Baldur's Gate 1 - Chapter 1 Walkthrough
Chapter 1 is another short chapter in this game, it begins in the Candlekeep Coastway zone to the south of where Gorion was slain the night before. When you gain control of your character you'll be approached by Imoen who will ask to join your party and also suggests that you check out Gorion's body to the north.
Head north to Gorion's body and make sure you pick up the available items as well as the Letter which he drops. Picking up the Letter is not required but it will give you some additional back story about what is going on. To the east of where Gorion's body is you'll also meet 2 more companions who you can recruit, Montaron and Xzar.
When you are ready to proceed you will want to exit the zone we are in now to the east which will take you to another unnamed zone. Upon entering the area you will be stopped by an old man who goes by the name Elminster. You will meet him numerous times throughout the game and he'll shed some light on the main character's backstory each time you do.
Before heading north to the Friendly Arm Inn I would recommend you explore the area and grab the Ring of Princes +1 that is nearby. A screen shot of exactly where to find this item is shown below -- there is also another very powerful ring which you can find outside the Friendly Arm Inn. To easily find both of these items hold down the 'Tab' key when walking through this area.
Ring of Princes +1: Just north of where you meet Elminster you'll find a spot on a small rock that you can click on. Use my screen shot below if you need guidance on exactly which rock I am talking about. Inside the rock you'll find a Ring of Princes +1 which is a great ring for this part of the game.
Ring of Evermemory: South of Friendly Arm Inn you'll find another small area on the ground that you can click on which will reveal one of the best items in the game. Ring of Evermemory is a very powerful item that will double the amount of Level 1 Wizard spells that you can use. If you need help finding this ring check out my Ring of Wizardry Evermemory Location Video.
Ring of Princes location
Ring of Wizardry Location
After obtaining both of these items it's time to head over to the Friendly Arm Inn and explore the town + go inside of the Inn. When you go up the stairs of the Friendly Arm Inn you'll be attacked by a mage named Tarnesh; he should be an easy fight at this point in the game but you may want to Rest outside of town prior to fighting him and saving just incase.
Inside of the Friendly Arm Inn you'll find a bunch of people to talk to, as always my advice to you is going to be hold down the 'Tab' button which will display the names of all NPCs for you. Talk to everyone with a unique name if you want to be a completionist, to advance the story speak with Khalid and Jaheira, your next 2 available companions. Dorn is technically another companion who will join your party later but you can talk to him and meet him now. If you want Dorn to join your party later then you'll need to talk to him first at the Friendly Arm Inn to initiate the event.
A Rogue Ogre: On the 2nd floor of the Friendly Arm Inn you'll meet a man by the name of Unshey. He'll ask you to defeat an Ogre belt thief which is found in in the previous zone we went through with the Ring of Princes +1. The belt is a magical item that is probably better than anything you have right now, it's up to you if you want to turn it into Unshey for a small amount of gold and EXP or keep it.
Joia's Flamedance Ring: You can find Joia inside of the building immediately to the left after entering Friendly Arm Inn. She will ask you to retrieve Joia's Flamedance Ring off a pack of Hobgoblins to the north, they're in the same map as Joia just above the town of Friendly Arm Inn. 400 EXP and +1 Reputation for completing this quest.
I'd recommend you do a bunch of exploring at this point in time before continuing to the next town of Nashkel. Usually I explore until my characters are level 2 or 3 and I have saved up enough gold to afford some upgrades for all of them. Those of you who want some direction on what is worth exploring and what isn't I recommend you check out the guides I link to below. I took the time to break the world map up into multiple sections and I list what you can find in each Wilderness Zone so you know where is worth going!
World Overview for Wilderness Zones on the Bottom of the Map
World Overview for Wilderness Zones on the Top of the Map
Town Crier: He will give you the side quest Bassilus the Murderer which requires you to kill someone by the name of Bassilus who is found in the wilderness zone to the south of High Hedge. He will drop some magical loot along with Bassilus' Holy Symbol which is the item you'll need to complete this quest. Once you've obtained this item you can turn it in to Kelddath Ormlyr at the Temple east of Beregost.
Kagain's Shop: Here you meet Kagain who is a Dwarf Fighter companion that you can have join you. Agree to help him with your quest and agree to have him accompany you if you'd like him to join your team.
Firebead's House: Speak with Firebead inside of this building to start the side quest A Book for Firebead. You can purchase the book he wants from the Feldepost Inn or steal it from a bookshelf in the building south of Firebead's House. Completion of this quest will get you a 300xp, +1 Reputation and a Scroll Case. The Scroll Case is extremely useful as it will give you a separate inventory to store all the scrolls you carry around.
The Burning Wizard: In the Enhanced Edition there is a Mace of Stunning +1: The Stupefier upstairs in a locked chest which is a pretty good weapon for this level range.
Neera: Those of you playing on the Enhanced Edition will meet a Wild Mage by the name of Neera here who will join your party as a Companion.
Smithy: Many magical items are sold at this vendor but most notable is the Dagger of Venom. This item is a best in slot weapon for all of BG1.
After finishing up with everything you need in Beregost it's time to continue south towards Nashkel. There will be 2 wilderness zones between Beregost and Nashkel both of which don't have anything of much importance outside of EXP.