Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Act 1 Items

Key Takeaways

• Weapons, gear, potions, trinkets, and scrolls can give players an edge in
  Baldur’s Gate 3,
  along with useful junk.
• The Everburn Blade is a powerful weapon dropped by Commander Zhalk on the Nautiloid, while the Necromancy of Thay book can provide a free point in Wisdom.
• Goodberries are conjured food items that restore hit points, and Soul Coins are a useful currency in Avernus for extra barbarian power.

No matter what the playing style, there are weapons, gear, potions, trinkets, and scrolls that players can use to get an edge over their opponents in Baldur’s Gate 3. There’s also a variety of mysterious or unique junk that doesn’t fit into any of the above categories.

Some strange and offbeat things are looted from chests or crates, others are taken from the corpses of slain enemies, and a few are conjured by magical means. All of these items are found in the locations that make up the setting for Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3. That includes the Druid Grove, the Goblin Camp, the Blighted Village, and other places near and around the Illithid crash site.

Updated December 6, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: One player’s junk is another’s treasure, and that’s even more true when considering the customization possibilities in Baldur’s Gate 3. Some of them are useful, unique, or handy in the storyline, so even if they don’t look important the player should keep them. Larian Studios is still updating and patching BG3 even though no DLCs are forthcoming, so even more quirky and rare items may be appearing in Act 1.

17 The Everburn Blade

Drops From Commander Zhalk On The Nautiloid

• How To Get It: Loot it from Zhalk’s corpse or use the Command spell to make him drop it

The Everburn Blade is one of the best weapons that players can pick up in BG3. It’s a flaming sword that Commander Zhalk drops if he dies on the Nautiloid. This is the devil that’s fighting the Mind Flayer at the helm, and the player has a limited amount of time to get it before the ship crashes.

Classes that are unable to equip two-handed swords might think it’s not worth the trouble, but Lae’zel can equip it provided she’s in the party. It might also be a nice magical item for Gale to consume if nobody is using it.

16 Necromancy Of Thay

Behind A Secret Door in The Apothecary’s Cellar

• How To Get It: Trick the magic mirror into opening the secret laboratory

Classes with higher moral standards might opt to find this book just to destroy it, and that is one of the options available when Tav finds this book in the Blighted Village. The quest begins as soon as the party stumbles across a hidden cellar underneath an innocent-seeming Apothecary, and the plot thickens when they discover the friendly neighborhood chemist was secretly a Necromancer of Thay.

A few more clues lead through a secret lab on the other side of a magic mirror, where the cook is waiting on a pressure plate rigged with a trap. Any character can read the book and learn its secrets, including a free point in WIsdom. However, they need to pass a few Wisdom saving throws, but there are Inspiration points to be had if the protagonist gives it to Gale.

15 The Amulet Of Sylvanus

Hidden Under A Rock In The Druid Grove

• How To Get It: Drop and drag the rock to one side

Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3 is when everyone is starting from zero when it comes to gear, so any green items that you can get without risking a tough fight are a big advantage. The Amulet of Sylvanus is easily found under a big rock in the Druid Grove, and you don’t need a Strength or Perception check to get it.

The big rock is on a small beach near the wooden elevator blocked by a sleepy bear. There’s also a bear on the beach, but he’s friendly and won’t stop you from taking the amulet. It allows the wearer to cast Lesser Restoration once per day, a handy spell that Clerics use to cure a variety of conditions, such as Poisioned. It’s also a green item, so if you don’t need it, give it to Gale to consume.

14 The Iron Flask

Steal It From The Zhentarim Traders

• How To Get It: Drive off the Gnolls and steal it from the Caravan Strongbox

While the party is exploring the wilderness, sooner or later they’ll follow the road that leads across the northern part of the zone, near the same river that turns south and eventually goes into the swamp. Keep heading north, away from the river top of the Risen Road, to find Rugan and Olly trapped in a cave with the Caravan Strongbox.

If the main character doesn’t want to steal from the Zhentarim, it’s possible to wait until Act 3 to get this item from the Thieves’ Guildhall in Baldur’s Gate. If Rugan dies but Olly lives, he simply gives the party the shipment and runs off. The protagonist needs to pass several Intimidation, Persuasion, or Charisma checks to get Rugan to hand it over, and when he does, as soon as the lock is broken or opened, the Caravan and its contents are considered stolen.

All that’s inside is the Iron Flask, and this mysterious item is more dangerous than it looks. It’s possible to Investigate the flask but even a successful roll doesn’t reveal its contents. Throw it, and it releases its dangerous occupant, a hostile Spectator that attacks anything near it.

13 Goodberries

Conjured By Druids And Rangers

• How To Get It: Handy food items that restore health, conjured by the party’s Druid

Goodberries are temporary items that last until the character takes a long rest. They’re a conjured food item that Rangers and Druids can make from level 1 and can be consumed to restore 1 to 4 hit points each.

Once the spell is cast on a character, the Goodberries appear in their inventory, and no trading is required. Their casting time requires an Action, so using the Conjure Goodberry spell outside of combat is preferable. Despite their status as food, they can’t be used as Camp Supplies.

12 Wyvern Toxin

A Gift From Netty In The Druid Grove

• How To Get It: Talk to Netty about the illithid parasite and agree to find Halsin

There’s a variety of poisons in Baldur’s Gate 3 that players can use to coat their weapons to increase their damage output, and the Wyvern Toxin is one of the most lethal that the player can get at this stage of the campaign. It’s one of the first items the player gets if they go to the Druid Grove early in Act 1.

Speaking to Nettie doesn’t bring a lot of good news, and she gives the main character the Wyvern Toxin to use on themselves if they feel the mind-flayer change taking place. If players take a closer look at the bottle in the inventory, they will see it’s a poison coating for a weapon.

11 The Amulet Of Lost Voices

Search The Dank Crypt

• How To Get It: Loot the cheat in the same room where Withers can be found

There’s a locked door on the beach just north of where the protagonist and Shadowheart find themselves after the Nautiloid crash. It’s a tough lock, but there are some Thieves’ Tools on the beach that can be salvaged as well, and opening this door gives the party access to the Dank Crypt.

It’s not the only way to get into the Crypt, which also has a trap door by the cliffs and a few careless looters already staking a claim near the front door. Whether or not Tav and their companions talk their way in, pick the locks, or smash the ceiling open, The Amulet Of Lost Voicesis in a chest in the same room as Withers’ coffin. The amulet gives the wearer the power to cast Speak with Dead, one of the most useful spells in the game.

10 Bottles Of Grease

In Backpacks, Chests, And Crates

• How To Get It: Loot enemies or buy it from vendors

This isn’t the same as casting the spell, but it does have the exact same AoE effect. Throw a Bottle of Grease and it changes the terrain to Difficult, which won’t do any damage, but has a chance to knock any character Prone. They can’t attack or move, and they need to spend an Action or wait for their next turn to get up.

What upgrades this from inconvenient to dangerous is the addition of fire. Grease is highly flammable, so any kind of fire will turn this into a puddle of flaming goo. That includes arrows, candles, torches, and a variety of spells. You can also throw Bottles of Grease into a fire that’s already burning to kick it up a few notches.

9 The Brand Of The Absolute

Travel To The Goblin Camp And Find Princess Gut

• How To Get It: Talk to Priestess Gut as an adherent of the Absolute

It’s not something that Tav can pick up or put away, but it’s a literal brand that’s burned on their skin, so it’s more like a scar or tattoo, which means that it also lasts for the whole game. Some new dialogue options will open up, along with extra buffs for certain items, and it makes it easier to communicate with and manipulate any character who is part of the Cult of the Absolute.

Certain Companions will disapprove of getting the brand, but it still might be worth the benefits. Other than getting more respect from other followers of the Absolute and the Dead Three, items like the Ring of Absolute Force and the Absolute’s Warboard have extra abilities and bonuses for those that have the Brand of the Absolute.

8 Soul Coins

Find Them In The Dank Crypt, The Risen Road, And From Nadira

• How To Get Them: Find them in the following locations in Act 1

Soul Coins are a type of currency in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Avernus, which is a realm within the Nine Hells, and the player is going to encounter some demons and their servants on this trip. There are a few Soul Coins in Act I, and the first one that most players find is just inside the Druid Grove with an NPC named Nadira.

There are others to be found in the Dank Crypt and a house near the Risen Road. There are more, but they don’t appear until the player reaches the city of Baldur’s Gate. Keep them close for future quests and secrets when dealing with any creature from the Nine Hells.

In Crates, Chests, And Backpacks, And Sold By Arron

• How To Get Them: Search in backpacks, barrels, and thieves’ caches

Thieves’ Tools allow characters to open locks, which is a nice way to stealth into a location or bypass the need to start any messy fights with guards for keys. The character can use these tools to open locks using their Sleight of Hand skill, which is available to Bards and Rogues as one of their class benefits.

These tools can be used to open any kind of lock, which includes chests, gates, and jail cells. They can’t be used to disarm traps, however, which becomes more important later in Act I when it’s time to descend to the Underdark.

6 Infernal Iron

Find It In The Shattered Sanctum, Grymforge, Or The Blighted Village

• How To Get It: A total of three pieces are available, and don’t forget to save Karlach

There are a few places to find Infernal Iron in Act 1, but the player may have to wait until Act 2 before they can do anything with it. Infernal Iron is found in the Blighted Village blacksmith building, Grymforge, and the treasure room of the Shattered Sanctum.

Other than just being a cool-looking thing to have, Infernal Iron is the material Karlach needs to power the Infernal Engine in her chest, although only a Tiefling named Dammon knows how to use it. He’s either in the Druid Grove or the Last Light Inn.

5 Smokepowder Satchel

The Gnomes Will Give You Some

• How To Get It: Can be looted, purchased, or gifted by the Gondian Gnomes

Anything that the player can throw as a grenade is going to be fun and useful, and the Smokepowder Satchel does just that. There are plenty of liquids and elixirs that catch fire when thrown, but this option actually blows things up, so it is handy to carry a couple of them for maximum firepower.

The player can either drop this where they stand and leave it as a trap or lob it into a group of enemies. Setting it alight is as simple as an Arrow of Fire or a Firebolt spell. The most obvious use of this satchel is to blow up enemies, but it can also be used to blow out blocked doors or rubble.

4 Mind Flayer Parasites

A Total Of 10 Can Be Found In Act 1

• How To Get Them: Looted from bodies that were previous hosts of Mind Flayer parasites or rewarded as a favour from the Absolute

10 seems like a lot, and most players only find a few of them, with some of them being hidden in more obvious places. One of these parasites is looted from Minthara, and should the protagonist decide to recruit her into the party they won’t be able to loot it from her body. She rewards you one for helping her attack the grove as “A Gift From The Absolute” instead.

True Soul Nere also has a parasite and will reward you in a similar manner if the party takes his side. All three leaders of the goblins have a parasite, so Priestess Gut and Dror Razglin also have them. There’s also one on the table next to the dissected Drow in the Druid Grove and three in the laboratory of Creche Crèche Y’llek, although these have to be stolen.

3 Water

Found In A Variety Of Locations In Jars And Bottles

• How To Get Them: Collect using jars, bottles, or buckets

It’s so simple and useful that a lot of players forget all about it and don’t use it at all. Water comes in bottles, jugs, and carafes scattered in various places throughout the Sword Coast.

Water can be carried in bottles, and there’s also a level 1 spell that allows the caster to create water. It can be used to extinguish fire to make a safe space for the party or make terrain difficult for enemies to cross. It refreshes characters when they drink it, which is yet another benefit of simple water.

2 The Owlbear Egg

Stowed Carefully In The Owlbear Cave

• How To Get It: Defeat the owlbear mama and take the egg

There’s a lot to see and do in the Owlbear Cave, even though it’s a minor location. It’s possible to get distracted by the ruined Altar of Selune and never even step into the part of the cave where the Owlbear lives with her cub.

Whether or not you kill the Owlbear, or wait for the goblins to take care of her the Owlbear Egg is still waiting in a small alcove behind her, where the nests are located. The Owlbear egg can be sold to a vendor in The Mountain Pass, provided you can pass a Persuasion and Deception check.

1 Scratch’s Ball

Scratch Brings It To You In Camp

• How To Get It: Recruit Scratch as a companion in the camp

This is an item the player acquires after they find and befriend Scratch the Dog, who happens to be wandering in the wilderness of Act 1. Eventually, he’ll bring a ball to camp and expect a few games of Fetch.

The ball isn’t just a fun toy to play with by the campfire. Toss the ball for him to strengthen the bond between adventurer and dog, and more of his skills will be revealed, like his talent for finding hidden objects and even becoming a familiar the player can summon.