Baldur’s Gate 3 is based directly on Dungeons & Dragons and uses several spells from the tabletop game, but quite a few changes were made in order for them to fit better in the virtual world. With hundreds of spells available in the game players are bound to miss out on a few. While most Baldur’s Gate 3 players have likely heard of the disguise self spell, it’s easy to never end up using it to its fullest potential.

Disguise self is a level one illusion spell that allows players to choose from a menu of avatars of different races to shapeshift into. A few different ways to cast this spell can be found in the game — Mask of Many Faces is an Eldritch Invocation unlocked when a Warlock reaches level two, and Shapeshift is granted to a character wearing the Mask of the Shapeshifter , a legendary helmet that’s part of the Deluxe Digital Upgrade. Seeming is a more powerful level five illusion spell that allows players to disguise up to four party members.

Disguise Self Allows Players To Receive The Bonuses From Any Race

Certain Perks Are Usually Locked To Certain Races

One of the main benefits of disguise self is being able to experience the game from the perspective of many different races in a single playthrough. This is especially useful in Act One, as a character will have a much easier time interacting with goblins as a drow. Going into the crèche as a githyanki will also make some interactions significantly easier — talking to Voss near the Mountain Pass becomes more straightforward when he believes he’s speaking to a githyanki, making it less likely that the rest of the gith patrol will become aggressive.

Another perk of a character being seen as a different species is that it allows them to utilize certain any items with race-specific bonuses. For example, there are several items in the game which will only grant certain perks when worn by a githyanki, including extra damage and unique abilities, but a non-githyanki disguised as one can also access these benefits. Some other items include the Nimblefinger Gloves, which will result in different bonuses when worn by a dwarf, gnome, or halfling, and the Cruel Sting , which deals an extra 1d4 damage when held by a drow.

Disguise self does not grant any of the base racial bonuses, such as racial speed. For example, an avatar won’t gain Fey Ancestry when disguised as an elf.

Disguise self can also change the player character’s size, making it possible to shapeshift into gnomes or halflings to fit into crevices. If the party happens to also have access to the Enlarge/Reduce spell, then they can become even smaller to fit into burrow holes. A simple scroll of disguise self can open up some areas that might have required a druid’s Wild Shape to access otherwise.

Fallen Enemies Won’t Recognize The Player As Their Killer When Using Speak With Dead

Disguise Self Unlocks Lots Of Unique Interactions And Dialogue Options

There are several interactions in the game that players can only discover through the use of the disguise self spell. In some instances, characters can choose to reveal themselves to certain NPCs. For example, the party can find a tiefling called Ellyka spying on the githyanki patrol in Act One. As shown in a YouTube video by greetingsargonian, player characters are able to tell her that they are not actually githyanki, just disguised as one. Though the spell does unlock race-specific dialogue, sometimes the player will have to roll a deception check to sell their disguise.

The Shapeshifter’s Boon Ring is an item that grants its wearer a 1d4 bonus to any ability checks if the character is disguised. This ring can be obtained by killing or helping the Strange Ox.

Another bonus that this spell can grant is being able to use speak with dead on fallen enemies. In Baldur’s Gate 3, corpses are often reluctant to speak to their killers. If they cannot recognize a character as the one who killed them, however, then the spell will work normally, letting them relay information that would have been unavailable otherwise. The spell also allows characters to commit smaller crimes such as stealing and pickpocketing without losing reputation, as well as returning to NPCs they made hostile without triggering a fight – but this doesn’t always work as intended.

Unlike its D&D counterpart, BG3‘s version of disguise self is a ritual spell and lasts until a long rest, meaning that it doesn’t use up a spell slot when used outside of combat. Since the spell is generally used for encounters, there’s no need to use it in battle. Consequently, there is genuinely no downside to using the spell outside of perhaps cosmetic effects. For anyone who wants to progress through Baldur’s Gate 3 as smoothly as possible, especially in its first act, donning a disguise in the right situations will only provide benefits.