Best Difficulty Settings and Differences

Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) offers five different difficulty modes called Explorer, Balanced, Tactician, Honor, and Custom. Read on to learn more about the differences between each difficulty setting as well as the best difficulty to play on for your playthrough!

Difficulty Setting Differences in Baldur's Gate 3

Explorer Allows You to Enjoy the Story

Explorer Difficulty Features
+2 Proficiency Bonus at the Start of the Game Up to 40% Gold Discount from Vendors Party Members Have More HP All NPCs have less HP Easier Combat Encounters

Explorer difficulty is the Baldur's Gate 3 experience for players who are in it primarly for the story. Simply put, Explorer difficulty offers easier combat and faster ways to get Gold so that players can focus on roleplaying rather than gaming during their playthrough.

When playing on Explorer difficulty, you will get a higher proficiency bonus (+4 at level 1), easier skill checks, discounted prices from vendors, increased HP scaling for your party, and decreased HP for all NPCs in the game (yes, even the friendly ones).

Balanced is the Base DnD Experience

Explorer Difficulty Features
Regular Proficiency Bonus Scaling No Gold Discounts Party Members Have Regular HP Scaling NPCs have the Normal Amount of HP Combat is Challenging but Not Punishing

Players who enjoy the lows as much as the highs will feel right at home when playing on the Balanced difficulty setting. This is the base difficulty for Baldur's Gate 3, offering a true DnD experience where your wins and losses hinge on that one crucial dice throw.

Basically, Balanced difficulty is Explorer with all of the benefits removed. HP scaling is normal, vendors only give discounts if they like you, and combat pits you against enemy AI that are competent but not overly punishing.

HP and Hit Dice Guide

Tactician is a Campaign With a Brutal Ruleset

Tactician Difficulty Features
Regular Proficiency Bonus Scaling 30% Increase in Prices from Vendors Party Members Have Regular HP Scaling All NPCs have more HP Enemy AI Punishes You for Mistakes in Combat

If you're looking for a challenge then Tactician difficulty will probably be the setting for you. In this mode, combat will be much more brutal as the enemy AI will be much more responsive, punishing you for your mistakes by always going in for the kill. If you end a turn beside a high ledge for example, you best believe one of your foes will try to shove you.

On top of the increased combat difficulty, Tactician will also bump up the vendor's prices as well as the hit points of all NPCs in the world. In this mode, you will be truly challenged to get creative since, more often than not, your party will always be on the back foot if you decide to settle scenarios via combat.

Honor is for the Most Experienced Players

Honor Mode Difficulty Features
Bosses are Stronger and Have Legendary Actions Stricter Rules for Action Economy and Bonuses Single Save File

Honor Mode, which was introduced in Patch 5, ups the difficulty past Tactician. This is meant to provide the hardest challenge to the most seasoned players as enemies are stronger and gameplay is slightly tweaked. There are also no do-overs, as you can't reload older saves with the single save file.

Honor Mode Changes and Rewards

Custom Mode

Custom Mode, also added in Patch 5, allows for more flexibility to adjust difficulty as you can change options to suit the experience you want. Some options include the ablility to hide the required roll for dice checks and the ability to hide enemy HP. However, you cannot adjust the options after you've started a game in custom mode anymore.

Custom Mode Options

Does the Difficulty Affect the Story?

No, Difficulty Does Not Affect the Story

Your chosen difficulty setting will not affect the overall story of Baldur's Gate 3. However, since dialogue and skill checks lean towards success on Explorer compared to Balanced and Tactician, do expect some slightly varied conversations and outcomes when playing on a higher difficulty.

Are There Difficulty Achievements?

Tactician Mode has an Achievement

Critical Hit	Complete the Game in Tactician Mode.

The Tactician difficulty has a Steam achievement tied to it. Players aiming to get this achievement should probably avoid switching difficulties mid-game so as not to affect their saves partway through their run. Once you finish the game on Tactician, you will get the achievement, Critical Hit.

Honor Mode Rewards a Special Dice

Foehammer	Complete the Game in Honor Mode.

Completing Honor Mode rewards the Foehammer achievement and a special Golden D20 dice that can be used in succeeding playthroughs.

Update 5 Patch Notes

Baldur's Gate 3 Related Guides

Baldur's Gate 3 Beginner's Guide