Talk to the animals in Baldur’s Gate 3 if you love good times
Baldur’s Gate 3 gives players many opportunities to role play and express their creativity. But as part of this amazing freedom, I must emphasize one spell that every player should have: Talk to Animals. This is the one I always start immediately as soon as I finish a long rest. Animals are some of the best characters in the game; and many fans have pointed out the critical number of quests animals can give you – as well as the silly interactions you can have – when you can talk. Baldur’s Gate 3There are many creatures.
(Ed. note: Spoilers for the animal characters in Baldur’s Gate 3.)
These interactions happen as early as Act 1. Some of them are small, but no less impactful (or gruesome). Near Emerald Grove, at the top of an elevator, you can encounter a particularly pesky squirrel that fights you when you enter its territory. Roll a dexterity check and… well… you can see what happens.
Other animals can become permanent characters. In the Emerald Grove, you may encounter a strange ox, hanging out with another fairly normal-looking ox. You can’t really discern what it is, but something about this beef is just a little disabled. You should probably talk to the ox to see what the problem is. You might just see yourself again at the Last Light Inn.
And of course, you can find two possible campmates in Act 1, who are even more adorable if you can talk to them. There is Scratch, the adorable dog that we meet crying for his master. And an owl bear, which you can save from goblins. The two become fast friends – and you can even get an achievement called “”You have two hands for a reason» for caressing them at the same time.
On the other hand, some animals, even if they appear to be dressing up, make an entire area much more fun. I’m talking about the rats of Shar’s Gauntlet – which are swarming everywhere. They give off rancid vibes, and even if they don’t need to talk to them, having a conversation is really fun. They will insult each of you, call you unworthy, and try to attack you if you succeed. You can also find the Rat King sitting on the Throne of Twisted Marrow, who has delusions of grandeur.
Naturally, the entire game is pretty covered in rats. And almost all of them have terrible personalities. Including one that we find at the scene of a murder in act 3. This rat has a taste for cheese — the humans who lived there fed it different species to determine its favorite. But it turns out that the rat also likes to eat the little red bits that “spilled” out of this resident during his unfortunate disappearance. Yeah.
Of course not Baldur’s Gate 3 The list of animals would be complete without mentioning the game’s very good cats. A fan favorite (and personal favorite) is Her Majesty, a sphinx – who has recently unfortunately been patched to have fur – which opens by whistling at the player, before giving players a quest to root out the basement. Even if you complete the quest, you are still just Her Majesty’s loyal subject.
Talking to animals has always been a staple of Larian Studios games. Rather than making it a spell, Divinity: Original Sin 2 players could select the “Pet Pal” attribute for their characters, giving them the permanent ability to speak with animals. It was just as enjoyable in this excellent game, and it’s a pleasure to see the legacy of wonderful animal characters continued.