering Baldur's Mouth.

  • Act 3 timing matters Complete Stop the Presses before taking a long rest. The quest is time-sensitive, so treating it as an ordinary errand can result in losing the chance to resolve it cleanly.
  • The objective is inside the basement The important interaction is not at the public-facing newsroom. The party must reach the basement, bypass the Steel Watchers, and access the printing press.
  • Use a replacement article The negative headline can be swapped for a positive article. Alternative templates include Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures, giving the party a way to alter the newspaper's message.
  • Failure has city-wide consequences Ignoring or failing the quest harms the party's reputation. NPC distrust and a greater likelihood of guard interference are the stated consequences.

Stop the Presses overview

Stop the Presses is an Act 3 reputation mission in which the party must prevent Baldur's Mouth from publishing a damaging story about them.

The quest begins at the Baldur's Mouth building, where the party can learn about the newspaper's hostile coverage by speaking with Estra Stir, Lens, or the editor Ettvard Needle. Its central problem is straightforward but urgent: unless the party intervenes, the local paper will slander them and make later interactions in the city more difficult. The quest is therefore less about winning a conventional battle than about controlling what reaches the printing press.

Progress requires an infiltration of the newspaper's basement. The party must get past Steel Watchers patrolling the facility and reach the printing press, where the negative headline can be exchanged for a more favorable article. Stealth, invisibility, and turn-based movement are recommended because detection can turn a quiet operation into a confrontation inside a confined, patrolled building.

The quest has a strict timing concern. The supplied source states that it must be completed before the party takes a long rest, so postponing it is not a safe way to preserve the opportunity. If the party fails or ignores the mission, its reputation suffers: NPCs become more distrustful and guard interference becomes more likely. The positive replacement article is the practical objective, while Ettvard Needle's effort to serve Lord Gortash's interests provides the political motivation behind the newspaper's campaign.

Where this sits

Find the newspaperReach Baldur's Mouth
Learn of the slanderSpeak with a quest contact
Enter the basementInfiltrate the restricted area
Change the storyReach the printing press
Protect the party's reputationComplete the intervention before a long rest
  1. ●Stop the Pressesside-missionCurrent quest: prevent Baldur's Mouth from publishing its hostile coverage.

This quest belongs to Act 3 and takes place entirely around the Baldur's Mouth newspaper operation.

Requirements

Reach Baldur's Mouth in Act 3 and begin the investigation before taking a long rest.

  • RequiredAct 3 accessStop the Presses is an Act 3 quest, so the party must be operating in the Act 3 portion of Baldur's Gate 3.
  • RequiredReach Baldur's MouthThe quest can be started at the Baldur's Mouth building by speaking with Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle.
  • RequiredAct before a long restThe supplied source identifies the quest as time-sensitive and states that it must be completed before the party takes a long rest.
  • RecommendedA way to avoid detectionStealth, invisibility, or turn-based movement is recommended for crossing the basement while Steel Watchers patrol it.

Objectives

  1. Speak with someone at Baldur's MouthEstra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle can introduce the newspaper's campaign against the party.
  2. Infiltrate the newspaper's basementEnter the restricted working area without allowing the Steel Watchers' patrols to stop the operation.
  3. Reach the printing pressThe press is the key point of interaction for changing the story.
  4. Replace the negative headlineSwap the hostile article for a positive story template, such as Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures.
  5. Complete the quest before a long restDelaying beyond the stated time limit risks losing the opportunity and suffering the reputation consequences.

WalkthroughSpoilers

  1. 01

    Find a quest contact

    Go to Baldur's Mouth

    Travel to the Baldur's Mouth building in Act 3 and look for the newspaper staff. The quest can be started by speaking with Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle, so you do not need to find one uniquely specified starter.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth

  2. 02

    Investigate the hostile coverage

    Learn why the newspaper is a threat

    Talk to the available Baldur's Mouth contact and establish that the paper intends to publish a story slandering the party. The important information is that the article threatens the party's reputation rather than simply being an unrelated newspaper item.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth

  3. 03

    Prepare to bypass the patrols

    Plan the basement infiltration

    Before entering the restricted area, prepare for a stealth-focused approach because Steel Watchers patrol the basement. Invisibility, stealth, and turn-based movement are all recommended ways to control your position and reduce the chance of being detected.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth basement entrance

    Checkpoint
  4. 04

    Infiltrate the restricted facility

    Enter the newspaper's basement

    Move into the basement and avoid the Steel Watchers rather than assuming the area is safe once you leave the public newsroom. Turn-based movement is useful for waiting out patrol routes and making short, deliberate crossings.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth basement

    Watch outDetection can disrupt the intended covert approach and force the party to deal with the facility's defenders.

  5. 05

    Access the printing press

    Reach the printing press

    Continue through the basement toward the printing press, keeping the patrols in mind as you move between safe opportunities. The press is the mission's required interaction point; reaching it is more important than searching the building broadly.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth basement

  6. 06

    Change the newspaper's story

    Replace the negative article

    Use the printing press to swap out the negative headline for a positive article. One available alternative template is Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures, which changes the message the newspaper is preparing to publish.

    Location: Printing press

    Missable
  7. 07

    Complete Stop the Presses

    Finish before taking a long rest

    Resolve the quest without taking a long rest after starting it. The supplied source identifies the mission as time-sensitive, so resting before completion can prevent the party from securing the intended reputation outcome.

    Location: Baldur's Mouth

    Watch outA long rest is the stated timing risk for this quest.

Mission mechanics

Stop the Presses is built around changing information rather than collecting a combat objective. The party first identifies the newspaper's hostile intent, then moves from the public part of Baldur's Mouth into its basement and finally interacts with the printing press. The replacement article is the meaningful action: the quest succeeds through editorial intervention, not through defeating a named boss.

The basement's Steel Watcher patrols make positioning the central mechanical concern. A stealth approach preserves the party's control over the route, while invisibility can help cross exposed spaces; turn-based movement gives the player more precision when timing movement around patrols. The supplied material does not establish a fixed patrol count, a required skill check, or a specific combat sequence, so those details should not be treated as universal instructions.

The quest also has a world-state consequence. If the party fails or ignores the newspaper problem, NPCs treat the party with more distrust and guards are more likely to interfere. This makes the press interaction valuable even for players who would rather avoid the basement: the mission is a preventative reputation measure with consequences beyond the building itself.

What works and what does not

Strengths

  • The quest offers multiple starting contacts at Baldur's Mouth: Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle.
  • The objective is clearly tied to a physical interaction with the printing press rather than an abstract reputation meter.
  • Stealth, invisibility, and turn-based movement give the party several ways to manage the basement patrols.

Weaknesses

  • The quest is time-sensitive and must be completed before a long rest.
  • Steel Watchers make the basement dangerous for a party that enters without a plan for avoiding detection.
  • Failure or inaction affects later social encounters by increasing distrust and the likelihood of guard interference.

Best uses

  • Start it when the party is ready to complete the basement infiltration immediately.
  • Use it as a stealth-oriented alternative to treating every hostile facility as a direct combat encounter.
  • Prioritize the printing press once inside instead of spending unnecessary time in the patrolled area.

Phases

  1. 1

    Public newsroom contact

    Starts: Speaking with Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle at Baldur's Mouth.

    The party learns that the local newspaper is preparing coverage that will slander them. This establishes the reputation risk and points the party toward the building's restricted area.

    • Use any of the three named contacts available to start the quest.
  2. 2

    Basement patrol infiltration

    Starts: Entering the newspaper's basement.

    Steel Watchers patrol the basement and can expose the party's movement. The recommended approach is to use stealth, invisibility, or turn-based movement to cross the facility deliberately.

    • Steel Watcher patrol detectionTell A patrol reaches or notices a party member while the group is moving through the basement.Answer Hide, use invisibility, or switch to turn-based movement so the party can time its crossing around the patrol.
    • Do not treat the basement as an unrestricted route; detection is the key risk in this phase.
  3. 3

    Printing press intervention

    Starts: Reaching the printing press.

    The party replaces the negative headline with a positive article, changing the newspaper's intended message. This is the operational climax of the quest rather than a documented boss fight.

    • Have the replacement article ready as the goal is to change the story at the press.

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

  • Replace the negative headline with a positive article

    The party takes the intended action to prevent the newspaper from slandering them. The supplied source gives Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures as an example of an alternative story template.

    Spoiler
  • Ignore the newspaper or fail to complete the intervention

    The party's reputation suffers, NPCs treat the group with distrust, and guard interference becomes more likely.

    Spoiler
  • Take a long rest before completing the quest

    The quest is time-sensitive and must be completed before a long rest, making this a stated risk to the mission's resolution.

    Spoiler

Checklist

  • Reach Baldur's Mouth in Act 3The quest takes place at the local newspaper building.
  • Speak with Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard NeedleAny of these named characters can start the quest.
  • Avoid taking a long rest after starting the questThe mission is time-sensitive.
  • Prepare stealth, invisibility, or turn-based movementThese approaches are recommended for the basement.
  • Enter the newspaper's basementThe required infiltration occurs below the main building.
  • Bypass the Steel WatchersThey patrol the basement and are the principal stated obstacle.
  • Reach the printing pressThe press is where the newspaper story is changed.
  • Replace the negative articleA positive template such as Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures can be used.
  • Confirm the quest is resolved before restingDo not leave the time-sensitive objective unfinished.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

  • Take a long rest before completing Stop the PressesThe supplied source states that the quest must be completed before a long rest, making resting during the unresolved mission the principal timing risk.
  • Fail to replace the negative headlineIf the party does not reach and use the printing press to change the article, the newspaper's hostile coverage can remain unresolved.
  • Ignore the questLeaving the mission unresolved causes the party's reputation to suffer, with NPC distrust and a greater likelihood of guard interference.
  • Get detected during the basement approachDetection by the Steel Watchers can compromise the recommended stealth route. The supplied sources do not establish every resulting combat or quest-state outcome.

On failure

The mission's practical checkpoint is reaching the printing press, but the supplied sources do not document a complete checkpoint or reload structure.

AftermathSpoilers

The newspaper affects later encounters

Leaving Stop the Presses unresolved is not consequence-free. The supplied source states that the party's reputation suffers, NPCs become more distrustful, and guard interference becomes more likely, so complete the press intervention before taking a long rest if you want to avoid that outcome.

Trivia

  • The quest can be initiated through three different named contacts at Baldur's Mouth: Estra Stir, Lens, or Ettvard Needle.
  • The mission's solution is editorial rather than primarily martial: the party changes the article at a printing press.
  • Make Big Money By Trading With Adventures is one of the alternative story templates identified for replacing the negative news.

Sources

Relationships

game

  • Baldur's Gate 3GameStop the Presses is an Act 3 quest in Baldur's Gate 3.

locations

  • Baldur's MouthLocationThe newspaper building contains the quest's basement and printing press.

characters

  • Ettvard NeedleAntagonistThe editor intends to damage the party's reputation in service of Lord Gortash's interests.
  • Estra StirQuest contactOne of the contacts who can start the quest.
  • LensQuest contactOne of the contacts who can start the quest.
  • Lord GortashPolitical connectionEttvard Needle's hostile coverage serves Lord Gortash's interests.

factions

  • Steel WatchersBasement patrolsThey patrol the basement and must be avoided or dealt with during the infiltration.