Talk:Baldur's Gate II Chapter 5/@comment-69.222.134.113-20190628185954

NOTE: You can actually skip most of the Underdark by heading to the Western Tunnels immediately after Adalon turns you into drow. After fighting through some kuo-toa, you'll get to a gate being guarded by a small party of drow (you'll recognize it as the place Adalon teleports you to, if you finish the Ust Natha quests).

Talk to their leader, and you can actually bribe them into letting you through, if your charisma is decent. Do this, and you lose out on Ust Natha (all of the XP and rewards), but it's useful to know if you're trying to hurry through, or you get stuck somewhere in the main questline and can't reload an earlier save.