Baldurs Gate 3: Skills Baldurs Gate 3 guide, walkthrough
Our BG3 guide will help you choose the best skills for your character. We explain how skill checks work during conversations with NPCs and companions.
Last update: 01 August 2023
This chapter of the Baldurs Gate 3 game guide describes what skills your characters may have, what abilities the individual skills are associated with, and how they affect the gameplay.
The skills in Baldurs Gate 3 are not active skills, as with many other games, but passive talents that determine how well your character will handle certain tasks. It is also worth noting that some skills are not available for selected classes. The characters' skills are tested by throwing a 20-sided dice (D20), and the attempt does not always have to be a successful one.
All skills and their features
In the table below, we list and describe all of the skills from Baldurs Gate 3 and suggest what abilities they are associated with and to which character classes they have been assigned.
Skill name | Description, additional information |
Acrobatics | It regards a whole range of skills useful in combat and fleeing from the battlefield. A test of dexterity (acrobatics) can help your hero maintain balance on slippery terrain. Related ability: dexterity. Character classes: Rogue, Fighter. |
Athletics | A skill that allows your character to move on across different terrains, which includes climbing, jumping or swimming. Related ability: Strength. Character classes: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue. |
History | Your hero will be able to recognize more important names and unusual objects. Related ability: Intelligence. Character classes: Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, Fighter. |
Insight | An ability that allows the hero to see through people and sense suspicious situations, to break through lies and other forms of deception. Related ability: Wisdom. Character classes: Cleric, Warlock, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard. |
Medicine | Knowledge and skills to treat wounds and diagnose diseases. Related ability: Wisdom. Character classes: Cleric, Wizard. |
Nature | Your hero will be able to recall information about the terrain, plants and animals. Related ability: Intelligence. Character classes: Ranger, Warlock. |
Animal Handling | A skill that will allow your hero to gain the trust of wild animals and, for example, to tame and control them. Related ability: Wisdom. Character classes: Ranger, Fighter. |
Deception | The art of lying, which allows your character to manipulate the interlocutor and, for example, hide the truth from him, and mislead him into losing his suspicions. Related ability: Charisma. Character classes: Warlock, Rogue. |
Perception | A skill that allows your hero to hear, detect, or otherwise feel the presence of something strange in your environment, such as hidden passages, buttons, levers, traps, or important notes. Related ability: Wisdom. Character classes: Ranger, Rogue, Fighter. |
Persuasion | The art of getting favors and persuading others to grant your character's wishes. Related ability: Charisma. Character classes: Cleric, Rogue. |
Religion | Knowledge of Abeiru-Toril deities, including their assigned domains, priests, and sacred rituals. Related ability: Intelligence. Character classes: Wizard, Cleric, Warlock. |
Stealth | A skill that allows your hero to move while remaining outside your opponent's field of view, sneak behind the back of your enemies and make critical hits or just steal something. Related ability: Dexterity. Character classes: Rogue, Hunter. |
Survival | A skill with which your hero will gain valuable knowledge of tracking, hunting, and recognizing natural hazards. Related ability: Wisdom. Character classes: Ranger, Fighter. |
Investigation | A skill with which your character will extract a lot of valuable information from people, but also from objects. Related ability: Intelligence. Character classes: Ranger, Warlock. |
Arcana | Knowledge of magic and its applications, necessary for the use of magical objects or powerful spells. Related ability: Intelligence. Character classes: Wizard, Warlock. |
Performance | A skill that allows for acting performances, playing instruments, and engage in other forms of entertainment. Related ability: Charisma. Character classes: Rogue. |
Intimidation | A skill with which your hero can weave threats into his or her conversation that will force others to obey his or her will. Related ability: Charisma. Character classes: Warlock, Rogue, Warrior. |
Slight of Hand | A skill that increases the dexterity of your hero's hands by allowing him to pickpocket and free himself from bonds. Related ability: dexterity. Character classes: Rogue. |
Automatic skillchecks
Your hero's skills can be automatically put to the test when you take some action, such as trying to hide in the shadows, stealing, remembering historical information, or trying to discover a trap, a hidden passage, etc.
In the image above you can see a situation in which the protagonist tries to sneak past the Owlbear unnoticed. The character hides in the shadow and moves towards the creature and successfully passes the hiding test. The hero rolled 16 during his skill test, thanks to the fact that he received 2 proficiency points in this skill.
Interview - skillchecks
Your character's skills can also be tested during the conversation by selecting the right dialog option. Dialog options associated with a character's proficiency in a given skill have a much higher chance of success.
The above screen illustrates a situation in which the protagonist wants to use persuasion skills during a conversation. Thanks to the Proficiency bonus 2 in this skill and additional points earned by the Wisdom ability, it can be much easier to achieve his goal.