How to play guide

Baldur's Gate 3 Beginner's Guide: Difficulty, Camp, Resting and Turn-Based Combat

A starter guide to Baldur's Gate 3: difficulty modes, camp supplies and long rests, shoving and jumping in turn-based combat, dice checks, default PC keys and common mistakes.

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Baldur's Gate 3 is Larian Studios' role-playing game built on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. You start with a mind flayer tadpole planted in your brain, and the story unfolds over three acts in which your decisions shape your companions, your quests and even who survives. Combat is turn-based; exploration and dialogue run in real time.

This guide is for players who have never touched D&D rules and are wondering when to rest, why they keep missing, or how to prepare for a fight. We skip class builds and focus on the habits that make the first act comfortable.

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Below you will find the core loop, default PC keys, first steps, practical tips, the most common beginner mistakes and frequently asked questions.

Goal of the game

The game rests on three pillars: exploration, dialogue and turn-based combat. You search the map for chests, notes and hidden passages; in conversations you face dice checks (a d20 roll plus your character's bonuses against a target number). In combat each character has an Action, a Bonus Action and movement, and how you spend them decides the fight.

The main way to restore health and spell slots is camp. A Long Rest refreshes everything but costs Camp Supplies, while a Short Rest can be taken twice between long rests without going to camp. Some story events advance when you rest, so resting is a decision in itself.

Controls

Key	Action
`Left click`	Move, interact, talk, pick up
`W A S D`	Pan the camera (your character moves with the mouse)
`Q / E`	Rotate camera left / right
`O`	Toggle tactical camera (top-down view)
`Space`	End turn in combat; skip dialogue line; take all from a container
`Shift + Space`	Enter / leave turn-based mode outside combat
`Z`	Jump
`V`	Shove
`C`	Hide · Shift + C: hide the whole group
`G`	Toggle group mode (split and rejoin characters)
`Y`	Short Rest
`I · N · K · J · M`	Inventory · character sheet · spellbook · journal · map
`Left Alt (hold)`	Show item labels on the ground
`F1–F4`	Select party member 1-4
`F5 / F8`	Quicksave / quickload

First steps

Pick difficulty on purposeThere are five modes: Explorer, Balanced, Tactician, Honour and Custom. Explorer or Balanced is sensible for a first run; according to the official community wiki, difficulty can be changed from the pause menu at any time except in Honour mode, so you can lower it if you get stuck.
Take your time in character creationYou can make your own character or pick an Origin character with a written backstory. A high Charisma makes dialogue checks easier for whoever does the talking. Using the suggested ability spread in the creator is a safe choice for newcomers.
Read the tutorials in the prologueThe game opens on the Nautiloid ship, which walks you through the basics. Tutorials (Show Tutorials) are on by default; keep them on, because jumping, shoving, hiding and throwing all matter later.
Gather companionsIn the prologue and early Act 1 you meet several characters who can join you. Four can be in the active party at once while the rest wait at camp. A sturdy front-liner, a healer and a ranged damage dealer make the early hours much easier.
Collect camp suppliesFood and drink you find on the road count as camp supplies. The wiki lists 40 supplies for a Long Rest (80 on Tactician and Honour). Without enough you only get a partial rest that restores half your health and resources. Pick up every apple and loaf of bread.
Don't forget Short RestsYou get two Short Rests between Long Rests (Y key). They restore up to half your health and some class resources. Use them after a hard fight before heading back to camp.
Position before combatWhen a group is clearly about to turn hostile, place your characters before starting the conversation. With G you can split the party, put your archer on high ground and your front-liner near the door. When combat starts, turn order (Initiative) is rolled.
Save oftenThe game autosaves, but hit F5 before important conversations, lockpicking or fights. Honour mode has a single save and no going back; in other modes your saves are your best insurance.

Tips and tactics

Shove is a bonus actionShoving (V) costs a bonus action, so you still have your main action that turn. Pushing an enemy standing near a ledge or a hazardous surface is often better than a hit; the wiki notes that fall damage applies.
Jumping can beat walkingJump (Z) is also a bonus action and carries you over gaps and obstacles. Try it instead of burning movement to reach a distant ledge.
Height and sight lines matterPut ranged characters up high and start from where enemies cannot see you. Characters who begin combat hidden (C) get an edge; hover over an enemy to see your hit chance and reposition if it is low.
Check the hit chanceBefore you click a target, look at the percentage on the cursor. If it is low, a shove, a spell or a move might be better that turn. A wasted action is the most expensive loss in a turn-based game.
Use InspirationActing in line with your character's Background earns Inspiration points. The wiki says they are spent to reroll certain failed d20 checks and are shared by the party. Save one for a critical conversation.
Leave Karmic Dice onKarmic Dice, on by default, tries to avoid long failure streaks while keeping results mostly random. If you feel unlucky, first make sure it is still enabled.
Fallen companions are not goneA companion who dies in combat can be brought back with a Scroll of Revivify, which the wiki lists as a starting item for most playable characters and sold by some traders. Withers, who joins your camp early on, offers resurrection and respec services.
Inspect everythingHold Left Alt to show item labels on the ground and press T to pin a detailed tooltip. Books and notes often reveal passwords, hidden entrances or alternative solutions to quests.
Some fights can be talked outMany encounters can be solved with dice checks, by letting the right companion speak, or by avoiding them entirely. Read the dialogue options before assuming a fight is inevitable.
Learn to split the partyPress G to detach a character and move them alone. Scouting with one stealthy character keeps the others out of enemy sight. Drag them back onto the group portrait to rejoin.

Common mistakes

Ignoring camp supplies: leaving food behind forces partial rests that do not refill spell slots.
Never resting, or never using Short Rests: walking into a new fight with empty resources makes even easy encounters hard.
Attacking without checking the hit chance: a shove, a reposition or a spell often beats a low-percentage swing.
Not positioning before a conversation: when combat starts your party is caught bunched up in a doorway.
Making big decisions without saving: some choices are permanent, and a quicksave takes two seconds.
Starting a first run on Honour: difficulty cannot be changed there and there is only one save file.

Frequently asked questions

Is Baldur's Gate 3 available in Turkish?

According to the Steam store page, the game supports Turkish interface and subtitles. Full voice acting is not in Turkish; you hear English audio with Turkish subtitles.

Can I play solo?

Yes. The game is fully playable single-player and you control your companions. The wiki notes online co-op for up to four players if you want it.

How do I play with friends?

Create a game from the Multiplayer menu. The wiki says the player who creates the save is the host, others join them, and only the host can save and load. You can also open a single-player save to others from the Session menu.

Can I change difficulty later?

According to the wiki, yes, from the pause menu, except for Honour mode and some Custom settings. Changes take effect immediately.

Do I need to know D&D?

No. The game shows dice rolls, hit chances and rules on screen, and holding Left Alt over an ability expands its tooltip. Starting on Explorer or Balanced makes learning easier.

Which platforms is it on?

Our game page lists Windows and Mac; the game was also released on consoles. The Steam page lists cross-platform multiplayer.

This guide was written for version: Guide written in September 2026 for the current version, using the default keybind list on bg3.wiki. Keys can be rebound under Keybinds.