Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 - tips, tricks & helpful information

[Barbarian]

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

 

[Takamori]

Grease is not that useful in BG3 because of elemental interactions. Whenever I used Grease, it got burned in 1 turn either by my hand or enemies. Though you can use that burning ground with water for cloud effect.

Yeah both Web and Grease lose a lot of value with larian retarded interactions.

As for rogues being underpowered are you guys on drugs? Do fucking Rogue Assassin 7/Ranger Gloomstalker 5. Dps machine and you don't even need to be in the arena so easy to score hide checks.

Shadowheart has Mirror Image.

Was always reluctant to go down this path, because she also need to concentrate on spell or the clone things, so I was assuming you don't really want her to bon the frontline.

Mirror Image has no CON so you can blast it right away even if she is a backliner, extra AC is always good.

 

[Desiderius]

Shadowheart has Mirror Image.

Was always reluctant to go down this path, because she also need to concentrate on spell or the clone things, so I was assuming you don't really want her to bon the frontline.

It doesn't require Concentration.

 

[Barbarian]

Grease is not that useful in BG3 because of elemental interactions. Whenever I used Grease, it got burned in 1 turn either by my hand or enemies. Though you can use that burning ground with water for cloud effect.

Yeah both Web and Grease lose a lot of value with larian retarded interactions.

As for rogues being underpowered are you guys on drugs? Do fucking Rogue Assassin 7/Ranger Gloomstalker 5. Dps machine and you don't even need to be in the arena so easy to score hide checks.

Shadowheart has Mirror Image.

Was always reluctant to go down this path, because she also need to concentrate on spell or the clone things, so I was assuming you don't really want her to bon the frontline.

Mirror Image has no CON so you can blast it right away even if she is a backliner, extra AC is always good.

I was playing pure class assassin and didn't feel underpowered at all.

I actually question if pure class rogue isn't better than ranger multiclass, specially for the fact that the assassin/gloom stalker multi build takes 6 levels to come online.

 

[Desiderius]

You guys did pickpocket boxed wine from her before the fight, right?

Has anyone tried reverse pickpocketing the Poisoned Apples you find in the Swamp yet?

As for rogues being underpowered are you guys on drugs? Do fucking Rogue Assassin 7/Ranger Gloomstalker 5. Dps machine and you don't even need to be in the arena so easy to score hide checks.

There's some duplication there since one of main benefits of US is getting Hide as Bonus Action. I'd probably go Assassin Hunter if I wanted Ranger with Assassin, though it does lose the one extra attack during first round. Do hate losing spell progression so Umbral straight up is probably just better unless you take Thief to get the extra Bonus Action for Jumps and Dashes in addition to the Hide, or combo a martial with Assassin for more staying power.

 

[Grauken]

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

Also very useful for multiple enemies with few hitpoints left that stand far apart from each other

 

[Desiderius]

Grease is not that useful in BG3 because of elemental interactions. Whenever I used Grease, it got burned in 1 turn either by my hand or enemies. Though you can use that burning ground with water for cloud effect.

Yeah both Web and Grease lose a lot of value with larian retarded interactions.

As for rogues being underpowered are you guys on drugs? Do fucking Rogue Assassin 7/Ranger Gloomstalker 5. Dps machine and you don't even need to be in the arena so easy to score hide checks.

Shadowheart has Mirror Image.

Was always reluctant to go down this path, because she also need to concentrate on spell or the clone things, so I was assuming you don't really want her to bon the frontline.

Mirror Image has no CON so you can blast it right away even if she is a backliner, extra AC is always good.

I was playing pure class assassin and didn't feel underpowered at all.

I actually question if pure class rogue isn't better than ranger multiclass, specially for the fact that the assassin/gloom stalker multi build takes 6 levels to come online.

I think the multiclassing is something you can pivot to with a late respec. Nice thing about Umbral (or Assassin for that matter) is that main benefit comes online at lvl 3, and then Umbral gets the extra attack at 5.

 

[Barbarian]

ITT, theorycrafting - if you get a rogue assassin to 7th level and then have to decide wether or not to take the last 5 levels as pure class or gloom stalker:

5 more levels of assassin equals 3 feats + 3d6 sneak attack damage + 2 extra expertise proficiencies

5 more levels of gloom stalker - Extra attack first round with extra 1d8 damage + extra 3 initiative + extra attack + Fighting style + 1 feat + extra skill proficiencies from favored enemy/terrain and ranger spells

I actually think 3 feats/asi + 3d6 extra sneak damage beats the benefits of 5 levels in GS.

 

[Desiderius]

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

Also very useful for multiple enemies with few hitpoints left that stand far apart from each other

Lol so is Sleep, with roughly twice as many HP for a ceiling. But yeah similar low variance function.

 

[lukaszek]

I was looking at that too but to get the Thief extra Bonus Action. Umbral Stalker gets most of the Assassin functionality (Hide as Bonus Action, extra First Round attack) while still progressing Ranger. Not sure if Assassin 3/Hunter 8 would be better. Would also depend on how good Stalker’s Flurry is. I think Beast Master wants to stay Ranger to get full Companion enhancements.

ambush out of shadows to start the combat.
then you can still attack twice, with crits, with 1 sneak attack out of the two

I think its better than extra free action

 

[notpl]

ITT, theorycrafting - if you get a rogue assassin to 7th level and then have to decide wether or not to take the last 5 levels as pure class or gloom stalker:

5 more levels of assassin equals 3 feats + 3d6 sneak attack damage + 2 extra expertise proficiencies

5 more levels of gloom stalker - Extra attack first round with extra 1d8 damage + extra 3 initiative + extra attack + Fighting style + 1 feat + extra skill proficiencies from favored enemy/terrain and ranger spells

I actually think 3 feats/asi + 3d6 extra sneak damage beats the benefits of 5 levels in GS.

3d6 sneak attack once per turn is a very, very small amount of damage. The ranger fighting style plus hunter's mark (if dual wielding) beat that in two character levels, to say nothing of the outrageous advantage a second main-hand attack offers. As for the lost feat, well - can you even name three useful feats in 5e, let alone BG3's implementation thereof? There just isn't that much to look forward to after maxing out your primary attribute. They can be nice little treats, sure, but this is a game about killing monsters and the multiclass is obviously much, much better at it.

Many people seem to be underestimating the effect of a fighting style on dual-wielding damage. Even a rogue 11/fighter 1 multiclass is the flatly superior option to pure class, attribute damage to your off-hand attacks is very significant. To put it into terms rogue copelets might be able to understand, imagine your sneak attack now does 4d6 more damage, except you don't have to be sneaking.

 

[lukaszek]

I finally understood whats up with weight and throwing. You need elevation for it to work, then some formula taking into account weight and height difference is applied. And it works even with javelins resulting in even more ridiculous damage

 

[notpl]

I finally understood whats up with weight and throwing. You need elevation for it to work, then some formula taking into account weight and height difference is applied. And it works even with javelins resulting in even more ridiculous damage

Forced movement also triggers environmental damage a second time, which makes cloud spells ridiculously overpowered. Even from the very start of the game you can cast Cloud of Daggers on a group of enemies to trigger initial damage, then have another character throw a void bulb to move the enemies into the center of the cloud to trigger damage again, then start chucking rocks or chairs or whatever else to trigger knockbacks and damage them again. Very easy to wipe almost any encounter with this strategy, but at least it feels more clever than abusing haste.

 

[Barbarian]

ITT, theorycrafting - if you get a rogue assassin to 7th level and then have to decide wether or not to take the last 5 levels as pure class or gloom stalker:

5 more levels of assassin equals 3 feats + 3d6 sneak attack damage + 2 extra expertise proficiencies

5 more levels of gloom stalker - Extra attack first round with extra 1d8 damage + extra 3 initiative + extra attack + Fighting style + 1 feat + extra skill proficiencies from favored enemy/terrain and ranger spells

I actually think 3 feats/asi + 3d6 extra sneak damage beats the benefits of 5 levels in GS.

3d6 sneak attack once per turn is a very, very small amount of damage. The ranger fighting style plus hunter's mark (if dual wielding) beat that in two character levels, to say nothing of the outrageous advantage a second main-hand attack offers. As for the lost feat, well - can you even name three useful feats in 5e, let alone BG3's implementation thereof? There just isn't that much to look forward to after maxing out your primary attribute. They can be nice little treats, sure, but this is a game about killing monsters and the multiclass is obviously much, much better at it.

Many people seem to be underestimating the effect of a fighting style on dual-wielding damage. Even a rogue 11/fighter 1 multiclass is the flatly superior option to pure class, attribute damage to your off-hand attacks is very significant. To put it into terms rogue copelets might be able to understand, imagine your sneak attack now does 4d6 more damage, except you don't have to be sneaking.

It's actually 4 feats as a pure class level 12 rogue against 2 feats for a 7/5 ranger multiclass. I guess that depends on what you do with them. Even picking ASI 4 times is pretty damn powerful(basically 8 extra attribute points to distribute as you see fit). Resilient also pretty great(+1 attribute point AND saving throw proficiency in said attribute) - great feat for picking WIS or CON save proficiency(+4 to saves at level 12).

Adding attribute damage to offhand is not so high and mighty. For a 20 dex finesse fighter that would be +5 for instance. If you think 3d6 isn't much... offhand attack is a bonus action - once per round and replaces other useful stuff such as hide, dash or jump.

I will give you one thing, if you focus on damage output and ignore all else then there is no way a pure class rogue can beat this 7/5 gloom multiclass build. First round alone you would be talking 4 attacks(including one sneak attack with 4d6 + one attack with extra 1d8 damage). Or 3 attacks + hunter's mark(extra 1d6 on all 3 attacks if it is one opponent). So yeah...

 

[notpl]

ITT, theorycrafting - if you get a rogue assassin to 7th level and then have to decide wether or not to take the last 5 levels as pure class or gloom stalker:

5 more levels of assassin equals 3 feats + 3d6 sneak attack damage + 2 extra expertise proficiencies

5 more levels of gloom stalker - Extra attack first round with extra 1d8 damage + extra 3 initiative + extra attack + Fighting style + 1 feat + extra skill proficiencies from favored enemy/terrain and ranger spells

I actually think 3 feats/asi + 3d6 extra sneak damage beats the benefits of 5 levels in GS.

3d6 sneak attack once per turn is a very, very small amount of damage. The ranger fighting style plus hunter's mark (if dual wielding) beat that in two character levels, to say nothing of the outrageous advantage a second main-hand attack offers. As for the lost feat, well - can you even name three useful feats in 5e, let alone BG3's implementation thereof? There just isn't that much to look forward to after maxing out your primary attribute. They can be nice little treats, sure, but this is a game about killing monsters and the multiclass is obviously much, much better at it.

Many people seem to be underestimating the effect of a fighting style on dual-wielding damage. Even a rogue 11/fighter 1 multiclass is the flatly superior option to pure class, attribute damage to your off-hand attacks is very significant. To put it into terms rogue copelets might be able to understand, imagine your sneak attack now does 4d6 more damage, except you don't have to be sneaking.

It's actually 4 feats as a pure class level 12 rogue against 2 feats for a 7/5 ranger multiclass. I guess that depends on what you do with them. Even picking ASI 4 times is pretty damn powerful(basically 8 extra attribute points to distribute as you see fit). Resilient also pretty great(+1 attribute point AND saving throw proficiency in said attribute) - great feat for picking WIS or CON save proficiency(+4 to saves at level 12).

Adding attribute damage to offhand is not so high and mighty. For a 20 dex finesse fighter that would be +5 for instance. If you think 3d6 isn't much... offhand attack is a bonus action - once per round and replaces other useful stuff such as hide, dash or jump.

I will give you one thing, if you focus on damage output and ignore all else then there is no way a pure class rogue can beat this 7/5 gloom multiclass build. First round alone you would be talking 4 attacks(including one sneak attack with 4d6 + one attack with extra 1d8 damage). Or 3 attacks + hunter's mark(extra 1d6 on all 3 attacks if it is one opponent). So yeah...

I haven't spoilt myself too much on endgame items, but other people have given me the impression that it isn't too difficult to get attributes above 20 in this game. And obviously if you're doing the ranger (or fighter) multi, it'd be best to use Thief for the extra bonus action and therefore attack. That's kind of the problem: the role of "assassin," IE a character who does massive single target damage and kills priority targets outright, is actually best served by a thief multiclass, because the subclass actually called "assassin" simply cannot compete with their damage.

 

[notpl]

I also cannot overstate just how significant the restrictions on sneak attack are for buildcrafting. I understand the appeal of it on a conceptual level - I love rogues, that's why I'm so upset to find that they're garbage in this game! Look at this relatively common item, for example:

Quite a powerful effect. It grants a ranger or fighter multiclass two or three extra attacks for potentially massive damage after a kill. What does it do for a pure class rogue? Almost nothing, because even after refreshing his action for the turn, his sneak attack remains unavailable.

 

[Barbarian]

Problem is with 5e balancing though. If rogues could sneak attack more than once per round than they would overpower all other classes by a large margin.

Assassin isn't a bad kit. Advantage on first round attacks and autocrit on surprised enemies is nothing to scoff at. I think in most situations these boons are better than an extra offhand attack.

Also keep in mind this isn't like the trannyfinder games on "unfair" where you have to stack AC or do impossible builds because the game boosts every enemy stat to unreasonable levels. You can probably beat the game on tactician with any class and build without pulling your hairs out.

 

[Barbarian]

Also one of my main arguments for going pure class is smooth progression. An Assassin level 5 for instance will be more effective and powerful than a GS 3/2 multiclass for instance. Your build would literally come online only about the end of chapter 1 if you powergame a completionist run(probably most players only reach level 6 by chapter 2).

You would also get access to feats/ASI much later than a pure class. Even the so praised extra attack you get by this multiclass - if you split levels equally you would only get it by level 10(5/5).

 

[Urthor]

20/21/22 strength is enough stats to throw humanoid sized enemies as a barbarian with enraged throw by the way.

A... very achievable amount.

I'm probably going to respec my barbarian to Tavern Brawler just to enjoy throwing most enemies around like rag dolls in all honesty. It seems like too much fun.

casters in particular, are just a bit shit until level 5 and 6

wizard gameplay seems straightforward

What seems straightforward is that you suck and haven't figured it out yet.

When you learn how to suck less you'll be a little embarrassed but that will be offset by a sense of accomplishment.

Depends if you're taking a long rest every 3 fights in order to use level 2 spells to "straight combat" most fights.

My experience was, I felt that wizard/cleric/rogue/fighter was just vastly harder to play than druid/rogue/fighter/barbarian in levels 1-4. In a "straight fight", surprise mechanics are just absurd.

Wizard essentially had to be carried or threw consumable items unless it was blowing enemies off edges, due to low level's spell economy.

It depends on how creative you are of course. There's an almost infinite ability to patch up weaknesses via barrelmancy, clever use of improvised weapons or shoving things off edges.

And if you're "following a guide for every fight," then of course wizard still carries its weight. You're likely using the wizard to cast "protection from xxx" before every fight.

Edit:

I'm dumb and wasn't doing grease + lightning bolt.

Wizards get *extremely* strong at lvl 5/6 due to 1-2 loot items that can be stacked on top of magic missile. And I haven't even tested the interactions between magic missile and lightning charges.

What I didn't figure out is that you can trivialize the game on Tactician even from level 2 onwards currently via the lightning gear. Spread water with grease + lightning spells is how you make Wizard match the physical classes early.

Early-game, clearly the two Wizard builds so far are stacking poison + armor from the Spider Queen, or stacking lightning charges + lightning gear.

I'm wondering what other builds I'm missing. Obviously however level III spells are a huge buff to wizard as soon as they come in, which is when wizard starts to match barbarian/sharpshooter rogue+ranger/fighter/builds.

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

5-6+ buffed magic missiles essentially gets outrageous later on. 3 vanilla magic missiles is underwhelming however.

Problem is with 5e balancing though. If rogues could sneak attack more than once per round than they would overpower all other classes by a large margin.

Assassin isn't a bad kit. Advantage on first round attacks and autocrit on surprised enemies is nothing to scoff at. I think in most situations these boons are better than an extra offhand attack.

Assassin is definitely the best pure rogue subclass early on. Alpha-striking. 5 levels of Gloom Stalker for the ranger extra attack plus pure assassin from there is my current approach to sharpshooter.

Later on I suspect the Thief bonus action will be extraordinary for late-game builds.

 

[Yosharian]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

 

[Yosharian]

20/21/22 strength is enough stats to throw humanoid sized enemies as a barbarian with enraged throw by the way.

A... very achievable amount.

I'm probably going to respec my barbarian to Tavern Brawler just to enjoy throwing most enemies around like rag dolls in all honesty. It seems like too much fun.

casters in particular, are just a bit shit until level 5 and 6

wizard gameplay seems straightforward

What seems straightforward is that you suck and haven't figured it out yet.

When you learn how to suck less you'll be a little embarrassed but that will be offset by a sense of accomplishment.

Depends if you're taking a long rest every 3 fights in order to use level 2 spells to "straight combat" most fights.

My experience was, I felt that wizard/cleric/rogue/fighter was just vastly harder to play than druid/rogue/fighter/barbarian in levels 1-4. In a "straight fight", surprise mechanics are just absurd.

Wizard essentially had to be carried or threw consumable items unless it was blowing enemies off edges, due to low level's spell economy.

It depends on how creative you are of course. There's an almost infinite ability to patch up weaknesses via barrelmancy, clever use of improvised weapons or shoving things off edges.

And if you're "following a guide for every fight," then of course wizard still carries its weight. You're likely using the wizard to cast "protection from xxx" before every fight.

Edit:

I'm dumb and wasn't doing grease + lightning bolt.

Wizards get *extremely* strong at lvl 5/6 due to 1-2 loot items that can be stacked on top of magic missile. And I haven't even tested the interactions between magic missile and lightning charges.

What I didn't figure out is that you can trivialize the game on Tactician even from level 2 onwards currently via the lightning gear. Spread water with grease + lightning spells is how you make Wizard match the physical classes early.

Early-game, clearly the two Wizard builds so far are stacking poison + armor from the Spider Queen, or stacking lightning charges + lightning gear.

I'm wondering what other builds I'm missing. Obviously however level III spells are a huge buff to wizard as soon as they come in, which is when wizard starts to match barbarian/sharpshooter rogue+ranger/fighter/builds.

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

5-6+ buffed magic missiles essentially gets outrageous later on. 3 vanilla magic missiles is underwhelming however.

Problem is with 5e balancing though. If rogues could sneak attack more than once per round than they would overpower all other classes by a large margin.

Assassin isn't a bad kit. Advantage on first round attacks and autocrit on surprised enemies is nothing to scoff at. I think in most situations these boons are better than an extra offhand attack.

Assassin is definitely the best pure rogue subclass early on. Alpha-striking. 5 levels of Gloom Stalker for the ranger extra attack plus pure assassin from there is my current approach to sharpshooter.

Later on I suspect the Thief bonus action will be extraordinary for late-game builds.

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

 

[Yosharian]

I also cannot overstate just how significant the restrictions on sneak attack are for buildcrafting. I understand the appeal of it on a conceptual level - I love rogues, that's why I'm so upset to find that they're garbage in this game! Look at this relatively common item, for example:

Quite a powerful effect. It grants a ranger or fighter multiclass two or three extra attacks for potentially massive damage after a kill. What does it do for a pure class rogue? Almost nothing, because even after refreshing his action for the turn, his sneak attack remains unavailable.

What the fuck does this stack with Haste?

 

[Desiderius]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

I'm doing Wyll MC for LG playthrough (no pickpocketing of friendlies to preserve a semblance of an economy).

Ended up using companion MCs a lot in D:OS II, easier to get to the content that way and usually better party makeup, as is case here. He covers to CHR stuff and makes good tank, can use any weapon in game with CHR to hit and damage.

Plus you're spared his cringe dialogue.

 

[Desiderius]

20/21/22 strength is enough stats to throw humanoid sized enemies as a barbarian with enraged throw by the way.

A... very achievable amount.

I'm probably going to respec my barbarian to Tavern Brawler just to enjoy throwing most enemies around like rag dolls in all honesty. It seems like too much fun.

casters in particular, are just a bit shit until level 5 and 6

wizard gameplay seems straightforward

What seems straightforward is that you suck and haven't figured it out yet.

When you learn how to suck less you'll be a little embarrassed but that will be offset by a sense of accomplishment.

Depends if you're taking a long rest every 3 fights in order to use level 2 spells to "straight combat" most fights.

My experience was, I felt that wizard/cleric/rogue/fighter was just vastly harder to play than druid/rogue/fighter/barbarian in levels 1-4. In a "straight fight", surprise mechanics are just absurd.

Wizard essentially had to be carried or threw consumable items unless it was blowing enemies off edges, due to low level's spell economy.

It depends on how creative you are of course. There's an almost infinite ability to patch up weaknesses via barrelmancy, clever use of improvised weapons or shoving things off edges.

And if you're "following a guide for every fight," then of course wizard still carries its weight. You're likely using the wizard to cast "protection from xxx" before every fight.

Edit:

I'm dumb and wasn't doing grease + lightning bolt.

Wizards get *extremely* strong at lvl 5/6 due to 1-2 loot items that can be stacked on top of magic missile. And I haven't even tested the interactions between magic missile and lightning charges.

What I didn't figure out is that you can trivialize the game on Tactician even from level 2 onwards currently via the lightning gear. Spread water with grease + lightning spells is how you make Wizard match the physical classes early.

Early-game, clearly the two Wizard builds so far are stacking poison + armor from the Spider Queen, or stacking lightning charges + lightning gear.

I'm wondering what other builds I'm missing. Obviously however level III spells are a huge buff to wizard as soon as they come in, which is when wizard starts to match barbarian/sharpshooter rogue+ranger/fighter/builds.

Magic missile basically guaranteed multiple hits and can be upcast for extra missiles. Very OP anyway you look at it. Probably best offensive spell.

5-6+ buffed magic missiles essentially gets outrageous later on. 3 vanilla magic missiles is underwhelming however.

Problem is with 5e balancing though. If rogues could sneak attack more than once per round than they would overpower all other classes by a large margin.

Assassin isn't a bad kit. Advantage on first round attacks and autocrit on surprised enemies is nothing to scoff at. I think in most situations these boons are better than an extra offhand attack.

Assassin is definitely the best pure rogue subclass early on. Alpha-striking. 5 levels of Gloom Stalker for the ranger extra attack plus pure assassin from there is my current approach to sharpshooter.

Later on I suspect the Thief bonus action will be extraordinary for late-game builds.

Thief bonus action is good as soon as you get it. Keep missing it on AT Astarion. Even Dash + Hide is so good, especially with the Dash buff items. Don't sleep on the Ranger spells though. Ensnaring with Disadvantage on save is good even against high STR targets. Help can clear it but since that's an Action instead of Bonus AI doesn't use it much.

Looking forward to playing around with upcasting the AoE shots, seeing if they apply Poison etc. Do want that Rogue splash eventually for Expertise.

 

[Sunri]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him