One of the main selling points ofBaldur’s Gate 3is the vast array of weird and wonderful characters that players can interact with. Not all of these characters, however, are of the humanoid variety. There are plenty of animals to encounter acrossBaldur’s Gate 3, and some can have stories and interactions with as much meaning as many of the humanoid characters.
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While any characters can interact with any of these animals, the encounters had with them tend to be more memorable when charactersuse the ‘Speak With Animals’ spellto actually converse with them. Some proficiency in the ‘Animal Handling’ skill can’t hurt, either.
10The Addled Frog
While a lot of the entries on this list are relatively wholesome, The Addled Frog is the polar opposite. This is a frog that can be found in the Sunlit Wetlands or Putrid Bog, depending on whether the illusion has dropped or not.
The frog is highly distressed and likely to attack but, should the player converse with the frog, things quickly become even more sinister. The frog, as its name suggests, is completely incoherent, but it seems highly likely that the frog was once a person who made a bargain with Auntie Ethel and, in the style of old fairytales, has been turned into a frog.
9Bosk The Bear
The Druid Grove is a great place for players who want to speak to animals, as there are tons, includingan irate squirrelwho can meet an explosive fate. One of the most charming, however, is Bosk the bear. He can be found next to Volo and, while the conversation with Volo is great, players shouldn’t overlook talking to Bosk.
He is very mild-mannered and patiently tries to tell his story to Volo. He is a long way from home and has traveled far. Sadly, all Volo can hear is the growls of a savage bear. Bosk laments that the druids and the player can understand him but that the man with the pen can’t. He is a sweet soul worth talking to.
8Lyrthindor Rats
The rats found in the Gauntlet Of Shar are baffling to speak to and bear a strange secret. Should players follow the multitude of rats down to the depths of their home, they will meet one who is willing to bargain with the players. He explains that Raphael made a deal with him as a way to ensure his orthon enemy, Yurgir, stays imprisoned.
Raphael’s deal with Yurgir is that he can only be free once he has killed every Shar Justiciar in the temple. No matter how hard he has looked, he cannot find another living Justiciar. That is because the remaining Justiciar, Lyrthindor, has been turned into a swarm of rats to hide from Yurgir in plain sight. The Lyrthindor rats are fascinating to talk to, and can also be a quite challenging fight.
7Courier Pigeons
The courier pigeons in Baldur’s Gate can make for hilarious conversationalists and are a big help in the’Find The Missing Letters’side quest, particularly the one closest to players when they first enter the couriers.
As if a homage to carrier pigeons used for correspondence in wars, the pigeons consider themselves members of a military, with the main pigeon acting as a general. The voice acting and writing for these unflappable gentlemen pigeons are highly entertaining, and they will point players in the right direction to find the missing letters.
6Displacer Beast
Also found in the Gauntlet Of Shar, the displacer beast is unwaveringly loyal to Yurgir the orthon. Talking to the displacer beast, though, players will find that she is actually infatuated with him, claiming he saved her, and she is utterly devoted to him. Although she does have to think for a moment if players offer themselves as a potential mate, amusingly.
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Not all is as it seems if players inspect her food. It turns out that Yurgir is spiking it with succubic magic, charming her into loving him. If players are able to help the displacer beast see clarity, she can fight Yurgir alongside the player.
5Grub
There aremany adorable catsto be found in the game, particularly in Baldur’s Gate, including one who narrates its own encounter with the player, and one who thinks the player is its ‘mermer’, or mother. Out of all of them, though, players can have the most interaction with Grub, a shy ginger cat who is a companion to a little girl called Yenna.
Yenna’s mother has gone missing, and players can invite her and Grub to stay at their camp. While Grub is a lovely addition to the camp, he can meet a truly terrible fate if Orin the Red gets her shapeshifter hands on him.
4Tara
Another Baldur’s Gate cat entry, Tara is a bit of an exception as she is a tressym. Admittedly, just a magical cat with wings. Players may recognize her as the beloved friend to the wizard companion, Gale.
She can be found on the roof of The Open Hand Temple, and is very welcoming to players who approach with care. She is eating the poor courier pigeons mentioned earlier, however, so players might have to convince her that those birds are not on the menu.
3Boo
It is gutting that players can’t meet the infamous miniature giant space hamster, Boo, until act three. Boo is the animal companion to the beloved Baldur’s Gate ranger, Minsc. They may only appear in the game’s final act, but Minsc and Boo make an impression immediately.
The interactions between the pair of them, mainly Minsc interpreting Boo’s squeaks, make themworth bringing on adventures. If those interactions don’t sell it enough, Minsc can summon Boo as a familiar, and Boo is surprisingly proficient in combat.
2Owlbear Cub
The owlbear cub can befound in act onein a cave with her mother. Unfortunately, this setup doesn’t last for long. Her mother dies and she gets kidnapped by goblins. Luckily for the cub, players can save her from the goblins and offer her their scent to lead her back to the camp. Is it a good idea to adopt an owlbear cub?
Perhaps not. As companion characters are likely to point out, she will grow and get hard to manage. But when she shows up looking for food and care, it’s hard to say no to her pleading eyes and adorable voice acting, even when she says she won’t eat the player despite how delicious they smell. Luckily for players, she becomes a firm friend to the camp, even joining in with the end fights, all grown up and armored.
1Scratch
As lovely as the owlbear cub is to have in camp, it is hard forany animal companionto compete with Scratch. Scratch shares a backstory similar toSkyrim’sMeeko. His owner has died, and he is all alone in the world. That is until the player adopts him. Scratch is a delight. Players can pet him, play fetch with him, he can bring items to camp that made him think of the player, and he can even assist them throughout the game as a familiar.
While there are some lovely dogs in the game, especially the dog that loves to run in Baldur’s Gate, Scratch is officially titled ‘the best boy in the Realms’. He must be protected from the worst villain in the game - the kennel master in Baldur’s Gate. As animal characters go, Scratch is truly wonderful.
Baldur’s Gate 3is available now on PC and PlayStation 5. A version for Xbox Series X/S is currently in development.
