For those struggling to beat Honour Mode, Baldur’s Gate 3 highest difficulty, we share our best build with key gear, skills, and a character creation guide.
This build page has been updated for thePatch 8 versionof Baldur’s Gate 3.
Best Honour Mode Build Guide
Honour Mode is Baldur’s Gate 3’s highest difficulty, limiting you to one save file where reloading isn’t possible. Playing in Honour Mode is challenging, especially in Act 1, where your power is limited. Our best Honour Mode build guide gives you the most powerful character for completing Honour Mode, a Wood Elf Ranger capable of destroying an entire team in one turn. This build will focus purely on combat performance and can be played solo or with companions on Honour Mode. Rangers are the best class forhonour modebecause of the extra arrow effects, range, mobility, and gear available.
For this build, we suggest using a Dark Urge origin character. Dark Urge changes the story but grants access to some of the game’s most powerful abilities and gear sets, aiding you in combat. However, this will be an evil character which may not fit your playstyle. If you’ve tried honour mode and failed, don’t worry; we will walk you through creating the most powerful build and teaching you how to use it.
Dark Urge Advantage
The main advantage to playing a Dark Urge Origin character is gaining access toDeathstalker Mantle,Slayer form, and Power Word Kill. These radically increase your chances of dominating combat in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The Deathstalker Mantle cloak, in particular, makes survival much easier, especially early in BG3, where it’s a struggle. You will have additional story and dialogue options as aDark Urgecharacter. These are central to BG3’s overall narrative but have little impact on gameplay. Think of the Dark Urge origin character as another way to squeeze a small bit of power out of your character. While not mandatory, we highly suggest it.
To play as the Dark Urge origin character in Baldur’s Gate 3, select “The Dark Urge” in the character creator. The default setup is a White DragonbornSorcerer, but you’re able to customize the class, subclass, race, and appearance. Playing as the Dark Urge provides deeper insight into the overarching narrative, especially in Act 3.
Honour Mode Build Features
The following list presents all the essential Honour Mode Build Mechanics and Features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Honour Mode Explained
Honour Modeis the highest difficulty level in Baldur’s Gate 3, introduced inPatch 5by Larian Studios. It features several unique aspects:
Overall, while Honor Mode feels like Tactician difficulty in general encounters, boss fights are much more challenging due to the introduction of Legendary Actions.
Also Check:-BG3 Interactive Map
Permanent Bonuses
Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3, you will have the ability to gainpermanent bonusesto your character. These can grant additional spells, ability scores, and other bonuses. Permanent Bonuses are not displayed throughout the campaign but are vital to increase overall combat performance. We have all permanent bonuses here in a guide, but the most important ones for you to collect are listed below.
Class and Subclass Choice
The best Class and Subclass combination on Honour Mode is a Ranger withGloom Stalker. The Ranger has the same combat potential as a Fighter and Paladin without playing in melee range. Moreover, the Gloom Stalker subclass gives you higher initiative, so you will likely attack first in combat. You can use this to gain surprise status by sneaking and starting combat from stealth. The surprise status effect will give you one free round of damage, and you should start combatting this method for every fight you can.
The Ranger’s power fades beyond level 5; therefore, we will multiclass to the Rogue and Thief. With four levels in Rouge Thief, you gain a extra bonus action and a feat. You will select Fighter with the Champion subclass in the last three levels. This combination will improve critical hit and grant action surge. Action Surge gives us another on-demand action, which, combined with an extra attack, makes combat a breeze.
Character Creation for Honour Mode Build
Our Best Honour Mode Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 uses a Wood Elf for their increased movement speed. The movement speed stacks with other spells like Longstrider giving you exceptional escape potential if you get in trouble. Moreover, Wood Elf (and Half-Wodd Elf) gain access to Stealth proficiency. Therefore, you gain an advantage sneaking especially if using the Dark Urge origin character. Here are the bestracechoices for a Honour build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Background & Skills
The best background for an Honour Mode build is Urchin. Urchin grants proficiency with Sleight of Hand and Stealth, both dexterity-based skills. This helps if you intend to use this character as a replacement for a Rogue. During character creation, you will also select proficiency skills. We suggest taking Animal Handling, Insight, and Survival. Perception is the best skill for exploration, so increase that whenever possible throughout your playthrough.
Ability Score
The bestAbility Scorefor the Honour Mode Build is 17 Dexterity, 16 Constituion, and 14 Wisdom. Dexterity is your primary damage ability score; increasing it helps with landing ranged attacks and damage. Constitution is helpful because it increases your hit points and concentration, saving throw chance. Wisdom influences spells chance of landing and damage alongside dialogue options. We recommend a lower Strength score because you may increase this withClub of Hill Giant Strengthor Elixirs.
Below is the best ability score for a Honour Mode build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Best Honour Mode Build – Level Progression in Baldur’s Gate 3
At level 1, select the correct background,race,skills, andabilityscore, focusing on Dexterity and Constitution. You won’t be able to pick yoursubclassuntil level 3, so expect a slow start in terms of performance. For this build, we will focus on theRangerfor five levels before switching to theRogue Thief. This primarily unlocks Extra Attack, which allows for two attacks in one action. Here’s what you unlock as a Level 1 Ranger:
Ranger Playstyle
The Bounty Hunter selection helps with using Ensnaring Strike spell at later levels. We suggest the Wasteland Cold bonus because fire resistance is easier to obtain than cold. Many items and passive resist fire, so this will give you a well rounded setup.
At level 1, you need to play range and takeLae’zel companionranged weapon andmedium armour. Spend time exploring and soaking up as much experience as possible to reach level 3 before engaging in difficult combat fights. you’re able to complete many side quests at the Hollows by heading North after the prologue and then doubling back when you have more tools. Please defensive and collect consumables likeElixir of Hill Giant Strength(combined with Titanstring bow),Potion of Speed, andOil of Accuracyconsumables. These three consumables “stack,” allowing for massive damage!
Honour Mode Priorities
Your overall priority with the Multiclass build is the following:
At Level 2, the Ranger will unlock a Fighting style, twospells, andspellcasting. Below are our recommended selections:
TheArchery FightingStyle is essential for ranged damage dealers, and we suggest using a Longbow throughout BG3. The Hunter’s Mark is additional at level 2, which means you can use it as a bonus action and then attack with an action. Ideally, you always want to use an action and a bonus action per turn. Hunter’s Mark requires concentration, so you can’t combine it with others, so be aware. Your turn will start with Hunter’s Mark on the primary target, then action for Longbow (heavy crossbow) attack.
Read More –Top 10 builds for Baldur’s Gate 3
Spells and Playstyle
For an Honour Mode Build, nothing is more important than survivability; one aspect is mobility. Therefore, we suggest Longstrider at level 2 vs. ensnaring strike. Longstrider is a ritual spell, thus you’re able to cast it on yourself and other companions without consuming a spell slot. This 3-meter bonus movement per turn stacks with the 1.5-meter bonus from Wood Elf. At level 2, your movement will be incredible, allowing you to flee if you are about to die.
In terms of gameplay, look to maintaining distance and utilizing height advantages. Attacking from above grants a +2 bonus to your attack roll, while attacking from below incurs a -2 penalty. A height difference of at least 2.5 meters is required for these bonuses to apply. Maximizing damage output requires carefully positioning yourself to gain this advantage, which stacks with the Archery Fighting Style bonus.
Level three, you will unlock a Subclass, and we suggest Gloom Stalker due to the first turn action, utility, and invisibility. Below is what you unlock and we suggest at level 3:
Gloom Stalker Playstyle
Dread Ambusher provides a free attack on the first turn, indicated by an icon on the far right of your toolbar. This attack doesn’t consume an action or a bonus action, making it a great combination with Hunter’s Mark on your opening move. Additionally, Dread Ambusher lets you hide as a bonus action, adding versatility to your combat strategy. While Umbral Shroud is useful for escaping, Invisibility potions are often more reliable.
Given these utilities, prioritize your first turn to neutralize, stun, control, or immobilize the most threatening enemy. You can use Ice Arrows to knock enemies with the Prone Status Effect, and it is helpful when you lack a Crowd Control Spell. Moreover, scrolls can be used like Hold Person when desperately needing a stun. Ensnaring Strike is particularly effective against agile opponents like Githyanki Fighters. The downsides of Ensnaring Strikes are they require concentration and cancel Hunter’s Mark, and they consume an action and a bonus action.
To further boost your damage, use consumable potions and oils. Start combat from stealth in Turn Base Mode, apply oils, buffs like Bless, and others, then initiate via a range longbow attack and hopefully trigger Surprise.
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At level four, you must decide between selecting a feat to enhance your abilities or increasing an ability score. For an optimal ranged setup, choose the Sharpshooter feat. This feat eliminates the penalties from the High Ground Rules, ensuring your ranged attacks remain effective. Additionally, it provides an extra 10 damage to your ranged weapon attacks, though it comes with a -5 penalty to your Attack Roll. This feature can be toggled on or off in the passive sections of your toolbar, offering a trade-off between higher damage and slightly reduced accuracy.
Although Sharpshooter may decrease your hit chance, spells like Bless can counteract this drawback, allowing you to deal significant damage to your enemies. Moreover, you can gain Bless permanently in Act 3 and barely notice any negatives to Sharpshooter. Act 1 has a cloth (The Graceful Cloth) item that increases Dexterity by +2, and you can get apermanent bonusto increase Dexterity by +1.
At Level 5 into Ranger, we gain two level 2spellslots, Extra Attack, one preparedspell, andsubclassspell.
Expect a massive boost in power with the Extra Attack class feature. Your weapon attacks will now grant you a complimentary secondary attack per action spent. This effect stacks with the Dread Ambusher passive, allowing you to attack 3 times on turn one. Make sure to continue to cast Hunter’s Mark before attacking your primary target on turn one. Save your bonus action on turn two for consumables or Dread Ambuser Hide.
For spell selection, we suggest taking Lesser Restoration. Since you are playing on Honour Mode, having a tool to remove Diseases, Poisoned, Paralysed, or Blind is critical. At this stage, most of your spell slots will be used on Hunter’s Mark and Misty Step. Misty Step is a powerful mobility tool that lets you teleport.
At or around this level, you should be able to start exploring harder content in the Underdark. Moreover, level 5 or 6 is when you transition into Act 2 or the Githyanki Creche. You want to spend some time gathering material, stockpiling gold, and acquiring thebest items in Act 1before venturing forth.
At level 6, we recommend multiclassing into Rogue. The Ranger’s power drops off after obtaining Extra Attack, and further power can be gained with other classes. Rogue grants additional skill proficiencies, and you gain Sneak Attack, allowing for extra damage when attacking with Advantage. At Rogue level 3, the Thief subclass provides an additional bonus action, enhancing your use of Hunter’s Mark, Misty Step, consumables, and hiding. This significantly boosts your power.
Upon taking the Rogue class, access the reactions tab and set it to “ask” for Sneak Attack. This triggers Sneak Attack damage if you haven’t used the attack yet, similar to how a Paladin’s Divine Smite adds damage. This method ensures you consistently deal extra damage whenever possible. Look for a signal near your cursor indicating Advantage when attacking. Sneak Attack damage scales with level, making it crucial to utilize sneak, stealth, and opportunities for this core Rogue mechanic.
As you transition from Ranger to Rogue, you can leverage high ground and Advantage mechanics to increase damage passively. This involves starting combat in stealth and using the hide bonus action more frequently to remain hidden. Attacking while hidden or invisible grants an automatic Advantage, resulting in additional damage. For skill selections, improve Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. However, if you’re playing with another Rogue as a companion, increase perception, insight, and Investigation.
Ending Act 1 with a Honour Mode Build
Around Level 6 you should be close to finishing Act 1 content. Be sure to visit shop traders and stock up on camp and alchemy supplies. Additionally, make sure you’ve collected thebest Act 1 items. There are alsopermanent bonusesyou want to find in Act 1. Lastly,Grymforgehas powerful armor and weapons (Adamantine) to aid you well into Act 3. Consider crafting a couple of items there before transitioning to Act 2, where you won’t be able to return.
With a second-level investment into the Rogue, you unlock additional bonus action utility skills below:
These additional bonus action utility items are somewhat redundant with the Gloom Stalker Ranger build. However, the Disengage and Dash can be helpful when retreating. This will give the best Honour Mode build more utility with movement and bonus actions.
With a third-level investment into Rogue, we unlock a subclass selection. The Thief is the best due to a bonus action. Below is what you unlock with this selection:
The Fast Hands passives ensure that bonus actions like Misty Step, Hunter’s Mark, and Cunning Hide don’t deplete this resource. you may combine them with potions, consumables, poisons, etc. Aim to utilize both your actions and bonus actions at every turn, if possible. Remember the frustration of Ensaring Strike consuming both an action and a bonus action? Well, now that spell becomes significantly more valuable with the flexibility of two bonus actions.
Additionally, we recommend consistently attempting to conclude your turn in a concealed location using Cunning Hide if you have a bonus action. Even with nearby enemies, there’s a chance of success in this check, allowing you to remain hidden. This triggers Advantage when you attack, resulting in extra sneak damage.
Lastly, if youconsumed the tadpolein Act 1, and unlocked the Awakened bonus, expect much more utility. Now, you’re able to use tadpole powers as bonus actions, giving you many options per turn for survival and damage.
At level 9, you will gain the last feat for the best honour build in Baldur’s Gate 3. With many options, keep it simple and increase Dexterity by +2. If you obtained the permanent bonus from Act 1, you should now be at 20 Dexerity. You can further increase your Dexterity by +2 in Act 3 by using theMirror of the Loss.
Another alternative here is the Alert feat, which makes it impossible to be surprised. Surprise can skip your turn and end an honour mode campaign. Usually, you’re able to counter this by knowing all the fights or using one character to scout ahead.
At level 10, multiclass to the Fighter. The main reason is to gain Action Surge and Champion Subclass. These bonuses will increase your power further and the Rogue has zero combat power beyond level 4.
You gain a second wind, which will not be useful at this level for self-heal. However, take the Defence Fighting Style, which will give you more AC when wearing armour. If you’re using Graceful Cloth, take the Protective bonus here.
At level 11, with two levels into Fighter, you gain Action Surge. The ideal combination is to wipe an entire team on turn one. Action Surge can only be used once per encounter and requires a short rest but grants another action. With an extra attack, you will be able to attack twice.
A combo to wipe out enemies on Honour Mode is Oil of Combustion, Arrow of Many Targets, and Fire Arrows. Use a bonus action to apply combustion oil and show many targets to dot targets. Then, shoot a fire arrow at one of them to watch them burn.
We suggest the champion subclass with the last level.
ChampionSubclassUnlocked: ImprovedCritical HitThe number you need to roll aCritical Hitwhile attacking is reduced by 1, and this effect can stack.
This will round out the best honor mode build for Baldur’s Gate 3 with easier critical hits, further increasing your combat power.
Best Gear for Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode Build
There are three Acts in BG3, and best Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Build Guide includes suggested sets and alternatives for Act 1 and Act 3. We give you a risky option in terms of clothing during Act 1 using the Graceful Cloth. This should push your Dexerity to 20, though it provides little protection. It’s an aggressive playstyle that assumes you will wipe everyone out on turn one. Starting out, look to getHide +2 Armourand for more defensive minded players craftAdamantine Scale Mailin the Grymforge.
In Act 2, swap out Graceful Cloth to Scale Mail +2 orYuan-ti ScaleMail until you reach Act 3. The downside to these medium armour is they impose a Disadvantage on stealth ability checks but increase survivability. In Act 3, save your gold purchase Armour of Agility and swap to Helldusk Armour for the final portion of the campaign if you want ultimate survivability. If you struggle with combat, always be defensive-minded and use alternative sets that keep you alive vs. do damage.
Beginner: Starting the Game
Below is a list of the best Beginner Honour Mode Build Weapons, Armour, and Accessories:
Advanced: Endgame
Below is a list of the best end-game Act 3 Honour Mode Build Weapons, Armour, and Accessories:
Best Consumables, Potions, and Items for BG3 Honour Mode
The following list is the bestconsumableitems that will aid in our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode Build Guide:
Ammunition
The best Ammunition for an Honour Mode Build is listed below:
Best Companions for Honour Mode Build in Baldur’s Gate 3
Shadowheart,Gale, andLae’zelmake the bestcompanionsfor the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter Champion Build Guide. We do not recommend additional front-line fighters and damage dealers.
Honor Mode Build Changes in Patch 7 for BG3
The release of Patch 7 for BG3 brought with it no significant combat, gameplay, or build-related change for the Honor Mode build. The main focus of this update was the final narrative additions, mostly centered around evil endings, along with official modding tools and adjustments to honor mode.
Furthermore, the game now features amodding toolkitand anin-game mod manager, allowing players to create and install mods directly within the game. Consequently, this update is intended to hand over creative control to the community. It enables players to produce unique content and continue the story in new ways.
Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode Build Summary
Q1. What is the best class for Honour mode in BG3?
The best class for honour mode in BG3 is Paladin and Sorcerer.
Q2. What is the best party for BG3 Honour mode?
As there is only one save file in this mode, it is essential to choose your party wisely. The best party can be a 4-player party with one slot using Paladin, the second one using Sorcerer, the third one being Rogue, and the fourth one being Cleric.
Q3. How to beat BG3 Honour mode easily?
The easiest way to complete the Honour Mode in BG3 requires players to follow multiple steps – having a smart build, using consumables wisely, etc. Since this is essentially a permadeath mode, you need to utilise your resources effectively and strategise accordingly.
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