The new patch 3 fixes many bugs in Baldur’s Gate 3 and even brings new features. However, players have been complaining about a new bug since the release: an ox is eating an important NPC that you need for Karlach’s personal quest. There are workarounds, but they are cumbersome.
Spoiler Warning: We are talking about some characters with hidden identities as well as quests from Act 2 and Act 3.
Why shouldn’t I play?
- Karlach is one of the companions with whom you can form a relationship. She has a personal quest that spans all acts.
- To advance the quest, you need a specific NPC: Dammon, the blacksmith. He can also be found in all acts, and you need him several times.
- Currently, it can happen that an enemy kills Dammon in Act 2 before you can even react. This is a bug, as the enemy should actually not be aggressive.
This is the bug: The strange ox from Act 1 can also be encountered in Act 2 and Act 3. If you talk to him several times, you find out that the ox is actually a transformed and quite nasty slime blob.
You only discover this at the end of the story with the ox. However, due to the bug, it can happen that the ox transforms in Act 2 in the Last Light Inn. Since Dammon is standing right next to him, he is the first target and dies almost immediately.
The new patch 3 was supposed to fix this bug, but players report that it now occurs even more frequently. If Dammon dies, you cannot complete Karlach’s personal quest.
We believe that Larian will push a hotfix, but we don’t know when. In the meantime, players have already found workarounds.
Save Dammon with Karlach and a hearty shove
There are several methods to save Dammon if you do not want to wait for a hotfix and want to enter the inn directly. The first is to hope for luck:
- save before you go to the Harpers’ Inn
- walk over the bridge and trigger the ox’s transformation
- hope that Dammon survives every attack until you reach him
- reload if Dammon dies and try again
This method can be very time-consuming. For the second, safer method, however, you need a spellcaster, such as a bard, wizard, or sorcerer, who can cast 4th-level spells. The spellcaster must have learned the “Dimension Door” spell.
Cast the spell before the fight begins and send Karlach – or another character with a lot of strength – through the door. Then use the “Push” ability to move Dammon out of the danger zone. Afterwards, you can calmly deal with the slime.
On Reddit, many players are outraged about the bug, especially since Karlach is a fan favorite. Others take it more lightly and say: they take it as fate gives it to them. If Dammon dies, for whatever reason, they make the best of the time with the tiefling barbarian.
Karlach is especially popular because she is the most open among all characters. She speaks very directly about what she thinks and warms the hearts of players with her open nature. And… well, very literally through her hell machine. Others are much sneakier:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Don’t fall too much in love with Astarion, as he can be a real jerk
