An inconspicuous item in Baldur’s Gate 3 can not only solve visible hygiene problems for your party but can also be useful in gameplay. Players are celebrating that Larian has made this item usable and report how they have already been able to apply it.
Which item is being referred to? Many players have probably already noticed the various item categories in Baldur’s Gate 3. In addition to gear and materials, there are also items that are grouped as “Miscellaneous.” These usually consist of clothing, valuables, and books, but also include … “Other.”
The mentioned item is located next to other seemingly useless items like rotten food, rags, and ropes in this category. These are often sold for little gold to the next merchant after accidentally picking them up, but now players have discovered that a certain item turns out to be useful: It is a sponge bowl, or rather the sponge itself.
For clean faces and backgrounds
What can you use the sponge bowl for? A player discovered the sponge bowl in their inventory and happened to read in the description that the item includes an action: When used, it removes dirt, blood, face paint, and conditions that involve odors. Also, it is not a single-use product, but can be used indefinitely.
So far, many players have suspected that a long rest is the only way to reset the mentioned conditions, but this can be accomplished much faster.
How relevant this is for individual players varies quite a bit. However, several fans of the game express that it can break immersion when, in an important, dramatic scene, a character delivers an emotional monologue with a clown face or covered in blood.
In what case is a clean appearance relevant? During an interaction in Act 3, you will be checked for special odors at the entrance of a circus to test if you are dangerous. As no traces of blood can be smelled on a washed character, you can pass the check as a (seemingly) harmless visitor without an ability check and explore the circus and its contents.
A single exception in this situation is the “Dark Urge,” which is always sniffed out during this situation. To wash it off, more than soap or a sponge is needed.
What are the reactions of the players? They are celebrating the sponge bowl in a discussion on Reddit:
- Lopsided_Blacksmith5 says: “Over 1,100 game hours and I’m only learning this now.”
- Citrusssx comments: “Larian really made more out of a sponge bowl than other AAA games can make out of entire quests.”
- Gen1Swirlix notes: “The fact that sponges are more useful in a DND-inspired game than ropes hurts me for some reason.”
- Wiggijiggijet admits: “I’ve always carried soap with me since Gale called me musty.”
However, some players highlight that there are already other ways that can trigger the same effect as the sponge bowl. Other cleaning items like bars of soap, but also throwing water or the spell “Create Water” can wash the player and other characters. Therefore, the soap bowl is merely an addition, but at the same time a nice surprise and an example of Larian’s attention to detail.
This attention to detail and the continuity of small things are just two of the aspects that make the RPG so popular and successful among players. Those interested in more hidden or rare content in Baldur’s Gate 3 might also find this article intriguing: Player discovers a rare interaction in Baldur’s Gate 3 after 1,500 hours that can only be experienced in the moral gray area
