Baldur's Gate 3 - 14 BEST Tips for Beginners

[@MrHulthen]

Tip #1 still might apply when it comes to certain Race traits, but race & subrace doesn't seem to be tied to stat bonuses anymore (as far as i can tell from the recent Fextralife video).

[@Nightstalker565]

Yes, they seem to have adopted the new D&D optional rules from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, which scraps the idea of racial attribute bonuses and just lets players assign a +2 and +1. edit: However unique racial features still apply, you just wont be as class restricted with races anymore since you can get the appropriate attributes

[@MrHulthen]

@@Nightstalker565 Nice clarification! Thanks! :)

[@LMoftheCoast]

@@MrHulthenhumans in the current version are a bit of a mess IMO. Rather than keeping the +1 to all stats, or going down the variant human route Larian have decided to give humans a strange set of racial abilities. Light armour proficiency, pole arms proficiency and +20 carry weight. IMO this makes humans possibly the worst race in the game. Hopefully we can convince Larian to take another looks at humans before release, but we shall see.

[@alejandropinedo9480]

@@LMoftheCoastdefinitely if we are looking just at character creation. I do know that I’m BG3 there are items that have conditional abilities that only apply when wielded by a certain race. Maybe specific items will make it worth playing human, you never know.🤗

[@Nightstalker565]

@@alejandropinedo9480 Yeah after seeing some of the race locked gear, and how powerful and build defining gear will be, i'm beginning to realize that most of this pre release build craft might end up being moot. and it wont be until after people finish the game and document the games items will we be able to theory craft builds to their fullest.

[@XoRandomGuyoX]

Bonus Tip: Grab one of the largest climbable boxes you can find and redeploy it throughout the world to climb up to hidden areas or open up new paths.

[@jutraim2422]

for tip #7 4:50 don't be afraid to take the L occasionally, most fail consequences are interesting, hilarious and rewarding in this game as far as I got to see from the beta 😂

[@lololol924]

This. The devs have stated they encourage you to not save scum as they've spent a lot of time refining each interaction such that failing a check enables content unique interactions and consequences just as much as succeeding. There's always another way.

[@fistimusmaximus6576]

@@lololol924 issue is if those choices don't give a reward people will continue to save scum.

[@joshberkin5567]

​@lololol924 glad to hear that

[@softysmash5794]

I fk up and send to fly the guy tied to the mill, I was like wtffff noooo Hahahaha ahahahahah omg this game is insane.

[@jutraim2422]

@@fistimusmaximus6576 sometimes, get the best reward you have to fail a check, I won't give any spoilers though

[@lilianhalcombe2820]

You can get a shovel in the area between the crashed ship and the druid grove. There is a pile of dirt beside the road and a shovel sticking out of the ground there (also a chest to dig up).

[@esteten89]

On tip number 6, if you use feather fall it works perfectly ;)

[@nickrubin7312]

Nice video, great that you went for specifics for combat, since it could for sure be rough for beginners. A small addition on one tip, if you don't mind? On tip #6, which is true, but also you could cast Feather fall (for beginners: that's the name of the specific spell) on the character, and then you're good to go, jump and you'll land safely. Which is basically following the rule of "in theory, logically, if you think it should work it probably will work". For instance, if particular enemies sing a song (yes, harpies) to charm you, casting Silence (another spell) on them would interrupt the song since you've made them silent, or if the enemy put you to Sleep, shoving you by another companion would wake you up.

[@MrHulthen]

Nice! I didn't think of Feather Fall :)

[@jankodes197]

@@MrHulthen It still isn't ideal - you land near some pretty tough enemies and don't have high ground advantage you would have if you entered Underdark through different means.

[@creamysmooth79]

Those are some great tips, and I don't know why but using shove from a companion to wake someone up makes such perfect sense, I have no idea why I never thought of it. I am constantly surprised and delighted to learn new things about the game, so thank you 👍

[@nicholasfotou2980]

if you have a chest you can't unlock, just pick it up and send it to camp and do it later. then you have decor.

[@TheThyller]

I found that items go missing when I use them for decor :(

[@Silent_Onis]

Tip 6: If u cast feather fall, u can jump into that pit, and u landing safely in the underdark :)

[@greendragonfly4831]

I live for pro tips. Not even saving before I do this I trust you with my life.

[@Silent_Onis]

@@greendragonfly4831 was the trust misplaced? 😁

[@Nightstalker565]

While a rogue is really good for locks and sneaking, other options do exists, wizards can get the spell "knock" for unlocking chests and doors, and bards can get expertise like rogues for sneaking, perception, lockpicking, ect. So you aren't completely reliant on a rogue for those things, they are just usually the best. Good overall list though

[@MrHulthen]

Nice! Those are definitely great alternatives :)

[@usasoldiern]

Yeah nothing against Astarion but I'm not sure if I want him in my party for my first playthrough and I don't want to make a rogue so I'm definitely looking to utilize other options even if they aren't the best. Looks like Shadowheart is decent at lock picking too?

[@yohahn12]

​@@usasoldiernin my current playthrough with shadow heart, she has a ring that is super easy to get that gives +2 to both lock picking and disarm traps. The ring does give -1 char, but that isn't an issue for her mechanically and arguably roleplaying wise either 😂. It's literally just on a corpse in the starting forest no creatures etc around. So between her stats, proficiency guidance and the ring, her bonuses are like 7-10 before she rolls. Astarion of course would be better, but it hardly matters when at level 4 you basically have to roll below 5 to fail a DC 15. That said, I'm probably going to respect her entirely, and I'll run a bard for my main character who can take care of those things.

[@usasoldiern]

@@yohahn12 Alright yeah I'll look for that ring. Because she is likely the character that will have to take that role for me. My character is tentatively going to be either an Open Hand or Shadow Monk so I don't know if the later gets any of those skills. I'm assuming they are just meant to sneak around?

[@ethanb8382]

Even without items you wouldn't have to worry too much about it as long as you buff yourself and have a character in the party with decent Dex. You can also get sleight of hand proficiency from a couple backgrounds for more of a boost. Let's say your main stat will be Dex at a 16, which is a +3 modifier. Have one of your companions cast Enhance Ability and Guidance on you for the lockpicking check. You'd get a bonus of: +3, +1d4, with advantage (which averages to around a +5), and that all averages together to about a +10.5 bonus total. Guidance and Enhance Ability is pretty easy to come by. Available to Clerics and Druids, of which you'll have 3 companions that fit the bill.

[@FutureDeep]

I don't need a shovel. I'll just get The Red Prince to dig it up! Wait...

[@MrHulthen]

😅

[@djJaXx101]

I think I am going: Warrior: Some kinda dumb tank Bard: for charisma and healing? (or maybe the standard white mage? or cleric or whatever it is) Rogue: for perception, traps, locks etc Wizard: me, for fun, dmg and AOE

[@bithomes]

"Goblins are batarians" - Ah yes, my renegade Shepard would like a word with them.

[@creamysmooth79]

I would just like to add that I agree with saving often (as you should in any large RPG) so as not to waste time after a death, but when it comes to dice rolls and skill checks honestly go with the flow. Some games need to be save-scummed as the fails can be bad or final, with this game I have often found that a failed roll has ended up being more beneficial by forcing me to try a different approach, resulting in some cases with a better outcome.

[@XxRobDeBobxX]

Tip #15: Hold down Alt at all times whenever out of combat

[@MrHulthen]

Right, for detecting items, yes?

[@XxRobDeBobxX]

@@MrHulthen Yep, all sorts of great items you would otherwise miss visually. Also it makes it easy to pick them up that way, just click on the description

[@wowclassic1]

Thank you for this! I just started playing early access a few days ago but often just feel like I'm missing things or don't know how to do things. This was super helpful. I'm really enjoying the game but it just feels overwhelming at times.

[@MrHulthen]

You're welcome!

[@kchuckles1]

I know nothing about DnD but I want this game more and more after each video I watch about it

[@adc1222]

Me with over 300 hours in early access, including doing multiple solo runs: "hmmm yes beginner tips would be lovely, I definitely need more BG3 content"

[@r0yalew1thcheese]

I'm new to Baldur's gate and went in with no expectations other than some friends who were hyped for it. Man this game is cool, it's insanely deep and the battles are fun.

[@Trollgernautt]

DId not know about the "send to camp" thingy, very useful! Came for the Mass Effect, stayed for Baldur's Gate!

[@legendarypt]

The 1st hint is a bit outdated. At launch your bonus stats will be determined by your class and not your race. You still going to have the passives of the class so it still makes sense to chose a good race for the class you want to play . But not for the same reasons anymore .

[@quintyss1290]

Thank you, Mr. Holthen! One thing is for certain, there is a tremendous appeal for replayability with just race and class choice alone, lol. This game might be a Christmas gift to myself this year XD.

[@vladimirtchuiev2218]

* Shadowheart is good enough at picking locks and disarming traps, you don't need Astarion to do that. * The game is very playable without a tank, enemies will target the Squishies slot of the time

[@roxasreturns2183]

Agreed, this isn't a traditional rpg with taunt. Crowd control is where it's at, and the best CC is dead enemies.

[@tristandelhaye519]

As someone close to 0 brain when it comes to these games, I'm gonna go with tip zero and set the difficulty to story mode and be call a lil b*tch by everyone else. I'm just tired of quicksaving every 5 five minutes in and out of battle for the sake of making progress. I just wanna enjoy the story, characters and world even if it means trivializing every fights in the game.

[@Tattletale-Delta]

This is me, with this game at least. I was fine with the combat from previous Larian games but something about the combat in BG3 annoys me and I just want it over with.

[@MysticScribe82]

Of all the tip videos I've watched, this is by far the most useful. Thank you and happy adventuring!

[@MrHulthen]

Glad you liked it mate!

[@nyanko2077]

Races don't give any ability bonus anymore. They changed that. Now every race gets a +2 and +1 to put anywhere they like. So your first tip is actually not a tip anymore.

[@rogadip]

#9 Shadowheart is good if not a better stealther and lockpicker than Astarion. She has a spell for +10 stealth to the entire party for example.

[@Dreadwing1000]

For the knocking enemies off of ledges tip you can also do this with a swords bard, one of their flourishes knock enemies back 5 ft

[@MrHulthen]

God damn, that's cool. I still haven't checked out Bard yet, so probably a high time to do so now. Thanks!

[@PinkMarshmallows]

@@MrHulthen The bard is so much fun. After the bard's turn, you can play "battle music". 😂

[@Dreadwing1000]

@@MrHulthen it specific to the college of swords subclass & uses one of your inspiration dice but you get 3 unique attacks including the one that knocks back enemies, you can boost your ac or attack more than one enemy if they’re within 5 ft of you & each other

[@SoldierSpiderx]

Before you buy, just know you’re in for the next gen defining experience of a lifetime.

[@MaStAg4Ce]

Danm, I cannot wait for it. It brings me memories of when DOS2 when I only took 1hr of character creation.

[@eccentricstate]

Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve spent a little time in early access and this actually cleared up several questions I had about the game mechanics

[@Khashi-Hyper]

as far as i know if u cast feather fall at tip number 6 u can safely drop to underdark

[@trachinusdraco]

My tip is that even if you're Wizard, Sorcerer or Warlock your AC doesn't have to suck. Get profeciensy in medium armor atleast.

[@TheThyller]

Wizard and Warlock have access to mage armor for 13 base ac, so if you have 16 dex +3ac, 16 ac, dragon origin sorcerer have 13 base ac + dex so they can achieve the same ac but without the need for a spell

[@garion046]

The best way to do this in the tabletop game, and I think in BG3 as well, is to take a level of fighter first thing. You get armor and shield proficiency, as well as defence for a +1, and constitution saving throw proficiency for concentration. And the second wind self-heal is always handy!

[@bastian6799]

ive never had any contact with DnD or similar stuff. Bought the game today and played for 6 hours. Im super overwhelmed by all the stuff and how to properly play fights. But its definitly fun, maybe gonna turn the difficulty down.

[@AnnaAnanasova]

Great video Mr H., I would be happy if you do more videos about combat. I just could not contain myself and started EA just yesterday. And the combat is super confusing. :-D So many things!

[@oleg5738]

I didn't know about sending things to camp. It's awesome! Thank you!

[@fromsouls]

Hold left click to continuously walk instead of constantly clicking in front of your character

[@thoughtgaming492]

I would say rogues are entirely unneeded in both D&D and in Baldurs Gate. Any dex character can sneak and pick locks well and any character at all can start battles off with a good sneak attack. Not to mention that certain classes are basically just better rogues. i.e. ranger, bard, knock, invisibility, silence, etc. Rogues are pretty bad actually imo.

[@PinkMarshmallows]

😅😂 I didn't even know I could right click things to unlock a chest, send things to camp/party member, etc. I found that out yesterday and I've been playing the game non stop for the past week and a half.

[@MrHulthen]

Hehe yeah some of these things seem simple but the game can be pretty overwhelming at first, making these small things easy to miss.

[@carterspearry7106]

I’m a console player so i haven’t even played the early access and I cannot WAIT to play this game on PS5 in early September… thanks for the great video :)

[@frenchie_maple]

I needed that video sooooo bad! I picked up the game a few weeks ago in the hopes of testing it for myself before release, but it seems life has other plans 😅 Thanks a lot and please do make another one before august 3rd!

[@TheSilent333]

I have almost 100 hours in early access and didn't realize I could cancel spell effects hahahaha. Thanks, MrHulthen!

[@TheNerjaveika]

I didn't know you can turn off spells, once died due to daggers. Thank you for the tip.

[@triumphoverdeath]

I love i can pick up backpacks on the ground and use them

[@pronumeral1446]

Zelda Ocarina of Time fall sound. Dark Souls death screen. Mass Effect map music. A man of culture.

[@serpik1988]

Thanks for the Mass Effect music on the background)

[@oliviawilliams6204]

The race and combo from tips 1 isn’t necessary anymore. Full version will allow you to put your +2 and +1 wherever you want

[@stephenmudiecastles.2938]

Tip :11 in the released game you can get Scratch the dog as a familiar and they can sniff things out for you.

[@TacticalShad0ws]

"The official release of Baldurs Gate is approaching quickly" Me on PS5 waiting an entire month later (exactly 50 days from now) 😭😭

[@MrHulthen]

I feel ya, but then again, it's gonna be a smooth ride once it does release! (Larian wants to make sure they can hit a constant 60fps before launching it on PS5)

[@TacticalShad0ws]

​@@MrHulthenI'm grateful they are and its definitely worth the wait, but man... I'm hella excited and can't wait. Your videos will hold me over for sure though!

[@danjal87nl]

The way long rest is handled is probably my least favorite thing. I am very much of the opinion that time should be a managed resource, and that (ab)using frequent long rests should come with a consequence in the world. Sadly it seems that Larian very much expects the player to rest with some frequency as there are a lot of camp scenes that can be triggered and each long rest can only trigger one. In the early access I would have done multiple things that should lead to a camp scene on top of your regular progression and companion scenes. But since I approached the game with the mindset that there's a squirming tadpole in my head that would leave me as swiss cheese if I just casually slept the days away I would get through much of the early access content with only so many long rests.

[@Dentrag47]

For number 6 you can cast yourself a spell with lowered damage when fall and still get there.

[@bocconom]

Well done! Clear and concise and by doing so you don't waste viewers time. Thanks and new subscriber.

[@Kylar195]

You don‘t exactly need a rouge. What you need is a dexterity character with proficiency in sneak and sleight of hand. As an example, in my actual party, I have build a dexterity based Paladin of Ancient. His race is wood-Half-elf and his Background is sharlatan. With this combination, he get proficiency in sneak, sleight of hand, intimidation, persuasion and deception. He can do all things a rouge can do and traps are only a problem, if I roll a Nat 1. As an Bonus: I got for him a AC of 20 therefore he can be used as a Tank and with the Oath of the ancient, he has a strong AoE heal, so that he is used as an healer for my party too. The only fight I had difficulties, was the boss fight in the grimforge.

[@holly2585]

tip 6, you can jump in and survive if you use feather fall, thats how i first got to the underdark

[@Shiizi]

I realy like these tips, some of them i had no idea about. Thank you!

[@Keram-io8hv]

My only smallest problem with this game is that you usually need to do 100% of things in specific location or you will not be able to progress due to levels Which is weird I say that, like have no problem with it but sometimes it becomes frustrating

[@DrChaos-jb3sp]

If it stays true to the TTRPG, I don't think you'll need a healer. In Pathfinder and DnD, healing generally isn't potent enough to be really usable in combat until high level when you unlock stuff like heal. Until then, its just kind of like a weak bandaid. Buffing, debuffing and damage should probably take higher priorty. Better to finish the fight faster than draw it out.

[@ChristianDeLarge]

MOAR! Liked and subscribed.

[@bigheadkittygaming]

Thanks for the vid. these tips will help me when I start playing.

[@chimichanga6330]

Even though I’ve played EA, these are really helpful! Don’t come across too many good tips and tricks vids. So I would love to see more of this type of content 👍

[@BlueAngel008]

So, it has quick save. That's good. It sounded like that it mite have just been a "save at base only" kind of thing. Which can be torture for a game like this. No one want's to loose hours of gameplay.

[@lololol924]

Tip 6.5 DO jump into the pit but cast feather fall first

[@Faazz01]

i'm new to this style of games, pc in general, played this game for 30 minutes and I got extremely lost lol.

[@greendragonfly4831]

I would LOVE to have Forge cleric from Tasha's Cauldron.

[@toffeyman1973]

Some great tips here, thanks !

[@MumonguGaming]

Great tips, look forward to your next vid. Have a lovely day.

[@argo7155]

#8 is good asvise. In pathfinder i used to optimize my time and by not camping often i skipped some interesting interactions 😢

[@colbys1234]

Bard, druid, paladin but a bad boy, and a dragon. That's the team

[@kestrl]

the mass effect background music took me back

[@djJaXx101]

I kinda hate saving and reloading all the time, but I cant help myself!

[@almostfaceman]

Practical tips like these are awesome, thanks.

[@Azriel884]

Im playing tonight from 8 til about 3 am. Gonna do some questing😅

[@Fahrenheit38]

I keep getting killed by the orc and ogre banging in the barn.

[@annesilverblade]

A note about the long rests - remember to pick up food/drinks and send them to camp to avoid hitting carry limit per character. The world is full of food and drinks you can loot for free instead of looking for vendors who sell the ready-made 40/40 supplies.

[@SHDUStudios]

So excited for this!

[@prozium]

Mass Effect BGM.. Probe Launched

[@matsu9790]

Good stuff. Question: what about any kind of container? Is it worthy to take it (send to camp) and use during a battle? Ex. make a tower from this containers and use as Highground or obstacle. Does it work in real game?

[@hungbuiart]

Tip 15: if you aren’t going to play as a healer, you should respec shadowheart or someone else into a Life Domain Cleric. You get +2 or +4 points on top of your healing. Super useful to get big heals, and Life Domains have a massive AoE heal spell. I play life domain cleric to be healer and tank 😂 fun to be heavy armored healer while bashing foes to death with blunt weapons

[@Barris42]

Will that remove any dialogue options from Shadowheart? They mentioned that some dialogue would be unavailable if you changed the role of the companions.

[@hungbuiart]

@@Barris42 I dunno, but they giving us an option to respec our companions classes and stuff. Don’t think that will affect the story or their awareness. Have to ask that question to Larian Studios. They probably think ahead of this already if giving us such an option u know?

[@arcanumelite4853]

@@hungbuiart they already mentioned that changing their class/subclass WILL affect their story dialogue... for example if you change shadowheart away from shar worshipper... she will no longer have any of her shar dialogue as she will no longer be a follower of shar.

[@JosieJOK]

Shadowheart already has Healing Word, an awesome ranged heal. With potions and scrolls available to you-not to mention alchemy, which we haven’t seen yet-you really don’t need any other healer. If you have another caster, like a Druid, Wizard or Bard, you could always have them take Healing Word as well, for back-up. There’s no need to respec Shadowheart just to get extra healing, and I’d advise keeping her original class, at least for the first playthrough.

[@hungbuiart]

@@arcanumelite4853 well I can choose to be a shar worshipper and be a life domain cleric. Did it in a replay before. Changing a class doesn’t change the background origin story.

[@N3o8]

The background music? Mass Effect? :D

[@enfangelo]

I wish the party size were 5 instead of only 4. I want the classic tank, healer and mage as companions, while I would be a ranger. But I'm afraid of missing out too many locked doors and chest and traps without a rogue...

[@StarCitizenJorunn]

very helpful thanks!

[@jizamkizam9611]

"Always abuse the high ground mechanic" Please....you underestimate my power!!

[@user-mu8ok5xf8d]

Well the thing for stats is the main game will allow you to move race bonuses around

[@uspatriot6414]

Helpful Thanks.

[@zachariashulthen]

Thanks! for the tips! :D

[@OldHuntr]

How do you play from high ground always if you have a melee based character?

[@supervastgut1568]

wait, a mass effect veteran didnt speak to his companions in the camp? I now question if you've ever even looked at gameplay of mass effect

[@MrHulthen]

I know right lmao

[@rinhatsuyuki7090]

I'm not the only one who laughed at don't bang the bear.

[@manga3040]

Can you still loot enemies if you push them into lava or other precarious spots that you can't go yourself? Edit: not pits I know

[@Synysterenji]

I played DOS1&2 and i was abusing tip #7 but personally in BG3 i will only be reloading upon death. Rolls are such a huge part of this game that it seems to me like reloading everytime your roll fails kinda defeats the purpose of playing this game in the first place. Also, if its anything like DOS, even if you fail an objective in one way, theres still many other ways to succeed.

[@jonathancerbaro713]

I don't understand tip #6, which means I am SO jumping into that pit as soon as I get there.

[@MrHulthen]

yeah disregard that one, just remember to use Feather Fall before :)

[@rogerchandler2241]

Have to wait for ps5 physical copy as no internet available so thankful can play offline

[@papipepino.]

So I’ve been on act 2 in divinity original sin 2, how different is baldurs gate compared to that?

[@Crunkles1119]

You covering this game is going to blow up your channel, I’m sure if it. It will be well earned

[@eqmaverickpoet]

Good info

[@subtlewill1748]

Was that a cat with wings?! Like a Cird or... Bat lol

[@garion046]

It's called a Tressym, classic dnd creature

[@IndieClox]

great vid

[@ReinisIkass]

Thanks for the video. Quick question - can you romance your companions regardless of the race/gender of your MC, or do they have a preference?

[@MrHulthen]

I think you can romance all companions without restriction, yeah :D

[@Kylar195]

Yes you can romance everyone regardless of your gender. As an example, I had in my actual party an romance with my male paladin and Gale, while my brother normally has a romance wit Gale with a female character.

[@lancearmada]

Does this game have feather fall? If so i could jump down that pit…

[@MedjayofFaiyum]

I have to know, what did you do with the pet brain? I’m stuck on it it’s cute but I’m not sure

[@dunngyllite7883]

It will be gone after the ships crash landing. Dunno if that changes with the full release - I could totally see the cutie make a reappearance later in the game.

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

Thanks.