Mastering the Challenges of Baldur's Gate 3: Unraveling the Best Difficulty Option

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Balanced Difficulty Is The "Default" Setting

Tactician is exclusively aimed at the most skilled players.

Baldur's Gate 3 introduces three difficulty levels catering to players with varying skill levels and preferences in this immersive RPG. These three difficulties, Easy, Normal, and Hard, follow the standard gaming conventions but offer distinct challenges and enhancements in each mode.

The Balanced difficulty, as its name suggests, is where most players will feel comfortable. However, combat in Explorer difficulty is significantly more forgiving as it focuses primarily on the game's story. Tactician, on the other hand, goes beyond simple Health and damage boosts for enemies. One could argue that Tactician difficulty aims to enhance the strategic aspect of Baldur's Gate 3 combat.

Explorer Difficulty Keeps Things Simple, With A Tradeoff

"A narrative experience placing story before combat."

The first difficulty setting in Baldur's Gate 3 is Explorer. This setting has two main effects: enemies have lower HP and all party members have a higher chance to hit on attacks. However, the drawback is that players are not able to multiclass in Explorer difficulty.

Multiclassing is a powerful way to increase one's abilities in Baldur's Gate 3, particularly for players who understand optimization. Unfortunately, in Explorer mode, all party members must stick to a single class. However, once players become familiar with the game's combat, they can change the difficulty to Balanced at any time to take advantage of this unique feature.

Balanced Difficulty Is The "Default" Setting

"Experience a well-balanced journey packed with thought-provoking decisions."

New players to Baldur's Gate 3, or those unfamiliar with the Dungeons and Dragons style RPG genre, are encouraged to start with the Explorer difficulty for the tutorial section. This will allow them to familiarize themselves with the game mechanics before transitioning to Balanced, which offers a more challenging experience.

Players familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, the Baldur's Gate games, and tactical RPGs will easily navigate Balanced mode. Combat is impartial, and enemies do not introduce new strategies compared to Explorer Mode. Opt for Balanced mode to fully immerse yourself in the intended game experience.

For those seeking a greater challenge, Tactician difficulty awaits.

Tactician Is Only For The Most Skilled Players

"An intense campaign that focuses on strategic combat."

The transition from Explorer to Balanced difficulty is moderately challenging, with enemies having increased HP and lower chances of hitting. In contrast, the jump from Balanced difficulty to Tactician is significant.

Enemies in Tactician mode not only have increased HP, but the fights themselves also undergo significant changes. More enemies join the battles, there are additional environmental hazards to be cautious of, and to exacerbate matters, enemies adopt new combat strategies, such as targeting spellcasters and aiming to outright kill their adversaries rather than merely incapacitating them.

When opting for Tactician mode, be prepared for an arduous challenge. This most difficult difficulty level in BG3 is not suitable for the faint-hearted or even players who consider themselves proficient at the game. Tactician difficulty provides a completely distinct combat experience, one that is intended solely for seasoned veterans of Larian Studios' CRPG games and experts in the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition ruleset.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available for PC, and is set to release on PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023.