Mastering the Art of Jumping in Baldur's Gate 3: Level Up Your Gameplay!

Baldur's Gate 3 belongs to a subgenre of RPGs that prioritizes character development and exploration. Unlike most games in this genre, which do not involve jumping like platformers, Baldur's Gate 3 is an exception. In this game, every character has the ability to jump at any given moment. Jumping is crucial for accessing new areas, discovering treasure chests, and avoiding danger.

Unfortunately, the game's tutorial only covers the fundamentals of jumping and fails to explain the importance of this mechanic or how it functions on uneven surfaces. This guide aims to address these gaps and provide players with a basic understanding of jumping in Baldur's Gate 3.

Jumping Around

The Jump button is located in the "Common" section of the toolbar, providing players with a convenient and valuable ability. By default, the hotkey for Jump is Z on the PC. As a bonus action, jumping consumes 10 feet of movement speed. All characters can jump a minimum distance of 15 feet, while those with a higher Strength score can jump up to 30 feet with 20 Strength. This additional distance proves beneficial in combat, allowing players to approach enemies more closely. It is also possible to enhance jump distance through spells such as Jump or the monk's Step of the Wind ability.

Upon selecting Jump, the active character is surrounded by a white circle, indicating their jump range from the current position. However, players have the option to click on a location outside the circle, instructing the character to run towards that spot and subsequently jump. It is important to note that characters will follow this command regardless of potential hazards, even if it means running into lava or other dangerous obstacles. Although characters typically avoid such dangers automatically, direct orders from players override this behavior.

To prevent this problem, players should pause for a moment before instructing a character to jump. Before leaping, the character will be highlighted at the starting point. In addition, players should be able to visualize a clear path from the jump's takeoff to landing, ensuring there are no obstacles obstructing the trajectory.

It is important to remember that characters can only jump onto locations marked by black outlines on the map, although they can traverse the spaces in between these areas. Occasionally, a jump will be necessary to progress further in the game.

Jumping Down and Falling Damage

Characters have the ability to jump both vertically and horizontally, regardless of the difference in height between their starting and ending points. Jumping downwards allows them to cover impressive distances, although landing too far below can result in death.

Similar to horizontal jumps, the maximum height a character can jump is determined by their Strength score. The same principle applies to vertical jumps, with the distance increasing as the destination gets lower. This will be visually represented as a expanding circle as the cursor moves to a lower position. Fortunately, the circle will not decrease in size when players choose a higher spot.

However, characters also incur falling damage based on the distance of their descent and may also fall prone upon landing. A proficient Acrobatics skill can mitigate this damage and enable the character to remain standing after landing. Additionally, the spell Feather Fall can completely negate falling damage for a duration of one minute, while the Monk ability Slow Fall significantly reduces this damage more efficiently than Acrobatics. Apart from these considerations, falling damage is consistent for all characters.

As players become accustomed to the concept of jumping in Baldur's Gate 3, they will begin searching the map meticulously for highlighted areas that are just beyond easy access. By harnessing the full potential of jumping mechanics, players can uncover various valuable rewards.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on macOS, PC, and Stadia.