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Looking for some tips for BG3? Come on in
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the closest we’ve come to digital Dungeons & Dragons, building on the Divinity: Original Sin 2 framework to give us the most reactive, complex RPG ever made.
Because of that complexity, many mechanics and systems aren’t obvious. Luckily for you, we’re here to talk you through some of the best BG3 tips you can use to turn the tide.
Gather your party and venture forth.
It puts the lotion on its skin
Because Baldur’s Gate uses DnD rules, you can actually revive a downed person – so long as they’re not completely dead – by healing them with anything. You can use a healing spell, a scroll, and even a potion.
“But how will they drink a potion when they’re down?” I hear you ask. Throw it directly at their head. If you go into your inventory in combat and right-click, you’ll see the option to throw the item. As long as the splash hits someone, it’ll heal them and revive a downed ally. Be careful when using this trick on NPCs because the damage from the bottle impact can antagonize them.
Enjoy the Silence
Did you know that the Silence spell does more than mute magic? If you cast Silence, you can actually muffle the cries of guards as you sneak and stab them in the dark. It’s useful for taking out patches of resistance without alerting everyone in the area. You can even cast Silence on things like breakable walls before smashing them down, ensuring your little infiltration remains unnoticed.
Get your Gollum on
Stealth is a powerful tool in BG3. Even if you don’t manage to thin out the herd before a battle, you can kick off a dialogue with a single character (simply ungroup everyone) and then sneak your allies into the fight once it kicks off. Time will pause for the character who triggered the fight, but you can freely move the others into better positions and get a free hit at your leisure.
Shift perspective
To make the above tactics easier, you can actually hold the Shift key to see enemy sightlines. These are usually only visible when crouched, but holding Shift allows you to see them at any time – perfect for emptying out someone’s belongings.
Environmental activist
Almost every BG3 battle has some environment quirk that you can use against your enemies. Braziers on ceilings can be knocked down to spill guts of fire across the floor, oil barrels can be ignited, causing a chain reaction, and chasms exist to shunt people into the abyss. It’s always worth hovering your mouse over everything on the battlefield to see what you can make use of to turn the ride. Ladders and bridges can also be knocked out of play to cut off routes or send enemies sprawling.
Let the right one in
Your party members all have a particular set of skills, so make sure you use them. If someone is better at picking locks, switch to them to pick damn locks. If one of your party members has high charisma, let them use their silver tongue in conversations. Not everything is about you. This also extends to story elements. If you’re in the Temple of Shar, best let Shadowheart take the lead. Who knows what you might turn up if you choose the best person for the job?
They shall not pass
If you right-click any object you can interact with, you can usually move or throw them if your character is strong enough. This is a good tactic to use if you want to block off choke points. If you have enemy reinforcements heading for a doorway, why not make it difficult for them by plonking a giant barrel directly in their path? You can even stack them up. You can stand on them if the floor is electrified, too! God, it’s good isn’t it?
Save your souls
Okay, this one seems obvious, but the autosaves aren’t regular enough and there are still some crashes and the dreaded BG3 save bug. Get in the habit of saving the game often – especially if you’ve just done a big battle sorted your hotbars, or done some shopping. Have multiple save files in case you need to revert back, but don’t save scum. I just killed my entire party because I’m The Dark Urge, but you don’t see me crying about it! [Editor’s note: Kirk called in sick today due to crying]
Knock, knock
If you’re out of lockpicks, there’s usually more than one way to enter a locked room. There are often secret tunnels, cracks in walls that you can squeeze through when transformed into a small creature, or you might find the key in someone’s pocket. Failing that, if something has a health bar, it can generally be destroyed – doors included. Just be careful if you want to apply this logic to treasure chests, as you’re likely to destroy what’s inside.
Looking for more? Check our BG3 class tier list. And try not to break Steam while logging into BG3 eh?
