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The vast world of Baldur's Gate 3 is home to countless secrets and puzzles, and this mysterious Gilded Chest in the Owlbear Nest is certainly one of them! The Owlbear Nest is, as its name implies, a cavern housing a wounded owlbear and her cub. If you manage to get past her and head deeper into the cave, however, you'll find a beautiful alcove with a stone statue and a Gilded Chest.
Unfortunately, if you fail the preceding Arcana (INT) check and try to open the chest without first examining your surroundings, your character will receive a nasty shock instead of loot. Here's how to get the chest open—and uncover the backstory of one of your companions while you're at it!
Where Is The Owlbear Nest?
If you haven't stumbled across the Owlbear Nest yet during your travels, don't worry! It's almost impossible to miss.
From the Silvanus' Grove Waypoint (also commonly known as the Druid Grove), walk west, following the path until you encounter the dead (or dying) body of Edowin. Continue westward past a small waterfall, and you'll be able to see the entrance to the Owlbear Nest (X:94, Y:440) as pictured above.
Do note that venturing into the cave will put you face-to-face with an angry mama owlbear and her cub, which can be a lethal encounter for an inexperienced adventurer. If you do enter, make sure that you're prepared to sneak, fight or nervously negotiate your way past one of the Sword Coast's most ferocious predators.
Plus, if you do it right, you might even come out of it with your very own owlbear cub companion!
Owlbears are considered beasts in Baldur's Gate 3, and can be affected by features like the Speak with Animals spell. If no one in the party can cast, consider bringing along Wyll, who has the Beast Speech invocation.
How To Open The Gilded Chest
Once you've dealt with the owlbears, head deeper into the cave, where you'll find an alcove with a stream, flowers, a stone statue and a shiny Gilded Chest.
Unless you want to receive a shocking surprise, make sure to give the Gilded Chest a wide berth—it's sealed by magic, can't be lockpicked, and touching it without following the right steps will deal a sizable amount of magical damage to your character.
In order to open the Gilded Chest in the Owlbear Nest, you'll need to follow these instructions:
- Jump across the stream to reach the stone statue.
- Your character will automatically make a Perception (WIS) check. If you fail, don't worry! You can send another party member over to try again.
- A successful Perception (WIS) check will reveal an item on the ground called "Selûne's Prayer Sheet". Pick it up, return to the chest, and read the Prayer Sheet.
- This will prompt your character to make a Religion (INT) check. Again, if your roll fails, pass the Prayer Sheet to another character to give it another shot.
- Once your character successfully deciphers the Prayer Sheet, the chest will be unlocked!
What's Inside The Gilded Chest?
Once you've got the chest open, you'll find a number of shiny things inside:
- A Silver Necklace
- A Bloodstone
- An Idol of Selune
- A Moondrop Pendant
Though this is an excellent haul in general for such a short detour, the Moondrop Pendant can be especially useful in battle. It prevents enemies from taking Opportunity Attacks against you when you're at low health, allowing your characters to get away from danger without having to waste your action to Disengage.
Special Interaction With Shadowheart
If the Trickery Cleric companion, Shadowheart, is in your party while you investigate this Selunite structure, she has quite a few scathing things to say about the goddess of the moon.
Once you successfully open the chest, Shadowheart will strike up a conversation with you, warning you against taking any of the items inside. You can choose to press her for information or convince her that looting the chest is a good idea.
A successful DC 15 Insight (WIS) check here will reveal some key information about Shadowheart's backstory and unlock further interactions with her back at your camp.
Though Shadowheart doesn't mind if you just take a peek, if you choose to take any of the chest's contents despite her warnings, you'll be able to make a DC 15 Sleight of Hand (DEX) check to hide your sticky fingers from her.
Failing this check will cause her to lose some goodwill towards you, so be warned if you're seeking to court her during your playthrough. That said, if you're confident in your Dexterity, or if you've got your eyes set on someone else, then pilfer away to your heart's content!