Across the story ofBaldur’s Gate 3, skill checks are the main way that the player character interacts with the world.There are 18 skills in the game, the same as inDungeons & Dragons,and depending on player choices, they will come up as prompts during exploration and dialogue. Players can choose when building their characters which skills to be proficient in, giving them a higher chance of succeeding when using them. Certain classes can even develop expertise in specific skills, making it a near certainty they will pass related checks.
The 18 skills range from things like athletics and stealth to knowledge of religion and the arcane or even how well a character can communicate with others. And though each skill has its uses, they are not equal in terms of how useful they are inBaldur’s Gate 3. Some skill checks come up extremely often, while others are niche at best and hardly ever appear. Here arefive skills worth prioritizing in any run, and five better left ignored.
10Animal Handling Can Be Helpful, But There Are Other Ways Of Dealing With Beasts
A Skill That Has A Ton Of Alternatives
Animal handling certainly has uses, especiallyfor characters with high wisdom and low charisma. Most commonly, this skill is used when interacting with beasts to either prevent them from attacking the party or get them to become allies.Baldur’s Gate 3has many animals in its maps that can be helpful when coaxed this way.
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The issue is that many alternatives exist to using animal handling; particularly, using a spell or potion ofspeak with animals. This can make characters capable of communicating directly with animals, which canbypass animal handling checks completely or turn them into charisma checks.Charisma-related skills are much more useful in general, and sincespeak with animalsis a ritual spell that can be cast without cost, it makes more sense to speak with animals using magic than invest in this skill.
9Insight Can Help Players Figure Out Who To Trust
A Rather Common Check That Yields Critical Information
A different wisdom-based skill, insight, is much more worth taking. Insight checks come up fairly frequently in dialogue, especially when speaking with untrustworthy characters. It’s a skill that is largely used todetermine the real intentions or meaning of another’s wordsand generally applies to a character’s ability to discover the truth of a situation. It’s a necessary skill in a game likeBG3, wheremany of the enemiesare charismatic and deceitful.
Much likespeak with animalsbeing used to get around certain animal handling checks,detect thoughtscan circumvent certain insight checks. However,detect thoughtsis second-level rather than first, requires concentration, and has potentially negative consequences should it fail.
Admittedly, there are other checks that come up more often than insight on a regular basis. Butthe consequences of insight checks are often severe, and succeeding a check can save the party the hassle of being betrayed or misled by NPCs. Players certainly won’t regret investing in insight, since it really comes in handy at certain moments.
8Religion Does Not Come Up Often
Outside Of Quests For Certain Origin Characters, This Skill Can Be Ignored
Many of the skills associated with intelligence, such as arcana and nature, are useful in specific scenarios when they reveal information about the world. They can help players figure howthe lore of Faerunfits in with their specific quests, and religion does occasionally help to solve some mysteries. Butof the intelligence skills, religion is the one that is most often just for the sake of worldbuildingrather than for solving puzzles or progressing.
There are a few cases, such as in the owlbear’s lair or during quests for Shadowheart, where religion checks can be helpful. But the game also includes a lot of characters who already have religious knowledge and are willing to share it, meaning there are often other ways to learn about Faerun’s deities. Andthe skill gets less useful on repeated playthroughs,unlike other checks that maintain their utility. All in all, it’s one of the more niche skills in terms of when it actually comes in handy.
7Athletics Applies More In Combat Than Any Other Skill
Strength In General Plays An Important Role
Of the ability scores that characters possess, strength is one of the most underrated. It only has one skill check tied to it, that being athletics, and dexterity can often be used instead when it comes to determining weapon damage. But strength inBaldur’s Gate 3also determines several other things, like carrying capacity, jump distance, and perhaps most importantly,strength determines a character’s ability to shove.
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Shoving creatures inBG3is a bonus action, making it a great option to move enemies around without using up a character’s turn. Athletics determines bothhow far a character can shove a creature or object and the odds that the shove will be a success to begin with.In addition, athletics can determine how well a character can resist being shoved, which is important when it comes to not getting thrown off ledges. While there may not be many dialogue checks involving athletics, it’s incredibly important in combat.
6Performance Is Underwhelming Compared To Other Charisma Skills
Even Bards Probably Shouldn’t Worry About This One
Charisma pertains to some of the most important and common skill checks in the entire game, but performance is not one of them. Not only are performance checks rather rare, but they rarely have important consequences. In general, the stat determines how well a character can perform instrumentally or theatrically. In practice, however,other checks often supersede it during interactions.
All the other charisma skills are super impactful and arguably the most important in the game, but since they tend to be available at the same time when they come up, they can be grouped together.
For instance,in many cases where a performance check could be made, the game offers deception or persuasioninstead. In aD&Dgame, the player might have some more leeway in terms of which check they use during situations where multiple could apply, but without a dungeon master’s discretion,BG3cannot afford that same luxury. The only time that performance is really used by most players iswhen theyplay an instrument, something that is fun yet has little mechanical impact.
5Perception Is Vital For Surviving Traps And Tricks
A Passive Skill That Comes Up In Almost Every Area
While many skill checks are made actively by the player, many more happen passively as they explore the world and pass by interactive objects.None come up more often than the perception skill,which is used to notice hazards and hidden treasures in the area. Perception could help the party find some loot tucked away in a corner, a button to activate a secret door, or a spike trap they’re moments away from stepping in.
While certain things that perception picks up on can just be interacted with regardless if players know where they are, otherscannot be seen or touched until a perception check is succeeded. Many mines and pressure plates will not be available to disarm until characters successfully spot them. The same goes for enemies lying in ambush, which perception can help players to avoid.
4Acrobatics Has The Fewest Associated Checks In The Game
A Skill That Sees Very Little Of The Spotlight
Of all the skill checks inBaldur’s Gate 3, acrobatics comes up least often. It has hardly any active prompts during dialogue or exploration, and it barely has use during combat. Essentially,it can sub in for athletics when it comes to resisting being shoved.That’s it.
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In almost any other scenario where an acrobatics check may be warranted,the game instead uses a dexterity saving throw or an athletics check. The only consistent use for acrobatics is to keep low-strength characters from being moved about the map against their will. Beyond that, this skill is virtually useless.
3Sleight Of Hand Is Essential For Using Certain Tools
Picking Locks And Disabling Traps Is Impossible Without This Skill
In terms of dialogue and character interactions, sleight of hand will hardly ever be used. But this skill is powerful in a way no other skill is, becauseit pertains to the use of boththieves' toolsandtrap disarm toolkits. There’s an enormous supply of locked doors and chests inBaldur’s Gate 3,with much of the game’s best loot behind them. Having a character with a reliable sleight of hand skill is essential in any playthrough
This is whereBG3differs a good deal fromD&D5th edition, which normally has a specific kind of check for characters using tools. Butthis does make sleight of hand much betterthan it would normally be. Plus, it’s askill that improves pickpocketing, a technique that can give players some great equipment for free if used on the right vendors.
2Survival Is Made Useless By A Certain Game Mechanic
A Skill That Doesn’t Matter On Repeat Playthroughs
Much like perception, survival is a skill that works mostly passively, with checks happening as players move around the map. It is used to find buried treasure troves, which can be dug up and looted. The loot is typically modest, but it’s nice to get those little boosts of money and supplies sometimes. The thing is thatit’s entirely unnecessary to succeed on survival checks to find these chests.
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That’s because, at least in the default rules,the game tells players when they fail a check while exploring. They get a notification whenever they fail a survival check, which ironically, tells them that they have just passed by buried treasure. All they need to do is pull out a shovel and dig around near where they failed. Even for players that turn off these notifications, the chests are always in the same places. On repeat playthroughs, it’s as easy as remembering where one was and digging it up. There’s no reason to put any effort into improving this skill.
1Persuasion Is The Best Of The Charisma Skills
The Single Most Important Skill In The Game
Beyond every other skill, persuasion is used to make the most skill checks throughout the game ofBaldur’s Gate 3. It’s the most common way the game presents to convince another character to take a course of action or let the player do something, and as such,the stakes of these checks are often pretty important.They can save money, lives, and evenavoid entire parts of quests.
There is a big caveat here in thatboth intimidation and deception checks are also super important and made constantly. These three skills combined have more associated checks than pretty much every other skill added up. But of the three, persuasion is the one that gets made the most and has the least negative consequences on a failure, earning it its spot as a standout among all the skills inBaldur’s Gate 3.
