Combat and Spell-Casting Tips

Baldur's Gate is, at its core, a tactical combat game. Strategies for overcoming specific obstacles in the game are discussed in detail in the area walk-through section of this guide, but since combat plays such a big role in game, this section sets out several general tips on how to be successful in battle:

• Wear Helmets: Ensure that each character capable of wearing a helmet has one on. This advice may seem intuitive, but often NPCs will join your party and not be equipped with helmets, making them vulnerable to critical hits.

• Missile Weapons are Key: Missile weapons are extremely important. Not only will missile weapons protect your characters from enemies that rely upon hand-to-hand combat, but you'll also be able disrupt enemy spell-casters, preventing them from making a shambles of your party. Each character class is capable of using at least some form of ranged weapon, and a missile weapon should be the primary weapon of each character (slings for clerics, slings/darts for mages, bows for thieves, bows/crossbows for bards, fighters, rangers, and paladins). Even though some missile weapons, like darts, don't do a lot of damage individually, they have a quick speed factor and rate of fire, making them valuable for disrupting enemies who are attempting to cast spells.

• Don't Hoard Money: While money may seem tight early in the game, you should always have enough to accomplish your immediate tasks, especially if you follow the tips set out in the area walk-through section of this guide. Spend your money on magic arrows (acid arrows and bolts of lightning are particularly deadly) and other missile weapons, as well as potions that can give you an edge in combat.

• Speed Kills: Make good use of the pause command so that you can give orders to your party members as soon as they complete their assigned tasks. Speed items, such as oil of speed, boots of speed, the light crossbow of speed, and the spell haste are extremely powerful. While the boots of speed only control movement, each of the other items will allow you to get additional attacks against opponents. Similarly, enemies who under the effect of a haste spell are extremely dangerous, and you should dispel those effects as quickly as possible by casting a dispel magic or slow spell of your own.

• Know your Enemy: Read the monsters section of this manual prior to engaging an enemy you haven't faced before. Charging into melee combat with an unknown enemy is always a bad idea, as you're apt to stumble into a paralyzing or poisonous attack. Make attacking enemy spell-casters and enemies equipped with arrows a priority. Arrow-hurling enemies tend to bunch together, making them ripe for area of effect spells such as fireball, grease, stinking cloud, and web.