How to get the owlbear cub in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 owlbear cub
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

If you've stumbled across an owlbear cub and its mother while exploring Baldur's Gate 3, then you might be wondering how best to handle the situation without bloodshed. The poor cub will wind up motherless no mater what you do, but if you play your dialogue options right you can become its new pal.

To save the owlbear cub you must:

  • Talk to Krolla in the Goblin Camp.
  • Offer the owlbear cub your scent so it can find your camp.
  • Convince Krolla to let you take the owlbear cub with you.

Read on below to get the complete details on how to find and rescue the owlbear cub in the goblin camp.

Where to find the owlbear nest 

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The owlbear nest is found inside a cave, to the northeast of the Blighted Village, and you'll need to look for the small stream to find the entrance. Once inside, you can head in either direction to reach the Owlbear and its cub.

If you have Speak With Animals, you can use Persuasion or Intimidation to reason with the mother, otherwise, you'll need to rely on the other choices, all of which require you to win a roll. If you succeed with your checks and don't initiate combat, you're free to leave, although the owlbear will still engage you if you get too close again. 

If you do end up in a fight and you want to save the owlbear cub, concentrate your attacks on the mother. Once she's been dealt with, the cub will lose its hostility and you'll have to choose whether to attack it. Obviously, if you want it to join you later, you should let it live.

Rescue the owlbear cub from the Goblin Camp 

Whether or not you decide to kill the owlbear mother in the cave, the cub will end up at the Goblin Camp. The difficulty of this part will depend on whether or not you're on speaking terms with the Goblins. If you've already killed all the goblins, you'll find the owlbear cub on its own nearby. If they're still in residence, head left once you're through the main gate and look for Krolla and the cub next to her.

You can take a turn at her game of chicken (owlbear) chasing if you like or just cut to the chase by telling her that you won't participate in the cruel game. Make sure to talk with the owlbear cub itself as it frolicks around the camp and use an Animal Handling check (Difficulty Class 10) to offer it your scent. If you did play the chicken chase, you'll need to bully Krolla for your winnings before telling her you want to keep the cub.

Return to Krolla and tell her that the owlbear cub is coming with you. You'll need to pass one of these dialogue checks:

  • Intimidation (Difficulty Class 10)
  • Persuasion (Difficulty Class 10)
  • Illithid Wisdom (Difficulty Class 2)
  • Offer to buy it for 500 gold

The next time you head back to camp and end the day, the owlbear cub will appear while you're sleeping. Choose either the Animal Handling option—you'll need to pass a wisdom check—or offer it food, which it will eat before running away. From that point on, the owlbear cub will return to your camp sporadically, and you can build more trust.

Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

With contributions from