The Festering Cove is one of the locations found within the Underdark and is home to a group of Kuo-Toa who seem to be worshiping a certain being.
This small cavern within the Underdark contains several items that you can loot to increase the wealth of your characters by a bit.
Aside from being able to find loot and additional lore, interacting with the Kua-Toa and the being they worship may end in a bloody battle or with you getting a certain boon.
Festering Cove Location
The Festering Cove is found by heading to the Torchstalk field, which is located to the west of the Selunite Outpost or east of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark.
There are two paths that you may take to reach the Cragged Rock, which is the entrance that will take you to the Festering Cove.
How To Get To The Festering Cove?
To reach the Festering Cove, make your way to the Torchstalk field as shown in the map above and head over to the area where there is a Cragged Rock going up.
Be cautious as the Torchstalk will explode if you go near them, which makes it best to shoot them with ranged weapons first.
There will be mushroom platforms at the side that you can jump across (shoot the Torchstalk first) that will allow you to reach another Cragged Rock.
Interacting with the Cragged Rock will allow you and your party members to head down, which will take you to the Festering Cove.
What is in The Festering Cove?
Within the Festering Cove, you will find all sorts of loot which can range from Gold to objects that can be sold and even a few consumables.
You will find a group of Kuo-toa worshiping a Redcap that goes by the name of BOOOAL but he is misleading these creatures.
Due to the worship of the Kuo-toa, BOOOAL is granted some power and remains with them to continuously enjoy their worship, until you arrive.
Sparing BOOAL
If you decide to spare BOOOAL, you can pass Ability Checks to either sacrifice a member of your party to get BOOOAL’s Benediction. (BOOOAL’s Blessing)
Another way to do this would be to steal BOOOAL’s Sickle and offer to slay many in his name, which will result in your whole party getting the buff.
Saving The Kua-Toa
The Kuo-toa are being deceived and if you choose to save them, you can confront BOOOAL and stop the whole ordeal.
You will need to choose the correct dialogue though after passing a Nature Check to reveal more about the Kuo-toa before you can take BOOOAL’s on after exposing him.
Notable Loot
Some of the notable items worth taking would be the Sickle of BOOAL, which can be obtained from one of the Kua-Toa called Pooldripp the Zealous or from BOOAL after a cutscene.
Around the side of the northeast part of the Festering Cove, you may find a chest after jumping across mushroom platforms that have the Slippery Chain Shirt.
The Slippery Chain Shirt allows its wearer to move without provoking Opportunity Attacks after they have healed a creature.
Verdict
Exploring the Festering Cove should provide you with a good amount of goods, which include Gold and items that you can barter off later.
The blessing from BOOOAL will remain if there are Kuo-toa that are worshiping him, which hints they will be doing this forever since you keep the buff.
If you decide to save the Kua-Toa, you won’t gain BOOOAL’s Benediction but instead, you will encounter them later in the game if you tell them to build you an army.