Just stick with your choices, there is no right or wrong. Well I guess there is, but not in a way that will break your game or anything.

Don't worry about a thing. I have over 600 hours in the game, have only gotten to the end of Act 2 twice and none of those times to the end of Act 3, I just keep restarting over and over, with different characters, different parties, different choices.

So far every single (partial) playthrough was different. Like Maraxus said, there are no good or bad choices, just choices. And luck of the dice, of course, although I think save scumming if you would like the story to go in a specific direction is more than acceptable.

And, with every every playthrough you might be inspired to try out different approaches to whatever the game throws at you, for me that's half (maybe even two thirds) f the fun!

The time-bomb is just flavoring but not real. The "urgent" task of finding a cure is guaranteed to be paced on your terms. Take as much time as you want on that primary task. (There's a story reason for it, but people have managed to punch holes in that story that've yet to be satisfactorily fulfilled for everyone. I chalk it up to being a video game.)

There are certain events outside of the whole find-a-cure thing that do have limits on what you're allowed to do before they self-complete, usually to bad results.

I'm fairly certain that players would be extremely stressed out if they tried to coordinate those small number of quests along with a time-bomb in the player character's head. It's also a nightmare for the development to have a master countdown and create side-content to squeeze in there while not dragging the player away too much for just one worthwhile sidequest arc (such as companion arcs or the few other act-spanning sidequest arcs).

logically, i know the main quest can wait, but i can't help trying to rush through
my first attempt, i completely skipped a whole bunch of npcs, including three companions
it took a few more tries before i managed to find wyll
in my current save, i've rushed through astarion's romance to where i think now nothing else is going to happen until act 2, but i haven't even gone into the blighted village (other than to look in the barn)
i think i'll have to restart yet again...

Yeah as others have said, I think your issue is you are trying to have that "perfect" play through. It's just not possible in a game such as this with SO many choices and different ways things can be approached.

As someone that save-scums a lot in most games to get the best outcomes I have been playing this game a bit different. No reloading (within reason) when I make choices, rolls, etc. Playing it like a true RPG. So far it's a blast.

Also there are always subsequent playthroughs to fix any "bad" choices you may have made. :p

Word of warning, if you take too many long rests, you die and it plays a really creepy music and a disturbing cutscenes.

The game is extremely misleading, long rests wont harm you in any way. You wont turn from resting too much.

The game tells you VERY early on that your tadpole isn't normal and that your transformation has been interrupted/halted.

The big thing to accept with this game is roleplaying and dealing with what the dice deals you. In a lot of PC RPG games you almost have to play "perfect" to progress; in BG3 there are a lot of opportunities to mess up and still progress. To make mistakes; take the wrong path; take the lesser two two evil paths (or the worst if that's your style).

So for a first playthrough don't stress at doing it perfectly; just play the game. If you get a bad roll that locks you out of options; adapt and work past it.

You'll find it easier to get into and less stressful.

If you still worry then have around 3 or so saves and manually save regularly so that you've a couple of those previous saves as "waypoints" you can go back too. It can feel a little like cheating at times ;but its good if you want to perfect a certain part of the game story to flow a certain way; or you make a mistake.

You are not on any time limit, you can rest at your camp 1000 times.

There is a false sense of urgency with almost everything. A lot of the story is dependent on long rests so don't skip those. There is more than enough food in the game to rest as much as you want and later in ACT 3 you can buy supplies and cast hero's feast, so no there is no reason to horde food for later.

but how am i supposed to know *when* to long rest?
every time a companion gets to a certain approval level?
after talking to any major npc?
every five steps?

Originally posted by paper stars:

but how am i supposed to know *when* to long rest?
every time a companion gets to a certain approval level?
after talking to any major npc?
every five steps?

When you are out of spells or abilities.

but i don't want to miss anything important :C