Difficulty

Baldur's Gate 3 has five difficulty settings to choose from, in increasing difficulty order: Explorer, Balanced, Tactician, Honour - and a Custom mode which lets you tweak various gameplay elements.

Selecting A Difficulty

When you start a new game, you will be prompted to select a difficulty.

You also may change the difficulty after starting a game by using the menu and clicking on 'Difficulty'. The changes to statistics by modifying the difficulty are immediate.

Explorer

Explorer is the least difficult setting. In comparison to the Balanced difficulty setting, Explorer has:

• All Enemies Maximum Health decreased by 30%.
  • In comparison to Tactician, where enemies have almost twice (x1.9) as much max HP as Explorer enemies.

• Party characters receive a 100% bonus to hit points.
• Items purchased from a merchant are at a 20% discount.
• All characters (including enemies) proficiency bonuses are increased by 2.
• Some turn-limited combat gives you additional turns making the encounter easier.
  • Iron Throne is an example of this where you'll be given 8 rounds to solve the problem rather than 5 rounds at the other difficulty settings.
• Multiclassing is not allowed on Explorer difficulty. Multiclass levels previously gained will stay if the difficulty is lowered to Explorer.
  • This makes the Jack of All Trades achievement (multiclass into all the 12 classes on a single character) unobtainable.

Balanced

This middle ground of the other two difficulties, this is considered the game's standard setting to which the other three are compared.

Tactician

Tactician is the second highest difficulty setting. In comparison to the Balanced difficulty setting, Tactician has:

• All NPC's Maximum Health increased
  • This applies to most temporary companions as well.
  • Most changes are between 20%-30%, with many "boss" enemies seeing larger boosts.

• More aggressive enemy NPC behavior, such as targeting spellcasters more often and attempting to finish off downed characters.
  • This could also be somewhat beneficial as they end up triggering attack of opportunity reactions more frequently.
• Some enemies will gain special attacks and/or passive features that are not present in the other difficulties.
  • Examples from the Prologue: Intellect Devourers gain a ranged psychic attack, Cambions can cast Fire Bolt, Commander Zhalk can attack twice.
• All non-party characters receive modifiers that when examined are noted as "Difficulty: Tactician" in the combat log.
  • All enemies gain +2 to attack rolls and +2 DC to their spells and abilities.
  • Other modifiers can be additional attack rolls, AC, resistances, better saving throws and sometimes unique modifiers that are not present in the other difficulties.
• Camp Supplies requirements for a Long Rest increased from 40 to 80. Insufficient camp supplies rules remain the same (restore half HP and half your spell slots rounded down).
• At stores, the baseline attitude bonus for discounting is reduced, making items cost more to purchase and sell for less.

Honour

Honour is the highest difficulty setting. In comparison to the Tactician difficulty setting, Honour has:

• 30 new tweaks to all of Baldur's Gate 3’s boss-fights, giving bosses new Legendary Actions
• Stricter action economy and damage bonuses in as the game progresses.
• Players only gets a single save for the entire campaign, with many special conditions:
  • The save file cannot be loaded, outside the main menu.
  • If the player returns to the main menu, the game will override the save.
  • If the player quits the game, the game will override the save.
  • If the player alt+f4's, the game will override the save.
  • Quicksaves will override the save.
  • Autosaves will override the save.
  • If the player dies and choses to restart the campaign, the game will override the save.
• When the entire party dies, the player is presented with two choices:
  • Continue the campaign in Custom mode, which ends Honour Mode.
  • Restart the campaign.

Rewards

Players who beat the game in Honour Mode receive several rewards:

• An in-game Golden D20 die skin.
• The new Foehammer achievement.

Custom

Custom difficulty lets the player tweak various gameplay elements to their liking, such as:

• Use Honour Mode's single save system.
  • You cannot load saves outside the main menu.
  • The game will override the save the same as in Honour Mode.
  • Unlike in Honour Mode, you can reload the save if your party dies.
    • It is possible to brick your campaign if you save before a wipe, with no way to escape death!
• Enemy Aggression: Adjust how dangerous enemy combatants will be in combat.
  • Explorer: Enemies will not be as ruthless in combat.
  • Balanced: Enemies will provide a balanced challenge.
  • Tactician: Enemies will attack ruthlessly and efficiently.
• Character Power: Adjust how powerful players, allies and enemies are by modifying their bonuses to rolls and how hard they are to kill.
  • Explorer: Friendly characters will be stronger and harder to kill in combat.
  • Balanced: Keeps enemies and allies alike at the same level of strength.
  • Tactician: Hostile characters will be stronger and harder to kill in combat.
• Enemy Loadouts: Adjust the items and spells enemies will have access to in combat.
  • Explorer: Enemies will only have access to basic spells and items.
  • Balanced: Enemies will use a variety of spells and items in combat.
  • Tactician: Enemies will employ advanced spells and items in combat.
• Aditional Combat Mechanics: Change the difficulty of combats by adjusting how many new mechanics or enemies are added to certain fights.
  • Explorer: No details
  • Balanced: No details
  • Tactician: No details
• Proficiency Bonus: Increase the proficiency bonus of all characters - reducing the impact of random rolls. This will impact game balance.
  • Range: -1x - 4x
• Enemy Critical Hits: Enemies will be able to score Critical Hits.
  • On or Off
• No Death saving Throws: Enable to stop player characters dying at 0 hit points. They will be stabilised until Helped.
  • On or Off
• Disable Free First Strikes: Harming a character before combat starts will cost you one attack or action on your first turn in initiative.
  • On or Off

Example of Difficulty Changes

One named 4th level enemy in Act 1's statistics change the following across the three difficulties:

• Explorer Difficulty: 46hp, +4 Proficiency Bonus
• Balanced Difficulty: 67hp, +2 Proficiency Bonus
• Tactician Difficulty: 87hp, +2 Proficiency Bonus, additional +2 Difficulty: Tactician bonus to attack rolls.

Achievements

Critical Hit
Complete the game in Tactician mode.

Foehammer
Complete the game in Honour mode.