Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally here, and it is undoubtedly one of the best games based on Dungeons and Dragons around.
However, as with all things based on tabletop games, if you aren’t familiar with the source material and the flow of combat and have a good grasp of the logic used, it will feel overwhelming and be more challenging than it needs to be to get into the game.
And that’s a real shame because everyone who is even remotely interested in it should give Baldur’s Gate 3 a try without being put off by the mechanics, so with that in mind, I’ve put together this list explaining everything you need to know as an absolute beginner.
So, without further ado, let’s get straight into it – and may the dice forever be in your favour.
Build A Character For Dummies:
The very first thing you’ll be tasked with doing when you start up Baldur’s Gate 3 is creating your character. You can go with two options straight off the bat, choosing between an Origin Character, which is premade with recommended specs.
Otherwise, you can make a custom character, and if that’s the way you want to go, there are a few key things to know and understand:
Class:
Your class determines the Abilities you can choose from as well as how you’ll be able to fight in combat. Each class will also have various weapons and armour they’re proficient in.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has 12 Classes and 46 Subclasses, depending on what kind of playstyle you’re looking for.
Race:
In Baldur’s Gate 3, your Race will provide you with unique racial attributes, like Darkvision or special resistances, and it will also control your appearance.
However, unlike Dungeons and Dragons 5e, your Race has no bearing on your general stats. No matter which Race you choose, you won’t be disqualified from any of the Romance options in the game.
Ability Scores:
Simply put, Ability Scores are your in-game stats, and everything you do in the game will be modified by the Abilities you have.
The higher the Ability Score, the more likely you’ll succeed in whatever you’re trying.
Background:
There are 12 Backgrounds to choose from, but all that it translates to is a bit of story flavour that changes up some dialogue options and dictates what you can earn Inspiration from.
Skills:
Any character can use any skill, but having proficiency in a Skill will give you a bonus to your dice roll alongside the usual Ability Score modifier – improving your chance of succeeding at a specific skill.
It’s Important To Understand The Flow Of Combat
Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on Dungeons and Dragons, and the combat used in the game emulates the 5th edition ruleset.
This means that each round of combat will count as six real-time seconds, and a round comprises a full rotation in which every character gets one turn.
It would help if you also tried to get an advantage in combat by taking advantage of high ground and trying to position yourself behind the enemies.
Think Before Running Away
It’s wise to remember that when you’re in combat and try to move away from an enemy, it will trigger an opportunity attack where they can get a free attack on you while you flee.
However, the same applies if the enemies try to move away from you.
Think First, Fight Second
Always ensure that you have the right weapons equipped before you enter combat; otherwise, it will cost you an entire action to swap out during battle. It’s also worth noting that all party members can share items between their inventories in real time – even during combat. So, make sure you hit Tab at any time to send those potions, scrolls or weapons to each other to use.
If You Can Do Nothing Else, Hide
After playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for a few hours, you’ll notice how quickly enemies can jump out at you and ambush you. To try and mitigate this, whenever enemies are around, turn on combat time, wait for 6 seconds and then move yourself into a position where you won’t be spotted.
This is a great way to avoid many fights throughout your journey, and it’s especially significant during the first few hours when you’re still trying to find your sea legs.
A Trip To Your Camp Is As Good As A Holiday
While it might be easy to get swept up in adventuring and exploring the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, heading to your camp is a great way to wind down, build relationships and set everything up for your subsequent encounters.
While in camp, you can take your time to chat with your various companions and take a long rest to regain your entire party’s health and spell slots.
Now that the big things are out of the way, here are some quickfire tips and tricks to help you have the best possible time in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Save all the time. Trust me. Quick save is F5, and F5 is your best friend.
- You’re only as strong as your party, so make sure you’re ready before running into that goblin camp recklessly.
- Initiative is decided by a 20-sided die roll plus whatever your Dexterity Ability Modifier is. The higher your Initiative, the earlier in turn order you can activate.
- Movement is the distance your character can move when you’re in combat, but you don’t have to use it all at once. You can move, do something else and then move again.
- If you want to sell multiple items to a merchant at once, instead of painstakingly selecting each item you wish to part with, use L Shift to select adjacent items or L Ctrl to choose items individually and right-click and select Add to Wares.
- If your dice rolls don’t feel right, head over to your settings and toggle the Karmic Dice setting on or off to see if it improves.
- If you enter an area with lots of loot, Hold Alt to make everything lootable and easily visible so you can ensure you don’t miss anything.
- Try to end on an even number whenever you can add to your ability scores because bonuses aren’t earned for odd-numbered scores.
- Suppose you’re looking for specific gear or equipment and want to avoid looking through everyone’s messy inventories. In that case, all you need to do is click on the equipment slot, and you’ll then see a list of everything that can go into that slot – across the whole party’s inventories.
- Don’t worry so much about your carry limit. At any time during your playthrough, you can right-click on any item in your inventory and send it to camp. Once in camp, you can access all your items by visiting your Traveller’s Chest. Locked and enchanted chests can also be sent to camp this way for you to unlock later.
- Magic users like wizards and warlocks can learn spells in exchange for a sum of gold. Whenever you pick up a magical scroll, right-click it in your inventory to see if you can learn it and how much it will set you back.
- Always look for areas that seem inviting but that you can’t reach. Jumping is a vital part of Baldur’s Gate 3, and many secrets can be found using it.
- The Group Hide setting is excellent for when you want your whole party to be stealthed while you get into combat position, but it’s easy to miss. If you want to toggle it on before you enter combat, you can find it on the bottom left of your screen.
- Eyes are everywhere, and how you act in front of merchants can influence how they act towards you and even how much they charge you. So, don’t be surprised if you’re charged more after they spy you pocketing something that isn’t yours.
- Always keep a candle in your character’s inventory for combat. While in battle, you can then use a free action to put the candle on the ground and light it before dipping your weapon into it, thus turning it into a flaming weapon that does additional fire damage.