In Baldur’s Gate 3 powerful items are hidden everywhere, sometimes in dusty shelves, sometimes in boxes somewhere in the void. Most RPG players have accepted that the loot is just placed there for gameplay reasons. However, in the case of Dungeons & Dragons, there is an actual lore explanation for this.
Who is the benefactor?
- Elminster is somewhat of the “Gandalf” of the D&D universe. You meet him in Baldur’s Gate 3 when you travel with Gale and learn a bit more about him, if you engage in a romance with Gale.
- The wizard is considered one of the most powerful mortals on this plane and follows the goddess Mystra, the mistress of magic. Like Gale, Elminster was once her lover.
- In Baldur’s Gate 3, he primarily appears to deliver a message to Gale – much to his doom, as some players kill him for his sweet XP.
Why does Elminster hide loot? As described in the book “The Temptation of Elminster” by Ed Greenwood from 1998, Elminster has been given a task by Mystra. He is to scatter magical items throughout the world. A user discovered this on Reddit. One section translates to:
This task took up much of his time in Mystra’s service. These days, Elminster travels Faerûn at her request, visiting ruins and the graves of dead wizards, placing “old” scrolls, spell books, smaller enchanted items, and even the occasional staff so that people can find them later… and all these items were actually those that he had just finished and made to look old.
Mystra, the goddess of magic, is said to have given the task so that magic is distributed in the world. After the incident with Nesseril, when too many powerful wizards hoarded magical items and sorcery for themselves, magic should be more accessible to more people.
According to the book, Elminster finds this task very entertaining and even uses lights and other effects to lure adventurers to the loot.
A dungeon with particularly rich and powerful loot is the Temple of Shar:
“So he is officially our Santa Claus”
The explanation for the loot, whether it is true or not, excites the fans. They compare Elminster to Santa Claus: he already wears a red robe and has a bushy beard, so it fits extraordinarily well.
Others speculate: Elminster has already completed the game and is now rotating through side quests. Or he is simply at such an epic level that he is now practically playing janitor for the whole world.
“The Temptation of Elminster” is an officially licensed book by Wizards of the Coast – whether it still conforms to the canon, we cannot say for certain. However, one user claims that quite all books about Elminster in the last 20 years mention this.
It is definitely canon. Moreover, it fits perfectly with Elminster. In fact, hiding loot is even the task of all chosen of Mystra – except for Gale, apparently, who prefers to munch magical items with some salt.
Elminster scatters the items so that more people can use magic. The fans say: So you better not tell him that really every one of you has a whole bag full of scrolls that you never use because they might still be important.
And seriously – use your loot: One item type is rotting in almost everyone’s pockets in Baldur’s Gate 3, although it is really strong
