At this point, it seems like modern games are almost required to have a dog or animal companion. They brighten the day of players, and give you a furry friend to wander through digital worlds with. Baldur’s Gate is no exception, and if you want to know how to get and use Scratch the Dog, we’ve got you covered.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Scratch Location
Scratch can be found very early on in Baldur’s Gate 3, in the forest area you’re dropped in directly after escaping the Nautiloid.
After you help the Emerald Grove fend off the first Goblin attack, head directly west toward the goblin camp. Once you cross a bridge and hit the wall of the camp, turn right and continue forward. In time, you’ll encounter Scratch pacing around the body of his dead master. Walking toward the body will cause Scratch to stand in front of it, and you can interact with him from there through dialogue.
Choose to reach out and pet him, and when he starts to growl at you, use Animal Handling or the Perception Check options to calm him down. From there, choose the dialogue that encourages him to come with you. Though he refuses because he wants to protect his master, he’ll come to your camp at a later point so long as you allowed him to sniff your hand to follow your scent back to camp.
From there, take at least one Long Rest. Scratch should show up at your camp, and when he does, you can pet him to solidify his relationship with you as a pet companion. He’ll then hang around your camp waiting for pets, and can occasionally bring you items ranging from minor valuables to healing potions.
How to Use & Play as Scratch
With that said though Scratch’s real utility comes from what he can do on the field in Baldur’s Gate 3.
While he can’t be assigned as one of your regular party members, you can summon him into the world as a familiar via a special action. Titled “Find Familiar: Scratch”, this skill is made available shortly after he becomes a permanent member of your party and can be used once per short rest. It is found in the Common skill tab and has an icon of a dog.
Simply select it as you would any other skill or Spell, and Scratch will appear nearby. You can then take control of him by clicking on his character portrait, or wait until his turn occurs during combat. He can attack enemies, seek out hidden items buried around environments, and revive downed allies in addition to more standard actions like jumping and dashing.
We’d personally recommend summoning him during the more intense fights in the game, as he can act as an emergency rescue unit who revives any of your party members who run out of HP. He can move in and out of danger with ease, and can leave the rest of your party able to focus on dealing damage to powerful foes and bosses.
Can Scratch Die in Baldur’s Gate 3? Answered
It should be noted, however, that Scratch is stuck with substantially lower health than even a level 1 character. As a result, he can be incapacitated with even the weakest attacks from low level enemies should he be left in their range.
Fortunately, he isn’t taken out for good when this occurs. Instead, he’s simply knocked out and forced to retreat. You can summon him back after your next Short Rest, and he’ll still be at your camp the next time you decide to stop off for a Long Rest.
Keep this in mind, and try not to panic if he does end up taking a beating after you summon him.
And that covers everything you need to know about how to find and use Scratch in Baldur’s Gate 3. For tips on how to recruit other party members and guides on other tricky aspects of the game, check out our related articles down below.
