You’ll meet a variety of strange characters and creatures in Baldur’s Gate 3, including the gnome Barcus Wroot, who’s tied to a windmill when you first meet him. After you stumble upon him in the Blighted Village, the quest “Rescue the Gnome” begins, and you’ll need to find a way to stop the windmill and free him.
Entering the Blighted Village
When you approach the Blighted Village, a goblin will try to prevent you from entering the village, but you will be given the chance to roll Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation, or Illithid to get by without having to fight.
Related: Should you use Illithid Powers in Baldur’s Gate 3?
I recommend using a character like Astarion, who has a high Charisma stat, to sweet-talk your way into the village without any fighting. By the time I reached the village, my party was a little worse for wear; all of their hit points were halved after having taken on a few fights, so I tried to avoid fighting as much as possible. Luckily, I passed the Persuasion check with Astarion and was able to convince the goblin to let me through without causing a fuss.
Where to find the gnome in the Blighted Village
Once you’ve entered the village, you’ll need to find the gnome. There will be a large staircase heading up to the northwest side of the village. Follow these stairs to find a horde of goblins cheering in front of a windmill. If you’re still having trouble finding the exact location, the coordinates are (X:-13, Y:435), or you can refer to the map below.
As you approach the windmill, a dialogue will trigger, and the quest “Rescue the Gnome” will begin. The leader of the goblins will address you, and you can choose to either fight the group or talk your way out of fighting using a Charisma skill. I once again relied on Astarion for this part of the quest and was successful a second time.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: All companion locations – where to find all party members
How to stop the windmill
After you’ve dealt with the goblins, you’ll need to free the gnome, but you need to stop the windmill first. There are levers near the base of the windmill, which you can reach by entering a door in the back of the structure, as shown in the video below. The lever on the left will be the brake lever, while the one on the right is the Release Brake lever. Interact with the one on the left to stop the windmill.
Do not pull the “release brake” lever once the windmill has stopped—if you want to free the gnome, that is. Pulling this lever without untying the gnome first will send him flying. And while it’s an incredibly funny cutscene, the gnome likely won’t be pleased, and you won’t be able to speak to him afterwards.
Once you’ve pulled the first lever, the windmill will come to a halt. From here, all you need to do to get the gnome down is untie him.
How to untie the gnome
To untie the gnome, head to the front of the windmill and interact with the bindings holding the gnome in place. This will automatically untie the gnome, and he’ll drop to the ground and immediately enter a dialogue with you.
In this dialogue, you’ll have the choice to extort the gnome, whose name you learn is Barcus Wroot. Whether you demand a reward or not doesn’t matter in the end, as he’ll give you the same reward nonetheless.
Rewards for freeing the gnome: the gnome’s pack
Wroot will tell you the goblins stole his pack and that it’s full of goodies. He doesn’t know where it is, however, but that it should be somewhere nearby and that it’s all yours if you can find it.
Where is the goblin Barcus Wroot’s backpack?
If you circle around the windmill, you should see a wooden hatch. Interact with the hatch to open it, and then take a look around. You’ll find a heavy backpack as well as a heavy chest. Inside the backpack is a collection of random items, including gold and camp supplies. The chest, though, offers better rewards.
In the chest, I found the Speedy Lightfeet boots, 50 gold, Scroll of Melf’s Acid Arrow, and an Arrow of Acid.
