Introduction: An Adventurer’s Welcome to Baldur’s Gate 3
Welcome, traveler, to the Sword Coast. You’ve found yourself in a predicament, to put it mildly. A squid-like monster has put a tadpole in your brain, you’ve survived a crash landing from a flying ship, and now the sprawling, dangerous world of Faerûn lies before you. This is Baldur’s Gate 3, a land of immense freedom, daunting challenges, and stories that will echo for ages.
Think of this document not as a simple guide, but as a seasoned adventurer’s journal, passed down to you. Within these pages lies the collected wisdom of countless battles fought, treasures found, and secrets unearthed. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that rewards curiosity, creativity, and a bit of daring. This journal is your key to unlocking its deepest secrets and forging your own legend. Whether you are taking your first tentative steps or are a veteran looking to hone your skills, the journey begins now.
Chapter I: Your First Steps on the Sword Coast (Beginner’s Essentials)
Every grand adventure starts with a single step. Before you charge headfirst into a goblin camp or attempt to reason with a suspicious owlbear, you must learn the fundamental rules of survival. These are the lessons that separate seasoned adventurers from fresh corpses on the road.
The Unwritten Rules of Survival in Baldur’s Gate 3
1. Save Often, and Then Save Again
This is the golden rule of adventuring in Baldur’s Gate 3. The game does not autosave frequently, and a moment of bad luck can undo an hour of progress. Get into the habit of pressing F5 to quicksave before every conversation, every combat encounter, every locked chest, and every suspicious-looking lever. Made a choice you regret? F8 will quickload your last save. This isn’t cheating; it’s exploring the boundless possibilities the game offers, allowing you to see different narrative paths or simply recover from a disastrous dice roll without losing your hard-earned progress.
2. Understand the Rhythm of Rest
Your party has two primary ways to recover. A Short Rest, which you can use twice per day, restores a portion of health and some class resources. A Long Rest requires you to return to camp and use 40 camp supplies. It fully restores all health, spell slots, and abilities for your entire party. Managing these rests is key to your survival.
3. Long Rest Frequently to Uncover the Story
Herein lies one of the most crucial secrets of Baldur’s Gate 3. The main story will make you feel like you’re on a ticking clock, but this is largely a narrative illusion. The heart of the game’s story unfolds at your camp during Long Rests. These moments are when your companions open up, personal quests advance, and critical story beats are revealed. If you are stingy with your camp supplies, you will miss a massive portion of the game’s content. The world is filled with more than enough food and supplies to rest after every few battles, so do not hesitate.
4. Embrace Partial Rests
If you’re worried about supplies but feel like a camp scene is waiting, there’s a trick. Initiate a Long Rest but don’t select any supplies. This triggers a “Partial Rest,” which doesn’t restore all your spell slots but will trigger any pending camp-based cutscenes. You can do this repeatedly to catch up on story events without cost.
5. To Karmic or Not to Karmic?
In the options menu, you will find a setting called “Karmic Dice,” which is enabled by default. This feature prevents long streaks of good or bad rolls, smoothing out the randomness. However, this applies to enemies as well. Many players find that turning Karmic Dice OFF leads to a more authentic and often less punishing experience, as it prevents enemies from getting artificially lucky streaks against you.1 It is recommended to turn this off for a true Dungeons & Dragons experience.
6. Read Everything
Knowledge is power in Baldur’s Gate 3. Pay attention to the tooltips that pop up; they explain new mechanics as you encounter them.1 Furthermore, right-click on any character or enemy and select “Examine” (or hover over them and press ‘T’). This will show you their stats, resistances, and vulnerabilities. Knowing an enemy is vulnerable to fire damage can turn a deadly encounter into a trivial one.1
Chapter II: Forging Your Legend (Character, Companions, and Party Synergy)
An adventurer is nothing without their wits and their allies. This chapter of the journal will guide you through the creation of your hero and the art of assembling a fellowship capable of facing the challenges ahead.
Creating Your Hero for Baldur’s Gate 3
7. Play a Custom Character First
While you can play as one of the “Origin” characters like Shadowheart or Astarion, it is highly recommended to create your own custom character for your first journey. This allows you to experience the rich, voiced stories of the companions as they were intended to be seen—from an outside perspective.
8. Don’t Stress Your Initial Build
Are you worried you picked the wrong class or distributed your stats poorly? Fear not. Early in the game, you will meet an undead character named Withers who will join your camp. For a mere 100 gold, he will allow you or any of your companions to completely change class and reallocate ability scores. This freedom encourages experimentation, so pick what sounds fun.
9. Charisma is King for a First Playthrough
Your words are as mighty as your sword in Baldur’s Gate 3. For a first playthrough, consider creating a character with high Charisma. Classes like Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, or Paladin use Charisma as their primary stat. This will make it significantly easier to pass Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation checks in conversations, unlocking unique solutions to quests and avoiding difficult fights.
10. Understand Your Ability Scores
Every character is defined by six core stats: Strength (STR) for melee power and jumping, Dexterity (DEX) for ranged attacks and stealth, Constitution (CON) for health, Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA) for spellcasting and social skills.
11. Aim for Even Numbers in Your Stats
This is a core D&D rule that Baldur’s Gate 3 adheres to. Your “ability modifier”—the bonus you actually get from a stat—only increases at even numbers (12, 14, 16, etc.). A Dexterity score of 15 gives you the exact same +2 bonus as a score of 14. When building your character, prioritize getting your main stats to an even number.
12. Race Matters for Abilities, Not Stats
Unlike classic D&D, your choice of race in Baldur’s Gate 3 does not grant bonuses to your ability scores. Instead, each race offers unique passive abilities. Wood Elves get increased movement speed, Githyanki get proficiency with powerful swords, and Tieflings get innate magical spells. Choose a race whose abilities complement your desired playstyle.
Assembling Your Fellowship: A Baldur’s Gate 3 Companion Guide
13. You Can Respec Your Companions
Just as you can change your own class, you can do the same for any companion you recruit. This is incredibly powerful. For example, if you like Shadowheart’s story but find her Trickery Domain subclass underwhelming, you can speak to Withers and change her into a powerful Life Domain or Light Domain Cleric. This allows you to build your dream party composition without sacrificing story.
14. Understand Companion Approval
Your companions are not mindless puppets; they have their own personalities, goals, and moral codes. They will approve or disapprove of your actions and dialogue choices. High approval can lead to romance and unique story scenes, while consistently angering a companion may cause them to leave your party for good.
15. Talk to Your Companions at Camp
After any major quest event or a particularly dramatic battle, return to camp and talk to everyone. They will often have new dialogue reflecting on what just happened. This is the primary way to build relationships and advance their personal stories.
16. You Can’t Please Everyone
Some companions have fundamentally opposed worldviews. Lae’zel, the pragmatic Githyanki warrior, will often disapprove of selfless acts of heroism that Shadowheart might admire. Don’t be afraid to make decisions that align with your character’s roleplaying, even if it means upsetting someone. It is a natural part of the story.
17. Don’t Be Afraid to Use Hirelings
If you need a specific class for a task or a companion has left your party, you can recruit Hirelings from Withers. These are fully customizable characters of every class. They lack the personal stories of the main companions but are perfect for rounding out your party or for specialized strategies, like having a dedicated “buff bot” at camp.
Recruitable Companions in Early Baldur’s Gate 3
The starting area of Baldur’s Gate 3 is vast, and it is easy to miss potential allies. Use this table to ensure you assemble your full fellowship.
| Companion | Class | Race | General Location (Spoiler-Free) |
| Shadowheart | Cleric | High Half-Elf | On the beach near the crashed Nautiloid |
| Astarion | Rogue | High Elf | West of the crashed Nautiloid, calling for help |
| Gale | Wizard | Human | Stuck in a purple portal at the Roadside Cliffs waypoint |
| Lae’zel | Fighter | Githyanki | North of the Roadside Cliffs, captured by Tieflings |
| Wyll | Warlock | Human | At the entrance to the Druid Grove, during a goblin attack |
| Karlach | Barbarian | Zariel Tiefling | Along the Risen Road, south of the broken bridge |
Chapter III: Mastering the Art of Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3
Sooner or later, words will fail and blades must be drawn. Combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a tactical dance of positioning, resource management, and creative thinking. To survive, you must learn the steps.
The Action Economy: Your Most Valuable Resource
18. Know Your Actions, Bonus Actions, and Reactions
On your turn, each character gets one Action, one Bonus Action, and one Reaction per round.
- Actions are for major abilities: attacking with a weapon, casting most spells, or using the Dash ability.
- Bonus Actions are for smaller, quicker abilities: jumping, shoving, dipping your weapon, or drinking a potion.
- Reactions are used outside of your turn to respond to an enemy, like making an Attack of Opportunity when they run away from you.
19. Always Use Your Bonus Action
An unused Bonus Action is a wasted opportunity. Even if you cannot attack, you can use it to Jump to a better position, Shove an enemy off balance, or drink a helpful potion. Always check what you can do before ending your turn.
20. Cantrips are Your Best Friend
Spell slots are a finite resource between Long Rests. Cantrips are spells that spellcasters can use every single turn without consuming a spell slot. Make these your default attack to conserve your more powerful spells for when you truly need them.
21. Understand Concentration
Many of the most powerful spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 require Concentration to maintain their effect over multiple turns. A character can only concentrate on one such spell at a time; casting a second will immediately end the first. Furthermore, if the concentrating character takes damage, they must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or lose the spell. Protect your concentrating spellcasters.
The Battlefield is Your Weapon
22. Seize the High Ground
This is perhaps the most important tactical rule in Baldur’s Gate 3. Attacking an enemy from a higher elevation grants you Advantage on your attack roll, meaning you roll two dice and take the better result. This significantly increases your chance to hit. Always look for ledges, rooftops, or even stacked crates to gain a height advantage.
23. Use the Environment
The battlefields are littered with opportunities. Shoot a rope to drop a chandelier on a group of enemies. Fire a flaming arrow at an oil barrel. A single well-placed attack on the environment can be more effective than a dozen direct assaults.
24. Shove is Overpowered
The Shove action is a Bonus Action available to everyone. Use it to push enemies off cliffs, into lava, or into deadly pits. This can often result in an instant kill, making it one of the most powerful and efficient actions in the entire game.
25. Create and Combine Surfaces
Spells can alter the very ground you fight on. A Grease spell can make enemies fall prone, while a Ray of Frost can turn a puddle of water into a slippery sheet of ice. These surfaces can control the flow of battle and set up devastating elemental combinations.
26. Dip Your Weapon
If there is a surface nearby—like fire, acid, or poison—you can use your Bonus Action to Dip your weapon into it. This will coat your weapon for a few turns, adding extra elemental damage to every attack.
27. The Candle Trick
A simple yet brilliant tactic. Keep a candle in your inventory. As a free action, you can drop it on the ground and light it. This creates a small, permanent source of fire that any character can use to Dip their weapon for extra fire damage throughout a fight.
28. Throw Everything
The Throw action is not just for grenades. You can throw potions at allies to heal them from a distance, throw water bottles to make enemies Wet, throw heavy objects to deal damage, or even pick up and throw smaller enemies like goblins.
Chapter IV: Advanced Tactics for Veteran Adventurers
You have learned to fight. Now, you will learn to dominate. The true masters of combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 are not those with the sharpest swords, but those with the sharpest minds. They see the battlefield not as a sequence of fights, but as a sandbox of interconnected systems to be manipulated. The fight is won before the first sword is swung.
Unleashing Devastating Combos in Baldur’s Gate 3
29. Water + Lightning/Cold = Double Damage
This is a cornerstone of elemental synergy. Dousing an enemy with water, either from a thrown bottle or the Create Water spell, inflicts the “Wet” status. A Wet creature becomes Vulnerable to Lightning and Cold damage, meaning they take double damage from those sources. A single lightning bolt on a wet target can be catastrophic.
30. Grease + Fire = Explosive Fun
A timeless classic. The Grease spell creates a large area that is difficult terrain, slowing enemies and potentially knocking them prone. More importantly, this surface is flammable. Any source of fire will ignite the grease, causing a fiery explosion that damages everyone inside.
31. Darkness/Fog + Ranged Attacks
Spells like Darkness or Fog Cloud create a sphere of heavy obscurement. Most enemies cannot see into or out of it, effectively neutralizing their ranged attackers and spellcasters. Your party can exploit this by having a character step out of the cloud, fire a shot, and then use their remaining movement to step back into the safety of the fog.
32. Silence + Casters = Easy Win
The Silence spell creates an area where no sound can be made. Crucially, this prevents the casting of any spell with a verbal component (which is most of them). Dropping a Silence bubble on a group of enemy mages renders them almost completely helpless, allowing your martial characters to engage them without fear of magical retaliation.
The Art of the Ambush
33. Initiate Combat with a Surprise Round
Never walk into a fair fight if you can help it. Use the Group Hide function to have your party sneak towards an enemy group. If you can initiate combat by attacking an enemy who has not yet detected you, your party will gain a “Surprise Round.” This means every enemy skips their first turn in combat, giving you a massive, often fight-winning, advantage.
34. Use Turn-Based Mode for Precision Stealth
Outside of combat, you can press Shift + Spacebar to manually enter Turn-Based Mode. This freezes time and allows you to move your characters with turn-by-turn precision. This is invaluable for navigating past patrolling guards, disarming complex trap sequences, or setting up the perfect ambush without the pressure of real-time movement.
35. Unchain Your Party
By default, your party members move together in a group. By clicking the small icon below your party portraits, you can “unchain” them and move each one individually. This is the key to advanced ambushes. Position your archer on a high ledge, your rogue in the shadows behind the enemy, and your fighter near the front before using one character to trigger the fight.
36. Lure Enemies into Traps
Don’t always go to the enemy; make the enemy come to you. A well-placed Minor Illusion cantrip can draw curious guards away from their posts and into a pre-arranged kill zone. Stack a few explosive barrels, lure them in, and detonate them from a safe distance for a spectacular opening salvo.
37. Focus Fire to Eliminate Threats
An enemy with 1 hit point can deal just as much damage as an enemy with full health. Spreading your damage across multiple targets is inefficient. It is almost always better for your entire party to focus their attacks on a single enemy until it is dead, thereby removing one source of incoming damage from the fight entirely.
38. Use Magic Missile to Break “Unstoppable”
Later in the game, you will encounter enemies with the “Unstoppable” buff, which makes them take only 1 damage from an attack, removing one stack of the buff. An enemy with 7 stacks of Unstoppable can feel invincible. The perfect counter is the Magic Missile spell. Each missile counts as a separate instance of damage, so a single casting can strip away multiple stacks of Unstoppable instantly.
Chapter V: The Explorer’s Guide to Faerûn (Secrets, Navigation & Hidden Loot)
The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 is dense with secrets. Treasure is hidden behind illusory walls, quests begin by talking to a squirrel, and entire dungeons can be missed by those who don’t look up. A true adventurer knows that the greatest rewards are found off the beaten path.
Tools of the Trade for Exploring Baldur’s Gate 3
39. Always Carry a Shovel
You only need one shovel for the entire party. Keep it in someone’s inventory at all times. You will frequently see mounds of dirt, and without a shovel, you cannot dig up the treasure chests buried beneath them.
40. Press ALT Constantly
This is the most important habit for any explorer. Holding down the ALT key highlights all interactive objects, containers, and lootable items on the screen. It will reveal hidden keys on a table, pouches of gold under a bed, and crucial quest items you might otherwise walk right past.
41. Talk to Animals and the Dead
Do not underestimate the value of the Speak with Animals and Speak with Dead spells. Animals often provide hilarious commentary, unique information, or even quests. The dead can reveal the identity of their killer, the location of their hidden treasure, or crucial plot details. An early-game item, the Amulet of Lost Voices, grants the ability to cast Speak with Dead at will.
42. Disguise Yourself to Talk to Your Victims
A corpse will refuse to speak to its killer. However, the game has a clever workaround. If you cast Disguise Self before casting Speak with Dead, the corpse will not recognize you and will freely answer your questions.
43. Let Water Reveal the Invisible
Struggling with invisible enemies? The Create Water spell or a simple thrown water bottle can reveal them. Any character standing in the water puddle will have their invisibility broken. The Arrow of Many Targets can also automatically find invisible foes.
44. Set Reactions to “Ask”
By default, many character Reactions (like Divine Smite or Sneak Attack) are set to trigger automatically. Go into the character sheet and set these to “Ask.” This will cause the game to pause and prompt you whenever the Reaction can be used, giving you full control over these valuable resources and preventing you from wasting a powerful smite on a nearly-dead enemy.
Reaching the Unreachable in Baldur’s Gate 3
45. Jump is a Movement Tool
Jumping uses a Bonus Action and some of your movement distance. For characters with high Strength, their jump distance is often greater than the movement cost, making it a more efficient way to travel across the battlefield than simply walking. Use it to reposition quickly and save your Action for attacking.
46. The Feather Fall + Enhance Leap Combo
These two spells are “Rituals,” meaning when cast outside of combat, they do not consume a spell slot. Cast both on your party to safely jump from any height and triple your jump distance. This combination effectively allows you to traverse huge sections of the map, reaching areas that seem inaccessible.
47. Look for Hidden Entrances
Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled with secrets. Always check behind waterfalls. Look for cracked walls, which can be destroyed by spells or weapons that deal Force or Bludgeoning damage. Keep an eye out for levers hidden behind crates or loose bricks in walls.
48. Use Gaseous Form or Wild Shape for Tiny Holes
You will sometimes find small crevices, burrows, or pipes that are too small for your character to fit through. A Druid can use their Wild Shape ability to transform into a smaller creature like a cat or rat to explore these areas. Alternatively, the Gaseous Form spell allows a character to float through tiny gaps.
49. Stack Crates to Create Your Own Path
Many items in the world, like crates and barrels, can be picked up and moved. A character with high Strength can carry several crates. You can then stack these crates to create a makeshift staircase, allowing you to climb onto rooftops or ledges you couldn’t otherwise reach.
50. You Can Do Both the Underdark and the Mountain Pass
In Act 1, the game presents you with two main paths to continue your journey: descending into the Underdark or traveling through the Mountain Pass. It implies you must choose one. This is not true. For maximum experience and loot, you should fully explore both areas before proceeding to the next part of the story.
51. Don’t Neglect the Z-Axis
The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 is incredibly vertical. There are secrets hidden in rafters, on rooftops, and at the bottom of deep chasms. Always look up and down, not just left and right.
Chapter VI: The Hoarder’s Handbook (Inventory, Alchemy, and Making Gold)
An adventurer’s pack can quickly become a chaotic mess of rusty swords, half-eaten cheese wheels, and mysterious quest items. Mastering the art of inventory management, crafting, and commerce is essential for a smooth journey.
Taming Your Inventory in Baldur’s Gate 3
52. “Send to Camp” is Your Best Friend
Your Traveller’s Chest at camp has infinite storage. At any time, from anywhere in the world, you can right-click an item in your inventory and select “Send to Camp.” This instantly teleports the item to your storage chest, freeing up carry weight. Get in the habit of sending away anything you don’t need immediately.
53. Send All Camp Supplies to Camp
Camp supplies are heavy and are only needed when you initiate a Long Rest from your camp. There is no reason to carry them around. Send them to your camp chest as soon as you pick them up. The game will automatically pull from the chest when you rest.
54. Use Pouches and Backpacks for Organization
You can pick up empty bags, pouches, and backpacks you find in the world. Use these containers inside your own inventory to reduce clutter. Create a dedicated bag for scrolls, another for potions, one for grenades, and one for keys. This makes finding what you need in the heat of the moment much easier.
55. View All Party Inventories with TAB
On PC, pressing the TAB key opens a combined view of all four active party members’ inventories. This is the fastest way to manage your group’s equipment and drag and drop items between characters without opening and closing individual screens.
56. Add Items to Wares for Quick Selling
Instead of manually selling junk items one by one, right-click them in your inventory and select “Add to Wares.” When you talk to a merchant, a single “Sell Wares” button will appear in the trade window, allowing you to sell all marked items instantly.
57. Multi-Select with Shift and Ctrl
You can select multiple items in your inventory at once by holding Shift (to select a range) or Ctrl (to select individual items). This allows you to move, send to camp, or add to wares entire groups of items at once, saving a lot of time.
58. Gold Has Weight
While individual gold pieces are weightless, a large stack of thousands of coins will start to add up. If a character is getting close to their carry limit, consider splitting the party’s gold among multiple characters or storing the bulk of it at camp.
A Beginner’s Guide to Alchemy in Baldur’s Gate 3
59. Press ‘H’ to Open the Alchemy Menu
The alchemy system is accessible at any time outside of combat by pressing the ‘H’ key. You do not need a special crafting station.
60. Use “Extract All Ingredients” to Learn Recipes
The easiest way to get started with alchemy is to simply gather ingredients as you explore. Then, open the alchemy menu and click the “Extract All Ingredients” button. This will automatically convert your raw materials into their base alchemical components and unlock all the corresponding potion, elixir, and coating recipes you can now craft.
61. Craft Potions of Speed
These are arguably the most powerful consumables in the game. A Potion of Speed grants the drinker the “Hasted” condition for 3 turns, giving them an extra Action each turn. These are crafted from Ashes of Hyena Ear. Hoard every hyena ear you find.
62. Elixirs Last Until a Long Rest
Unlike potions, which typically last for a few turns, Elixirs provide a powerful buff that persists until your next Long Rest. You can only have one Elixir active on a character at a time. An Elixir of Bloodlust (grants an extra action after killing an enemy) or Elixir of Giant Strength can dramatically boost a character’s effectiveness for an entire day.
How to Get Rich in Baldur’s Gate 3
63. Loot Everything and Sell in Bulk
The most straightforward way to make money is to be a packrat. Pick up every common sword, leather armor, and goblin scimitar from fallen foes. Send it all to your camp chest. When the chest is overflowing, have your strongest character load up on the junk, travel to a merchant, and sell it all.
64. Pickpocketing is Extremely Lucrative
A character with high Dexterity and proficiency in Sleight of Hand, like Astarion, can become incredibly wealthy by stealing from merchants. Have one character engage the merchant in conversation to lock their line of sight, then switch to your rogue, enter stealth, and pick their pockets. Always quicksave before attempting a theft.
65. Use Your Highest Charisma Character to Trade
Merchants will give you better prices—both buying and selling—if they have a higher attitude towards you. This attitude is improved by having a high Charisma stat. Always initiate conversations and trades with your party’s “face” (like a Bard or Sorcerer) to get the most gold for your goods.
66. Donate to Merchants for Better Prices
In the trade window, you can switch to the “Barter” screen. By giving a merchant items or gold for free, you can permanently increase their attitude towards you. A small upfront investment can lead to significant discounts and better sale prices over the course of the game.
Chapter VII: Unspoken Rules & Hidden Mechanics
Some of the most powerful tools in Baldur’s Gate 3 are mechanics the game never explicitly teaches you. This chapter reveals the secrets that lie beneath the surface.
67. Longstrider is a Free, Day-Long Buff
The Longstrider spell increases a creature’s movement speed by 3 meters. Because it is a Ritual spell, it costs no spell slot when cast outside of combat. It also lasts until your next Long Rest. There is no reason not to have this spell active on your entire party, all the time, for a permanent speed boost.
68. You Can Use Consumables from Anyone’s Inventory
In the heat of battle, did your fighter run out of healing potions? No need to waste a turn trading items. Simply open that character’s inventory screen, and you will see the inventories of all other party members as well. You can use a potion or scroll directly from an ally’s backpack.
69. Throw Potions for Area-of-Effect Healing
Instead of having a character drink a healing potion, you can throw it on the ground near multiple injured allies. The potion will shatter, and its healing effect will splash onto everyone in a small radius. This is a fantastic way to heal multiple party members with a single Bonus Action.
70. You Can Cancel Your Own Concentration
If you have a spell like Fog Cloud active but it is now hindering your own party, you don’t have to wait for it to expire or cast another concentration spell to end it. Next to your character portrait, a small icon for the active spell will appear. You can click the ‘X’ on this icon to end the effect at any time.
71. Initiative is a d4, Not a d20
Unlike tabletop D&D, initiative in Baldur’s Gate 3 is determined by rolling a 4-sided die (d4) and adding your Dexterity modifier. This makes bonuses to initiative much more impactful. A character with high Dexterity and the Alert feat (+5 to initiative) will almost always act first in combat, which is a huge advantage.
72. Hex Only Affects Ability Checks
The Warlock’s Hex spell is often misunderstood. It gives the target disadvantage on checks related to a chosen ability score. This does not apply to saving throws or attack rolls. Hexing an enemy’s Wisdom will not make them more likely to fail a saving throw against Hold Person. Its primary use is to Hex Strength or Dexterity to make the target easier to Shove.
73. You Don’t Need to Be Hidden for Sneak Attack
A Rogue’s Sneak Attack does not require them to be in stealth. It can be used anytime you have Advantage on an attack roll, OR if an ally is standing within 1.5 meters of the target. As long as your fighter is in melee with an enemy, your rogue can use Sneak Attack on them from a distance.
74. Switch to Melee After a Ranged Attack
If your character uses a bow or crossbow for their action, remember to switch back to their melee weapon set before ending their turn. You cannot make an Attack of Opportunity with a ranged weapon, so making this switch ensures you can still punish enemies who try to run past you.
75. Wizards Can Learn Spells Above Their Wizard Level
A multiclass character’s spell slots are determined by their total caster level. A Wizard can learn any spell from a scroll for which they have a corresponding spell slot. This means a Cleric 5 / Wizard 1 character has 3rd-level spell slots and can therefore learn a 3rd-level spell like Fireball from a scroll, even though they are only a level 1 Wizard. This is a powerful and unique interaction in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Chapter VIII: A Primer on Multiclassing
Venturing into multiclassing can seem daunting, but it unlocks some of the most powerful and unique character builds in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here are the basics to get you started.
76. How to Multiclass
Multiclassing is disabled on the easiest “Explorer” difficulty. On “Balanced” or “Tactician,” when you level up, a button will appear in the top right of the level-up screen allowing you to add a level in a different class.
77. The Golden Rule: Don’t Multiclass Before Level 5
Level 5 is a massive power spike for nearly every class in the game. Martial classes like Fighters and Barbarians get their “Extra Attack” feature, allowing them to attack twice per action. Spellcasters unlock powerful 3rd-level spells like Fireball and Haste. Delaying this power spike by taking a level in another class early on will make your character feel significantly weaker than their single-classed peers.
78. Match Your Main Ability Scores
When combining classes, try to pick ones that use the same primary ability score. A Paladin and a Warlock both use Charisma for their spellcasting, making them a natural and powerful combination. Mixing a Wisdom-based Cleric with an Intelligence-based Wizard is much harder to build effectively, as you will need to invest in two different mental stats.
79. The Fighter 2 “Action Surge” Dip
Taking two levels in Fighter is one of the most popular and powerful multiclassing choices. This grants you “Action Surge,” a skill that lets you take an entire extra Action once per Short Rest. Adding this to any other class, especially a spellcaster, can lead to explosive turns where you cast two powerful spells back-to-back.
80. The Warlock 2 “Eldritch Blast” Dip
For any Charisma-based character (Sorcerer, Bard, Paladin), taking two levels in Warlock is a fantastic investment. This grants you the Eldritch Blast cantrip, the best damage-dealing cantrip in the game, and the Agonising Blast invocation, which adds your Charisma modifier to its damage. This ensures you always have a powerful, reliable ranged attack.
81. The Thief Rogue 3 “Fast Hands” Dip
The Thief subclass for Rogues gets a unique feature at level 3 called “Fast Hands,” which grants them a second Bonus Action every turn. This is incredibly potent for any character, allowing them to attack with an off-hand weapon twice, drink a potion and jump, or perform a wide variety of other combinations.
82. The Life Cleric 1 “Heavy Armor” Dip
A single level in Life Cleric grants proficiency with Heavy Armor and Shields, as well as a boost to all healing spells. This is a popular choice for spellcasters like Wizards or Sorcerers, dramatically increasing their survivability without significantly delaying their spell progression.
Chapter IX: Quality of Life & Final Wisdom
The life of an adventurer is filled with small details. Mastering them can make your journey smoother, more enjoyable, and ultimately more successful. Here is the last of the wisdom from my journal.
83. Barter, Don’t Trade
When interacting with a merchant, switch from the “Trade” screen to the “Barter” screen. This allows you to balance the trade with items instead of just gold. You can offload a pile of junk weapons and armor to pay for a powerful magic item, which is often more efficient than selling the junk for gold first.
84. You Can Revive Companions in Combat
If a companion is downed (at 0 HP), you don’t have to wait for the fight to end. Any character can use their Action to use a Scroll of Revivify or use the “Help” action to bring them back to their feet with 1 HP.
85. You Can Flee Combat
If a fight is going poorly, you can select a character and use the “Flee Combat” action. If they can get far enough away from the enemies, they will safely exit the battle and can then return to camp.
86. Destroy Trapped Chests from a Distance
If you fail to disarm a trapped chest, you can often destroy it with ranged attacks. This will trigger the trap but will usually leave the loot inside unharmed and ready to be picked up.
87. Use Familiars and Summons to Soak Damage
Summoned creatures like a Wizard’s familiar, a Ranger’s animal companion, or a Cleric’s Spiritual Weapon are excellent for drawing enemy fire. Enemies will often waste their attacks on these summons, saving your party members from taking damage.
88. Give Spell Scrolls to Your Martial Characters
Don’t let your Fighter’s or Barbarian’s inventory get clogged with scrolls they can’t use. Any character can use a spell scroll, regardless of their class. Giving a scroll of Misty Step or Blur to your front-line warrior can give them a crucial mobility or defensive option in an emergency.
89. Use Food for Minor Healing
Outside of combat, you can consume food items like apples, cheese, and fish to restore a small amount of hit points. This can help you top off your health without using a spell slot or a valuable healing potion.
90. Keep an Eye on Vision Cones
When in stealth, hold the SHIFT key to see the vision cones of all nearby NPCs. This is essential for navigating crowded areas or planning a pickpocket attempt, as it shows you exactly where they are looking.
91. You Can Steal by Moving Items First
Want to steal an item in a crowded room? Use the “Move” command to place it on the floor near a single, isolated NPC. That NPC will often pick it up. Now, the item is in their inventory, and you only have to worry about pickpocketing one person instead of being seen by everyone in the room.
92. Knock Out, Don’t Kill, for Profit
If you want a merchant’s entire inventory without killing them permanently, you can toggle on “Non-Lethal Attacks” in your passives. Knocking them out will allow you to loot them. They will then wake up after your next Long Rest, their inventory and gold restocked, ready for you to trade with (or rob) again.
93. You Can Access Your Camp Chest During Trade
You don’t need to haul all your wares to a vendor. Leave one party member at camp next to the Traveller’s Chest. Have another party member initiate trade with a merchant in town. You can then freely transfer items from the camp chest to the inventory of the character who is trading, all without leaving the trade window.
94. Unchain for Exploration Puzzles
Many environmental puzzles require characters to stand on different pressure plates or be in multiple places at once. Remember to unchain your party to position them individually to solve these challenges.
95. Keep Brain Jars from the Nautiloid
In the prologue on the Nautiloid, you can find several jars containing brains. They seem like junk, but hold onto them. In Act 2, you can find a device that allows you to interface with them, revealing the memories and stories of the people they once belonged to.
96. The Ball Scratch Gives You is Special
After you rescue the dog Scratch and he joins your camp, he will eventually bring you a ball. Don’t sell it! If you throw it, he will fetch it, and playing with him increases his affection. Eventually, this unlocks the ability to summon him as a familiar who can help you in battle.
97. Play on an Easier Difficulty
There is no shame in lowering the difficulty. If you are more interested in the story and characters of Baldur’s Gate 3 and find the combat frustrating, switch to “Explorer” mode. The combat will be more forgiving, and you can focus on the incredible narrative experience.
98. It’s Okay to Fail Rolls
While it’s tempting to reload every failed dice roll, sometimes the most interesting and hilarious outcomes come from failure. A failed persuasion check might lead to an unexpected fight, which could in turn lead to unique loot or a different path through a quest. Embrace the chaos of the dice.
99. Heed the Point-of-No-Return Warnings
At certain points in the story, usually when moving between major regions, the game will give you a pop-up window warning you that proceeding may close off older quests. Take these warnings seriously. Before moving on, go back and wrap up any unfinished business in your journal.
100. There is No Single “Correct” Way to Play
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game defined by choice. You can be a hero, a villain, or something in between. You can solve problems with diplomacy, stealth, or overwhelming force. There is more than one path through almost every quest. Don’t focus on finding the “best” outcome; choose the path that feels right for the character you have created.
101. Take Your Time
This is the final and most important piece of advice. Do not rush. Explore every corner of the map. Talk to every NPC. Read every book. The magic of Baldur’s Gate 3 is in the journey, not the destination. You only get to experience it for the first time once. Savor it.
Conclusion: Your Legend Awaits
This journal has now passed from my hands to yours. The path ahead is fraught with peril, but you are now armed with the knowledge to face it. The secrets of combat, the art of exploration, and the wisdom of fellowship are at your command. The Sword Coast is a vast, living world, and the tips within this guide are but a map and a compass. It is up to you to take the steps, to make the choices, and to carve your name into the annals of Baldur’s Gate 3. Now go forth, adventurer. Your story is waiting to be written.
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Baldur’s Gate 3 belong to the developer Larian Studios.
Find the game here! Baldur’s Gate 3
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