Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game where the sheer number of choices on offer at times is mind-boggling. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t all get stuck in a rut sometimes with our playthroughs, falling back on habits that end up making every trip around Faerûn feel exactly the same. These behavior patterns can be hard to break, unless you know to look out for them.

RPGs are meant to allow us to role-play as an entirely new person in a strange or otherwise impossible setting. However, all too often, RPG players can slip into bad habits, skipping vital dialogue, ignoring side quests, or only playing as one type of character. While it’s doubtful that everyone will have all of these tendencies, I’m certainly guilty of a few of them, making me take a long, hard look at my next Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough.

Never Using Short Rests

It’s Free Healing & Vital For Certain Classes

Short rests are a great way to get some free healing and, with certain classes, some abilities back. Unlike their Dungeons & Dragons counterpart, which requires players to expend hit dice to heal, BG3’s short rests are completely free. Which is why it puzzles me so much when I see people not using them at all in their playthroughs.

With the Durable feat, a character can regain their full hit points with a short rest.

In DnD, how useful a short rest is will depend on how many hit dice your character has available, whereas in BG3, characters will heal up to half their maximum hit points each time. With two short rests per long rest, they are a great way of getting back abilities. This becomes especially important for classes such as druids who will regain their Wild Shapes, warlocks who will regain their spell slots, and monks who will regain their Ki.

Always Completing Quests In The Same Way

There Are So Many Outcomes To See In BG3

Despite BG3 offering a plethora of approaches for many of its quests, it can be far too easy to fall into the trap of always completing them in the exact same way. I’m guilty of this, especially with certain BG3 side quests, where I’ll stick to a way I know works. Most frustrating of all is that I know I’m missing out by doing this.

Longtime players will know that there are some outcomes or choices in BG3 that offer better results, such as releasing the pixie in Act 2. However, always following the same route in every playthrough is honestly boring, and sometimes mixing things up can lead to some unintended but fun consequences. Sometimes, doing something a bit wrong or just differently can alter things much later in BG3, proving just how much Larian Studios paid attention to every detail.

Not Experimenting With Different Classes

Trying Out New Builds Is Half The Fun

Another bad habit BG3 players can slip into easily is not experimenting with different classes, either for themselves or their companions. With 12 classes in BG3, it can be overwhelming, especially for those unfamiliar with DnD or RPGs in general. However, choosing the same class and subclass for every playthrough can be monotonous, and feeds into completing quests a certain way too.

I’ve done this myself, choosing clerics and druids for my Tav, while sticking to the same subclasses for almost every companion. Finding a build that works, is fun to play, and powerful enough to desimate the Netherbrain in Honor Mode is fantastic, but so is testing new options. So, whether it’s tearing yourself away from another paladin/warlock multiclass playthrough or your tenth time playing as a bard, it’s time to try something new.

Not Experimenting With Roleplay Choices

Playing Essentially The Same Character On Repeat

Just as with completing quests the same way or playing as the same class or subclass every time, another rut BG3 players can fall into often involves roleplay choices. I get it, it’s great to be the hero and always choose the most helpful or polite dialogue options. But the fear of saying the ‘wrong’ thing or upsetting NPCs is locking many people out of seeing some fantastic responses and awesome outcomes.

The Dark Urge is a great example of this, with lots of BG3 players still avoiding the character. The fear of an evil playthrough is real for some, and I’ve had to talk friends into giving some of the crueler and weirder choices in the game a go. There is also a tendency with some RPG players to create characters that are reflections of themselves, limiting their roleplay options to only what they would do rather than exploring other options.

Picking Up Absolutely Everything

Not Everything Needs To Be Looted

There is a certain logic in video games in general that if something can be picked up, it must be useful. However, anyone who has played even the smallest amount of Skyrim can tell you that’s a lie, and the same can be said for BG3. From ladles and forks to tongs and even bed linen, there is a surprising number of random items that can be looted over BG3’s three acts.

Most of these items’ only purpose is to be sold for a modest amount of gold, and by the time the party reaches Act 3, cash shouldn’t really be an issue anymore. While some junk items are genuinely useful, such as ‘consuming’ sponges to wash the blood of your character, most can be left where you found them. Trust me, you don’t need 18 hammers and a severed torso.

Hoarding Spell Scrolls & Potions

You Might Need Them For Later

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic Custom image by Sarah-Jane Simpson

Picking up everything in sight will often lead to a second common bad habit, which is having an inventory full of items that should be used. I’m terrible for this, and by the end battle with the Netherbrain will have the whole party hoarding spell scrolls and potions which never get used. The mindset many fall into is that these items must be saved and only used in emergencies.

However, because they are one-use items, there are some of us that find it hard to use them even then, despite many of BG3’s consumable items being plentiful. I’m getting better at using my spell scrolls, especially in tough fights where a very specific spell is needed, such as Globe of Invulnerability during the fight with Ansur. But I will confess I’m still one of those players who sits on a treasure trove of elixirs and potions in BG3.

Always Having A Full Inventory

Inventory Management Doesn’t Have To Be A Nightmare

Picking up everything in sight and hoarding resources will inevitably lead to another inventory problem: overencumbrance. We’ve all been there, where our poor characters literally can’t carry any more items, but we’re still trying to loot that crate of spoiled food. Items in BG3 have weight, which can quickly add up, especially for low Strength characters; however, that’s only part of the problem.

Having a full inventory can make it difficult to find things when they are needed, even with the help of the search bar at the top. Inventory management is a skill, and one that once you get into good habits, can quickly make playing a much more enjoyable experience. Using other containers, such as sacks and bags, for specific items is good. But honestly, selling things and sending items to camp are often the best choices.

Using The Same Companions In The Party

Swapping Them Around Opens Up More Options

With 10 recruitable companions, there are a lot of options on offer when putting together a party to take on the Absolute. However, that doesn’t stop some people from sticking to the same three companions throughout the entire game. This seems so strange with the companions adding so much to the story of BG3, but having a core group is the norm for many players.

Throughout BG3, some companions will need to be in the party to complete their personal quests, such as taking Shadowheart to the Gauntlet of Shar or Lae’zel to the Githyanki crèche. However, I’ve found it much more fun to rotate the companions, swapping them out from time to time to hear different banters or get different perspectives during quests. Companions are also a great way to familiarize yourself with different classes and subclasses, as they cover all but two of BG3’s classes.

Romancing The Same Character

Trying Someone New Might Surprise You

Along with having a core group of three regular party members, some BG3 players will often romance the same companion every playthrough. I’ve done this myself with other RPGs, where a particular romance option just stands out more than any other. However, with so many romanceable characters on offer in BG3, not trying them all at least once is really missing out.

Each romance has its own storyline, with the different companions approaching love in their own unique ways. If Wyll’s courtly love doesn’t appeal, then perhaps a more flexible polyamorous relationship with Halsin might be a better fit. Not all of BG3 are equal, with some having clearly more time spent writing them than others, but all the available romance options are interesting enough to be worth at least one date.

Save Scumming

It’s OK If Things Go Wrong

Finally, there is the bad habit that we’ve all done at least once, and that’s the infamous save scumming. Save scumming has a mixed reputation, with some people adamantly against it, while others will passionately argue that it isn’t all that bad. Whatever your stance, save scumming often comes from a desire to get things ‘right’ or to achieve a certain outcome, regardless of the dice rolls.

While some may reserve their save scumming for emergencies such as accidentally killing an NPC or avoiding combat with a bad roll, there are others who will reload at the slightest inconvenience. I still save scum, although I do limit it now to when something goes catastrophically wrong. The rest of the time I’m happy to see how things unfold. I’ve found that sometimes, the most interesting things in Baldur’s Gate 3 can occur from unintended consequences and help each playthrough feel like a truly unique story.