Baldur's Gate 3: Unlock a Valuable Merchant in Your Party Camp - Master the Art of Recruiting Volo

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How to Rescue Volo

How to Recruit Volo to Join the Camp

How to Barter With Volo in the Camp

It's practically impossible to avoid hoarding in Baldur's Gate 3 due to the abundance of tempting items scattered throughout the game. While players will come across a wide range of useful items like potions, spell scrolls, and armor during their journey, it's undeniable that the majority of items they find are generally useless.

Players will often find themselves burdened with multiple low-quality weapons, miscellaneous items like dishes and books, and even the occasional severed body part. While a few of these collectibles may have a purpose, most of them are best off traded with vendors in exchange for gold.

There are only a few dedicated merchants that players can come across in Baldur’s Gate 3, mostly in specific locations found in the game's first act. It can be quite easy for players to gather a large number of random items before they even find a merchant who is willing to buy these items from them. As these merchants are scarce, it is a significant advantage for players and their party to have a reliable and easily accessible merchant. This is where Volo, a snarky bard, comes into the picture.

Where to Find Volo

Volo is an Non-Player Character (NPC) that players can initially encounter in the Druid Grove, a specific area located in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3. Within this area, there are several Merchants who may or may not survive based on the choices made by the player. One of these Merchants is Volo, whom players can engage in conversation with. During their interaction, Volo expresses his fascination with the Goblins and their actions in service of The Absolute. Subsequently, he departs to delve deeper into these matters.

The player will come across Volo once again in the Goblin Camp, where he is currently being held prisoner and forced to entertain with his rather terrible poetry. Luckily, the goblins don't seem to mind his performance. Engaging in conversation with Volo initiates the quest "Rescue Volo," which requires the player to venture into the Shattered Sanctum, locate the bard, and liberate him from the clutches of goblin captivity.

How to Rescue Volo

To reach the Shattered Sanctum in the Goblin Camp, the player must make their way to the northern part of the camp. Inside, they will encounter several goblins that need to be dealt with. Once the goblins have been taken care of, the player will come across a spacious chamber where they will discover True Soul Gut, the leader of the goblins. Instead of proceeding immediately to the staircases located just beyond True Soul Gut, it is recommended that the player and their party take the first staircase on the right, which is situated shortly after entering the chamber.

The party will venture into a corridor adorned with several exposed chambers where goblins ruthlessly torment a handful of hapless captives, including the esteemed Volo. In the third chamber, they will come across Volo, who is currently under the watchful eye of Gribbo, an NPC serving as his guard.

The players should engage in conversation with Gribbo and, through skillful negotiation and successful skill checks, acquire the key to free the trapped bard. If the situation becomes difficult, the party has the option to eliminate Gribbo and obtain the key from her remains. To prevent any unwanted attention, players may choose to close the door to the room where Volo is held, in case the discussion with Gribbo proves unsuccessful.

How to Recruit Volo to Join the Camp

After obtaining the Cage Key from Gribbo, by any means necessary, the player can interact with the cage and release Volo. During their conversation, the player should choose the option to invite Volo to their Camp (the last choice before "Leave"). Volo will then use his invisibility to sneak out of the Sanctum.

Once the party returns to their Camp, they will discover Volo nearby. If he is not present initially, it may be necessary to rest and check again or revisit the Camp. Once Volo arrives at the Camp, he expresses gratitude for the player's help and decides to permanently reside there.

How to Barter With Volo in the Camp

Once the player's Camp is reached by Volo, he will present the player with Merchant services. These services involve the purchase of loot from the player in exchange for gold, as well as the sale of various helpful items such as scrolls and potions. Additionally, Volo offers a remarkable ring specifically designed for Clerics known as The Whispering Promise. It is not necessary for the player to inquire about Volo's research on the mind flayer parasite or engage in his "services" in order to barter with him.

To initiate a barter with Volo, players should speak directly to him and choose the "Trade" button from the button grid in the bottom left corner of the screen. This button becomes available when a dialog choice is presented and clicking it will open the standard merchant interface. It's helpful to note that the Trade button can be used to barter with various NPCs, not only those identified as merchants, making it worthwhile to click whenever it becomes active.

Like other merchants, Volo's inventory and available gold will refresh after each Long Rest or when a character levels up. This allows players to conveniently sell their characters' items and earn a substantial amount of gold during their visits to the Camp.

For improved restocking, his diverse collection of regular items will be replenished. However, if the player has already purchased The Whispering Promise, it will not be sold again. Players have the opportunity to lower Volo's prices and yield more gold from their trades by enhancing their Attitude with Volo and increasing their Charisma stat, just like with any other merchant.

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently accessible on PC. The PS5 version is scheduled to launch on September 6th, with an Xbox Series X/S version presently being developed.