The Owlbear Cub in Baldur’s Gate 3 is simply adorable, but can it become your companion? This cute little bird/bear mix is protected by its much larger parent, who watches over them in the Owlbear Nest near the Blighted Village. In the early access version, we couldn’t befriend the cub, but now we have the chance! Let’s embark on a quest to find the Owlbear and make the right decisions to befriend this charming creature.
How to find the Baldur’s Gate 3 Owlbear Cub:
- Start by locating the Owlbear and its cub in the Nest, which lies to the Northeast of the Blighted Village. Meet the protective mother first.
- Make your way to the Baldur’s Gate 3 Goblin Camp, where you’ll encounter Krolla and her amusing Chicken Chasing game. In this quest, you must rescue the captured Owlbear Cub from her clutches.
- Return to your Camp after a few days to reunite with the Owlbear Cub and share a heartwarming final interaction by feeding it.
However, be cautious! If you fail the Animal Handling skill check or can’t intimidate the Owlbear mother with a fearsome roar, you’ll trigger a deadly confrontation that forces you to fight for survival.
Now, here comes a significant decision: if you end up killing the Owlbear cub’s mother, you’ll face another choice – to end the cub’s suffering with a merciful death or spare its life. If you choose to spare it, you’ll witness a touching moment as the cub mourns its mother and then decides to eat from her remains. But, if you decide to kill it, well, it’s a permanent farewell. The choice is yours, and it’s not an easy one, that’s for sure!
Owlbear Cub and Cave Location
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can find the Owlbear Cub in a place known as the Owlbear Nest. To reach the Nest, head North from the Bridge West of Silvanus Grove and East of the Blighted Village. The entrance is located near the riverbank, precisely at coordinates X:85, Y:444, as marked on the map.
The Owlbear Nest is a small cave, mainly consisting of the Nest itself and a puzzle with a Baldur’s Gate 3 Selune chest. To locate the Owlbear Cub, follow the path to the right. But beware, it’s not alone – there may be other creatures lurking nearby. Approach with caution!
Spare or Kill the Owlbear
Venturing around the corner, you’ll come face-to-face with the Mother Owlbear, but if you’re stealthy enough, it might not notice you at all. However, if you get spotted, things can go in different ways.
- Succeeding in the dialogue check allows you to avoid combat with the Mother and Cub Owlbear. You can achieve this through animal handling, or if you have the Speak with Animals spell, you can try Persuasion or Intimidation checks to calm the Owlbears. The Animal Friendship spell will help with these checks too. But even if you pass the check, they’ll want you to keep your distance, and if you get too close, combat will initiate after the interaction.
- Failing the dialogue check leads to instant combat. Both the Mother Owlbear and Owlbear Cub will attack, with the Mother being the primary threat. If you kill the Mother, the Owlbear Cub will no longer be hostile and can be spared.
If Mother Owlbear dies, the Cub will eat her body out of instinctual hunger. You’ll have the option to put it down if you think it’s more humane, but it’s not obligatory. If you want the Owlbear Cub to return later, you should let it live.
If the Mother survives the encounter, she’ll eventually meet her end when local goblins hunt her down following a killing spree. The Owlbear Cub will then fall under the goblins’ control.
Getting the Owlbear Cub in the Goblin Camp
After your initial encounter with the Owlbears in their nest, you’ll have a chance to find the Owlbear Cub at the Goblin Camp to the west of the Blighted Village (though it might take some time, possibly a couple of long rests). Here’s how you can acquire it:
Use your social skills to manipulate your way into the Goblin Camp, convincing the guards that you are an ally, and therefore allowed inside.
As soon as you enter the camp, look to your left, and you’ll spot the Goblin named Krolla, who is in charge of the Chicken-Chasing activity, along with the Owlbear Cub!
Inform Krolla that you intend to leave the camp, taking the Owlbear Cub along with you.
At this point, you have several options: you can try to persuade, intimidate, use Illithid-mind-control, or simply bribe Krolla with 500 Gold to let you take the Cub.
Finally, interact with the Owlbear Cub, allowing it to become familiar with your scent, so it can find your own campsite.
On the other hand, if you choose a more challenging approach, you can decide to eliminate all the Goblins and their allies in the outside section of the Goblin Camp. If you manage to achieve this, the Owlbear Cub will escape. However, be warned, it’s a tough challenge to overcome. Regardless of your choice, the ultimate outcome remains the same – the Owlbear Cub becomes your companion.
Finding the Owlbear Cub on Your Campsite
Several days later, the Owlbear Cub will show up at the borders of your Campsite, looking a bit cautious. To win its trust, follow these steps:
- Pass a DC 10 Animal Handling Check.
- Choose “Fetch a Piece of Food From Your Bag” and then “Toss the Food to the Owlbear.”
The Owlbear Cub will dash into the forest after this interaction, but it’s evident that it will return.
From now on, the Owlbear Cub will visit your campsite occasionally and randomly, hoping to get more food.
Is the Owlbear Cub a Companion?
As of now, the Owlbear Cub cannot accompany you into combat or during your adventures. However, this may change in future updates or with the full release of the game. If there are any developments, we’ll update this page accordingly. Considering the Owlbear Cub’s base stats, it has the potential to be a valuable ally, particularly in the early stages of Baldur’s Gate 3.