Baldur’s Gate 3: Hardest Secrets & Hidden Things To Find In Act 1

Larian Studios, the developers behind Baldur’s Gate 3, are quite fond of hiding secret encounters, loot, and locations within their games, and their latest project is no exception. Critics and players often praise roleplaying games for their fluidity and the many game choices presented throughout the story. Thankfully, Baldur’s Gate 3 delivers on these mechanics, encouraging players to take multiple playthroughs and thoroughly explore the game to discover all its secrets.

Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place over a century after the events of Baldur’s Gate 2, where evil forces are threatening the world once again. The player character is infected with a mind flayer tadpole and must work together with Gale, Shadowheart, Wyll, Astarion, and Lae’zel to find a cure before they completely transform. Unfortunately, the game is still in early access, with no official release date confirmed by Larian Studios at this time. Despite the game’s limited development, Baldur’s Gate 3 still features many hidden secrets throughout its available areas, characters, and encounters.

Divinity Original Sin 2 is another giant game created by Larian Studios, which features hundreds of secrets for players patient enough to seek them out. Hidden quests dependent on players’ wrongdoings, trap doors, and loot caches are all possible to find in-game. Though Baldur’s Gate 3 is still in development, and players only have access to Act 1, Larian Studios has already created many secrets for players to locate.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Secret Room In the Crypt

Larian is fond of hiding secret rooms, messages, and loot around its games’ expansive worlds for players to find, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is no exception. Located within the crypt that Shadowheart points out, players must make their way to coordinates X: -289, Y: -230. After hovering their mouse over the correct spot, players can investigate the wall with their party and enter the hidden area. Hidden within the room is a sarcophagus that can initiate a conversation with the Baldur’s Gate 3 party. Next, players should select the friendly options and retrieve The Watcher’s Guide spear and The Amulet of Lost Voices. The Watcher’s Guide provides 1d8 piercing damage, and imbues the wielder with the Rush ability and Death’s Promise, which rewards players with an attack with an advantage.

Recruiting An Owlbear Cub In Baldur’s Gate 3

The Owlbear Cave is located within the first area of Baldur’s Gate 3, hidden beyond the Druid’s Grove and the Tielfling’s camp. Following the path along the river leads players and their parties to a cave. Unfortunately, a fully grown Owlbear with cubs and eggs is hidden inside and can quickly become aggressive. Spellcasters with Baldur’s Gate 3’s speak with animals spell can interact with the Owlbear and escape the situation swiftly, but the ensuing combat presents the opportunity to slay the Owlbear Mother and recruit her orphaned cub. After killing the Mother, the cub will flee and be captured by the Goblins. Players must navigate through the maze game and encourage the cub to find their camp. Afterward, the Owlbear Cub has a chance to appear at the Baldur’s Gate 3 camp and interact with the player character, companions, or Scratch the Dog.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Owlbear Cave Has Amazing Loot

Aside from initiating the Owlbear recruitment in the Owlbear Cave, perceptive players can also gather a powerful piece of armor hidden close by. Knocking the Owlbear Mother and the Owlbear Cub out can allow players to loot the cave without the threat of being attacked. Baldur’s Gate 3’s Owlbear Mother and the cave’s terrain can inflict nasty damage to unprepared parties, but the loot within (and the subsequent companion quest) provides plenty of reasons to see the encounter through. The Oak Father’s Embrace is a piece of medium armor that provides the Order of Nature buff, making undead enemies attacking the wearer take 1d6 Radiant damage, while beasts that attack the wearer gain an extra 1d6 Radiant damage against their target.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Blighted Village Holds Some Secrets

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Blighted Village provides several tense locations, but a single house contains three orcs guarding precious loot. It’s easy to miss loot and enemies in crowded areas with doors and interrupted sightlines, especially when players are more focused on keeping their party alive in Baldur’s Gate 3. However, those with the health (and spell slots) to spare should confront the orcs and loot the house to acquire the Warped Headband of Intelligence. This item is handy for lower intelligence characters, as it automatically boosts their intelligence stat to 18 as long as it is worn. As a result, the Warped Headband of Intelligence can assist in conversations, exploration, and combat, becoming one of the most powerful items available in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Rewards Non-Lethal Combat

Often, players default to lethal combat against NPCs and enemies scattered throughout the world. While this is an efficient method to clear the world for unhampered exploration, it also prevents players from collecting vast amounts of loot from the trader NPCs located in the forest. Traders and merchants provide more gold and items if players knock them unconscious instead of killing them outright. Additionally, not killing enemies or NPCs opens the opportunity for players to interact with them later. An example of this mechanic is the outraged human adventurer in front of the tiefling gates, who can be killed or knocked out in subsequent conversations. His outrage against the player character (depending on their choices) can result in some entertaining dialogue, but he can also direct players towards a powerful artifact hidden within the map.

The Phase Spider Matriarch Is A Hidden Baldur’s Gate 3 Encounter

While avoiding giant, man-eating spiders may be a priority for most players, Baldur’s Gate 3’s Phase Spider Matriarch is a difficult (and rewarding) boss located in a mini-dungeon hidden at the bottom of the Blighted Village’s Well. Fighting through spiders and other underground beasts leads players to a teleporting spider boss. While this encounter is difficult, it also leads to fantastic loot, including Spiderstep Boots, Poisoner’s Robe, a Story Gem, and a warp spot to escape the dungeon. The Spiderstep Boots prevent players from becoming Enwebbed, while the Poisoner’s Robe deals an extra 1d4 Poison damage for poisonous spells.

While Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a thrilling storyline and exploration, locating the hidden details also presents an entertaining pastime while exploring the world. Rewarding players with powerful weapons and armor or hidden cutscenes is an excellent way to increase the game’s replayability. Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in early access and available on Steam, with no announcement from Larian Studios confirming a release date yet.

About The Author

Natalie Lindner
(503 Articles Published)

Natalie Lindner is a Game Features Writer for Screen Rant, creating content on the past, present, and future of games in the industry. Prior to this, she worked out of a writing consultancy in Rhode Island from 2018 to 2021, where she helped college students improve their writing abilities. Natalie has contributed her video game writing to several smaller websites and projects since 2018 and is eager to continue that journey with Screen Rant.

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Working out of New Hampshire, Natalie spends the time she isn’t writing about games outside; hiking or biking. On those rainy days, she can be found striving for action on the latest FPS or perusing the latest comic books.

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