Baldurs Gate 3: How to beat Owlbear?

The Owlbear is the first boss you may encounter in Baldur's Gate 3. This fight is completely optional and is not related to any tasks, but for defeating the beast, you can receive some rewards. On this guide page, we described how to find and defeat the Owlbear and what to do with the Owlbear Cub.

• Where is the Owlbear's den?
• How to defeat the Owlbear?
• Rewards for defeating the Owlbear

Where is the Owlbear's den?

Related map marker: Owlbear (Blighted Village) @ Act 1

The Owlbear is waiting for you in its den, which you will find to the west of the Emerald Grove, on the way to the Blighted Village. You will come across dying Edowin, as well as Andrick and Brynna, cultists of the Absolute, who managed to survive the predator's attack. If you conduct the conversation properly (do not admit that you are not a True Soul and do not tell them that you escaped from the nautiloid - otherwise they will attack you), you can convince the cultists to help in the fight. Then they will go to the den, where they will be waiting for you. Also make sure to remove the broken spear shaft from Edowin's body.

You will find the cave near the meeting place with Andrick and Brynna - head a little further west. The entrance is just beyond the river.

How to defeat the Owlbear?

Prepare before starting the fight - the Owlbear is a demanding enemy. If you're not at least at level three, don't even try to fight her. You will need strengthening spells, such as Bless. Also take care of a way to neutralize the Owlbear Cub without killing it, for example, the Sleep spell. The Owlbear tends to engage in close combat, so make sure to balance your party - two heroes fighting in close combat to distract the boss, and two fighting from a distance, shooting at her from a higher position (from a high rock shelf inside the den).

The Owlbear is very resilient but has low armor class, so it's easy to hit. So you can play a bit more risky and spend spell slots on powerful spells, such as Inflict Wounds. When you kill the Owlbear, the Owlbear Cub will stop fighting, so the battle will end - you should try to end the fight as quickly as possible due to the very high damage dealt by the boss. Since the Owlbear can only fight hand-to-hand, it's worth slowing her down, for example, by using Ray of Frost cantrip or Grease spell.

Don't gather your party in one spot. The Owlbear can jump on you, dealing high area damage. It can get even higher if the boss jumps on you from a height, so try not to let the Owlbear get onto a higher platform. When the Owlbear's health drops to half, the beast will go into a rage, gaining access to a more powerful melee attack and resistance to physical damage - it is therefore worth having magic at your disposal to quickly finish off the enemy.

Rewards for defeating the Owlbear

If you defeat the Owlbear, and the Owlbear Cub is still alive, you will have a choice of what to do with it - kill or spare. By sparing the Owlbear Cub, you can recruit him - he will arrive at your camp after the next long rest.

In the cave, you will find several awards. A broken spearhead is lodged in the body of the Owlbear. You can combine it with the shaft of the broken spear to create the Vision of the Absolute, an uncommon spear that can blind enemies and deal bonus damage to creatures with many eyes (e.g. spiders and spectators). Inside the lair, you will also find The Oak Father's Embrace medium armor (the undead take damage attacking you, but beasts inflict bonus damage on you), as well as the Owlbear egg - a very valuable item that you can sell or use to solve a later task in the mountain pass. Be careful not to accidentally eat it during a long rest!

Baldur's Gate 3

August 3, 2023

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