Looking for the Owlbear Cub in Baldur’s Gate 3? For those unfamiliar with the lore of Faerun, few wild creatures strike as much fear into adventurers as an Owlbear. Half owl and half bear, it has ferocious claws that deal massive damage and the ursine robustness that make it difficult to kill. Luckily, the Owlbear you can get as a camp companion is a cub and not quite as dangerous – yet.
While it’s not part of its own questline in Baldur’s Gate 3, be sure to check out our quest list – including companion missions – to make sure you don’t miss anything else during your adventure. And if you’re curious about what we thought of this year’s biggest PC release, be sure to give our review a gander.
Where to find the Owlbear Cub in Baldur’s Gate 3
You’ll first find the Owlbear Cub in a cave to the west of Druid Grove and slightly northeast of the Blighted Village, down in a little ravine with a shallow river running through it. Passing a skill check, your companions will remark that Owlbear tracks lead inside a location called the Owlbear Nest.
Inside, you’ll find a Gilded Chest by a statue of Selune, and beyond that the Owlbear mother and her cub. To open the chest, you need to use a prayer sheet.
How to get the Owlbear Cub to join you in Baldur’s Gate 3
You cannot get the Owlbear Cub to join you in the Owlbear Nest. First, you must kill the mother. You can also interact with the mother, passing either an animal handling, survival, or performance check to make sure it doesn’t attack you. This will give you enough time to prepare for the fight or leave the cave entirely. If you leave the mother alive, you can still find the Owlbear Cub later. Regardless, it’s very important you do not attack or kill the Owlbear Cub, even though it will attack you.
To make the fight against the Owlbear easier, climb up to the second level of the cave to gain an advantage on your attack rolls. We used Laezel’s Menacing Attack to frighten the Owlbear into remaining stuck in place while we rained arrows and magic down upon it. Once the mother is killed, leave the cub alive and it will – quite gruesomely – begin feasting on its dead mother. There’s also plenty of good loot in here, including the armor Oakfather’s Embrace on a corpse.
Leave the cub in the nest and head to the Goblin Camp to the west of the Blighted Village after taking at least one long rest. You must enter the Goblin camp peacefully, either by using your Illithid tadpole to convince the Goblins you’re a True Soul, or by some other means, such as being a Drow, a race they see as an ally.
Across the bridge into the main camp, you’ll see a few goblins surrounding the poor Owlbear Cub. If the Owlbear Cub isn’t there, take another long rest. Speak with Krolla here and she will inform you they’ve made a new game called Chicken Chase, and she wants you to play – but only if the nearby Bard Volo shuts up first. You must speak with Volo, ruining his performance and getting him sent back to his prison.
Agree to play the Chicken Chase game with Krolla, give her the prerequisite gold payment, and follow the Owlbear to the obstacle course. The goal of Chicken Chase is to chase the Owlbear Cub toward the goalposts at the back. Here, speak directly to the Owlbear Cub and, using animal handling proficiency, direct it to the goalposts. If you have the Speak with Animals ability available, whether in spell or potion form, you can also persuade the Owlbear Cub toward the goalposts. Congratulations, you’ve won Chicken Chase.
Krolla will try to cheat you out of your gold winnings; however, you can use the Illithid tadpole’s mind control to convince her to hand over her winnings and more. Head back to where you first spoke to Krolla and inform her you will be taking the Owlbear Cub with you. Now properly fearful of you, she will not argue.
Your hero will remark that they hope the Owlbear Cub can make it back to your camp. The Owlbear Cub will not appear in your camp immediately. You must take several long rests before it will show up, skittish and hungry. Feed the Owlbear Cub and in the future it will continue to return, forming a stronger bond with you and your companions.
And that’s all you need to know to get your very own pet Owlbear Cub. If you’re having trouble taking down the Owlbear mother, our guides on the best build for each class can help, such as the Fighter or Wizard. Reading up on ritual spells, one of which allows you to speak with animals, will help you avoid combat against such fearsome beasts as well.