Playing BG3 as a lone wolf can be a fun challenge once you know the game well. It’s certainly possible to finish it solo with the right build and tricks in mind. Here are my top 10 best tips to beat Baldur’s Gate 3 solo with no companions.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Top 10 Best Tips to Beat the Game Solo With No Companions
Use Ambushes and Turn-Based Mode
Your greatest weapons when playing solo is the Stealth skill, Turn-based mode out of combat, and attacking first for a Surprise round. Firing a volley of shots while out of combat on a boss enemy while hidden will usually trigger Surprise. This will get you an extra turn before the fight starts which is crucial for solo play where your action economy is drastically lower than the enemy’s. Be sure to also start the fight at your maximum range on a ranged build and preferably on high ground so that you can fall back once enemies start acting. This will cause them to waste actions Dashing to approach you.
Bursting key enemies down during Surprise is what will win you fights. I usually do this from Turn-based mode so that I can position everything just right from high ground and so that enemies don’t move around too much as I set up the ambush. It gets even better when combat doesn’t trigger sometimes with a high Stealth check and you can do it all over again. That’s why Rangers are so strong as solo builds. If you can, I would also recommend grabbing the Perception skill from your Background or Class so that you can avoid ambushes yourself and find some extra riches with the Shovel.
Stacking Up On Consumables
Whether through loot, shopping, or the Alchemy crafting tab Scrolls, Elixirs, Poisons, and Potions are all crucial in solo play and we should be using our Bonus Action to chug these almost every round. I would suggest you organize your radial menu to always have these consumables in mind. Besides Healing Potions which are obvious, some useful Elixir options include Arcane Cultivation for spell slots, Bloodlust for extra actions, Heroism for accuracy, and Vigilance for that +5 Initiative.
Furthermore, stock up on powerful spell scrolls like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Wall of Fire so that you have crowd control options when the need arises. Sleep poisons and Potions of Speed can also be quite impactful in decreasing enemy actions and giving you extra ones. That said I would use the Potion of Speed and the Haste spell with extreme caution. The Lethargic effect when these end will stun you for a round which isn’t a huge deal in a party but you’re playing alone and that dead turn is a good way to get surrounded and overwhelmed.
Avoid Ledges and Keep Moving
Since there’s no one to resurrect you, you should pay special care to how you position your character. Avoid approaching ledges near a pit or lava as enemies will push you down there even when you’re Strength build sometimes, especially on Tactician. The Helldusk Boots can help with this. This is more of a melee tip whereas ranged characters should always be on the move after their opening Surprise round burst. If we start combat far away from a high ground and keep moving back as we fire, enemies will waste actions by Dashing as we mentioned before.
Skipping Fights and the Dark Urge Origin
Between Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation and some Dark Urge dialogue options, there are plenty of ways to skip fights in BG3 while still getting EXP. I would prioritize Persuasion which you can get from the Noble and Guild Artisan background or the Bard, Cleric, Paladin, Rogue, or Sorcerer class. Jannath’s Hat and the Guidance cantrip can boost these greatly. There are plenty of options where you can avoid fights using Persuasion. As far as the Dark Urge is concerned, some of his brutality dialogue options can skip fights by eliminating enemies during dialogue. One bonus tip is that Dark Urge is a great origin for a solo build as the Slayer Form will give you an extra HP pool.
Burst Damage is Your Friend
In my Baldur’s Gate 3 solo build guide, both builds utilize either the Fighter’s Action Surge and Paladin Smites or the guaranteed critical hits and extra attacks from Assassin Rogue and Gloom Stalker Ranger. That’s because these abilities allow you to quickly finish a key enemy or enemies in combat thereby reducing how many actions the enemies are taking.
It’s all about action economy when playing solo so it’s better to eliminate how many turns the opposite side has before they act than it is to output sustained damage. You won’t win a battle of attrition so it’s better to burst down enemies and try to achieve a more even playing field. The Luck of the Far Realms Illithid power can help with burst damage as well for a guaranteed critical hit on a Sneak Attack or Divine Smite attack.
Best Classes for Solo Runs in BG3
While we’re on the topic of classes, here are some great options for solo runs:
- Gloom Stalker Ranger: With great Stealth skills, a bonus action hide, burst damage, and the ability to kite enemies for days, this is one of the most powerful solo classes in the game.
- Light/Tempest Cleric: A tanky Spirit Guardians-focused Cleric option with Luminous Armor, Gloves, and Coruscating Ring that does it all. You’ll have high AC, sustained radiant damage that heavily debuffs enemies, and utility through healing and Sanctuary.
- Vengeance Paladin: Mixes the Paladin’s natural high AC and great Saving Throws with damage-dealing abilities. The Channel Divinity option that grants Advantage on Attack Rolls goes superbly with Great Weapon Master.
- Bear Totem Barbarians: A naturally tanky class that outputs great damage through Great Weapon Master attacks and Reckless Attack.
Of course, feel free to mix and match these. I recommend mixing Rangers with Rogues, Barbarians with Druids since Rage works in Wild Shape, Paladins with Sorcerers/Warlocks for a caster in heavy armor. That said, any build can benefit greatly from a Fighter 2 dip for Action Surge or Paladin 2 for Divine Smites since burst damage is important as we talked about.
Summons for Soloing
This is more of a niche tip as not all classes get access to a summon but summons are great for action economy in general. They give you more turns and a body on the battlefield that can tank. Great examples include:
- The Ranger’s Animal Companion.
- The Necromancer Wizard-boosted Animate Dead.
- Conjure Elementals and Conjure Woodland Beings.
These are usually accessible by Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers, and Warlocks. Certain subclass abilities can also give you access to these like the Bard’s Magical Secrets or the Warlock’s Minions of Chaos invocation.
Save and Rest Scumming
Hey, we all know the cheesiness of save scumming and how it takes away from the immersion of the game. But if you’re dependent on a powerful spell landing or hitting and killing a key enemy in combat, that suspension of disbelief goes out the window when playing solo. I’m not ashamed to say that in my solo run I’ve often saved before a key enemy saving throw and reloaded if they succeeded. Sometimes that’s the only way to win a hard fight like defending Halsin when he’s searching for Thaniel.
Furthermore, outside of the saving Nere quest which is time-sensitive, you can long rest as much as you want without consequences. You’ll need this for regularly replenishing resources and health. One tip I also have early on is that fast travelling from one region to another like from the Underdark to the surface world for example refills your HP fully.
Devil Sight and Darkness
A great way to blind enemies and impose Disadvantage on their attacks while giving yourself Advantage is the Warlock’s Devil Sight invocation. It makes it so that when you cast Darkness, you can camp inside it and be able to see through it. Enemies will suffer from the negative effects while you’ll reap the benefits. A two-level dip into Warlock will get you this combo and you can even grab an extra casting of Darkness with the Asmodeus Tiefling race.
Great Items for Solo Runs
Here are some universally great item options for any class in a solo run:
- Gloves of Thievery: Since you’re solo you’ll have to disarm and lockpick traps and chests on your own and this item greatly helps. If you can get the Smuggler’s Ring from the bush skeleton on the bank of a river under the Risen Road bridge and Guidance as well from a spellcasting class you’re golden. This will also help you steal some key items you want for your build.
- Auntie Ethel Scalp: You should generally start with a 17 in your most important damage score. Ethel’s hair which you get by sparing or killing her will pump that up to 18 allowing you to potentially take a Feat at Level 4 instead of an Ability Score increase.
- Periapt of Wound Closure: Great in the early game for maximizing healing from potions out of combat and stabilizing you in combat.
- Boots of Speed: A Bonus Action that doubles our movement speed for kiting and positioning? Yes please! Get these from Thulla in the Underdark Myconid camp.
- Stat Boosting Items: Magic items that set a specific score to a high value like Club of Hill Giant Strength/Gauntlets or Warped Headband of Intellect allow you to benefit from their respective stats and dump that specific score. The former is great for Cleric builds who don’t want to invest in Strength and the latter for Intelligence casters who want to dump Intelligence.
- Amulet of Greater Health: If you equip it, unequip it, and equip it again, you’ll restore your health fully. Perfect for the late game allowing you to eschew potions.
This concludes my top 10 best tips to beat Baldur’s Gate 3 solo with no companions. Make sure to plan your build ahead and do some research on the wiki for the items you want. Pickpocketing them is usually the best way to get great ones apart from respecing into Battle Master Fighter to use Disarming Strike, pick them up, and then flee the battle. For more BG3 guides check out our best magic items, best shields, and heavy armor sets.
