Baldur's Gate 3: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Baldur's Gate 3: combat fundamentals, strong builds (including the Patch 8 subclasses), companion recruitment, act-by-act missables, and Honour Mode survival.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Patch 8 (April 2025, Larian's final major update) plus Hotfix #36 (March 26, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Pick Balanced for a first run. Explorer is story mode; Tactician and Honour Mode are for once you know the systems. Custom Mode lets you mix settings.
• Recruit everyone you can in Act 1. Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Lae'zel, Wyll, and Karlach are all available early — you can swap them at camp.
• Save often and in separate slots. Quicksave (F5) before any big conversation or fight.
• Height, shove, and surfaces win fights. High ground gives +2 to attack rolls (low ground gives -2); shoving enemies off ledges is often an instant kill.
• Long rest freely. You're rarely punished for resting, and many companion scenes only trigger at camp.
• Read the combat log and tooltips. Hold the cursor over enemies to see resistances and conditions.
• Scrolls of Revivify and Withers fix deaths. Withers (at camp) resurrects dead companions for gold.
• Respec anytime with Withers. Changing class is cheap, so experiment.
• Act 1 has the most missable content. Explore thoroughly before taking the route (via Grymforge or the Mountain Pass) into Act 2.

Difficulty Modes

Mode | For whom | Key traits

Explorer | Story-focused players | Easier fights, cheaper vendors, bonus to rolls

Balanced | First-time players | The intended experience

Tactician | Experienced tactics players | Smarter enemies, higher enemy HP, fewer resources

Honour | Challenge runs | One save file, bosses get legendary actions, no Karmic Dice, stricter rules. Dying ends the run (you can continue in Custom Mode). Winning earns a Golden Dice

Custom | Tinkerers | Mix and match individual rules

Combat Fundamentals

Action economy

Each turn you get Movement, one Action, one Bonus Action, and one Reaction (used off-turn).

Resource | Common uses

Action | Attack, cast a spell, Dash, Help, throw

Bonus Action | Drink a potion, Jump, Shove, Dip, Disengage (Rogue), offhand attack, Misty Step, Healing Word

Reaction | Opportunity attacks, Shield, Counterspell, Hellish Rebuke

The single biggest tip: drinking a potion and jumping are Bonus Actions. Use them.

Positioning and terrain

• High ground grants a flat +2 to attack rolls (not advantage); attacking from low ground is -2. It matters most for ranged attackers, and the Sharpshooter feat removes the low-ground penalty for ranged weapon attacks.
• Shove enemies off cliffs or into chasms for instant kills.
• Surfaces: water + lightning shocks, grease + fire burns, ice causes prone. Combine them.
• Darkness gives obscurement — sneak attacks, and enemies struggle to see you.
• Stealth starts: Hide before a fight to open with Surprise, which removes enemies' first turn.

Useful tricks

• Help action revives a downed ally (picks them up at 1 HP) — cheaper than a potion if you just need them up.
• Throw healing potions at allies to heal them from range.
• Dip weapons (a Bonus Action) into fire (campfires, torches, burning surfaces) for an extra 1d4 fire damage for 3 turns.
• Cantrips at the right time: Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast pushes enemies into hazards.

Classes and Builds

BG3's level cap is 12. Feats come at levels 4, 8, and 12 (Fighters also get one at 6, Rogues at 10). Multiclassing is allowed and often strong.

Patch 8 subclasses (new in April 2025)

Class | New subclass

Barbarian | Path of Giants

Bard | College of Glamour

Cleric | Death Domain

Druid | Circle of the Stars

Fighter | Arcane Archer

Monk | Way of the Drunken Master

Paladin | Oath of the Crown

Ranger | Swarmkeeper

Rogue | Swashbuckler

Sorcerer | Shadow Magic

Warlock | Hexblade

Wizard | Bladesinging

Proven build archetypes

Build | Core idea | Key choices

Sorlock | Warlock 2 / Sorcerer 10 | Agonizing Blast + Repelling Blast invocations; Quickened Spell lets you cast Eldritch Blast twice per turn

Gloom Stalker Assassin | Ranger (Gloom Stalker) 5 / Rogue (Assassin) 3-4, often topped with Fighter | Massive first-round damage; Gloom Stalker initiative and dark-based ambushes

Paladin smiter | Paladin (Vengeance, Devotion, Ancients, or Crown) | Divine Smite on crits; Great Weapon Master feat

Fighter 11+ | Pure Fighter (Battle Master or Champion) | Three attacks per Attack action at level 11; Action Surge

Tavern Brawler thrower | Barbarian, Fighter, or Monk with the Tavern Brawler feat | Adds Strength to throwing attack and damage rolls; pair with returning weapons

Open Hand Monk | Monk (Way of the Open Hand) | Flurry of Blows plus Tavern Brawler for huge unarmed damage

Life / Light Cleric | Cleric | Life for healing and support; Light for fire damage and Warding Flare

Lore Bard | Bard (College of Lore) | Cutting Words, Magical Secrets, Counterspell access

Bladesinger | Wizard (Bladesinging) | Patch 8 melee wizard with strong defensive buffs

Stat priority rules of thumb:

• Martials: main attack stat (Strength or Dexterity) to 16–17 at creation, then use the Ability Improvement feat at level 4 to hit 18–20. Constitution next.
• Casters: spellcasting stat (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) first, then Constitution and Dexterity.
• Elixir of Hill Giant Strength sets Strength to 21 — Strength-dump characters can use it to become heavy hitters.

Popular feats

Great Weapon Master, Sharpshooter, Alert, Ability Improvement, War Caster, Tavern Brawler, Lucky, Resilient (Constitution) for casters.

Companions

Companion | Class | Where to find (Act 1 unless noted)

Shadowheart | Cleric (Trickery) | Nautilus pod in the prologue

Lae'zel | Fighter | Nautilus prologue

Astarion | Rogue | Crash site beach area

Gale | Wizard | Crash site (a stone portal)

Wyll | Warlock | Emerald Grove

Karlach | Barbarian | Near the Risen Road / riverbank

Halsin | Druid | Goblin camp (Shattered Sanctum); joins after Act 1 resolution

Minthara | Paladin | Goblin camp (route-dependent)

Jaheira | Druid | Act 2, Last Light Inn

Minsc | Ranger | Act 3 (requires Jaheira's involvement)

Karlach tip: in Act 1, bring infernal iron to Dammon so he can work on her engine — her story continues in Act 2 and Act 3.

Act-by-Act Missables (spoiler-light)

Act 1 — Wilderness, Underdark, Grymforge

• Explore everything before leaving. Heading into Act 2 (through the Underdark/Grymforge route or the Mountain Pass) closes off most Act 1 areas and quests.
• The Emerald Grove, goblin camp, and tiefling refugees — your choices shape who survives and who appears later.
• Blighted Village, Owlbear Cave, Risen Road, and the Zhentarim hideout all hide items worth getting.
• The Everburn Blade drops from Commander Zhalk on the nautiloid prologue — you have to kill him before the ship crashes.
• Rosymorn Monastery (Mountain Pass) has the Blood of Lathander and gith content for Lae'zel.
• Grymforge and the Underdark contain great early loot (the Adamantine Forge makes top-tier early armor and weapons).

Act 2 — Shadow-Cursed Lands

• Stay in light. Without a light source, the Shadow Curse damages you.
• Last Light Inn is your hub; keep it safe. Jaheira joins here.
• Moonrise Towers — rescue the prisoners in the dungeon before advancing.
• The Nightsong is the key story decision of the act — save before it.
• Leaving Act 2 closes the region.

Act 3 — Rivington, Lower City, Upper City

• Companion quests peak here. Do each one before the final push.
• Time-limited events: a few quests fail if you delay (read journal entries — urgent quests often say so).
• Iron Throne has a turn limit — plan a fast rescue.
• The endgame is a point of no return. Finish side content first.

Economy and Items

• Camp supplies: a long rest costs camp supplies; food you pick up counts. Don't hoard food elsewhere.
• Sell junk to traders; mark items as Wares so they're grouped for quick selling.
• Gear matters less than positioning on Balanced, but on Tactician and Honour a few key items (rings, amulets, boots) make builds work.
• Scroll of Revivify is essential insurance on higher difficulties.

Honour Mode Survival

• Legendary actions: bosses get extra powers. Read their tooltips before fighting.
• No save scumming. Use Surprise and pre-buffs to control first rounds.
• Crowd control wins: Hold Person, Hypnotic Pattern, Command, and Web shut down whole fights.
• Keep one character on Revivify duty.
• Honour Mode changes some items and mechanics (e.g., Karmic Dice disabled). Check tooltips; don't assume Balanced knowledge carries over 1:1.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring Bonus Actions. Potions, jump, and Shove are free value.
• Leaving Act 1 early. You lose access to a lot of content.
• Running without a healer or revive plan. Have Healing Word or potions ready.
• Not using the environment. Explosive barrels, ledges, and surfaces make hard fights easy.
• Splitting the party accidentally. Chained characters follow you; unchained ones get left behind (or triggered into combat alone).
• Forgetting to long rest. You'll miss companion scenes and run low on spell slots.
• Being afraid to respec. Withers makes it cheap.

Advanced Tips

• Use the Help action instead of potions to stand allies up when HP doesn't matter.
• Stack advantage and hit chance: prone (for melee), blinded, and restrained targets and invisible attackers give advantage, and high ground adds +2 on top. More hits and crits mean more Paladin smites and Rogue Sneak Attacks, which double their dice on a crit.
• Ready fights before they start: pre-cast Bless, Aid, Longstrider, and Mage Armour, then open with stealth.
• Throw enemies: strong characters can throw smaller enemies.
• Explore with a single character stealthily and let the rest catch up.
• Magic Mirror at camp lets you change appearance anytime.
• Photo mode (Patch 8) is great for recording memorable moments.

FAQ

Is Baldur's Gate 3 still getting updates? Patch 8 (April 2025) was Larian's final major update. Hotfixes continued afterward; the latest listed on the official news page is Hotfix #36 (March 26, 2026), fixing crashes and loading-save performance issues.

What's the level cap? Level 12.

Can I play co-op across platforms? Yes. Patch 8 added cross-play.

Which class is best for beginners? Fighter or Paladin: simple, sturdy, and strong in melee.

Can I respec? Yes. Talk to Withers at camp to reset a character's class and level choices.

How do I recruit Jaheira and Minsc? Jaheira joins in Act 2 at Last Light Inn. Minsc can be recruited in Act 3 when Jaheira is involved in his questline.

What happens if my party dies in Honour Mode? The run ends in Honour Mode, but you can continue the save in Custom Mode.

Sources

• Baldur's Gate 3 official news
• Larian — Hotfix #36
• bg3.wiki — Patch 8
• bg3.wiki — High ground
• bg3.wiki — Dip
• PC Gamer — Hotfix #36 coverage