How to Use Brain Jars in Baldur’s Gate 3

Brain jars. They’re rather curious items in Baldur’s Gate 3, and come in several different designs. However, knowing what brain jars are in Baldur’s Gate 3 and what you can do with them isn’t always easy; in line with this thought, today, we’re taking a look at what these Baldur’s Gate 3 brain creatures are and how you can use brain jars in your game to the best effect.

Baldur’s Gate 3: What are Brain Jars?

Before we go any further, we should probably start by clarifying what, exactly, Baldur’s Gate 3 brain jars actually are. Well, the answer to this is actually pretty simple: they’re exactly what they sound like - a brain in a jar. More specifically, brain jars contain a living human brain, surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid that helps sustain the brain and keep it moist and alive.

We should point out here that there are several different types of brain jars within the game, and as such, they aren’t all created equal. Moreover, while some brain jars just contain a single brain in Baldur’s Gate 3, others contain multiple brains in a single jar.

Albeit brain jars are not really capable of affecting the player directly, they do actually have resistances. These resistances are the same irrespective of the type of brain jar; notably, all brain jars are resistant to piercing, necrotic, and radiant damage, immune to psychic and poison damage, and vulnerable to fire, bludgeoning, and force damage.

Brain jars in Baldur’s Gate 3 first appear in the first Act of the game, meaning they’re among the first things you’ll discover after setting up your game, be it with a private server or on a public server.

The Different Brain Jars You Can Find in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are many different brain jars in Baldur’s Gate 3, although these generally feature one of just a few designs. These include the following brains:

• The True Mind
• The Willing Mind
• The Waking Mind
• The Closed Mind
• The Fresh Mind
• The Dark Mind
• The Butchered Mind
• The Slave Mind

Each of these different minds has unique dialogue, despite many of them looking the same. However, in order to speak with them, you’ll need to head to the Mind-Archive Interface, which is found in the Mind Flayer Colony (the opening region) to the south west of the Necrotic Lab. You’ll need to jump onto an isolated platform in order to find the Mind-Archive Interface, which is connected to a slack-skinned head - the means of communication with the minds.

This device can be used with any of the minds. The True Mind and the Willing Mind are also found nearby to the Interface, but you can bring other minds back to it as well. By inserting a mind into the Interface, you can talk with the Slack-Skinned head by the Interface. You can always remove and replace the chosen brain with another to help with communication.

What to Do With a Brain in a Jar in BG3

Thus far, we’ve looked at what brain jars are in BG3. However, while we now know what Baldur’s Gate 3’s brain creatures are, you’re likely still wondering what their purpose actually is. With that in mind, it’s worth noting to start with that these brains actually have very limited utility in the game itself; in line with this thought, many players will simply walk past them in the first act of the game without much thought.

With that being said, there are actually a couple of minor uses for and ways to interact with the brain jars in Baldur’s Gate 3, despite it being classed as simply environmental clutter. These include the following:

• Speaking with the brains. One of the most obvious ways to make use of the brains in BG3 is to simply interact with them. Indeed, the individual brains can potentially share a little useful information, or even offer you a unique perk. As such, talking with the brains, though often mainly lore, can potentially give a little information that may help.
• Creating a caustic brine surface. If you destroy the brain jars (which is easy given the jars’ pitiful 1HP of health), they’ll turn into a surface of caustic brine. This deals 1d4 acid damage, making it a useful option for the early game if you’ve been looking to increase your damage output.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been wondering about what a Baldur’s Gate 3 brain in a jar is, today’s guide will hopefully have helped answer your core questions. However, keep in mind here that, while Baldur’s Gate 3 brain jars are seemingly of limited use initially, they can actually prove incredibly helpful if you know when to use them.