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baldur's gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 Custom Mode Explained

Create your own adventure.

With the release of Patch 5, Baldur’s Gate 3 now has a brand new difficulty setting in the form of Custom Mode, allowing players to enjoy the game however they please. Here’s everything you need to know about how Custom Mode works in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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How to Start Custom Mode in Baldur’s Gate 3

Starting a game in Custom Mode is as simple as booting up Baldur’s Gate 3, starting a new campaign, then scrolling all the way to the right to select Custom Mode.

You’ll be able to start a new game this way, and the option will also become available to players who fail an Honour Mode run. If you happen to fail in Honour Mode, you can restart from your last save point in Custom Mode to keep going. However, do keep in mind that doing so will lock you out of any Honour Mode-related rewards or achievements.

All Settings in Custom Mode

As the name suggests, Custom Mode allows you to tweak a whole bunch of different sliders in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can make it as difficult or as easy as you’d like, or find a balance in-between. Here are all the options available to you:

SettingEffect
Single SaveDetermines whether you can have multiple save files in the playthrough.
Enemy AggressionYour options are Explorer, Balanced, and Tactician, based on the game’s default difficulty settings.
Proficiency BonusDetermines how big of a stat bonus is added to your skill checks.
Enemy Critical HitsDetermines whether enemies can land crits on your party.
No Death Saving ThrowsWhen enabled, your party will not be at risk of dying when downed.
Disable Free First StrikesWhen enabled, attacking before a battle begins will cost that character their turn.
Camp Cost MultiplierDetermines how much supplies you need to deplete for a Long Rest.
Short Rest Full HealRestores all HP when Short Resting.
Trade Price ModifierDetermines the prices and value of goods when trading with vendors.
MulticlassingAllows you to pick an additional class when you hit level 2.
Always Prompt ReactionsReactions in combat will pause the game.
Hide NPC HealthAll NPC health bars will be hidden when enabled.
Hide Failed Perception RollsWhen enabled, you will not know when you have failed a perception dice roll in the environment.
Hide Passive Rolls in DialogueWhen enabled, you will not know if you failed a skill check in the middle of a conversation.
Preview Dialogue Check Difficulty Before RollingWhen enabled, you can see the difficulty of a skill check in conversation before rolling.
Hide Difficulty Class During RollsWhen enabled, you cannot see the number required in order to pass a check.

All of these settings can be tweaked even in the middle of a playthrough, with the exception of two: Single Save and Multiclassing. Make sure you know how you want to handle either of these options before proceeding with the run.

That’s all you need to know about how Custom Mode works in Baldur’s Gate 3. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game, including how to start a fresh game with a full party of custom characters.


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Author
Image of Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing Wan
Zhiqing is the Reviews Editor for Twinfinite, and a History graduate from Singapore. She's been in the games media industry for nine years, trawling through showfloors, conferences, and spending a ridiculous amount of time making in-depth spreadsheets for min-max-y RPGs. When she's not singing the praises of Amazon's Kindle as the greatest technological invention of the past two decades, you can probably find her in a FromSoft rabbit hole.