Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Find and Save the Mushroom Picker

When players visit the myconid colony of Ebonlake Grotto in the Underdark of Baldur’s Gate 3, they may encounter a dwarf trader named Derryth Bonecloak. Derryth is willing to buy and sell the player’s items, but she’s also looking for her lost husband. He went out some time ago to pick mushrooms and hasn’t returned.

Derryth refuses to offer a reward for her husband’s safety, but the quest Find the Mushroom Picker will show up in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s quest log regardless. Finding the husband, Baelen, has no big effect on the story, but players won’t have to go too far out of their way to find him. Rescuing him, on the other hand, won’t be an easy task. Here’s how players can find and save the Mushroom Picker Baelen in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Updated on April 21, 2024, by Nahda Nabiilah: You will encounter all different types of missions while exploring the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. One of the available quests is searching for a mushroom picker who seems dumber than he looks and always manages to land himself in trouble. The mushroom picker in question goes by the name Baelen, and he somehow got himself trapped in the middle of a bibberbangs cluster, which are highly toxic and inflammable mushrooms.

Where To Find Baelen In Baldur’s Gate 3

Finding Baelen is the easy part. Leave Ebonlake Grotto by the southwest exit and turn right. This direction leads to a root bridge with several bibberbang mushrooms at the far end. Players should use ranged weapons or cantrips to destroy these mushrooms from a distance since they tend to explode when characters get too close.

North of the bibberbang mushrooms is a set of knotted roots that lead down to a lower level. Another root bridge leads north, and the cave past it is absolutely packed with bibberbangs. In this case, however, players should avoid setting them off. Baelen is stuck in the back, and he’ll die if the mushrooms start exploding.

Instead, players should approach the north end of the root bridge. At this point, Baelen will warn the party off but also ask them if they can get his pack. Players now have a choice to make: should they help Baelen, and how?

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How To Save Baelen In Baldur’s Gate 3

Before considering anything else, the last thing players should try to do is enter the bibberbang cave. Doing so will definitely cause an explosion, hurting both the party member who goes in and Baelen.

The simplest solution is to have a scroll of Misty Step ready and waiting when entering the bibberbang cave. Players can immediately toss it over to Baelen by passing a simple DC 10 Strength check. Once it’s in his hands, he’ll teleport out of the cave.

The more difficult solution is to get the pack to Baelen without setting foot in the cave. There’s a straightforward way of doing so: the spell Mage Hand. Mage Hand creates a summoned creature, but this creature isn’t really physical and won’t set off the bibberbangs. However, it can throw objects, so throw Baelen’s pack (highlighted in the image above) to Baelen. Players may need to throw it two or three times to reach Baelen. Mage Hand can also throw the scroll of Misty Step if players fail the Strength check.

Be sure to set the pack far away from the mushrooms because Baelen will set them off himself if he gets too close. Once he has the pack (or the scroll), he’ll pick it up, and Misty Step to the cave entrance. Players can then speak to Baelen and get a scroll of Invisibility as a reward.

Now that the mushroom cave is empty, players can blow up the bibberbangs, wait for the fire to die down, and then explore it. In the far corner of the cave, Tav can also pick up a Noblestalk, a rare material the mushroom picker was looking for. It’s extremely fragile with one hit point, so if the bibberbangs have exploded, the Noblestalk will be gone by the time you start exploring the cave.

A Survival check reveals a dirt mound on the right side of the cave, and inside the buried chest is gold, an arrow of lightning, and an acid vial. Players can also pick up some rare Lolth’s candle crystals in an alcove, and if players don’t return Baelen’s bag, its contents will survive the explosions. It includes several food items, two scrolls of Misty Step, and a scroll of Feather Fall.

Finally, players should speak to Derryth again now that her husband is back. She never promised a reward and doesn’t sound grateful to have him back, but even so, she’ll reward the party with the Gloves of the Uninhibited Kushigo, a rare magic item that adds 1d4 damage to throw attacks and improvised weapons. Players can also ask her why the two are in the Underdark, and based on her response, it may have to do with curing Baelen’s condition.