I’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3 three times. I abandoned my first game to better understand the game’s mechanics and improve my choices. My second playthrough was the real experience: I explored the highs and lows of the party’s journey across the Sword Coast, letting the story unfold naturally. In July, I completed a third, completionist run where I aimed to uncover every bit of content from Larian’s extensive project. Needless to say, I still missed some details. But one thing I consistently found in all my playthroughs was the Owlbear egg at its mother’s nest.
The Owlbear egg was just something in the way. It was good loot to grab while making sure I could keep the Owlbear as a permanent furry friend at my camp. Among the small encounters throughout the game, finding the Owlbear egg became a strange kind of anchor in my playthroughs. It was a moment that always came back and played out the same exact way, even as everything else changed in Baldur’s Gate 3.
I’ve logged 392 hours in Baldur’s Gate 3, which is roughly equivalent to 16 days I could have spent on other activities. I’m likely going to do a fourth playthrough within the next year. Still, take my expertise to the chagrin of my productivity as an official voice of wisdom: there is a best way to get the most out of the Owlbear egg. You just need to use every tool Larian throws at you.
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Examining Your Options Regarding Baldur’s Gate 3’s Owlbear Egg
You have a few ways to handle the Owlbear egg situation. To make an educated choice, here’s what you can do:
- Trick Lady Esther: The Stealing a Githyanki Egg quest is a perfect test of in-game morals. Lady Esther, on behalf of the Society of Brilliance, seeks a githyanki egg to demonstrate that a githyanki outside its usual surroundings will not be violent. However, you can avoid Lae’zel’s anger and everyone else’s judgment by simply tricking Lady Esther by giving her the Owlbear Egg instead.
- Sell the Egg: With little narrative weight, you can simply opt to sell the egg for some extra cash in Baldur’s Gate 3. The egg fetches a pretty penny for any party that is low on funds.
- Eat the Egg: If you’re low on camp supplies, the Owlbear egg can serve as a makeshift camp supply. It will probably be one of the most expensive meals you’ll ever have at camp, and also one of the saddest.
- Feed the Egg to the Owlbear: One of the worst things you can do with the egg is to feed it to its hungry sibling when it appears at camp. This may happen unintentionally if your Tav or Durge lacks supplies, so proceed with caution. The Owlbear cub will be very happy, but you’ll have to live with the consequences of your cursed actions.
A Fair Warning
The Owlbear egg is simply one of those scenarios in Baldur’s Gate 3 that put your roleplaying skills to the test. Consider the consequences, think about how your Tav or Durge would approach the situation, and then execute according to the judgment. Apart from personal satisfaction, that’s all the Owlbear egg offers.
Unlike the githyanki egg you can steal from Creche Y’llek, there are no major narrative consequences tied to the Owlbear egg. Do something with it, or don’t, but the story will go relatively unchanged. If you opt to do something with the unhatched adorable terror, there is an objectively optimal route toward some compensation.
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The Best Way to Handle the Owlbear Egg in Baldur’s Gate 3
The egg won’t hatch into another animal companion for your camp. There will not be an Epilogue party surprise to make carrying it around worth it. So, given the limited story potential, the best approach will be to develop a multi-step game plan to achieve profit. It may be heartless and detached, but honestly, there’s no use in keeping it. It’s far from the evilest thing you can do in Baldur’s Gate 3, anyway.
Step One: Get the Egg
This is a no-brainer, but just in case: don’t forget the egg. While you’re at it, recruit the Owlbear to your camp. Make sure to have a potion of Animal Speaking in your inventory before heading to the Owlbear Nest. Once you’ve recruited the bear and its mother has faced a cruel fate at the hands of goblins, take the egg. Taking the egg while the mother is alive will give the swiper a condition that basically makes them a target to the fully-grown and angered Owlbear.
Step Two: Give the Egg to Lady Esther
Hear me out: the egg won’t stay long with her. You’re playing 4D chess right now, and you just have to be momentarily unethical to get the most out of this adventure. This is way better than giving Lady Esther the githyanki egg, too. Lady Esther will need some convincing, as she immediately becomes suspicious of the egg. Plan accordingly for the following scenarios, especially if your player character is not proficient with the needed BG3 skill checks:
- Lie to her by telling her that you are handing off a githyanki egg by passing a DC 21 Nature check. Halsin is a great companion for this roll.
- Trick her into believing that the Owlbear egg is more valuable than a githyanki egg by passing a DC 21 Deception check. Astarion is ideal for deception checks.
- Convince Lady Esther to trick her employers by passing a DC 21 Persuasion check. Wyll may come in handy here.
Afterwards, you’ll be meagerly rewarded with some gold and some experience. But this is only halfway through the plan.
Step Three: Steal the Egg
You giveth, but you also taketh away. Pry the egg from Lady Esther’s unassuming pockets. You’ll want to use a Rogue like Astarion for this risky endeavor to avoid a fight. Once you loot the egg, get out of her line of sight before she notices she’s missing something.
I’d suggest knocking her out cold, but getting into a fight with her is pretty risky. She will cast Invisibility on herself often, making her a hard target to hit. Unless you’ve let Volo attempt to remove the parasite, it’s best to avoid confrontation in an area that is already so challenging to most players.
Step Four: Sell the Egg
This route might not tug at the heartstrings, but it does make your coin purse considerably heavier. Traders are more than happy to pay top gold for such a rare find, and in a game where gold can open countless doors—better gear, more potions, the occasional scroll that saves a disastrous fight—the egg transforms from a moral dilemma into a lucrative payday. You’ll also get more bang for your buck if you manage to get a vendor’s approval in Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a better option than consuming the egg at the end of the day.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
