Summary
- Baldur's Gate 3 offers players the freedom to choose their adventure, whether they prefer roleplay or tactical combat.
- Players who want a greater challenge can try the hardest difficulty mode, Tactician, which increases enemy HP and intelligence.
- Self-imposed rules like no save scumming, no crime, no magic playthrough, or going solo without companions can make the game more challenging and immersive.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that gives the players plenty of freedom regarding the adventure they have. While some players prefer to heavily lean into roleplay within the game, others enjoy the tactical challenge of Baldur's Gate 3's fantastic combat system and complex choice mechanics.
Baldur’s Gate 3: 7 Best Non-Origin Characters
Fans will meet plenty of non-origin characters throughout their Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough. These are some of the best.
However, if the most hardcore fans aren't satisfied with the game's difficulty and wish to challenge themselves further, there are a few ways to make BG3 harder with self-imposed rules and restrictions.
7 Play On Tactician Mode
Although it may be obvious, it is worth pointing out that Baldur's Gate 3 has three difficulty modes to choose from, with Tactician being the hardest out of these. Tactician mode makes the game harder in many ways, from increasing the HP of all enemies to making them fight smarter, and even doubling the amount of camp supplies required to long rest.
With a +2 chance to hit and the intelligence to aim for low AC targets, enemies will hit their attacks and spells more often too. With this in mind, players might need to talk their way out of a few fights.
6 No Save Scumming
"Save scumming" or saving before a decision to reload the save if the outcome doesn't go in the player's favor, is not only bad for roleplay in Baldur's Gate 3 but also makes the game easier.
Baldur's Gate 3: Best Light Armor (& How To Get Them)
For gamers who prefer a stealthy play style in Baldur's Gate 3, these light armor pieces are among the best gear available.
This is particularly true for Ability Checks where players have to roll a d20 to persuade someone or pick a lock, for example. To truly challenge themselves, players can forbid themselves from reloading and instead deal with the consequences of failure. By rolling with the dice, new challenges and opportunities will present themselves.
5 No Crime
Committing crimes such as pickpocketing, and murdering innocent NPCs for their loot can make games such as Baldur's Gate 3 easier, especially when it is done in an unrealistic way with players filling up massive inventories.
For a harder playthrough, players can forbid themselves from committing any crimes, which will not only mean they get less loot and have access to less money, but it will also lock them out of certain gameplay options. Players can even tie their crimeless spree in with roleplay, perhaps taking on the role of an honorable paladin with upstanding morals.
4 A No Magic Playthrough
One way to make BG3 harder is to attempt a no magic playthrough, perhaps roleplaying as a character who has a deep hatred for sorcery due to their past. Instead of relying on spells and enchanted gear, players will have to equip themselves with the best melee weapons or ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows.
With no access to healing via spells, players will need to manage their healing potions better and rely on both short and long rests. The avoidance of magic shouldn't be confined to combat, with players also not allowed to unlock doors or chests with spells.
3 Increase Difficulty With Mods
There are many great Baldur's Gate 3 mods available to PC players and some of these aim to increase the difficulty of the game for those who need that extra challenge. Mods such as Tactician Plus further enhance the defensive stats of all enemies and give players control over other stats so that they can tune the difficulty more finely to suit their needs.
Baldur's Gate 3: Best Heavy Armor (& How To Get Them)
For the best defense in Baldur's Gate 3, players should seek out these particular pieces of Heavy Armor.
At the end of the day, BG3 should be played however individuals want, and mods give players the ability to do precisely that. Players should always make sure to read the instructions for downloading and using any mods extremely carefully.
2 A No Death Run
Easily one of the hardest challenges in any game is to attempt a no-death run, where players must start from scratch if they ever die instead of going back to the last save. As there are a few other ways to achieve a game over in Baldur's Gate 3 this also includes avoiding those instances of failure too.
This is certainly no easy feat and players must play with extreme caution, preparing thoroughly for every fight and prioritizing defense. They can also rely on companions to soak damage or take risks.
1 Go Solo With No Companions
Companions in Baldur's Gate 3 are a core part of the experience and help players beat the game. However, for a true challenge, players can shun all help offered to them and try to beat Baldur's Gate 3 solo. With party sizes of up to four, this means losing out on three health pools and three sets of attacks, abilities, and actions.
To even attempt a solo playthrough, players will need an extremely high understanding of the game, and they must optimize all aspects of their build. Playing as the Dark Urge can make sense for this challenge and will even provide some helpful buffs.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
