Baldur’s Gate 3: What is the Strange Ox in BG3?

There are too many strange creatures walking around the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 to count, but one of the weirdest is the Strange Ox.

You can first encounter the Strange Ox in the Druid’s Emerald Grove. Walking by the ox and its two counterparts forces an insight check on you and your party, which is quite peculiar. After further inspection by using the “Speak with Animals” spell, you learn the ox is on its way to the city of Baldur’s Gate, which, again, is strange for a common barn animal.

There’s clearly something going on with this ox in BG3, and we’re here to tell you exactly what it is in this guide.

Where is the Strange Ox is in Baldur’s Gate 3?

When and where you first encounter the Strange Ox depends on the decisions you make at Emerald Grove at the start of BG3. The first time you are likely to find him is after you defeat the goblins in Emerald Grove. If you chose to save the Druids and Tieflings and not side with the goblin camp, the Strange Ox should appear somewhere in the grove, although the exact position seems to differ for every player. Some find him near the trader and others have found him alongside two other oxen on a side path. You will get a Perception check when you get near him though, identifying him as not quite what he appears to be. You can then have a chat with him.

Later on in the game, you can find the Strange Ox again (as long as you didn’t kill him the first time). More specifically, if you chose to reach Moonrise Towers through the Underdark, you can find the Strange Ox at the Last Light Inn. This little community is where the Tieflings from Emerald Grove wound up, and they are once again being protected by Druids. The Last Light Inn is located in the middle of the Shadow Cursed Lands, so it will take some time to reach after starting Act Two.

At the Last Light Inn, if you travel north and look to the right of the main building, you will see a stable. Inside the stable is Dammon, a Tiefling Trader that you might have met back in Emerald Grove. Beyond Dammon, though, are the three oxen that were in the grove as well.

The ox on the far right is once again labeled as the Strange Ox.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to make a camp in BG3

How to speak to the Strange Ox in Baldur’s Gate 3

To speak with animals in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll need to either choose a race with the innate ability or acquire the necessary potions, spells, or gear that trigger the “Speak with Animal” effect.

Here are all the exact ways you can speak to the Strange Ox:

• Potions – you can find plenty of “Speak with Animals” potions at various merchants or in chests. It helps if you have a thief character to pickpocket them. I’ve found about 6 “Speak with Animals” potions so far.
  • Crafting – you can craft a Potion of Animal Speaking with Essence of Accorn Truffle + Any Salt.
• Spells – “Speak with Animals” spells can be acquired through scrolls or by learning them through natural progression (if your character can use magic). These scrolls are found throughout the game.
• Gear – some gear will come with “Speak with Animals” as an enchantment, which will allow you to use the spell.
• Forest Gnome race ability – Forest Gnomes naturally acquire the ability to speak with animals.

Here’s a list of classes that can acquire the “Speak with Animals” spell:

• Ranger
• Warlock (Beast Speech invocation)
• Druid
• Bard
• Barbarian
• Cleric
• Paladin

How to find out where the Strange Ox is going in Baldur’s Gate 3

If you cast Speak with Animals, you can talk to the Strange Ox. I advise having high Arcana and Persuasion levels before speaking to the Strange Ox to ensure you can get the most out of your dialogue with him.

When you first speak to the ox in Act One, he will say it’s “quaint” that you’re addressing it. Depending on your race, and your Arcana level, you then get one of two sets of four dialogue options. Either:

• [Arcana] There’s something strange about this ox. What is it?
• Haven’t you ever met someone who could speak to oxen?
• Did you come from Elturel with the others?
• Leave.

Or

• [Arcana] The ox makes you uneasy. Try to discern why.
• A fine-looking beast you are.
• Ugh. Hideous cow.
• Leave.

Choose the first option, the Arcana option, and you get an Arcana Intelligence Check. If you pass it then the narrator states that “this creature isn’t what it appears to be”. You’re then presented with three dialogue options (regardless of which options you got the first time):

• There’s more to you than meets the eye. Care to explain?
• Whatever your secret is, it’s yours to keep.
• Leave.

Choose the first option and the ox will say you are “incapable”. But this ox has secrets to spill, and we want to know what they are. You are then presented with three more dialogue options:

• [Persuasion] Come on, old chap. I’m a devil for gossip.
• [Intimidation] Out with it, cow, or you’re going to regret it.
• [Deception] Fine. I heard the tieflings are going to butcher one of you for food, so your secret will die with you.

You can choose the Persuasion or Deception option here to get a check. If successful, the ox tells you he’s going to Baldur’s Gate, “with or without these poor sods” (ie: the tieflings).

How to get the Strange Ox to reveal its true form in Baldur’s Gate 3

Later in the game, you can meet the ox again, at the Last Light Inn, the co-ordinates are X: -32 Y:170.

This time, when you speak to the animal, you have new dialogue options. When you speak to him, he says you’re “still incapable”. You have five dialogue options to respond with:

• Incapable of what?
• I’ll show you incapable…
• I remember you from the druid’s grove. Are you ready to reveal your secrets yet?
• You’ve said that twice now. I demand an explanation.
• Leave

Tell the ox you remember him from druid’s grove and he will say his secrets are not for you to know. You then get three responses:

• [Persuasion] Ah c’mon, now you’ve piques my curiosity…
• [Perception] You’re the ox I met back in the grove. You were very hungry then; I saved you all, and now you have food.
• [Nature] You’re a rare breed. An authentic Red-Backed River OX. I thought you’d be more discerning…

If you can, choose the Nature option. If you haven’t got a high enough Nature skill then try Persuasion instead. If your skill check is successful then the creature puts your heads together and shows you a slideshow of some images. These images are of dead, mutilated, and bloody bodies piled up across a battlefield. Obviously, this is no ordinary ox.

The Strange Ox then asks if you’re satisfied and you’re presented with four dialogue options:

• Those are the least bovine thoughts I’ve ever seen. What are you really?
• Yes. Thank you.
• What the hells was that?
• How does an ox like yourself have such horrifying thoughts?

Choose the first option and the ox will tell you it’s not for you to know. Tell him he’s coming out of hiding, now. But be prepared for a fight.

What is the Strange Ox in Baldur’s Gate 3?

If you choose to not press the creature on why it has these images in its head, the conversation ends. But if you force the creature to come out of hiding, it will be revealed that the ox is really a level five Ooze enemy. It shapeshifted into an ox to apparently live a simple life of eating hay and relaxing in a stable.

Killing the Ooze yields you the Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring, which grants you a 1d4 bonus to checks while you are disguised or shapeshifted. You can also get this ring by killing the ox at any point before this, but you won’t get it to spill its secrets. If you let the ox live and do not force it to come out of hiding, though, you will be able to find it in the city of Baldur’s Gate when you make it there.