BG3 Tips: What the Game Doesn't Tell You About Faerun

Baldur's Gate 3 tells you almost nothing important. The tutorial covers moving and attacking. It does not cover: how to use height for combat advantage, which actions are free vs bonus actions, what saving throws actually protect against, how camp rest works, or why you should shove enemies off cliffs every single time. All of that you learn through fifteen hours of dying to gnolls.

Here's the stuff I wish I'd known before my first Nautiloid crash. This covers general gameplay without story spoilers beyond very early content.

Combat fundamentals that matter

Height = damage. Every time you shoot downward, you get +2 to hit and extra damage. Every time you shoot upward, it's the opposite. Get above your enemies whenever possible. Climb boxes, crates, trees, buildings. High ground is the most important tactical advantage in the game.

Shove is free. Every character has shove as a bonus action. Shoving enemies off cliffs ends fights instantly. Spider matriarchs, bosses, goblins — all can be shoved to death. Shove is the most broken mechanic in BG3 and you should use it constantly.

Jump is strong. Jump is a bonus action that lets you cross gaps, escape melee, or get to high ground. It's also how you reach places that look inaccessible. Everyone should always jump.

Explosive barrels are everywhere. Red barrels are oil. Black barrels are powder. Hitting them with fire explodes them. Drop barrels near enemies. Enemies will never see it coming. Some of the best boss fights in the game are won with pre-placed barrels.

The action economy

Each turn you get: 1 Action, 1 Bonus Action, 1 Movement, 1 Reaction.

You can trade Action for Bonus Action (Haste spell gives you an extra Action). You can't easily trade the reverse.

Rogues (especially Thieves) get two Bonus Actions. This is massive. Dual-wielding gets you Bonus Action off-hand attacks.

Spellcasters: most damage spells are Actions, most utility spells are Bonus Actions or Reactions. Understand this before you burn a Bonus Action on a damaging cantrip.

Long rest is your friend

Short rest gives you some resources back. Long rest gives you everything back. Long rest consumes Camp Supplies.

Rule of thumb: Take a long rest after every major fight or every dungeon cleared. Long resting also triggers scene dialogue, companion romances, and story progression. You miss out on significant content if you don't long rest.

Don't be afraid of using Camp Supplies. They're abundant. Save a reasonable stash and use the rest.

Scroll and potion usage

You will hoard potions and scrolls and never use them. Stop that.

Scrolls let anyone cast the spell inside without a spellcasting class. Using a scroll uses an Action. Great for situational utility.

Potions are Bonus Actions to drink. Healing potions heal immediately, not over time.

You can throw potions to heal allies at range. Throw a healing potion at your downed paladin from across the room. Works for enemies too — throw Alchemist's Fire or poison potions for area damage.

Stealth is broken

Combat starts when you're detected. Stealth lets you avoid starting combat entirely, allows sneak attacks, and enables all sorts of creative solutions.

Split your party for stealth. In multiplayer mode specifically, you can split up. One character sneaks to position. Others wait. Snipe from different angles. Ambush enemies in crossfire. Pre-position party members before initiating combat.

Stealth plus high ground plus barrels plus surprise round = you can delete encounters before they start.

The save-scum meta

BG3 is designed around reloading. Bad dice rolls? Reload. Wrong dialogue choice? Reload. Missed the lockpick? Reload.

This isn't cheating, it's the intended pace. Use quicksaves before any roll that matters. F5 / F8 your way through the game. The narrative is built for exploration, not punishment.

The exception: permadeath companion characters if they die in combat. Make sure to protect them actively.

Character creation tips

Don't overthink your class. You can respec through Withers (the skeleton in your camp, eventually). Your first class is not permanent. Experiment.

Go with the recommended stats initially. Strength 15 for martial classes. Dexterity 15 for stealth/dex classes. Spellcasting stats 15 for casters. The game gives you recommended distributions for reasons.

Race matters less than class. Pick a race you want to roleplay. Mechanical differences exist but they're not game-breaking.

Multiclassing is powerful. Once you hit level 2, you can start multiclassing. Paladin + Warlock ("Sorcadin") is broken. Fighter + Rogue is strong. Don't be afraid to multiclass around level 5+. The bg3 class tier list post covers specifics.

The companion romance system

BG3's romance system is active and responsive. Companions react to your choices. They flirt constantly if you're on their good side.

Rule one: Don't accidentally romance multiple companions. They get upset. Some relationships become hostile.

Rule two: Camp scenes trigger at specific approval thresholds. If you never long rest, you miss these.

Rule three: Approval scores affect dialogue. Enable "Show Approval" in settings. Plan your choices if you're trying to maximize specific relationships.

Exploration and looting

Everyone steals. Pickpocketing is lucrative. Stealing from friendly NPCs is fine if you don't get caught. Non-story-critical NPCs won't react dramatically to theft if they don't see you.

Search everything. BG3 hides great items in random barrels, under floorboards, in remote corners. Use Highlight (hold Alt) to spot interactables.

Send to Camp is free storage. Don't carry everything. Send excess loot to camp via right-click option.

Weight matters for combat. Encumbered characters move slow. Keep loadouts light for combat. Spell scrolls, potions, and essential gear only.

Key spells and abilities

Misty Step — Teleport 30 feet. Game-changing tactical ability. Get it if possible (Warlock, Wizard, via items).

Fly — Level 5 spell. Puts a character in the air where they can't be meleed. Also enables falling damage setups.

Haste — Concentrated spell. Extra action per turn. Don't break concentration by getting hit, or you're dazed and lose your next turn.

Counterspell — Reaction spell. Interrupts enemy spellcasting. Save this for critical moments.

Light source — Someone in your party should always be holding a light source. Dark areas have disadvantage on attacks. Torches help more than you'd expect.

Detect Magic / Detect Thoughts — Reveal hidden info. Detect Thoughts specifically unlocks dialogue options that are otherwise inaccessible.

The multiplayer note

BG3 supports 4-player co-op with full narrative. Dialogue choices are made by whoever's talking. This can lead to chaotic choices if your party isn't coordinated.

Establish: Who leads dialogue? Who handles combat strategy? Who scouts ahead?

Multiplayer takes significantly longer than single-player because of the coordination overhead. Plan accordingly.

The difficulty sweet spot

Balanced is the default and works for most players.

Tactician is harder — enemies have more HP, AI is smarter, some encounters scale up.

Honour Mode is permadeath for the whole party (not just the dead character). True roguelike stakes. Only for players who've beaten the game at least once.

Custom lets you toggle specific difficulty modifiers. Great for veterans who want specific challenges.

What we make at Choost

Granny's Gambit is a deckbuilder that shares some D&D DNA — card-based combat with tactical decision-making. Different scale entirely from BG3's 100-hour epic, but shared "commit to choices and watch them play out" philosophy. For more BG3 content, the bg3 class tier list post has character class details, and the games like Baldur's Gate 3 post covers the CRPG genre.

The shortest version

Height + shove wins fights. Jump everywhere. Save scum. Long rest often. Split party for stealth ambushes. Throw healing potions at allies. Send excess loot to camp. Enable Show Approval. Multiclass after level 5. Pre-position barrels before every tough fight.

BG3 rewards creativity above raw optimization. The "right" way to win a fight is whichever way works. Break the game. Use every mechanic. Larian clearly wants you to.