I was watching a YouTube play through of Baldur’s Gate 3 recently and the YouTuber was clearly frustrated with the combat mechanics. It was clear that this person was thinking about BG3 combat like an action game as opposed to a tactical strategy game. I don’t blame him. This YouTuber played games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring so the combat drove him nuts.
I’ve been getting lots of traffic on BG3 articles so I thought I’d compile a little combat FAQ to help anyone who is stuck like this YouTuber. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive overview, but just answers to some of my observations of new players.
If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below:
Advantage vs disadvantage
Q: What’s the deal with advantage and disadvantage?
In BG3, when you attack, persuade, or do any skill check, the game rolls a 20 sided die. You are always hoping to roll high. During persuasion checks, you’ll see the die roll, but it also occurs during combat.
When you have advantage, BG3 will roll two dice and take the highest number. When you have disadvantage, BG3 will roll two dice and take the lower number. You always want advantage. A spell like Guiding Bolt is great for this. If Shadowheart hits a goblin with the spell, the next person to attack that goblin will gain advantage.
Attacks of opportunity
Q: Sometimes my weak characters get cornered. How can they escape without taking damage?
It’s a good idea to keep your casters in the back line, but sometimes, they’ll be ambushed. Misty Step is a wonderful spell to get them out of trouble. Misty Step is a teleportation spell that is cast as a bonus action.
In the case you don’t have the spell or don’t want to take spell slots, use the disengage action. When you disengage, you can walk by enemies without being attacked. Unfortunately, you can’t attack when you disengage.
Remember, enemies only have one attack of opportunity per round. So if a goblin hits Karlach with an attack of opportunity that goblin cannot make any additional attacks of opportunity. This means you can walk by it without being attacked.
Downed allies
Q: When an ally gets downed and I restore them, they immediately get downed again. How do I stop this?
BG3 plays dirty. It will not only aim for weak characters, it will kill characters who are downed. A downed character can quickly turn a battle against you. For this reason, it is critical to restore your allies. Healing word is an amazing spell for this as it can heal from a distance. You can also throw potions of healing at your downed characters too.
When a downed character is restored, they can use a bonus action on their next turn. This is good for either drinking a potion, or casting Misty Step to teleport to a safe location.
Finally, use the Sanctuary spell for especially vulnerable characters. Sanctuary ensures that no enemy can attack an ally so long as that ally doesn’t attack an enemy. For instance, if Gale is surrounded by goblins and you cast Sanctuary on him, no enemy can attack him. He can just walk out of the group like nothing has happened.
Melee attacks
Q: Why am I missing so much?
BG3 can feel extremely frustrating when you can’t land a hit. Some encounters feel like the battlefield is littered with banana peels. This is just the nature of dice. It holds true in the table-top version of D&D as well.
To improve your hitting potential, focus on raising your relevant stats. You want to max out your strength for melee attacks while also using magical weapons. Always be on the lookout for advantage opportunities.
Note: Avoid using the true strike cantrip to gain advantage. That’s the worst cantrip in the game.
Finally, use spells like Bless or Bardic Inspiration to increase the chance to hit. Subclasses like War Cleric and Divination wizard can also improve your hit chances. And of course, potions of speed or the Haste spell will increase the number of attacks you can make in a round.
Sneak attack
Q: I can never sneak attack. How does it even work?
Sneak attack is THE most important attack in the Rogue’s toolkit. You always want to get sneak attack. You get it in two ways. The first way is by gaining advantage. Whenever he has advantage, he can sneak attack. He could gain it from being invisible or from a spell. For instance, if Shadowheart hits an enemy with Guiding Bolt, Astarion will gain sneak attack should he damage the enemy.
The second method to get sneak attack is to have an ally adjacent to the enemy. If Karlach is next to a goblin, Astarion will be able to sneak attack the goblin. The rationale is that the goblin has its attention on Karlach.
The thief subclass provides two bonus actions. This makes for an effective ambusher. This subclass can move to an enemy, sneak attack, bonus action disengage, and then use the second bonus action to hide.
Ranged attacks
Q: If I’m next to an enemy, why am I missing on ranged? That should be an easy hit.
This is a D&D rule. Essentially, you are facing off a combatant. They may be ducking, weaving or even charging at you. When you are within five feet, you fire at disadvantage. The feat Crossbow Expert removes this restriction.
Cleric utility
Q: Why does Shadowheart suck in combat?
Shadowheart is actually one of the best classes in the game. She is a cleric and clerics provide a ton of utility. Unfortunately, she’s subclassed in the Trickery domain. This clerical domain is quite challenging, especially for a new player.
Besides her domain issue, her main attack is Sacred Flame. This is a “save or suck” spell. The target must make a dexterity save and unfortunately, numerous enemies in the beginning have a decent dexterity score. Use Firebolt instead.
Once you have unlocked Withers, you should change her subclass. If you need another frontline fighter, choose the War domain. This allows her to wear heavy armor, provides extra attacks at level one, and at level two, she can add +10 to her melee attacks.
If you want her to be more of a damage dealer from ranged, take the Light domain. She’ll be able to cast Fireball, Burning Hands, and Scorching Ray. Choose the Tempest domain to be able to hold the front line and cast Lightning. Or you can use the Life domain to keep her focused on healing.
Don’t forget to use spells like Bless to buff your allies, Bane to debuff your enemies, and Spiritual Weapon is a minion.
Where to go from here
That was a lot of information, but I’m just getting started. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below. The same goes for any tips and tricks too. Meanwhile, if you continue to have difficulty, try new character builds and experiment with different spells.
Finally, Withers charges only 200 per respec. Change your build to match a situation. For instance, if you discover an upcoming fight with a fire elemental, the repec Gale to pick up Ray of Frost and Ice Knife.
That’s the beauty of the game. It’s provides a wonderfully deep toolbox of character skills and abilities. So have fun!
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