How to Talk to Animals in Baldur’s Gate 3

Ever wondered about how to talk to animals in Baldur’s Gate 3? While it’s not likely a Baldur’s Gate skill you likely think of immediately, talking to animals can definitely be a very useful skill for BG3 players. Worth knowing about, for sure. In line with this thought, today, we’re looking at how Baldur’s Gate 3 players can learn to talk to animals. This, in turn, allows you to understand more about what animals might be thinking in the game.

How to Talk to Animals in Baldur’s Gate 3

If you find yourself needing to talk to animals in Baldur’s Gate 3, there are several ways you can go about this. The most common way to do this is through the Speak With Animals spell, which provides exactly this ability. However, there are also a couple of other ways you could potentially try.

Using the Speak with Animals Spell or Wild Shape Spell

The most obvious way to talk with Baldur’s Gate 3 animals, as we’ve already mentioned, is to use the Speak With Animals Spell. This particular spell can be learned by warlocks, rangers, bards, oath of Ancient Paladins, druids, and Wildheart Barbarians.

The spell is available as a Level 1 spell, which can also be incredibly useful as you won’t have to give up a hugely powerful spell slot for this; and, since this is a spell slot as opposed to a cantrip, it is possible to switch out the spell at a later date, so you can take on more practical spells in the early game and switch these out for the Speak With Animals spell when you need it.

Another spell-based option, this time limited exclusively to druids, is the Wild Shape spell. This allows druids to take on the form of an animal—which, in turn, unlocks the ability to speak to other animals in its own right.

Creating a Gnome Player Character

If you don’t want to waste a spell slot on taking the Speak With Animals spell, another option you could take is to play the game as a Forest Gnome. Of course, this is one of those early-game decisions you will need to make before committing to a character build, similar to deciding whether or not to play a game on a private server.

There are several benefits to playing as a Forest Gnome character, and keeping these in mind might help inform your early character build.

Creating a Potion of Animal Speaking

If you don’t think the other options work for your needs (or are perhaps too permanent for your preferences), creating or buying a potion of animal speaking could help. Potions of Animal Speaking are often available at random merchant shops; alternatively, the recipe can be learned from a recipe book. This crafting requires salts of Rogue’s Morsel and essence of Acorn Truggle to craft

Why Baldur’s Gate 3 Players Might Need to Talk to Animals

There are many reasons you might want to talk to animals in BG3. Of course, the main reason is simple: they can actually contribute surprisingly helpful information, albeit often not as useful as the Speak With Dead spell. In addition to this, speaking with certain animals can lead to new recruits, such as the Owlbear Cub and Scratch the Dog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

If you need to talk to animals in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s some good news: the Speak With Animals spell makes this possible for certain classes of characters. However, it’s important to note here that, while the Speak With Animals spell can allow certain players to talk with animals, not all creatures will necessarily want to speak to you. And, of course, if you come across a hostile creature, talking to them probably isn’t going to end too well—so, maybe just run or prepare to battle!