The Baldur's Gate 3 Strange Ox explained

(Image credit: Larian)

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Strange Ox is exactly what it sounds like, an ox that can be found in the Emerald Grove. There’s something about the animal that your character will find off-putting. There’s a good reason for this, and it’s probably not what you think it is.

Fortunately the Strange Ox in BG3 is also tied to some good loot, if the mystery isn’t enticing enough for you! In our guide, we’re going to show you how you can discover the ox’s secrets and what you can do with it.

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The first time you'll spot the Strange Ox is just past the trader in Emerald Grove, the druid hideout encountered in the early hours of Baldur's Gate 3. To talk to it, you'll need some sort of potion, scroll, or spell that lets you converse with animals.

Now, you need to talk to it. You can buy a Potion of Animal Speaking from some vendors, or maybe one of your Baldur's Gate 3 companions has the spell in their inventory. Forest Gnomes have an innate ability to talk to all creatures, so you might already have this part sorted if you chose to play as one in character creation at the start of the game.

If you found the Strange Ox in the Grove earlier but have already rescued the tieflings, he'll vanish along with the refugees. You'll be able to interact with it again at the BG3 Last Light Inn, Act 2, instead. He's hanging out just behind Dammon's forge.

What to do with the Strange Ox in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's gate 3 Strange ox loot — (Image credit: Larian Studios)

Drink your potion or cast your spell if needed, and walk right up to the ox to get chatting. Talking to the Strange Ox only raises your suspicions more, so you'll need to perform an Arcana check to do so. Then, you can choose to use Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation to try and get more intel. Whichever you choose, try to select one that gives you an advantage.

Even if you succeed the skill check, the ox still isn't letting on anything else other than the fact that he's on his way to Baldur's Gate. That's all you'll get out of him, so you can either leave him alone or choose to attack.

Attacking will immediately coat you in a strong acid that can easily decimate your health if you haven't been working your way toward the Baldur's Gate 3 level cap, so be mindful not to do this until you're strong enough. It will go down with a few heavy attacks, and you'll be able to loot a Shapeshifter Boon Ring from its corpse. It's a useful tool for companions like Halsin in Baldur's Gate 3, being a shapeshifter himself, but you can use it to bolster any of your party members' skills if they can cast some sort of disguise over themselves.

Later in the game, speaking to the Ox again will give you a horrific vision of bodies accompanied by screams. You can then speak with it again in Act 3, where you’ll find it in Rivington. The Ox will give you a quest titled Help the Devilish Ox. Completing this quest will reward you with the Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring, which gives a 1D4 bonus to all ability checks when you shapeshift or disguise yourself.

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and TechRadar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.

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