As players adventure through Faerûn in owlbear cub or Scratch the dog. While players cannot bring their animal companion with them while adventuring, their new friend will stay at camp, and players can interact with them.
Players will find Scratch outside the Blighted Village, waiting for his owner. If they use the invite him to camp. Scratch is great to have around for a few reasons, beyond being a good boy and a good friend. Petting him can lead to some companion approval and a bit of comfort after a long day of exploring, players can play fetch with him, and he can even help them find items. Here's how to adopt Scratch as a pet in Baldur's Gate III.
How to Adopt Scratch the Dog in Baldur's Gate III
Players first meet Scratch between the Druid Grove and the Blighted Village, north of the bridge that links the two areas. He stands guard over his dead owner. To speak with him, players will need to use a Potion of Animal Speaking. Players can choose one of three interactions with Scratch: reach out to pet him, sidestep him and examine the corpse, or shoo him away.
Players should choose the first option, which will then allow them to choose to do either an Animal Handling check to let Scratch know the party won't hurt him, a Perception check, which will allow them to read his collar and learn his name, or an Intimidation check to force him to stand down.
If players want to check his collar, they will need to the Perception check. Once they do, they can tell Scratch they mean him no harm and will eventually be able to pet him. If players want to simply let Scratch know they won't hurt him, they will need to the Animal Handling check first. Then, they can either forcibly convince Scratch his owner is dead, examine him a little more closely, or simply pet him. If players make a bad roll, they won't be able to adopt Scratch, so it's a good idea to save in between rolls in case a redo is needed.
If players are aggressive and try to prove Scratch's owner has died, Scratch will attack them, and players will have to kill him to move on. Instead, players need to be sure to build trust with him. They need to invite Scratch to them if they want to adopt him. He will say he wants to stay with his master. The player can then suggest that, if the man doesn't wake up, Scratch can follow their scent back to camp. They can leave after this interaction ends.
Within two or three days, Scratch will show up at camp, where he will stay with the player. Players can return to camp to pet him, play fetch, and get help finding some hidden, useful items.
Baldur's Gate III is in early access and is available for PC.
