When I first heard about this Bow of Awareness thing in Baldur’s Gate 3, man, I figured it must be some super hidden end-game gear. Took me way too long to realize it’s actually pretty early loot. Felt kinda dumb, honestly. So yeah, decided to track it down properly this time and write it up step-by-step.
Just Stumbling Around Blind
My usual strategy in Act 1 involves poking my nose into every corner. I hit up the Druid Grove, rescued the kid from the harpies – you know, the usual hero stuff. Later on, stumbled into that cave with those sketchy bandits, the ones chilling near Waukeen’s Rest? Totally blind, just hoping to swipe anything shiny. Found a chest tucked away back there. Opened it…
…And bam! Plain little bow right there. Almost left it behind thinking it was trash loot. Pure dumb luck I grabbed it. Saw its name later: “The Bow of Awareness”. Felt like winning the lottery.
Actually Trying to Find the Darn Thing
Okay, so after that accidental find, I wanted to actually know where it was for this post. Started a new game just to confirm.
Here’s what you gotta do:
- Head towards Waukeen’s Rest. Can’t miss the smoke. Big fire, lots of yelling.
- Instead of rushing into the burning building (I did that the first time, hero complex, you know?), peel off to the west. There’s a path leading upwards near the barn/stables area.
- You’ll run into these jerks: The Zhentarim. Grunt gang hanging out in a cave entrance. You can try talking your way past, fight them, or maybe sneak around. Doesn’t matter much for the bow itself, just gotta get inside their hideout.
Tried talking first with my smooth-talking character. Passed some checks, they let me walk right in. Too easy! Last time I just whacked them.
The Treasure Hunt Inside
Inside their cave hideout is kinda messy. Couple more Zhents lounging around. You gotta find their secret stash.
- Look near the back. There’s a section where one of them is leaning against the wall near some rocks. Might be named “Brem”.
- Right beside Brem, on the ground kinda tucked away, is an Ordinary Chest. Seriously looks like nothing special. Like the kind you loot 50 of.
Walked right up to it. No locks, no traps (usually – always worth checking though!). Just opened it. And yep, there it was again: The Bow of Awareness. Plain as day. Felt ridiculous that it was just sitting there the whole time.
So What’s the Big Deal?
Okay, why bother? It’s this simple:
- Equip it on anyone who uses a bow.
- Use a Bonus Action to activate “Awareness”.
- Suddenly, Advantage! On your next attack roll that turn. Makes hitting way easier.
Tested it on my Rogue. Popped Awareness, fired an arrow. Bam, easier hit, added Sneak Attack damage. Perfect combo early on when you miss constantly. Seriously useful little bow you can grab super early. Why isn’t this bow in ACT I?
The Takeaway?
Don’t overlook boring chests near grumpy NPCs in bandit caves! Took me accidentally finding it and then deliberately backtracking to nail down the spot. Super early, super easy to grab (once you know the cave location!), and makes Act 1 archery way less frustrating. Go get it!
Bonus tip: That cave also has some smokepowder barrels. Useful… for reasons. You know the reasons.