Baldur's Gate 3's most challenging trophy is also its most morally rewarding

Deep inside Moonrise Towers in Baldur's Gate 3, tensions are rising. I'm currently trying to pull off a prison break in the hopes of rescuing a group of captured tieflings and deep gnomes from the clutches of Absolute cultists. With their lives on the line, the pressure is already on, but there's another reason I'm so on edge. My failure here will not only mark their untimely demise, it will also put an end to any chance I have of earning the most challenging and involved achievement in Larian's RPG: "Leave No One Behind". To earn it, you have to "save every tiefling refugee you can throughout the game in a single playthrough", which proves to be no easy feat. With multiple steps to successfully execute across all three acts in the game, there are so many ways to make a blunder and extinguish all hope of unlocking the trophy. 

Having kept all the tieflings safe in Act 1, I'm not about to mess up now. Not after I've come so far. And in the name of their survival, I'm not above some underhanded tactics to take out all of the guards. Stealthily attacking each cultist in the vicinity is my first goal. Any time their back is turned, I seize the opportunity to strike with Astarion's daggers until no one is left to cause harm. With the coast now clear, all that's left to do is make my way behind their cells, set them free by breaking down the back walls, and guide them to a boat nearby. Nothing quite rivals the sense of satisfaction that washes over me as I watch Tav set sail with all of the tieflings accounted for on board. This may be one very tricky trophy to get, but at this moment, I realize it's also the most rewarding one to try and achieve. 

 The savior

The first steps to earning the trophy kick off in Act 1, with the tiefling refugees in the Emerald Grove. From stopping a Bugbear assassin to fighting harpies and talking down the druid Kagha, there are plenty of tieflings in need of aid in all manner of ways. If you manage to save every single one of them, you'll encounter some of them again in Last Light Inn in the Shadow-Cursed Lands in Act 2, but they're not out of the woods yet. 

With some taken to Moonrise Towers, the others are still susceptible to the dangers of the land. Should you successfully keep all of them safe, your rescuing days aren't over yet, with a few more tasks to perform in Act 3 to unlock the coveted trophy. The challenge really comes in thanks to the number of events throughout that you need to successfully complete to keep everyone alive. If a single tiefling perishes in a run, it's all over. While it's rewarding to best the challenge at all, I soon found out that the quest to keep them alive is its own reward. 

One of the things I love most about Baldur's Gate 3 is how reactive the world is. With a myriad of choices at your disposal, the inhabitants of the Sword Coast are constantly responding to every action you take. Seeing first-hand how your decisions can affect your surroundings gives them weight, and that kind of feedback really immerses you in the setting; making you feel like you're truly a part of it. While you can see this reflected throughout the adventure, it's never more apparent than when you reach Act 3. 

The closing section of the game is quick to lay some of the consequences of what you've done previously bare. And it's Act 3's opening area of Rivington that I really begin to see how my actions in the pursuit of the achievement have made an impact. There to greet me in the refugee camp is the group of tieflings I'd saved in the Emerald Grove, and later on in Moonrise Towers. After everything they'd been through, and everything I'd been through to help them, here they are, alive and well. 

Brighter future

Once I'd made my way to the Lower City, an encounter with the lovable tiefling bard Alfira really put what I'd achieved into perspective. On the roof of the tavern, Alfira is joined by Lakrissa, another refugee I'd successfully saved. The pair reveal they're now a couple, and as I listen to them excitedly making plans for the future, it starts to sink in. I did this. They can be with each other and have a future together because of my efforts to rescue them. 

Despite the many trials and tribulations involved to save everyone, seeing the pair on that roof, sharing a quiet moment looking out over the city, made it all worth it. Suddenly, it was clear that my work to save the refugees really did make a difference and it means something in-game beyond merely adding another trophy to my PlayStation cabinet. Every time I met an NPC that was alive in Act 3 because of me, I was constantly reminded of that fact. When the game comes to close, and the trophy unlocks, the sense of satisfaction is twofold. It's not just the biggest challenge to overcome, it's also the most gratifying.

The trophy is certainly deserved for pulling off such a long-winded task. There's a reason only 1.6% of players have earned it on PS5, after all. But when you do earn it, it's also a pleasant reminder of just what makes Baldur's Gate 3 so memorable. What you do in the world has an effect, it matters. And you can finish your adventure knowing you helped all those tieflings have the future that would have otherwise been taken from them.

Everything the Baldur's Gate 3 DLC needs to follow up on is in the game's first five minutes.