With the release of Patch 8, Baldur's Gate 3 has reached its final and most unforgiving form. Larian Studios' definitive Baldur's Gate 3 Patch brought sweeping quality-of-life improvements and balance tweaks, but more importantly, it gave players the final version of Honour Mode. This brutal challenge setting allows only one save file, meaning that any mistake, bad roll, or lapse in judgment could lead to a party wipe that ends the entire campaign.
Baldur's Gate 3' s Honour Mode transforms the game's celebrated freedom into a razor's edge. It asks players not just to survive, but to excel. It rewards careful planning, ruthless decision-making, and total mastery of the game's many interlocking systems. But even veterans may find themselves falling into the traps of old habits, sentimental roleplaying choices, or overconfidence. That's where the cardinal sins come in—the easily commitable mistakes that cost runs, companions, and ultimately, hours of what could have been an epic adventure. The following breakdown highlights the key roleplaying and gameplay pitfalls that can ruin a perfectly good Honour Mode run before it has a chance to shine.
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The Roleplaying Sins of Baldur's Gate 3's Honour Mode
While Honour Mode is known for its mechanical brutality, many of its most costly missteps begin in dialogue boxes and the camp. Honour Mode pushes players to interrogate their own decision-making, not just in combat, but in character creation and party dynamics. Roleplaying isn't a luxury in this mode; it's a system to be mastered, just like initiative order or terrain advantage. Tav or Durge aren't just avatars: they're tacticians, leaders, and diplomats whose choices can either open doors or close them forever. Understanding how roleplaying in BG3 contributes to survival is essential. Avoiding the sins below won't just preserve immersion, it'll save lives.
Avoiding these roleplay-focused sins requires embracing a new mindset: one that blends tactical optimization with in-character choices. It doesn't mean playing like a min-maxing automaton, but it does mean thinking ahead and roleplaying with consequence.
Cardinal Sin: Not Balancing the Party
A chaotic good-aligned sorcerer Tav going on a journey with Gale, Shadowheart, and Wyll may have a fun time on the road. However, by the time that this party of long-ranged and squishy fighters heads to combat, it might be a permanent Game Over. Parties scouting out the various Acts of Baldur's Gate 3 should have a good balance of tanks and support characters. Of course, players should feel free to choose whatever class they please, but they should also know that they may need to rotate their party to maximize protection and damage efficiency. Balanced party compositions in Baldur's Gate 3 should have 1 to 2 support characters and 2 to 3 tanks. Players should also consider whether these tanks or supports possess weapons and skills that make them proficient in long-range or melee combat.
As an added bonus, it's understandable that a player may want to always bring the character they are romancing along for the ride, as most camp companions in Baldur's Gate 3 are romanceable. Therefore, players tackling Honour Mode may wish to adopt an "opposites attract" mindset. A Wizard embracing the School of Enchantment may want to woo a tank like Lae'zel, while a strong Paladin with an Oath of Vengeance would pair well with a Rogue like Astarion.
Cardinal Sin: Committing to the Ethical Way Out
An Honour Mode run is unlikely to be suitable for a Tav or Durge that vows to always take the righteous path out of problems. Dire circumstances merit dire decisions, and the game is ripe with unethical decisions that might prove themselves as the best way to complete an Honour Mode run. From partnering with Gortash in Act 3 to not being immediately hostile at the goblin camp in Act 1, the measured way may be the best way to see the end of the adventure. Nice guys finish last, and players undertaking Honour Mode may want to keep that in mind.
Cardinal Sin: Playing a Silent Protagonist
In a regular playthrough, a mute Tav or minimal-intervention Durge might be harmless. With a limited Charisma stat, a runthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 may actually be hilarious. However, there's a reason why Charisma-based classes are popular in Baldur's Gate 3. And in Honour Mode, missing out on persuasion attempts, group dialogue options, and initiative-setting lines can cost players their singular save file. Silence isn't stoicism, but rather a lost opportunity to extricate the party from sticky situations that may lead to brutal combat. Roleplaying an aloof, quiet leader may work thematically, but the world of Faerun demands active engagement.
Cardinal Sin: Not Considering Using Illithid Powers
Understandibly, when a party afflicted by tadpole mindflayers is presented with the opportunity to consume more of those tadpoles, they may be hesitant. However, an experienced Baldur's Gate 3 player controlling said party's leader should know that illithid powers grant ridiculous buffs during combat and roleplay.
Some Tavs and Durges swear to resist the tadpole's siren call. But Honour Mode is not the place for restraint. Embracing illithid powers in BG3 leads to numerous rewards with (almost) no consequences. Encouraging other party members to answer the call of the occult can only make them stronger, too.
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Gameplay Sins Everyone Undertaking Honour Mode Should Avoid
Even the most immersive roleplayer can't get far in Honour Mode without mastering the core mechanics of Baldur's Gate 3. Every system, from combat positioning to inventory management, becomes exponentially more important when there's only one shot to get things right. Players who underestimate a particular area, forget to resupply, or overcommit to a fight will quickly see the "Game Over" screen.
But these are not mistakes solely born of inexperience. Often, they're habits carried over from less punishing playthroughs, where resurrection scrolls, supply packs, and save-scumming can erase disaster. Honour Mode strips those comforts away, exposing even minor missteps to fatal scrutiny. The sins below are easily committed, but just as easily avoided.
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Cardinal Sin: Not Planning Ahead
Players who undertake the colossal challenge of Honour Mode have likely beaten the game in Balanced or Tactician mode at least once. Therefore, they should be somewhat familiar with critical storybeats, areas to look out for, and the decisions that could lead them to a desired victory. The player undertaking Honour Mode would be wise to sit down and consider the ideal routes to take to ensure that their party is prepared for every scenario.
Cardinal Sin: Not Taking Act 1 Seriously
Some treat Act 1 as a glorified tutorial. This is a mistake. The threats in early-game locations like the Overgrown Ruins or Auntie Ethel's Riverside Teahouse can easily wipe out underleveled parties. Luckily, Baldur's Gate 3 is a masterclass in communicating dire stakes via a digital narrative. The first few hours of Baldur's Gate 3 transmit the party's discomfort effectively: from early-game rivalries to awful companion morals. To top it all off, the wilderness on the outskirts of the fallen Elturel is full of threats that can take an underleveled party down in a single swipe.
Cardinal Sin: Committing to Every Fight
Fleeing from a fight may not be an option for most players who are keen on grinding their way through. However, for a player navigating Honour Mode, it may be their one saving grace. In fact, fleeing is a combat pro-tip in BG3. An Honour Mode run should not be a completionist's run, but a run of optimization. Honour Mode isn't a competition for who can clear the most optional content. If a fight doesn't grant essential gear, experience, or story progression, skipping it is often the smarter play. Resource conservation is key, and unnecessary battles are a liability. If there are areas that are simply not worth exploring, players simply shouldn't bother. Running into a trap or a game-ending bug can jeopardize an Honour Mode attempt.
Cardinal Sin: Forgetting About Potions
Players who struggle with Baldur's Gate 3' s inventory management should make it easier on their packs by consuming the potions they horde throughout their journey. Inventory clutter often results in hoarding dozens of unused potions. But Honour Mode punishes the stingy. Those extra healing, resistance, or invisibility potions gathering dust might be the only reason a party lives to see the next cutscene. Honour Mode encourages proactive use, not just reactive panic.
Cardinal Sin: Giving Up
Honour Mode is a brutal lesson in trial and error. But it's also a uniquely rewarding challenge. By punishing sloppy habits and rewarding creative thinking, Honour Mode elevates the game to new heights while also highlighting the cardinal sins of playing Baldur's Gate 3 in general. It turns a sprawling RPG into a psychological trial, a game of chess against fate itself. The sins outlined above are not meant to shame; they're meant to guide. Honour Mode is not about perfection. It's about growth, grit, and gambling everything on one final roll of the die.
Most players will fail their run, but there's no shame in trying again. While a defeat in Honour Mode may be a wound to the ego, players who embrace their mistakes or bad luck will feel recharged to give their run another shot. The gold dice set will be worth the trouble of seeking that badge of Honour.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.
THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.
A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine.
- Genre(s)
- RPG
