Barcus Wroot is a recurring character you’ll encounter throughout your adventures in Baldur’s Gate 3… assuming you don’t let something terrible happen to him. Should you manage to keep him alive long enough to reach Act 2, you’ll find him in the Last Light Inn, where he’ll finally allow you to peruse his wares, among which are the Gloves of the Automaton. This page will provide details about how to keep Barcus Wroot alive when you encounter him in both the Blighted Village and in the Grymforge, as well as information about what makes the Gloves of the Automaton worth going through such trouble.

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(1 of 3) You’ll first encounter Barcus Wroot at the Blighted Village, where he’s going on a rather unsafe ride.

How to Rescue Barcus Wroot in the Blighted Village¶

You’ll first encounter Barcus Wroot in the Blighted Village, which is just west of the Nautiloid crash site in the game’s first wilderness map. Passing through the Blighted Village to reach Barcus Wroot can be a painful, drawn-out series of conflicts or a few simple dialog checks, as you see fit. Talk your way past the guards, then head over to a windmill at roughly x=0, y=425 and you’ll find some goblins, led by one Fezzerk, tormenting a gnome. Talk your way out of a confrontation or pick a fight, it doesn’t matter too much here, and defeating Fezzerk shouldn’t alarm the rest of the inhabitants of the Blighted Village. However you go about it, once done circle around to the back of the windmill and pull the “Brake Lever”… not the “Break Release Lever”, which will send poor Barcus Wroot flying to his doom. Once the windmill has stopped, interact with the ropes binding Barcus Wroot to the windmill and after accusing you of future extortion, he’ll depart. Not the nicest of fellows, but still, keep him alive - it’ll be worth your while.

You can find this encounter covered in more detail on the page Baldur’s Gate 3 - Rescue The Gnome Walkthrough.

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(1 of 3) In Grymforge, conspire with Elder Brithvar against Nere,

How to Rescue Barcus Wroot in the Grymforge¶

As Barcus mentioned after your encounter in the Blighted Village (assuming he didn’t go for a little flight) his search takes him into the Underdark, where he has once again run afoul of the Cult of the Absolute. To save the gnomes, you must rescue the dark elf Nere, whom the gnomes are currently tasked with digging out of a cave-in by their duergar slavers. While the general idea is simple enough - use explosives to destroy the cave-in - your task is complicated by the fact that Nere will throw a murderous tantrum when he’s freed, his first targets being the gnomes that freed him, including Barcus Wroot. In addition, you need to actually find explosives (provided you haven’t stockpiled any Smokepowder Bombs) and you must do so without fast traveling out of Grymforge more than once (including returning to camp) and without taking a Long Rest. Should you free Nere and intervene on the gnomes’ behalf (a requirement to keep them alive) you must then defeat Nere and his duergar minions, which is, depending on your choices, quite a difficult battle.

Below are some step-by-step instructions for dealing with this elaborate, time-sensitive task that will result in you fighting an easier battle with Nere and preserving the lives of the gnomes, including Barcus Wroot:

• Don’t pick fights with any duergar as you enter Grymforge via boat, with the exception being the ones near the Underdark - Beach waypoint (Decrepit Village). You can pass dialog checks to talk your way past all the duergar.
• When you reach Grymforge, talk to Elder Brithvar and enter into a conspiracy to betray Nere once he’s freed.
• Talk to Sergeant Thrinn, then any of the gnomes to learn about Philomeen.
• Approach Herdmaster Skarjall and encourage his rothe to attack the duergar nearby, then help the rothe defeat Herdmaster Skarjall and his allies. This shouldn’t cause any of the other duergar to turn hostile.
• Destroy the Scrying Eye following you around near where you encountered Herdmaster Skarjall. This far away from the other duergar, your attack should go unnoticed. This will satisfy Elder Brithvar’s request “Blind the Absolute”.
• Find Philomeen and obtain runepowder from her, or find some Smokebomb Satchels behind a secret door. Any Smokepowder Bombs you’ve found thus far will also suffice. Use the explosives to destroy the cave-in.
• After Nere kills the first gnome, respond with “Stop! No more innocents will die today, Nere.” Elder Brithvar should intervene, as planned, and he and his loyalists will help you fight Nere and the Absolute cultists.
• Defeat Nere and talk to Elder Brithvar. Succeed at an [Intimidation] or [Persuasion] check to convince him to free the gnomes (or intentionally fail either of these checks to pick a fight - fighting Nere and Elder Brithvar’s forces separately is much, much easier than fighting them all together.)
• Talk to Barcus Wroot and convince him to join you at your camp.

A more complete walkthrough for this can be found on the page How to Free True Soul Nere.

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(1 of 2) Invite Barcus back to camp where he’ll finally realize he’s not cut out to be an adventurer - he’ll stay safely at your camp until you reach Last Light Inn.

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Invite Barcus back to camp where he’ll finally realize he’s not cut out to be an adventurer - he’ll stay safely at your camp until you reach Last Light Inn. (left), At Last Light Inn, talk to Barcus Wroot and but the Gloves of Automaton from him. (right)

Gloves of the Automaton - Location, Stats and Uses¶

Now that you’ve plucked Barcus Wroot out of the fires of Grymforge, you’re in the home stretch. You just need to make your way to the Last Light Inn in the Shadowlands, where Barcus Wroot will have set up shop. If you took the Mountain Pass route to reach the Shadowlands, you’ll have to participate in a macabre convoy to advance, ideally ditching it during a Harper ambush, or failing that you’ll have a more straightforward route to the Last Light Inn, albeit one where you have to aid some Harpers who are being attacked by shadows. Once you reach Last Light Inn, talk to Jaheira and provided you don’t go out of your way to pick a fight you’ll be able to enter the Last Light Inn without fuss. Head into the inn and find Barcus Wroot at x=-55, y=135, who will finally trade with you.

Barcus Wroot sells a variety of wares, including dyes, potions, enchanted arrows, bombs, and the odd accessory. The most interesting item, however, is the Gloves of the Automaton, which will set you back 500 gold. This is well worth emptying your coin purse for, however, and arguably worth putting up with Barcus’s uncanny ability to walk into danger, as these gloves give you a Strength Saving Throw +1 and the ability to use the Circulatory Interference ability. Okay, granted, it doesn’t seem great on paper, but Circulatory Interference provides a variety of boons, including giving you Advantage on your weapon Attack Rolls and providing resistance to lightning damage. This effect can be used as a Bonus Action and lasts for ten turns - longer than most fights will last - and replenishes every Short Rest. Needless to say, it’s a very useful boon on the hands of pretty much any character that attacks with a weapon, which is just about everybody who isn’t a dedicated caster or Eldritch Blast obsessed Warlock, and Advantage is a huge boon for both scoring sneak attacks, critical hits, and just ensuring you hit more often.

To ensure you keep Barcus Wroot alive long enough for you to get your hands in these lovely gloves, check out the following pages:

• Baldur’s Gate 3 - Rescue The Gnome Walkthrough
• Baldur’s Gate 3 - How to Free True Soul Nere
• How to Find Philomeen’s Hiding Spot - Find Explosives in BG3
• Mountain Pass or Underdark? Exploring Your Options in Baldur’s Gate 3
• How to Ambush and Defeat Kar’niss in BG3
• How to Survive the Shadow Curse in Act 2 - How to Get the Pixie’s Blessing