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Baldur’s Gate 3is anarrative-drivenisometric role-playing gamecreated with player choice as its main focus. Whether you’re looking for arelaxing story, a challenging run, or a brutal beatdown, the Forgotten Realms provide.
Related:Baldur’s Gate 3: Tips & Tricks For Tactician Mode
The developers have made sure to keep each difficulty setting distinct enough to be a completely different experience. Both casual and hardcore players will find their needs fulfilled and requirements met in BG3.
Updated by Hamza Haq on August 08, 2025:The article has been updated to explain the differences between the three difficulty modes of Baldur’s Gate 3 better using a specific example. We’ve also added new links to bring the article up to date.
Explorer vs. Balanced vs. Tactician
There arethree difficulty modes in Baldur’s Gate 3that you’re able to choose from. Each mode is distinct and has clear differences players will notice immediately by switching between them.
Explorer (Story Mode)
If you’re here for thestory and little else, Explorer is the mode for you. With hundreds of hours of fully voiced dialogue and a lore-rich world, there is no shame inexploring what the narrative has to offerwithout being bogged down by combat encounters that aren’t your cup of tea.
Balanced (Normal Mode)
Balanced is thedefault difficulty settingBaldur’s Gate 3 is meant to be played at. It’s important to note thatbalanced doesn’t mean easyby any stretch of the imagination. For players unfamiliar with the rulebook ofDungeons & Dragonsand the rules within, Balanced mode will test their builds without making it frustrating. Of course, long-timeD&D buffs will have an easier time, but not by that much.
Tactician (Hard Mode)
For players familiar withLarian Studios’previous titles, Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2,Tactician difficulty is not a new term. It is not as simple as enemies dealing 2x more damage and having 3x more health. Oh no, that would be too easy.
The developers have gone throughevery single possible combat encounterin the game andincreased the difficulty manuallyfor each one. Beyond player characters receiving more damage,all enemies will have a ‘spice’of their own to call upon that willnot be present in Balanced or Explorer mode.
A previously nondescript dwarf skirmisher might have a firebomb he can throw, or a cleric could suddenly use mass heal to save his allies, or you could find some strategically placed oil barrels on a choke point, making fire spells entirely useless, making that encountermuch trickier to deal with.
Tactician mode will test players’ knowledge of the underlying rules of the game, making it necessary to employ every single trick in the book to come out on top.
Example Of Differences Between Explorer, Balanced, And Tactician
As an example, let’s take the very first real fight the player character will face in Baldur’s Gate 3 and see how the difference in difficulty changes how the fight plays out.
When you first make your way toward the helm of the Nautiloid, you’ll be faced withCommander Zhalk, a Tiefling invader on the ship hellbent on destroying everything and everyone. He, along with his minions, is going to be the very first fight you face along with your party.
Switching Between Difficulty Modes
Players can switch between difficulty modes freely at any point during their playthrough in Baldur’s Gate 3.You don’t have to Save and Reload; the game is smart enough to adjust encounters on the go. Here is how you switch difficulty.
Next:Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Party Compositions
