Prepare to Shed Tears as You Take on the Challenging Difficulty of Baldur’s Gate 3

Which difficulty setting will you choose for Baldur’s Gate 3? If you’re considering Tactician, the most challenging mode, think again. In their final Panel From Hell before the release date, creative director Swen Vincke and senior combat designer Matt Holland discuss how the hardest difficulty will truly test your knowledge of the RPG game’s rules.

If you’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3 in early access, you’ve been using the default difficulty setting, Balanced. This provides a modest challenge without being overwhelming. For those who prefer a more storyline-focused and roleplaying experience with less combat difficulty, the player-friendly Explorer mode is available. However, if you’re feeling confident, Tactician is the way to go.

“That’s our hard mode,” says Holland, “the one that will truly challenge you in combat, and even outside combat in some aspects.” This difficulty setting affects the game on two levels. Firstly, it includes the standard enhancements such as increased enemy health, improved enemy accuracy, and ramped-up AI and decision-making. Secondly, Holland reveals that his team has added unique elements to every combat scenario to make them more difficult. To illustrate this, the team demonstrates an encounter with goblins in a small town. On Balanced difficulty, the encounter goes smoothly with only one character getting knocked down. However, on Tactician, the team faces strategically-placed oil and explosive barrels, as well as goblins equipped with flaming arrows, resulting in a much more perilous situation.

In addition to the challenging scenarios, players will face smarter enemies. Holland compares them to a Dungeon Master pushing players to their limits in a tabletop D&D game. These enemies will make more thoughtful decisions, targeting squishy characters at the back and breaking concentration spells. It’s a test of the player’s rules knowledge and ability to strategize. Vincke emphasizes the importance of knowing the ruleset and using every advantage available to avoid getting obliterated.

While Tactician may sound enticing, Vincke advises players to stick to the Balanced difficulty if they’re not prepared. He speaks from experience and acknowledges the possibility of players becoming frustrated and blaming the game if they dive into Tactician unprepared. With the game’s length spanning hundreds of hours, it’s crucial to choose a difficulty that matches your skill level. The video above provides a full discussion and demonstration of the difficulty settings for Baldur’s Gate 3.

Despite the challenges, Tactician showcases the team’s meticulous attention to detail and love for the game. This level of care is evident in the game’s overall design, including the rewriting of entire storylines. While I may not be ready for Tactician now, I look forward to testing my skills in the future. Before embarking on your grand adventure in Baldur’s Gate 3, take the time to study the different classes and ensure your PC meets the system requirements for optimal gameplay.