Guide for Baldur's Gate 3 (2024)

Controls

Once you get the hang of it, this game plays pretty well on controller all said and done. There are two key controls that I want to highlight.

• Swap to cursor mode - Click in with to swap back and worth between cursor mode.
• Active Search - By holding a radius will start to extend around your character up to a certain point. Then releasing will pull up a list of everything in that radius that you can interact it. This can help to make the looting process a lot more manageable in rooms with a lot of loot or decorations. It can also help you interact with things that are hard for you to get your cursor over.
• Interacting with objects - If an object in the open world can be highlighted, it can be interacted with. When it's highlighted with your cursor you can use to open up an action menu. Allowing various interactions like pick up, move, etc. This menu can also be used on items in your own inventory. For example placing an explosive barrel on the ground to then blow up.

Fundamentals

There are some fundamental mechanics and aspects of the game that are worth familiarizing yourself with as soon as you're out of the Prologue.

• Camp Management - If you are someone that typically loots a lot in RPGs then you will want o get very familiar with your camp stash. You can send any item from a character's inventory "to the camp", making it go to a communal chest that anyone in your party can interact with. Unlock characters, this stash has no capacity or weight limit. When you're trying to sell off a bunch of junk, instead of making multiple trips you can actually surpass a character's carry limit using the camp stash. If you select everything you want by holding and then using to highlight every item, you can then hit to pick up everything at once. This will of course severely hinder your character, so this method is only helpful when you are right next to a vendor.
• Dice Rolling - A lot of the game's mechanics are decided by dice rolls, the most common of which is a 20-sided die, otherwise referred to as a D20. This is visually what you'll see the most to determine any dialogue check that you do. Whether it's trying to persuade someone, gleaming historical knowledge, or trying to calm an animal - all of it requires rolling a D20.
• Combat Rolls - Combat rolls happen in two phases, both in the background. Meaning you don't see the actual die being rolled unlike dialogue rolls. The first roll is a D20 that is then added to whatever attack modifiers you have. If that number is equal or higher than the "defense" aka Armor Class of the enemy, the attack is successful. From there your actually weapon/spell damage die are then rolled to determine the actual damage plus any modifier damage. This could be something like two six sided die (otherwise referred to as 2d6).
• Saving Throws - Saving throws are defensive ones made against either spell attacks or things that apply status effects. If a character passes one of these spell saving throws then they'll either only take partial damage and not the full amount, or will resist the status affliction that could be imposed. There's also something called a Death Saving Throw which is only relevant when a character is downed.
• Downed Status - A party character is downed when they lose all their hit points. Every turn the character will make a death saving roll. Three successes and they'll stand back up, but three failures and they'll die. Taking damage while down counts as an automatic failed death save. When a character is downed they can also be picked up by another character using an action to physically assist them, a healing spell, or throwing a healing potion on them from a distance.
• Character Death - If one of your characters actually dies, all is not lost. While character death in terms of NPCs is very much permanent, that is not the case with either the player character or your immediate party members. There are items you can use, spells, or there is an NPC that you can recruit to your camp that can revive people for the low low price of 200g.

General terminology

Ability Score:

These are the seven main stats that impact combat and mechanics.

• Strength - Affects melee weapon damage, jump distance, and how much you can carry.
• Dexterity - Affects ranged and finesse weapon damage. Additionally impacts Intitative and Armor Class.
• Constitution - Affects HP maximum.
• Intelligence - Improves spellcasting for Wizards.
• Wisdom - Improves spellcasting for clerics, druids, and rangers.
• Charisma - Improves spellcasting for bards, paladins, sorcerers, and warlocks. Influences trade prices.

Modifiers: The higher your Ability Score is, the more of a bonus you will get to rolls related to that stat. For example, if you have a Strength score of 16 any roll you do that is based on that stat will get a bonus of +3 added on. The bonus you get changes at every even number, so it is generally recommended to not have odd value Ability Scores. By default the highest a stat can go is 20, but there are a few items that can push you over that threshold. The highest possible number that could be attained by any means currently is 24.

Proficiencies:

In other words these are skills for your characters. There are certain dialogues where being proficent in History may lend additional information, you can get past a magical barrier with an Arcana dice roll, or if you have a high Persuasion skill you can talk your way out of a tough situation. Here are all of the Proficiencies and what Ability Score they're tied to.

• Strength - Athletics
• Dexterity - Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth
• Intelligence - Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion
• Wisdom - Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival
• Charisma - Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion

Action Economy:

• Action - Denoted by the green circle in your interface. Primarily dictates your main attacks or spell usage. You can only do a set amount of actions per turn.
• Bonus Action - Usually secondary options outside of attacking. Like Jumping, buffing, ect. There are some classes that have bonus attacks that use these. You can only do a set amount of bonus actions per turn.
• Reaction - In response to another character doing something, you can either counterattack or negate their action if you have certain counter abilities.
• Attack of opportunity - If a character moves within the attack radius of another and the
• Movement Speed - Essentially the distance a character can traverse per turn.
• Inspiration Points - Gained by making certain choices or completing character related tasks. These can be used to reroll the results of a D20 roll at the roll menu screen.
• Advantage - When rolling with advantage two D20s are rolled and the higher number is used to determine the result.
• Disadvantage - When rolling with disadvantage two D20s are rolled and the lower number is used to determine the result.
• Short Rest - You get two of these per long rest. Generate half of your max HP and refreshes certain resources (like Ki points for Monks).
• Long Rest - Fully replenishes all character resources (Health, spell slots, ect.) Requires using a certain amount of camping supplies depending on difficulty.
• Armor Class - This determines are high an enemy has to roll to successfully land an attack. If character has an AC of 15, then an enemy needs to at least roll that to successfully land an attack.
• Initiative - This is rolled for at the start of every encounter. The higher a unit's Intiative roll, the higher up in the turn order they are.
• Cantrips - Lower ranked spells that can be used as many times as you like.
• Spell Slots - Consumed when using specific spells and are refreshed after using a long rest. Higher spell tiers offer stronger spells. Using a higher tier spell slot for a lower ranked spell will grant that spell having additional effects or damage.
• Concentration - Some spells require "concentration" to maintain them. Typically these spells last for ten turns and whenever the cast takes damage they roll a saving throw. If they don't succeed then the spell is broken. Only one concentration type spell can be used by the same character at once.
• Ki Points - Resource that Monks use for their more powerful attacks.

Types of damage:

• Bludgeoning - Type of physical damage. Clubs, hammers, staves, and unarmed attacks do this damage type.
• Piercing - Type of physical damage. Daggers, bows, spears, and rapiers do this damage type.
• Slashing - Type of physical damage. Swords, claws, axes, and halberds do this damage type.
• Acid - Can splash to nearby enemies and leave pools of acid behind.
• Cold - When used on wet terrain it can transform the area into an icy terrain.
• Fire - Fire can spread across terrain and interact with objects.
• Force - Magical way to deal physical damage.
• Lightning - Can electrify water surfaces or wet enemies.
• Necrotic - Ineffective against undead, but can prevent target from healing
• Poison - Deals periodic damage for a set amount of turns.
• Psychic - Can only be used against creatures with brains. Usually comes with status effects.
• Radiant - Strong against undead creatures.
• Thunder - Almost nothing is immune to it. Useful against creatures/objects that are "sturdy".

Status effects:

• Blinded - Attack rolls suffer Disadvantage. Attack Rolls against Blinded creatures have Advantage.
• Charmed - Afflicted creature can't attack the spellcaster that used this one them.
• Diseased - There are various diseases, most of which inflict Disadvantage.
• Frightened - Creature can't move. Disadvantage on Ability checks and Attack rolls.
• Hastened - Target gains +2 to Armour Class and gains Advantage on Dexterity saving throws. Target's Movement Speed is increased and gains an additional Action.
• Incapacitated - Unable to do any actions.
• Lethargic - Occurs when the Hastened effect ends. Will be unable to move or take an Action, Bonus action, or Reaction for one turn.
• Maimed - Movement Speed reduced to 0
• Paralyzed - Unable to do any action.
• Poisoned - Taking periodic damage or has an additional status effect.
• Polymorphed - Turned into another creature.
• Prone - On the ground, unable to do any action. Attacks have Advantage against creature.
• Silenced - Unable to cast any spells.

Mechanics you will see on gear:

• Arcane Acuity - Affected creature has a +1 bonus to its spell Attack rolls and spell save DC for each remaining turn.
• Lightning Charges - Creature has +1 to Attack Rolls and deal an additional 1 Lightning damage. If you gain 5 charges, they are consumed the next time you deal damage, dealing an additional 1d8 Lightning damage.
• Reverberation - Affected creature has a -1 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws per remaining stack. When the creature has 5 or more stacks of Reverberation, it takes 1d4 Thunder damage and must succeed a Constitution saving throw or fall Prone Prone.

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