Summary
- Araj Oblodra in Baldur's Gate 3 offers unique potions in exchange for a vial of True Soul blood.
- The potions offered by Araj are dependent on the player character's race, are stackable, and can be useful in certain situations.
- Astarion has a separate deal with Araj where she offers a powerful potion in exchange for him biting her, but forcefully making him do so can have negative consequences.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a massive game full of NPCs who an offer the party some truly unique items. One of the strangest is Araj Oblodra, a drow who will give characters potions in exchange for a little blood. It's a wonderfully fantastical little interaction – perfect for BG3's adaption of Dungeons & Dragons' Faerûn – but is this trade worth it, and what happens once Araj has the blood?
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]
Araj Oblodra can be found in Moonrise Towers and is an easy-to-miss character who is practically hidden in Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3. From the throne room, the party should head directly east through an unlocked door, and Araj can be found in her makeshift laboratory. She will appear on the map with a trader icon, but this vendor isn't interested in just gold.
Araj Offers Potions In Exchange For Blood In Baldur's Gate 3
When first meeting Araj she will make the party a very interesting offer. Araj wants a vial of True Soul blood and in exchange she will make that character a potion. The potions she offers are unique to the character's race and offer some interesting benefits. If the party agree to her , Araj can be found again during Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate, where she can be traded with again to gain a potion useful for the end battle in Baldur’s Gate 3.
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What Potions Does Araj Offer In Baldur's Gate 3?
When first speaking to Araj in BG3, she will offer her services to the party, explaining that with a single drop of their blood she can brew them a unique potion. If asked what she intends to do with the blood, Araj will respond that it is for research and that Oblodras are curious by nature. This will trigger a History check that if ed will reveal that the Oblodra family are a disgraced drow house known for their experimentation of illithids.
ing this check will open up a new line of dialogue which allows the party to confront Araj about her true intentions. When confronted, Araj will it that she isn't really interested in the blood of True Souls but of those with mind flayer tadpoles. Araj will be surprised to have been found out and will offer 200 gold for the party to remain quiet about her real intentions.
ing the History check is the only way to get the gold, so saving before speaking to Araj is a good idea. Gale, who is proficient in History, is likely the best party member for speaking with her.
While none of the potions Araj provides are game changing and definite must-haves for any BG3 playthrough, they are interesting. Each potion lasts until the next long rest except for the half-elf variant, which has an immediate effect for the entire group. Since there are no downsides to trading with Araj, she is worth seeking out for the potions which are impossible to obtain any other way.
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The qualities of the potions Araj provides varies wildly, with some being highly situational, and others powerful enough to be worth hanging on to. Ultimately, it comes down to play style, but for zero gold they are a bargain. It is also worth ing that the effects of the potions will stack, meaning it is possible for one BG3 character to drink them all, gaining all their benefits and effectively becoming extremely overpowered until their next long rest.
Race |
Potion |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Elf/Drow |
Elixir of Elven Elegance |
Increases movement speed by 10 meters, grants darkvision, and gives immunity to being charmed until long rest. |
Dragonborn |
Elixir of Dragonborn Prowess |
Advantage on Intimidation and Persuasion checks, resistance to the element associated with the dragonborn subrace, and the ability to cast a level three spell of that element once. |
Dwarf |
Elixir of Dwarven Resilience |
Ability to add the character's proficiency bonus to saving throws lasts for three successes or until long rest. |
Githyanki |
Elixir of Githyanki Providence |
Ability to cast misty step, invigorating leap, and blur once each until a long rest. |
Gnome |
Elixir of Gnomish Ingenuity |
Gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand and can cast knock once until long rest. |
Half-Elf |
Elixir of Half-Elven Healing |
Heals the character and surrounding allies and amount equal to half-elf's Constitution score. |
Half-Orc |
Elixir of Half-Orcish Fury |
If the half-orc is reduced to zero hit points before their next long rest, they will instead drop to one. |
Halfling |
Elixir of Halfling Luck |
Gain advantage on all skill checks until long rest. |
Human |
Elixir of Human Versatility |
Gain proficiency in all skills until long rest. |
Tiefling |
Elixir of Tiefling Vice |
Ability to cast thaumaturgy, hellish rebuke, burning hands and flame blade once each until long rest. |
It is worth taking each companion with a tadpole to Araj to get a potion for all of them, as the only limit to her offer is one potion per character.
Araj Has A Separate Deal For Astarion
Araj has another offer to make to the party separate from the blood potions, and it all revolves around BG3 companion Astarion. If he is not in the party when meeting Araj, she will mention him and request to speak to the vampire spawn. However, if he is present she will cut straight to the chase and speak with him directly.
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Araj will explain that she has always dreamed of being bitten by a vampire and will offer up a powerful potion if Astarion will bite her. Astarion will be extremely reluctant and explain that he can smell something wrong with her blood. At this point, there are two options: either tell Araj no, or make Astarion drink her blood. Forcing him to do this is done with a single dialogue option with no Persuasion roll, but Astarion will disapprove of being made to drink from Araj.
If romancing Astarion, forcing him to drink from Araj can cause him to break up with Tav.
His reaction says everything as he gags and spits her blood from his mouth after biting her, claiming that her blood is full of corruption. However, true to her word, Araj will give the party a Potion of Everlasting Vigour for the experience. This potion permanently increases the Strength score of whoever drinks it by two, allowing Strength based BG3 characters to exceed 20 for the maximum score.
After interacting with Araj in Act 2, she can be found again in Baldur’s Gate, close to the Blushing Mermaid. Again, Araj will want more blood in exchange for a new special potion just for the main character. This latest draft is not as useful, turning Tav’s blood flammable, which depending on the character is either very helpful or very dangerous. However, overall, Araj’s deal is worth looking into during any playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3.
