There’s a plethora of accessories - rings and amulets, mostly - that grant access to spell-like abilities and/or augment your class abilities and stats in some way. Few are as easily missed as the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel, however, and this page will provide information about how to find this ring in Baldur’s Gate 3, as well as detailing the ring’s stats and the best ways to use it.
Where to Find the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel in Baldur’s Gate 3¶
This ring is fairly obscure, located in an area you can only visit one time, with one character, and only if you go out of your way to get sent to said area as punishment. When you reach Rivington in Act 3, follow a paved road north from the Rivington waypoint to find the Circus of the Last Days to your left (west). Talk your way past the gatekeeper, Klaus, despite the correct intuition of the pet circus ghoul, Benji, then continue west to find the Djinni Akabi, who will allow you to play a game of chance for 500 gold. This encounter is covered in greater detail on the page How to Win the Spin the Wheel Jackpot against Akabi in BG3, but for our purposes you just need to know that the game is rigged, and to even the odds you’ll need to pickpocket the Ring of the Djinni from Akabi. This isn’t that difficult of a task, you shouldn’t even need Invisibility to accomplish it, if you’re patient (save scumming doesn’t hurt, either). Once you have this ring, pick a character who is best suited for single combat and who has a reasonable chance of picking locks… or failing the former, one who has plenty of spell slots and who can teleport around a lot (Misty Step and Invisibility will go far here). Our Lockadin (Warlock/Paladin) had little trouble with the upcoming area, but the Boots of Speed and Potent Robe allow her to cheese some encounters.
Anywho, when you’re ready, talk to Akabi and play his game. This time you’ll win, and the duplicitous Djinni will have the gall to be incensed that you’re counter-cheating, rightfully calling you a thief before teleporting the offending party member (the one who talked to him) away. You’ll find yourself in a jungle area, where numerous Chult Alioramus dinosaurs prowl. Individually they’re somewhat mid-tier enemies, with around 50~ Hit Points and no noteworthy abilities save their tendency to pounce a great distance, but you’re also on your own, so if your damage potential is lacking and/or you don’t have any healing (a concern you could have easily rectified with potions), discretion may be the better part of valor. That said, you’ll need to brave a nest of the beasts to the southwest if you want to claim your prize. In addition to at least one straggler dinosaur, you’ll have to fight (or avoid) two others and a stronger specimen which guards their den.
Defeat or avoid the dinosaurs and climb some ledges along the western edge of their den, then climb some Knotted Roots to the north. After this you’ll need to pick your way south using the bones of a massive monster and a tree root, then jump up onto a ledge to the south. Go through a cave to find an old campsite and loot a backpack to find the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel within. To escape this area you’ll need to continue south, braving or avoiding another dinosaur or two, then jump a gap to reach a portal, near which is a locked chest containing the legendary trident Nyrulna.
Band of the Mystic Scoundrel Stats and Uses¶
While Nyrulan is (rightfully) considered to be the real prize for getting one over on Akabi and surviving his reprisal, on the right hand the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel is a fair prize, as well. It gives its wearer the boon “Illusion Quickening”, which allows a character to cast illusion or enchantment spells as a bonus action “after hitting a creature with a weapon attack”. Single-class or otherwise dedicated caster Sorcerers and Wizards will likely be too busy casting spells to bother with this, but for Bards, Clerics, Druids and Warlocks, and multiclass gish characters, this opens up interesting possibilities, as you could put this on Halsin, Jaheira or Shadowheart and have them perform a melee attack (even a ranged attack will suffice) then follow up with Hold Person as a bonus action. Other follow-up spells characters could, in theory, use after landing a melee attack include Bane, Bless, Command, Compelled Duel, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Mirror Image and Invisibility, just to name a few.
Obviously, this requires a somewhat specific setup, and you probably don’t want to hinge your spellcasting on a dubious attacker like a Shadowheart who hasn’t been properly respec’d, or worse, going out of your way to make attacks with Gale. On the other hand, if you have a decent gish protagonist (perhaps one using the Unseen Menace to significantly boost their hit rate?) or Jaheira built to take advantage of her Sylvan Scimitar’s “Melee Caster” ability, you may find the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel to be quite an unexpected and unheralded boon.
Survive Akabi’s reprisal and make it back to Rivington with your prizes and you’ll be better equipped to deal with a variety of quests and activities, including the following:
No Comments