Baldur’s Gate 3 features many animal characters, and with the “talk to animals” spell, players can have full conversations with these creatures in the same way they do with humanoid races. Anyone who never considers this spell misses out on a huge part of the game, and the lore and personalities are left unknown. Some of these characters may return to the group’s camp and help them later in the game.
There are two animal companions that groups can adopt and keep at their campsite – Scratch and the owlbear cub. However, There are several other characters that players will encounter throughout the game that many would like to be able to keep at camp.. Some seem like missed opportunities, while others may have been initially planned to join the party but never made it that far in development.
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Shadowwhiskers, the Displacer Beast
A tragic character without resolution
Shadow-Whiskers is a raging shifter beast found in the Latter-day Circus, and the creature will attack the player’s party once combat with the fake Dribbles and other shapeshifters is initiated. Despite generally being hostile to players, Shadow-Whiskers will share their story with those who use the “talk to animals” spell. Originally, she lived in the wild with her mate and cubs, but hunters killed her mate and stole her cubs. She expresses discontent and anger at the circus members for her situation, but cannot be influenced by them during the fight.
The displacer beast story is nice, making it disappointing that there is no way to befriend Shadow-Whiskers. She can be saved if a party member frees her without initiating combat, using a spell such as invisibility, or break the locks and not allow her to leave the cage. However, there is no way to completely free her from the circus, and the party will hear nothing more about her living cubs – the only other displacer beast in the game is Nessa, found in the temple of Shar, but there is nothing to imply she could be Shadow-Whiskers’ cub.
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Sparky the dog
An overly excitable dog
Sparky is a very excitable dog found in Bloomridge Park in Lower Town. The group can try to calm Sparky down, which is much easier with the “talk to animals” spell. Passing the check to calm his excitement will cause him and his owner to leave for the Upper City. It’s possible there was more content planned involving Sparkyas there was originally much more content considered for the Upper City that did not make it through development.
Sparky is so low on the list due to his obvious resemblance to Scratch, but it would be a lovely option for another animal companion for him, especially if the player missed the owlbear cub in Act 1. “Scratch & Sparky” also plays very well outside the language. If the park is ambushed and the player has not sent Sparky home, he will be present in the fight and will often die along with his owner. In this sense, many players would have much more peace of mind if Sparky were a temporary companion, or at least strengthened to avoid the likelihood of a dark fate.
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Biscotti the dog
The most elegant dog in Faerûn
Biscotti can be found in Rivington with his owners taking refuge after their farm burned down. He can be identified by his light brown coat and the iconic small bow on top of his head. He is essentially the embodiment of each dog’s personality. Talking to Biscotti using “talk to animals” spell, Players will discover that he has one central desire – to be called a “good dog.”
If the player character tells Biscotti that he is a good dog, he will become emotional and extremely excited. If the player cruelly refrains from doing so, Biscotti will be very disappointed. Although Biscotti already has two owners, it would be nice to see him with more content and appearing later in the game, as the player has limited interaction with him. That being said, he would make a great camping companion given how their dialogue can be repeated and still be read as separate conversations.
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Ormn the Bear
Halsin’s pet
Ormn is found in the Emerald Grove in Act 1. He can initially be found in a very sorry state, mourning the absence of his master, Halsin. Upon saving Halsin from the Goblin Camp and returning him to the woods, Ormn will immediately perk up and be elated. He’s also technically an infinite source of camping supplies, as he constantly drops fish onto the ground.as seen in Lucrorpgon YouTube, making him possibly one of the most useful NPCs if the player is short on food or supply packs.
Since Halsin is Ormn’s master, it is disappointing that the bear simply remains in the woods instead of going to camp with him after being recruited. If you recruit Halsin and then attack the Emerald Grove, Halsin will attack the player with Ormn on his side, raising the question of why he can’t help Halsin when the druid is on the party’s side. Ormn is one of the animal characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 it would make more sense to be a campmate.
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His Majesty the Cat
A real cat that matches its name
His Majesty is found in Last Light Inn, and it’s safe to say that many players have fallen in love with him. He’s a Sphynx cat, but from Patch 3 to Hotfix 8 he had a cute model — the patch note found on the official website Baldur’s Gate 3 the website claimed that Larian had “shaved” him. He is very regal and dismissive, and will only allow the player character to admire him, not pet him. Admiring him will earn the approval of all companions except Lae’zel and gain two approval points from Shadowheart.
He expresses distrust in Isobel and calls her a liar, as she promised him milk but never brought it. It would be very gratifying for His Majesty to become a fellow camper and see his walls torn down, perhaps even trusting Isobel again. He has a very authentic personality for a cat, and many players would certainly appreciate being able to pet him properly.
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Crimson The Alioramus
A misunderstood dinosaur
Crimson is another creature found in the Latter Day Circus. He also initially appears aggressive and will break out of his cage and attack the player during the doppelgänger fight if they do not interact with him. If the player speaks to him before the fight, they will discover that he is starving to the point of going crazy. If the player feeds it, it will not leave the cage when openedand if the player breaks the locks on his cage and traps him, he will thank you fully for not letting him hurt anyone.
Crimson sees the circus as his family and holds the members in high regard for having been raised by them. The only reason he is initially aggressive is because the shapeshifters refused to feed him. and tortured him with his hunger. While he’s unlikely to want to leave the house, even refusing to leave his small cage, having him as an ally in exchange for the player’s help would be a fitting conclusion for this surprisingly sweet dinosaur.
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Malta the cat
A familiar street cat
Malta is a cat found behind the Central Watch Tower in Undercity. When talked to talk to animals, he dramatically narrates all his actions and those of the player. By your voice and appearance, It is likely that he was inspired by Puss in Boots. Malta is one of three cats that players can send to live with Derryth Bonecloak if her husband dies in the first act.
Malta presents the player with a test to see if they deserve to join them – if they accept too hastily, they will fail. However, to the dismay of many, he will never join the player – if he passes the test, he will simply tell them that their paths will cross again much later when they are “ready”. He never follows up on this, which feels like a missed opportunity to have him appear later in the game after the player has accomplished some sort of great feat. The setting for a companion exists, but is never used.
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Myshka the cat
A cat looking for its mother
Myshka is another cat from Undercity who speaks a unique feline dialect called Mriaer. In what appears to be a broken version of Common, he will ask anyone talking to him if they are his mother. Just like Malta, Myshka could also be a candidate to keep Derryth company. However, if the player does not give it to Derryth, he will be able to tell that it is actually his mother, regardless of what gender they are playing as. He will then excitedly exclaim “MERMER”, which means “mother” in Mriaer. Myshka will adorably follow the character who started the conversation thinking it was her mother.
Myshka is one of the top candidates for the animal most deserving of coming to camp. He only follows the group while they’re within a certain radius, and it’s cruel to tell him you’re his mother and then leave him for the rest of the adventure. One of the first mods added to Mod Manager introduced in Patch 7 was one that allowed you to take it to campwhere you can pet him endlessly.
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Squire, dog of Ketheric
Ketheric and Isobel’s undead pet
Squire is an undead dog with a robotic appearance. She was revived by Ketheric after dying alongside Isobeltrying to protect her. She can be found in Ketheric’s room in Moonrise Towers – she will recognize the spell from Isobel’s magic if the party has received the Selune’s Blessing. The player can even pet Squire if she is not hostile to the party. Talking to her will reveal that she is loyal only to Ketheric, not to her cause nor to the Absolute. She can be convinced not to help you in the fight at the top of the towers.
The group was originally able to recruit Ketheric Thorm during the game’s development, and the fact that there was a way to stop Squire from participating in the final fight suggests that she was supposed to come to camp with Ketheric after her redemption arc. However, as Larian decided to cut Ketheric as a companion to focus on the rest of the cast, Squire’s involvement would likely have been cut. Even without Ketheric, sparing Squire and having her reunited with Isobel would be a fitting reward for those who managed to spare Squire, although she has no more content after the fight.
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Gustav and Zola, the messenger dogs
The closest thing Scratch has to his brothers
Outside of the Sword Coast Post Office, players can interact with Mar’hyah, who runs the kennels. She asks to check Scratch for worms, but it quickly becomes clear that she intends to take him. Originally, Scratch was one of the delivery dogs’ dogs.and he will beg the player not to allow her to take him as she is clearly abusive towards her dogs and staff. There are two other dogs that can be found in the kennels, Gustav and Zola — players can offer to buy them, but Mar’hyah will not accept.
Zola and Gustav express relief and gratitude if the player can get Mar’hyah to leave them alone. It would be a much more rewarding ending if the player could adopt them along with Scratch, as they are probably the closest thing he has to family. There are many animal characters in Baldur’s Gate 3and with so many great candidates, it’s clear that two animal companions are not enough.
Source: Youtube/Lucrorpg
- Platform(s)
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PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
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Larian Studio