Highlights
- Explore every region thoroughly to discover unique encounters, precious XP, and hidden loot. Be prepared for the challenging game ahead.
- Prioritize making skill checks for abilities you're proficient in for higher chances of success. Expand your skills as you level up to gain an advantage.
- Take rests to restore your hit points and spell slots. Short rests are perfect for post-encounter healing, while long rests restore your entire party to full health.
Baldur's Gate 3 is practically the video game version of Dungeons & Dragons. It has many of the same rules, magic, monsters, classes, and so much else, all pulled from 5th edition of DND.
Even for returning Baldur's Gate fans or DND players, Baldur's Gate 3 is a massive game that can be daunting to jump into. Here are some tips and tricks to help players of all skill levels make it through the land of Faerun.
Updated by Peter Hunt Szpytek on August 15, 2023: This list was updated to include a video version of the list (featured below).
10 Explore
Baldur's Gate 3 gives players a massive world to explore. Each region you explore will have some areas tied to the main missions, but this will barely scratch the surface of the amount you can explore.
Exploring each region thoroughly will have you find unique encounters, new chances for precious XP, or hidden loot. Baldur's Gate 3 can be a challenging game, so it's best to be as prepared as possible for whatever lies ahead.
9 Proficiency In Skill
Skill checks will have you roll either one or two dice to decide the outcome of trying to complete a check. Dice rolls are heavily based on chance; the more difficult checks will be seemingly impossible if you're not proficient in that skill.
Be sure to prioritize making checks for abilities you have a high score in or skills you're proficient in. As you level up, it's also useful to expand the skills your character is proficient in to always give you the upper hand once the dice start rolling.
8 Don't Forget To Rest
Fights in this game will always be a challenge and can quickly take a bad turn with a few unlucky dice rolls. While there are spells and items you can use to heal up, nothing beats taking a good rest.
A short rest will simply restore your hit points and is perfect for post-encounter healing. Long Rests do require camping supplies but will get your entire party back to full health and full spell slots, which is always worth every penny spent on more supplies.
7 Talk To Your Companions
Your companions will be by your side through thick and thin. Every companion has a unique fighting style, different proficiencies, and just general ideas on how to handle the problems you'll face.
Each companion you can recruit will have their own side stories going on, explaining why they have decided to follow you on your journey. Take the time to stop and talk to your companions, getting to know them better and experience their rich stories that only further expand the world of Baldur's Gate 3.
6 Try Out Multiple Classes
Baldur's Gate 3 gives players many different classes to choose from. Each class is unique, with different play styles and subclasses to offer hundreds of different characters to build.
Make a few different characters to try out many classes before deciding which one you'll take through the rest of the game. With so many options available, it's best to find out which class fits you best before investing many more hours into a class.
5 Switch Your Companions
Each companion is a different class, giving you many different combinations to try out when deciding on your four-person party. You'll quickly get access to multiple companions and will continue to unlock more throughout the early parts of the story.
Try out different combinations to figure out who works well together and who ultimately works best for the class of your own character. Each class performs its role in combat, and it's important to try and cover as many roles as possible to be deadly in combat.
4 Save Often
With the challenging combat and random encounters to be found while exploring, it's very easy to be caught off guard and lose a surprisingly difficult battle. Death will bring you back to your previous save location, which can leave you with a lot of lost progress.
It's important to save often, and even before any random encounter you see coming. This will ensure you don't lose progress and give you other chances to pass checks or choose different dialogue options if you don't like the outcome.
3 Play Carefully
With the difficulty of even the simplest of encounters, it's important to always be on guard and be careful while running through the wilds. While your party does follow you, they will often be a few meters behind you, and this is where they will start should you run into enemies and combat begin.
If you suspect an encounter is coming up, make sure your party members are close to you so that you're not the only target available. Also, be sure to evaluate the risks and rewards of a situation, and don't be afraid to come back later when you're stronger or more prepared.
2 Use The Environment
Combat has many different factors that may seem insignificant but can greatly turn the tides in your favor. Ranged fighters or spell casters should prioritize the high ground, giving them a slight bonus to hitting enemies down below and also letting them see over cover.
It's also a useful trick to use cover yourself, hiding behind large objects to block your opponent's view and protect you from ranged attacks. It's also always a good idea to stay spread out, as some AOE attacks can be devastating if your whole party is bunched up.
1 Become More Powerful
Leveling up will not only increase your stats but also give you access to powerful abilities to make you much more effective in combat. Finding and using better armor and weapons will also help you maximize your damage output and AC.
It's important to decide when leveling up if you want to further strengthen your class or put levels into a new class to multiclass. Multiclassing has many perks but can limit your late-game strength without the final abilities of a class. How you level up will continue to be one of the most important decisions you make throughout the game, so choose carefully.