In the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3, the primary quest line revolves entirely around the Druids’ Grove and the conflict between the Druids and Tieflings within. To make a long story short, Tiefling refugees have been chased to the Grove by goblins, and the Druids want them out. But one particular item within the conflict is giving many players headaches: the Druids’ Sacred Idol.
This quest line has many different potential outcomes and side quests dependent upon your decisions as a player. The quest Steal the Sacred Idol is among the most strategically challenging of these quests, and has potentially catastrophic outcomes if proper care is not taken.
How to get the quest Steal the Sacred Idol
There are multiple ways you can unlock this side quest, all of which will require you to speak with Mol, the leader of the child-thief group hiding in caverns around the Druids’ Grove. The most streamlined way is to save Arabella from the Druids and complete the quest Investigate the Beach, which can easily be picked up and completed by heading northeast from Emerald Grove towards the coast.
After completing these two tasks, Mol will give the quest Steal the Sacred Idol—and this is where things get interesting.
How to steal the Druids’ Sacred Idol during the Rite of Thorns in BG3
This quest can be completed at any point throughout the Save the Refugees quest line, but will always require some elbow grease.
If the Rite of Thorns has not been stopped (either by killing the Goblin Leaders or completing Investigate Kagha), Druids will be surrounding the Idol, making it very difficult to steal the Idol safely. We recommend:
- Using Gale or another mage-type to cast a spell like Darkness or Fog Cloud on the Idol—anything that can completely obscure vision on the Idol.
- At this point, a Rogue can simply pick the Idol up. However, this will lead to a Druid massacre, as they can sense the Idol on your person as you attempt to leave.
- Conversely, placing the Idol inside a box, chest, or basket and then picking up the container will prevent detection, but will cause a Tiefling massacre as the Druids will blame them.
Basically, if the ritual is still being performed, YOU can steal the Idol safely, but you can’t steal the Idol SAFELY.
How to steal the Druids’ Sacred Idol after the Rite of Thorns in BG3
We recommend going this route if you want to avoid bloodshed. Once the ritual is stopped, the Detection Aura will be gone from the Idol, and Druids will no longer be surrounding it. This means the Idol can now be stolen by conventional means.
It matters how the ritual was stopped, though. Investigating Kagha to stop the ritual still allows Investigate the Idol to be completed, whereas Killing the Goblin Leaders marks the quest as complete with the description “we were unable to steal the Sacred Idol,” even if the Tieflings have not left yet.
There are almost certainly more possible methods to steal the Sacred Idol—that’s part of what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 so great. These methods are our picks because they are the most efficient and universal methods.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if you even want to steal the Idol in the first place.
