Baldur’s Gate 3 Tips & Checklists

I hate paying $50-70 for a game then missing out on half of the things in it to discover, or losing out on content due to completion order. Here’s my path to cover the “essentials” to track so you don’t miss anything as well as a list of Tips. There will be spoilers, some hidden until you click.

Tips

• Talk to everyone, read every book and paper, search every chest, crate, barrel, basket, burlap bag, and shelf (and rarely a vase).
• Keep communicating with your companions, even if they don’t indicate they have something to say.
• Paintings are worth a bit of cash, pick up everything that isn’t tied down, send all food to Camp unless you want to hold on to some for small bits of healing.
• You don’t have to be at a Sigil to fast travel to another Sigil, just bring up the Map and select it from the list.
• Buy at least one of every spell scroll so Gale (and player if a Wizard) can learn the spells.
• When talking with an NPC, you can click the Trade icon (if available) to trade with them. Some NPCs can only be traded with on your initial conversation.
• You can stop concentration on spells by (PC) clicking the icon to the lower left of the selected players taskbar.
• Long Rest to forward the passage of time. This allows more companion interactions, but may also make changes in the world.
• You can use Soap (Waukeen’s Rest) to clean up a character of blood and grime.
• When a character is downed (not dead) instead of walking to them and using Help, you can cast Healing Word or throw a healing potion to revive them from a distance.
• Use your environment. Platforms, ladders, and other items are destructable.
• Some books provide Inspiration for Gale/Sage background players. Save those books and only read them when you need the inspiration.
• After every Long Rest buff up your party with Hirelings. (Must be level 3, see Long Rest Buffs below)
• Use Elixirs that last per Long Rest (e.g. Bloodlust for Karlach, Heroism for Lae’zel, Peerless Focus or Arcane Cultivation for Gale, Wyll, and Shadowheart)
• Traders’ stock change as you level up, and they restock after a Long Rest or level up.
• Instead of drinking potions, like Feather Fall, throw them in the middle of your companions to effect them all.
• Bottles of water can be useful to wash off effects like Burning. Throw them NEAR your companions, you don’t have to hit them.
• Always interact with Traders with your character of highest Persuasion (caveat below).
• Barter with Traders you visit regularly (e.g. Arron, Dammon, Blurg, Derryth, Talli, Exxvikyap) and gift them gold to improve your relationship with them. The higher your level/experience, the more you have to give them (e.g. ~400gp at level 1, ~1000 at level 5, ~3600 at level 10) This only affects the character, not the whole party.
• BUG: Removing the companion from your party who has high attitude with traders, or changing Acts, will reset a Trader’s attitude, so always use Tav.
• If you have a Bard in your party always have Bardic Inspiration on all your party members.
• Remove Weapon Abilities from your action bar since they appear automatically when you select the weapon.
• Attacks of Opportunity only activate if you are wielding a melee weapon. Switching weapons does not take an action, so always switch to melee at the end of every turn (F key on PC).
• Examine enemies to see their resistances/weaknesses and abilities.
• Always have Guidance memorized on a character to help with ability checks.
• Set your Reactions to ASK so they don’t go off when you don’t want them to (e.g. Gale hitting Grym with his staff as he walks away).
• Any character class can use Scrolls.
• If every member of your party fails their Survival Check for hidden dirt mounds, you can still just dig the spot by using the Shovel.
• Torches can be wielded by anyone as weapons, and they can be dual-wielded.
• Dual Wielding has a toggle (R on PC) so you don't have to automatically use your off-hand on the same target.
• Weapon Enhancements (e.g. +1) apply to hit and damage.
• Jumping (a bonus action) can cover more distance then walking alone. Typically best to Jump first then walk the rest of the distance to ensure maximum travel.
• If you are having trouble interacting with something that moves too much (e.g. squirrel, flying book) switch to Turn-Based Mode.
• You can pick up more pouches and backpacks to organize your gear.
• Looting bodies and using doors does not take an action.
• When fighting Mephits use non-lethal damage so they don’t explode, or throw them at other enemies.
• Hire a Hireling that can cast Buff spells (Longstrider, Aid, etc.) and keep them in camp to recast every Long Rest.
• Carrying a candle with you can be helpful so you can light it and dip weapons in it (bonus action) for an additional 1d4 fire damage.
• Targeting can be done with the portrait list at the top of the screen. Also targeting different body parts may work when other parts are blocked.
• Ungroup your party in combat, so that when combat finishes they don't all walk to the active character through dangerous terrain.
• Some helpful/required items are not Orange bordered (or bordered at all!) and can be sold so be careful: Club of Hill Giant Strength, Filigreed Feywild Bell.
• Pass around the Club of Hill Giant Strength to your party members to allow them to jump further distances.
• BUG: Do not attempt to persuade companions to accept Illithid Powers unless they are in the active party, otherwise they won’t have Illithid Persuasion unlocked.
• On PC the buttons you place in the top row of the Custom Taskbar pane become assigned to the numbers 1-0.
• (PC) Tab key opens Party View which shows all characters’ inventory and you can move items between them across any distance, even during combat. If you move an Alchemy Pouch, Camp Supply Pack, or Keychain between characters it will pick up all uncollected items.
• (PC) Right click (Cancel Action) to stop a character from walking, like when they discover a trap. This should be automatic, but isn’t.
• (PC) Ctrl + Click on an equipment slot to see all party carried items that could go there.
• (PC) Alt + Click to Pink something in the environment to highlight it for other players in multiplayer.
• (PC) G key ungroups/regroups your party, O toggles Tactical Camera.
• (PC) Space bar takes everything when viewing inside a container.
• (PC) F10 toggles HUD, F1-4 to select character, Left ALT to highlight items.
• (PC) Left SHIFT key shows NPC fields of vision and puts you into vertical movement so you climb crates instead of interacting.

Checklists

This is for a primarily Good playthrough. With so many morally grey choices and options, it can be hard to experience everything in one playthrough, but I tried.

Prologue | Act I | Act II | Act III | Lower City

Spell List for Wizards | Long Rest Buffs