Baldur’s Gate 3’s best boy Scratch has a super useful ability

Adding the dog Scratch to your camp in Baldur’s Gate 3 provides more than an adorable companion. In fact, he can literally be a lifesaver.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has many secrets for players to find in its world, one of which is a sweet dog named Scratch.

Scratch can be found outside of the Blighted Village in Act 1 waiting for his master to wake up. Unfortunately for him, the man is clearly dead, and while players can’t immediately convince him of this, they can give Scratch a place to go once he realizes his master isn’t coming back.

Once Scratch shows up in the Camp, players will be able to give him all the pets and playtime this good boy deserves. The pup can also travel with the party, becoming a very helpful ally that can literally save lives in battle.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, dogs can lick you back to life

Recruiting Scratch to Camp and interacting with him enough times will trigger a scene where he gives the player a ball. Whoever holds this will gain access to the player the spell “Find Familiar: Scratch,” which can be used regardless of their class.

While the description focuses on the fact that “Scratch’s keen nose can discover many things hidden around the world,” Baldur’s Gate 3’s best boy can also take a few actions in combat.

As streamer Luality – best known for beating games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring using a dance pad – pointed out, Scratch can even be used to help characters who fall in battle.

Like other characters, Scratch can use the Help action on another party member. This removes conditions like Burning, Prone, and Sleeping, as well as allowing Downed characters to get back up with 1HP.

While many players may not want to bring this sweet dog into danger, it’s important to note that, if Scratch falls in combat, he will not permanently die. Instead, he presumably returns to Camp and can be summoned again after a short rest.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s combat can get brutal, and in times when every action counts, it can be hard to decide whether to Help a Downed ally or deal damage to foes. Having an ally like Scratch is invaluable in these situations, which makes this good dog even better.