Published , by Lucas White
Published , by Lucas White
Of course there’s a dog companion in Baldur’s Gate 3. Having a friendly dog to hang out with and pet for an achievement is a contemporary staple in video games, especially RPGs! Thank goodness for that one Twitter account. The dog in Baldur’s Gate 3 is named Scratch, and there are some fun ways to interact with him besides petting him that the game doesn’t really tell you about. For example, you can play fetch with him just about anywhere! Here’s how to do that, and some other stuff as well.
You’ll find Scratch out by the Blighted Village, which you’ll be plenty familiar with as you make your way through Baldur’s Gate 3’s early hours. You’ll come across the dog and flag an event with him in the area to the northwest of the village. He’s in a bit of a sad situation, but if you’re nice to him and pass a few checks you can offer him your scent and invite him to your camp. If you’re mean he won’t join you, and frankly you’d deserve it. Scratch will show up at camp after a few days.
Scratch has multiple “features,” and to unlock them you need to simply interact with him at camp. Every time you stop to rest make sure to pet your canine companion, and as he comes to like you, fun stuff will happen. At one point he’ll have a ball in his mouth, and you’ll be able to make various skill checks, one for each of the classic ways to get a ball away from a dog. Choose the one that fits your proficiencies best and if you succeed, the ball will end up in your inventory.
The game doesn’t tell you this at all, but if you throw the ball, Scratch will chase after it and bring it back to you! You’ll even get an achievement, “Fetch Quest.” But that’s not all! Keep vibing with Scratch and eventually the option to summon him as a familiar will quietly appear in your abilities.
Scratch only has a few hit points and can contribute a little bit in combat, but more importantly his ability “Scratch’s Sniff” might trigger if you’re close to a hidden secret. Your very good boy will bark and do the “dog found something” pose, and you’ll see the ability itself activate. That means there’s something interesting nearby!
Also, you can totally throw the ball around out in the world when you have Scratch summoned and play fetch just like at camp. And just in case you’re worried, if Scratch is “killed” while summoned, he’ll be totally safe and can be summoned again after a short rest. Just make sure nothing bad happens to him at camp though, or you might need to save scum him back to life.
Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 strategy guide page for more hints and help on this sprawling adventure.