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Although Baldur's Gate 3 has an interesting cast of companions, none are quite as fearsome and adorable as the owlbear cub. Unfortunately, getting the cub takes some effort and a lot of time, but adding the mystical owlbear to your camp is entirely worth it.
The half-bear, half-owl creatures were some of the earliest monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, first appearing in its supplementary rulebook, Greyhawk. However, owlbears no longer need to be feared (well, you can still fear them a bit), as one of their cubs can now be added to your camp in Baldur's Gate 3.
Updated July 18, 2023, by Ryan Bamsey: As we learn more about the soon-to-be-launched Baldur's Gate 3, it's important to remember the most important thing: the fact that we can acquire an owlbear cub to keep us company at camp. We've updated this guide to make it more readable and make sure the details are right.
How To Find The Owlbear Nest
An owlbear and its cub can be found in a cave between the Druid Grove and the Blighted Village, just north of the bridge and close to where you'll find Scratch the dog. Approaching the cave, you'll see a set of tracks leading into it. If you follow those tracks, you'll eventually encounter the fearsome owlbear.
Once you get close enough, a cutscene will begin, and you will be able to either use Animal Handling to study the owlbear's behaviour, back away by passing a Survival check, puff out your chest and roar by passing a Performance check, or attack.
Passing the Animal Handling check will expose the owlbear cub, which the owlbear is clearly protecting.
You can then either hold out your hands to show it you mean no harm, move toward it, back away slowly, or attack. It should be noted that any failed checks or hostile behaviour will lead to the owlbear attacking you and your party. Otherwise, the owlbear will allow you to leave the cave.
Walking away and leaving the owlbear alive with its cub will still allow you to encounter the cub again and add it to your camp. However, if you'd still like to take out the owlbear, you can attack it without endangering the cub.
If you take the violent route and kill the owlbear mother, make sure you interact with the owlbear cub afterward and refrain from killing it.
Where To Find The Owlbear Cub
After the encounter in the cave, you can find the owlbear cub at the Goblin Camp, which is located west of the Druid Grove and Blighted Village. The cub can be found sitting on one side of the camp, surrounded by goblins. Once you spot it, interacting with the cub will lead to a discussion with a goblin named Krolla, who will introduce you to a new and terrible sport called Chicken-Chasing.
Though Krolla will begin explaining the rules to you, she will eventually tell you to "come back when that halfwit's done wailin'." This is referring to Volo the Bard, who appears to be captured by the goblins and is standing on a pedestal in the middle of the camp. Once you've spoken to him, you can return to Krolla to find out more about Chicken-Chasing.
You can also speak to the owlbear cub and show it that you aren't going to harm it by passing two Animal Handling checks. However, it will ultimately tell you to deal with the goblins before it can follow your scent to camp.
Should You Play Chicken-Chase With Krolla?
Now, there are two different routes you can take to get the owlbear cub. You can either save yourself some time and denounce Chicken-Chasing as the cruel sport it is or partake in a game and earn some extra gold. Both will lead to basically the same outcome.
There's also the option of taking out all of the goblins in the camp, but your success here will depend on your fighting skills.
For the first and quickest route, you can condemn Chicken-Chasing altogether. Simply go back to Krolla, tell her you can't remember the rules, and then say that you don't want to play the game because it's cruel. The conversation will end there, and you talk to Krolla again and tell her that the cub is coming with you.
Here, you'll have to either intimidate, persuade, buy the cub for 500 gold, or use your Illithid wisdom. The easiest option is likely to use your Illithid powers, which will convince Krolla that you're a True Soul and prompt her to provide you with the cub as a gift.
For the second route, you can play a round of Chicken-Chasing for 30 gold or wager 75 gold if you're feeling confident. After that, the owlbear cub will run to the pen, where the game will take place.
In order to ensure that you'll win, you can interact with the owlbear cub and either pass an Animal Handling check to encourage it to run through the posts or Persuade it to attack the goblins. When the game begins, you'll have to chase the owlbear cub between the posts − be sure to mind the grease, though.
Once you've won, you can talk to Krolla to claim your wager. Though she'll conveniently tell you that Chicken-Chasing can only be won by goblins, you can Intimidate or Persuade her to give you your earnings. After that, you can speak to her again to tell her that the owlbear cub is coming with you, which will lead to the same options as the first route of Persuading, Intimidating, buying the cub, or using your Illithid wisdom.
The cub will then disappear and reappear at your camp a few nights later. If the cub doesn't arrive immediately, you may need to pass some time.