Baldur's Gate 3 has generated its fair share of myths since its release, but it doesn't take too much work to prove many of them wrong. As a role-playing game attempting to emulate the Dungeons & Dragons experience of infinite possibilities, Baldur's Gate 3 features a wide variety of unique ways to interact with its world. Consequently, it's not very surprising that room for misconceptions arises easily, but that doesn't mean that they should be allowed to linger.
Many Baldur's Gate 3 myths can prevent players from exploring all the game's possibilities, instilling a fear of repercussions for taking certain approaches that may not actually have consequences. Others do the opposite, establishing a safety net that isn't actually there. Some of the biggest myths have been disproved by notable YouTubers, while others can be debunked in different ways. Knowing which common impressions of the game are actually founded on nothing helps unlock the full potential of a Baldur's Gate 3 campaign while avoiding certain frustrating pitfalls.
Related: Baldur's Gate 3 Review In Progress
10 Targeting Invisible Enemies
Enemies turning invisible in the middle of combat can make for a frustrating encounter, seemingly rendering many attacks useless without a See Invisibility potion. The go-to response is often to whip out a convenient AOE spell and cast it in the estimated vicinity of the enemy, revealing their location when they hopefully take damage from the attack. If the party already has a good read on the location, however, it's actually possible to hit invisible enemies with standard ranged attacks as shown by Proxy Gate Tactician on YouTube (who's also busted some the other myths below), although melee swings will still miss their target.
9 Party Locking
One holdover from the Early Access of Baldur's Gate 3 is the idea that the game enforces a party lock after Act 1, where players have to select a specific roster for the party and proceed with that group. This is a Divinity: Original Sin feature that was initially intended for the game, but was ultimately removed before launch. Although it's easy to clear up this specific point of confusion, it's still a bit of outdated information that new players can come across occasionally (as are some articles mentioning quest rewards or elements that were changed after early access).
Related: Baldur's Gate 3 Is Going To Fix Its Worst Party Mechanic
8 Closing The Druid's Grove
The story involving the Druid's Grove in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 presents itself as a time-sensitive situation. The druids are actively working on forcing tiefling refugees back out on the road and closing the grove with a spell, making the need to save the tieflings apparently urgent. However, it's actually possible to take as many long rests as needed in Act 1, as no random rests will trigger the closing of the grove. This point of no return can only be achieved through story events, most notably continuing to the nearby mountain pass that leads to Act 2.
7 Stealing With Disguise Self
The spell disguise self seems like it could be a cheat code to pickpocketing in Baldur's Gate 3, as flipping between appearances might throw any onlookers off of the scent. Although it is possible to steal surreptitiously, success actually has nothing to do with disguise self. Any scenario where a guard would confront a character remains the same when swapping a look back out. Disguise self still has many uses in the game, as there are plenty of scenarios where looking like someone else is much to the party's benefit, but common thievery simply isn't one of them.
6 Dark Urge Limitations
The Dark Urge Origin option can come with some key points of confusion — for example, the misconception that it has to be the white dragonborn shown as the default option — but the cons of the Dark Urge aren't as widespread as often believed. A common myth is that the murderous impulses that plague the Dark Urge make it an option that only works well for an evil playthrough, which is far from the truth. Impulses can generally be resisted, and happily accepting a murder hobo approach arguably makes for a less interesting campaign than a struggle toward the light.
Related: One Origin Character Feels Like Baldur’s Gate 3’s Intended Main Character
5 Karmic Dice
Karmic dice are another feature where the early access plans are still touted as truth, but to a much greater degree than party locking. When karmic dice were first implemented, they balanced both ends of the scale, curbing streaks of successful rolls as well as failed ones. In the launch version of the game, however, they only kick in to prevent failure streaks. This can still occasionally work against the player by limiting enemy failures in combat, but successes for any characters simply aren't touched with karmic dice.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Should You Turn Karmic Dice On Or Off?
4 Enemies Picking Up Weapons
It's easy to assume that disarming Baldur's Gate 3 enemies will reduce their combat potential for the rest of the battle, as foes don't tend to spend an action re-equipping dropped weapons. However, this isn't actually a hard rule, as enemies are perfectly happy to put something back in their hand if they have no other action to take. This scenario doesn't arise often enough to be particularly relevant, meaning there isn't usually a rush to grab dropped weapons, but it is an aspect of enemy behavior that many might not expect.
3 Mage Hand Equipping Weapons
Another thing that's often assumed to be a hard rule is the idea that mage hands can't wield weapons in Baldur's Gate 3, as the game typically lacks any option to make this happen. It is, however, occasionally possible to pick up a sword, crossbow, or the like with a mage hand and swing it at enemies. This typically occurs with special items that show a gear icon instead of a gauntlet when highlighted by a cursor. If the mage hand goes away while the item is equipped, however, the item will as well.
It's all too easy to burn through thieves' tools and trap disarm toolkits in Baldur's Gate 3, especially if unaware of the potential to break open chests the violent way. Dungeon-crawling comes with plenty of hazards and loot alike, and failures can burn through resources quickly. Successes, however, don't actually use up thieves' tools or trap disarm toolkits, a feature easily noted by examining the amount in an inventory but generally unclear otherwise. Consequently, a character with relevant proficiencies and perhaps some equipment boosts or guidance shouldn't feel too concerned about wasting kits on low DC checks, as only critical failures are likely to expend anything.
1 Breaking Chests
There are several ways to open locked chests in Baldur's Gate 3, from lockpicking to spellcasting, or simply using the appropriate key. A notably less subtle method, however, is to break them open with a heavy weapon, a feat that requires no resources beyond brute strength and the weapon itself. This can seem like it would destroy some of the contents inside, lessening the value of a haul, but items in chests remain the same regardless of the method used for opening. If Karlach is around for the chests, feel free to save the lockpicking kits and spell slots for real challenges in Baldur's Gate 3.
Source: Proxy Gate Tactician/YouTube