Baldur's Gate 3: Unleashing Your Intellect - Dominating Every Intelligence Skill
Discover the power of Intelligence Skills in Baldur's Gate 3! Uncover hidden truths and gain an edge with History, Nature, Religion, Arcana, and Investigation Learn how to master each skill for a truly immersive and strategic gaming experience
Highlights
Skills have a significant impact on gameplay, affecting a player's capabilities and knowledge.
Intelligence Skills such as History, Nature, Religion, and Arcana provide players with crucial information and insights that can guide their decisions and actions.
Skills like Investigation play a vital role in discovering concealed details and objects, making them an indispensable asset for players navigating a game brimming with intrigue and secrets.
Baldur's Gate 3 emphasizes the significance of decision-making by ensuring that every choice matters, including seemingly trivial ones. One of the most impactful choices occurs at the beginning during character creation, specifically the selection of Skills to be proficient in. Being proficient in a Skill increases the likelihood of success in related tasks and provides more options for utilizing that skill when relevant. Therefore, the player's choice of Skill proficiencies can have a significant impact on the game, altering their abilities and knowledge.
In the expansive world of Baldur's Gate 3, information plays a vital role. It can guide players' decisions, actions, and even provide alternative solutions to specific situations. This makes Intelligence Skills such as Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion appealing, practical, and rewarding for those who enjoy delving into the game's lore or desire to have a character with extensive knowledge. By understanding the usefulness of Intelligence Skills, players can make the most of their proficiencies.
5 History
How To Gain Proficiency
| Classes | Backgrounds | Feats |
|---|---|---|
| Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Warlock, Wizard | Noble, Sage | Skilled |
The ability to recall and apply knowledge of significant past events, trends, institutions, and people is known as History. It provides players with valuable insights into the story, offering additional information that can clarify and inform current events. Players are often drawn to exploring ancient locations and studying historical texts, making History an alluring skill.
However, History does not have much practical use for players. While it provides contextual knowledge about many things, it generally offers supplementary information that is intriguing and seemingly important, but does not have a significant impact beyond enhancing roleplay. Therefore, unless players have a desire to learn more about the world or embody a specific character archetype, it is advisable to avoid investing in History as it is captivating but not highly practical.
4 Nature
How To Gain Proficiency
| Classes | Backgrounds | Feats |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian, Bard, Druid, Ranger, Warlock | None | Skilled |
Nature is the ability to gather knowledge about the natural world, including different habitats, plants, animals, weather patterns, cycles, and other relevant details. Players can utilize this skill to recognize and comprehend the characteristics of a particular biome, as well as take note of its natural features. This information can be helpful in determining things that can either benefit or harm them. As players will spend most of their time in the wilderness, Nature is a valuable skill to possess.
In Baldur's Gate 3, understanding the dangers and resources of the natural world is vital, as players frequently venture into the wilderness. Being aware of what can pose a threat and what is harmless is crucial for survival, especially in harsh environments like the Underdark. The only limitation of this skill is that it may not be as significant or influential as other intelligence skills. Nevertheless, for those seeking to thrive in any environment, Nature is a reliable choice.
3 Religion
How To Gain Proficiency
| Classes | Backgrounds | Feats |
|---|---|---|
| Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Acolyte, Hermit | Skilled |
Knowledge of religion encompasses understanding the numerous divine beings that govern the world, including both well-known and obscure religions. This Skill empowers players with insights into the nature, influence, and historical background of gods and the religious beliefs associated with them. It delves into specific details regarding rituals, prayers, and sacred symbols. In the narrative of Baldur's Gate 3, the presence of deities, faith, religious orders, and cults holds significant importance, making Religion an intriguing and valuable choice.
Beyond providing interesting nuggets of information about gods, their realms, and their devotees, Religion also offers genuinely useful knowledge that proves beneficial in the long term. Players can utilize their understanding of divinity in various ways, such as deciphering the appropriate ritual required to unlock an artifact or leveraging knowledge of someone else's faith to exert influence. Religion is a valuable Skill that greatly enhances the immersive storytelling experience and interactions within the game world.
2 Arcana
How To Gain Proficiency
| Classes | Backgrounds | Feats |
|---|---|---|
| Bard (College of Lore), Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard | Sage | Skilled |
Arcana is the skill that allows individuals to possess knowledge of the mystical and supernatural aspects, such as spells, magical objects, and symbols. By utilizing this skill, players can identify and understand magical locations, items, creatures, and individuals, providing them with valuable information that can be advantageous in various situations. In Baldur's Gate 3, where magic plays a significant role in the storyline, having proficiency in Arcana is crucial.
The insights gained from Arcana often prove to be highly advantageous for players, helping them make informed decisions and avoiding potentially disastrous consequences, both immediate and long-term. This skill becomes particularly important when dealing with anything related to magic, as having the right knowledge can mean the difference between unleashing a terrifying supernatural entity or equipping a cursed magical item. Arcana is consistently useful and greatly benefits players.
1 Investigation
How To Gain Proficiency
| Classes | Backgrounds | Feats |
|---|---|---|
| Bard, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, Wizard | None | Skilled |
The talent of investigation involves identifying clues and hidden details, using them to make informed deductions. It can also help uncover hidden objects or features. This skill allows players to function as detectives, uncovering things that others may overlook. Baldur's Gate 3 is filled with intrigue and hidden details that may go unnoticed by the unobservant, making investigation a crucial skill for players.
Throughout Baldur's Gate 3, investigation proves to be consistently beneficial. It is used in the early stages of the game and continues to be useful thereafter. This skill plays a significant role in pivotal moments, such as discovering a hidden entrance to a forgotten ruin or deciphering important texts disguised by illusion. Without investigation, players may miss out on valuable opportunities and miss key elements of the story. As such, it is highly recommended to have this skill in most playthroughs.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC, with a PS5 release on September 6 and an Xbox launch to follow.
