10 Tips to Beat Honor Mode in Baldur's Gate 3

Since its release back in August, Baldur's Gate 3 has received numerous patches, not only fixing bugs but also adding a ton of new content. The latest Patch 5 introduced several additions to the game, with the highlights being the new Epilogues, available after beating the game, and the brand new Honor mode difficulty option. Many players have attempted and struggled to complete the game on this difficulty, so in this article, we are going to provide you with the biggest tips and tricks to overcome the newest challenge in Baldur's Gate 3.

What is Honor Mode in Baldur's Gate 3?

Honor mode is the latest difficulty option added to the game with Patch 5 of Baldur's Gate 3. It is the highest difficulty available in the game, with the added twist of having only one save file that gets deleted if you receive a 'Game Over' screen. Here is a quick summary of the big changes in Honor mode, courtesy of the Baldur's Gate 3 wiki:

• 30 new tweaks to all of Baldur's Gate 3’s boss-fights, giving bosses new Legendary Actions.
• Stricter action economy and damage bonuses as the game progresses.
• Players only gets a single save file for the entire campaign, with many special conditions:
  • The save file cannot be loaded, outside the main menu.
  • The game will override the save in the following situations:
    • The player returns to the main menu.
    • The player quits the game.
    • The player attempts to ALT+F4 out of the game.
    • The player quicksaves.
    • The game autosaves.
• Should the party die, the player is presented with two choices:
  • Continue the campaign in Custom mode, which ends Honour mode.
  • End the campaign, which deletes the save.

Honor Mode Rewards

As a reward for beating the game in Honor Mode, you will receive a golden D20 in-game skin for future playthroughs, as well as the Foehammer achievement.

1. Beat the Game on Tactician First

While this might be obvious, the best way to prepare yourself for Honor mode is to experience the game on Tactician first. Each difficulty option makes the game significantly harder in both combat situations, as well as things like trader prices and camp supplies requirements. Lots of small difficulty increases can have huge ramifications for your entire playthrough, and it's much better to make mistakes and try things out in Tactician before restricting yourself to only one save file. A lot of the other tips in this guide are going to be based on knowing what happens in the game, so this is definitely the most important one.

Many of the combat encounters in the game already have a lot of changes added on Tactician (enemies are smarter and have more abilities), which you should be aware of before attempting Honor mode. Preparation is key, and having the knowledge of the different strengths and weaknesses of enemies before even starting the encounter is going to put you in a much better position than experiencing it for the first time.

2. Use a High-Charisma Character for Dialogue

Baldur's Gate 3 features a ton of skill checks during dialogue options, the outcomes of which might decide the fate of your party. Playing on a single save file and not being able to reload is going to make some conversations in-game very stressful, as you might lose key companions or start very difficult fights if you are not able to pass your Persuasion checks. Being able to talk your way out of situations will be a valuable skill, especially with the number of boss fights you can skip in Act 2.

It's highly recommended that you either make your main character one of the Charisma-based classes or use a companion like Wyll during the most important conversations in the game. It's also worth keeping your Inspiration points for some of the big difficulty class rolls (which requires game knowledge, refer to the last tip). Here is the list of all Charisma-based classes that we recommend for your main character in Honor Mode:

• Bard
• Paladin
• Warlock
• Sorcerer

3. Don't Experiment with Dialogue Choices

Starting a brand new playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 is always exciting, as you can experiment with different dialogue choices and create new interesting situations for yourself. Doing this while trying to beat the game on Honor mode, however, is not the wisest choice. There are many scenarios in-game where you can get a straight-up 'Game Over' screen after choosing certain dialogue options. Some of these are present even in the later stages of Act 3, and losing your 100-hour save file to literal text is going to be a miserable feeling.

Go with what you know and leave the experimenting to a more chill playthrough after you have already beaten the mode once!

4. Explore the Entire Map

One of the best ways to improve your chances during combat situations is to always have a ton of scrolls and potions at your disposal. There are many enemies and bosses in the game that have specific damage resistances that might make your party ineffective, so the more options you have, the better. Baldur's Gate 3 heavily rewards you for doing side-areas and exploring the entire map, providing you with an entire collection of scrolls and potions stockpiled for when you might need them.

Having a few Potions of Speed or Scrolls of Misty Step could be the difference between defeating your enemies or having to start a new Honor mode run.

5. Don't Be Afraid to Retreat

You might not even know this, but the game actually has a system that allows you to retreat from a combat encounter. Many players usually reload an earlier save if the fight is not going their way, but as that is not an option in Honor mode, you are going to need to make use of this relatively hidden button. In order to escape from combat, you are going to need to move one of your characters 27 meters away from the closest enemy. Doing this will remove them from combat and send them to camp.

If your entire party is wiped and you manage to escape with one character, make sure to use Withers to revive your fallen companions, as the enemies might surround their corpses.

6. Make Allies to Avoid Fights

One of the best aspects of Baldur's Gate 3 is how many different choices you can make for each situation in the game. There are many characters and factions with which you can choose to start a fight or forge an alliance. Combat encounters in Baldur's Gate 3 can be very random, as every action in the game is dictated by dice rolls. This means that even if you are well prepared for a fight, you can always lose to bad rolls, ending your Honor mode run.

Because of this, the best option for most of these encounters is to make allies or avoid any conflicts through dialogue. In situations where a fight is inevitable, you should always pick the stronger side to reduce the odds of you losing your run.

7. Read Boss Descriptions

One of the biggest additions to Honor mode is the new Legendary Actions that have been added to bosses. These are brand new abilities that might change the way you approach the fight entirely. Luckily, these have been added to the 'Notable Features' list that you can check by right-clicking and using 'Examine' on any character in the game. Reading these before starting the fight or during the first turn in combat can help you adjust your strategy on the fly.

Many of the bosses in Baldur's Gate 3 can be seen from a distance before engaging with them, so make use of the 'Examine' button and create a strategy before going into battle.

8. Invest in Mobility Options

Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that is often defined by its use of handcrafted combat situations and the use of verticality in its terrain. In many combat encounters, you are going to find yourself far away from your enemies, requiring you to waste your first few turns just to reach them. Not being able to attach enemies in any turn is going to be very punishing on Honor mode, so one of the best things you can do is invest in more mobility options.

Items and scrolls that grant abilities such as Misty Step or Dimension Door are going to be invaluable for reaching your enemies as soon as possible. For melee characters, the option to increase your Jump distance or any sort of Charge attack is also going to make your life a lot easier. Remember that the fewer times an enemy is able to attack you, the less likely it is you are going to lose to bad dice rolls. Be mobile and deal with your enemies without losing entire turns.

9. Avoid Risky Situations

Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to do many shenanigans in-game, such as pickpocketing, stealing and attacking pretty much any NPC you want. Other things such as entering restricted areas could be really fun in a regular playthrough where the stakes are not as high, but it is something you should probably avoid in your Honor mode run. There is more than enough gold available in-game for you to not have to risk your save file to steal a single piece of armor.

Honor mode really forces you to think about the value of risk vs. reward in each situation, and most of the time it's just better to avoid these situations. While selling 50 crossbows is not as exciting as stealing, it will definitely avoid aggroing the entire town.

10. Try Again

We don't expect everyone to be able to beat Honor mode on their first attempt. Any game that has this sort of Ironman mode is always going to be difficult to beat, especially in Baldur's Gate 3, where every situation can have a different outcome depending on a few dice rolls. The 'Foehammer' achievement, which is rewarded for beating Honor mode, currently shows that only 0.1% of players have been able to complete this difficulty, so don't be discouraged.

Beating Honor mode is all about game knowledge and reducing the number of situations that can go wrong throughout your run. Every new attempt is going to be better, and you will eventually be able to show off your golden D20 to your friends.

That covers our list of tips and tricks for beating Honor mode in Baldur's Gate 3. Even though it might be devastating to lose a save file after dozens of hours, there is a different type of fun that comes with having actual consequences to your actions, instead of just reloading. For more Baldur's Gate 3 guides and news, make sure to check out the rest of our website!