The Tool Desk
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Spoilers: The checklist includes item pickups, NPC outcomes, and story branches throughout Acts One through Three.
How to use this location checklist
Use the act and region sections below as a sweep route. Before leaving an area or taking a Long Rest, check any timing or branch note attached to its source. The maintained Gamers.Wiki checklist, dated August 7, 2026, describes itself as Patch 8-era and says later hotfixes did not materially change its ledger; that is the guide’s characterization, not an official game statistic.
Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens are single-use story items. Consuming one unlocks an Illithid Power; after the Illithid skill tree has unlocked, later specimens are added to that interface rather than remaining in inventory, according to the BG3 wiki item page.
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Act One locations
The ledger lists 12 acquisition entries for Act One. It includes infected True Soul or NPC sources, fixed pickups, and Gifts from the Absolute. Treat the Gift entries as conditional story outcomes rather than guaranteed loot.
| Region or source | Acquisition method | Route note |
|---|---|---|
| Edowin | NPC source | Listed among the infected True Soul/NPC sources. |
| Flind | NPC source | Listed among the infected True Soul/NPC sources. |
| Gut | NPC source | Listed among the infected True Soul/NPC sources. |
| Dror Ragzlin | NPC source | Listed among the infected True Soul/NPC sources. |
| Minthara | NPC source | Listed among the infected True Soul/NPC sources. |
| Nere | NPC loot or story reward | Nere’s corpse specimen and a Gift for saving him are distinct possible entries on the relevant route; they are not one source. |
| Druid Grove, Enclave Library | Fixed pickup | One specimen is listed here. |
| Crèche Y’llek infirmary | Fixed pickups | Three specimens are listed here. |
| Gifts from the Absolute | Conditional story rewards | Two entries are listed; do not assume both can be collected in every route. |
Resolve time-sensitive encounters before leaving their regions or resting where the checklist flags that condition. The detailed route guide contains the exact branch conditions for each NPC and reward.
Act Two locations
Act Two has 12 ledger entries: seven NPC sources, two specimens associated with a Zhentarim shipping crate, one in the Mind Flayer Colony, and two Gifts from the Absolute. The two-specimen docked-ship storage source is assigned to the Act Three ledger position even if you find the ship at Moonrise. It is one source, not a separate pair at Moonrise and Rivington.
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Mind Flayer Colony brine pool
In the brine-pool room behind the Tadpoling Centre, interact with the leftmost pool. A specimen can be found after passing a DC 16 Perception check, as described on the BG3 wiki Tadpoling Centre page. Have available party members attempt the check before leaving the Colony route; the maintained checklist flags this as an easy pickup to miss.
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The guide’s remaining Act Two entries comprise seven NPC sources, two specimens from a Zhentarim shipping crate, and two conditional Gifts from the Absolute. NPC identities and branch conditions are laid out in the act-by-act checklist; check the relevant route before resolving or leaving those encounters.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Act Three locations
The ledger lists 26 Act Three entries. Sweep Rivington and Wyrm’s Rock before heading through the Lower City. Some rows are alternatives or relocated versions of other entries, so the ledger total should not be read as a guaranteed count for one save.
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Rivington and Wyrm’s Rock
| Source | Acquisition method | Route note |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned Windmill basement encounter | Encounter source | Time-sensitive according to the checklist; resolve it before a Long Rest. |
| Rivington barrel | Container pickup | One specimen is listed. |
| Western Beach ship storage | Container pickup | Two specimens. This is the same ship-storage source that may be encountered at Moonrise; do not count it again. |
| Wyrm’s Rock Fortress, top-floor locked chest | Locked-container pickup | One specimen is listed. |
Lower City
The Lower City route lists sources at Sorcerous Sundries, The Lodge, Bloomridge Park, the Blushing Mermaid basement, Sanguine Laboratory, the Iron Throne, the Steel Watch Foundry lab, and Counting House High Security Vault 6. It also includes NPC sources Avery Sonshal, Churg Elvek, and Enver Gortash’s parents, plus a cargo ship with six wooden trunks, each containing a specimen. The detailed checklist provides the exact coordinates and the story conditions for these sources.
What the 50-entry total does—and does not—mean
The 50 figure comes from Gamers.Wiki’s 2026 acquisition ledger: 12 Act One entries, 12 Act Two entries, and 26 Act Three entries. It counts documented acquisition rows, not 50 independent specimens guaranteed in a single playthrough. Conditional Gifts, alternate outcomes, and the ship-storage source listed in different possible locations can make raw row counts misleading.
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Quick Recap
- Do not count the Moonrise and Rivington versions of the docked ship storage as separate sources.
- Keep Nere’s possible corpse loot distinct from the possible Gift for saving him.
- Read the detailed branch labels before leaving an area or resting when a source is time-sensitive.
- Make the DC 16 Perception check at the Colony’s leftmost brine pool before moving on.
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