Scratch Is Missing From Camp in BG3? Here’s How to Get Your Good Boy Back
Okay, you opened up your camp screen, ready to chat, pick dialogue, and take a long rest—and Scratch just isn’t there. Yeah, that hurts. The dog is one of the best parts of Act 1 in Baldur’s Gate 3, and losing him feels rough.
Good news: usually you can fix Scratch missing from camp without restarting your whole playthrough. Let’s walk through the fastest fixes, the mistakes that trip people up, and how to get your good boy back.
Scratch is a small dog you find near his dead master in the Wilderness. Once he trusts you, he becomes a camp companion and sticks with you for the rest of the game.
He doesn’t fight, doesn’t need gear, and doesn’t earn XP. He just sits in camp, wags his tail, and waits to play fetch. So if you did everything right, losing him feels unfair. Let’s fix that.
Why Does Scratch Disappear From Camp?
Scratch missing from camp is almost always a spawn bug, not a story choice. Every camp area in BG3 has specific spots where NPCs like Scratch appear. When you move to a new zone or finish a big quest, the game needs to load the next camp scene. Sometimes his spawn point just doesn’t load right.
Here are the most common reasons players report:
- You moved to a new region too fast. If you meet Scratch but don’t finish his fetch scene, or never rest afterward, he can get stuck in his old Act 1 spot.
- The camp event queue is blocking him. Camp scenes with Astarion, Shadowheart, Gale, Lae’zel, Wyll, and other companions take priority. If lots of quest and romance scenes are waiting, Scratch may not show up for a few nights.
- You used mods that mess with camp files. Some mods change spawn positions or disable companion interactions, which can make Scratch vanish.
- You changed camp locations mid-playthrough. Different regions use different camp layouts. If the game fails to transfer Scratch’s position, he can stay off-screen or just not load.
That doesn’t mean he’s gone forever. In most cases, he’s still in your save file—the game just isn’t showing him.
How To Fix Scratch Missing From Camp
Use these steps in order. Don’t skip ahead. Each step checks a different cause, and the fix that works might be the boring one.
Step 1: Save Your Game First
Before anything else, make a manual save. On PC, press Escape and choose Save. On console, open the pause menu and save.
This gives you a safe point. If something goes wrong, you can always come back to this save. Always keep a backup before messing with camp bugs—I learned that the hard way with another camp bug, and a backup is the only reason I didn’t lose hours of progress.
New player warning: don’t keep only one save file. If your main save gets stuck, you’ll want a clean manual save to fall back on.
Step 2: Confirm That Scratch Actually Joined Your Camp
This sounds obvious, but it’s easy to confuse your first meeting with a real recruitment. If you only found Scratch in the Wilderness and never finished his full camp scene, he may not have actually joined yet.
To fully recruit Scratch:
- Use Speak with Animals so you can talk to him. You can cast it or drink a Potion of Animal Speaking.
- Or use an Animal Handling check if you don’t have magic.
- Play fetch with him. He gives you Scratch’s Ball after he trusts you.
- Let him leave the area.
- Take a long rest.
If you never did the fetch moment, he never “officially” joined. That isn’t a bug—you’re just missing a step. Fast travel back to the spot where you found him near the ruined village and try again. That area is still reachable during Act 1 and most of Act 2, so check your map.
Step 3: Take a Long Rest — Twice, If You Have To
The simplest fix? Just go to sleep.
Sometimes Scratch isn’t actually missing. He just hasn’t spawned because another camp scene is queued. When you rest, companion scenes and pet scenes load in order. If there are five cutscenes waiting, Scratch may not show up until the second or third night.
Here’s how to do it:
- Use your bedroll or sleep icon in camp.
- If you don’t have enough camp supplies, choose Partial Rest. It won’t restore your full health or spell slots, but it does trigger a night in camp and lets scenes play out.
- Let all cutscenes finish.
- Wake up and look around.
- If Scratch is still missing, rest again.
Do this at least two or three times before trying harder fixes. You’d be surprised how often Scratch just needs an extra night or two.
Step 4: Leave the Area and Force a New Camp
If sleeping doesn’t work, the current zone’s spawn position might be broken. Force the game to load a different camp area by changing zones.
Here are some real examples that work:
- In Act 1, fast travel to the Underdark and take a long rest there. Then go back to the Wilderness and rest again.
- In Act 2, leave the Shadow-Cursed Lands and go back to an earlier area if the map still lets you. Rest there, then come back.
- In Act 3, travel from Rivington into the Lower City. These areas have different camp layouts, so resting in both can reset Scratch.
- If you have access to the Elfsong Tavern camp in Act 3, sleep there too. It’s a special indoor camp with its own spawn points.
This zone change forces the game to unload the old camp state and build a fresh one. When the new camp loads, Scratch often pops up in the right spot.
Step 5: Disable Mods and Update the Game
If you use mods, even simple cosmetic ones can break camp follower behavior. To fix Scratch missing from camp:
- Close the game.
- Disable any mods that touch camp, party, pets, or companion scripts.
- Open the game and load your save.
- Take a long rest.
Also make sure Baldur’s Gate 3 is updated to the latest patch. Larian has released many official fixes for camp bugs. If your game is outdated, updating it may fix the problem by itself.
If Scratch comes back after that, a mod caused it. Keep that mod disabled until the mod author updates it.
New player warning: if you use mods, don’t skip this step. Even a “small” cosmetic mod can make Scratch disappear.
Step 6: Load an Older Save File
This is the last resort, but it’s also the most reliable fix for a serious bug.
Not every save file survives every glitch. If you played through several major story beats, visited new regions, and saved over your old files, Scratch’s spawn data might be stuck. At that point, reloading an older save is the only guaranteed fix.
Look for a save from before Scratch disappeared. Load it, make sure he’s sitting in camp, then keep playing from there. You might lose some progress, but redoing a few fights is way better than losing your best camp friend forever.
Step 7: Check Around the Whole Camp
Before you give up, walk around the entire camp area. Scratch doesn’t always stand right by the campfire.
Depending on the camp map, he can be:
- On a stone ledge
- Near a rock
- Under a tree
- Behind a tent
- In a corner near the camp supply chest
If you only glanced at the fire and didn’t see him, check the edges of the map before you panic-load old saves.
Common Mistakes When Fixing Scratch Missing From Camp
Mistake 1: Assuming Scratch Died
Scratch is a camp pet. He doesn’t go into normal combat with you, and he doesn’t take damage during regular fights. If he vanished, he didn’t die. This isn’t a dead dog situation—treat it like a spawn bug.
Mistake 2: Resting Only Once
One long rest isn’t always enough. BG3 queues camp scenes, so if you have unfinished companion dialogue, Scratch might be waiting behind several other scenes. Rest multiple times before you try harsher fixes.
Mistake 3: Throwing Scratch’s Ball and Leaving It Behind
Scratch’s Ball is tied to his fetch interaction. If you throw it and leave camp without picking it back up, it can stay on the ground in that camp map. When you move to a new area, the game might lose track of both the ball and the dog.
When you play fetch, wait for Scratch to bring the ball back. Pick it up again and keep it in your inventory. That protects your save from a whole category of fetch bugs.
New player warning: don’t throw Scratch’s Ball and run off. Wait for him to return it, then stash it safely.
Mistake 4: Moving Through Acts Without Taking Long Rests
Act transitions are dangerous for camp pets. If you rush through the end of Act 1 and push into Act 2 without resting after meeting Scratch, the game may not register him in the new zone.
Always rest after important events. It sounds simple, but it prevents a lot of BG3 camp bugs, missing companions and missing pets included.
FAQ: Fix Scratch Missing From Camp in Baldur’s Gate 3
Is Scratch missing from camp a permanent bug?
No. Most of the time, Scratch is still in your save file. The game just has trouble loading his spawn point after a zone change or while other camp scenes are active. Rest a few times, change camp areas, or load an older save and he should come back.
Can Scratch join my regular party and fight with me?
No. Scratch is a camp follower, not a companion like Astarion or Karlach. He stays in camp, lets you pet him, and plays fetch with Scratch’s Ball. He never joins your four-person adventuring party.
Do I need Speak with Animals to recruit Scratch?
It helps, but it isn’t the only way. Speak with Animals lets you talk to Scratch directly, which makes recruiting him much clearer. Without it, you can use Animal Handling checks to earn his trust. If you have the spell or a potion, always use that first.
What if Scratch is still missing after I tried every fix?
Then you probably need to load a save from before the bug appeared. That’s the last reliable solution. If you don’t have an older save, report the issue to Larian and include your save file info.
But try the rests and zone changes first. Most players get Scratch back with those simple steps. Your good boy is probably still out there.
