How to Use Active Search in BG3, Baldur’s Gate 3 Search Circle Explained

Searching a pile of individual containers in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be annoying, especially if it won’t select the single thing you want to loot. Instead, there is a mechanic you can use called Active Search that the game doesn’t tell you exists and expects that you’ll figure it out yourself.

Using Active Search

While there is the right stick click+hold (or holding Left Alt on PC) function to show all world tooltips, Active Search is a bit more advanced. The former just reveals items, but Active Search lets you sort through and pick everything up all through one handy menu.

To use when playing Baldur’s Gate 3 with a controller, hold the X/A button, and a circle will spread out from you at the center.

When it reaches either your desired radius or the maximum, you can let go of the button, and a menu will appear showing all surrounding containers and items within. Note that this won’t work on items/containers that are locked behind a perception check you haven’t passed. From that menu, you can select what you want to pick up, and your character will automatically path to the item and collect it.

How to Use Active Search With Mouse & Keyboard

There isn’t a possible Active Search binding option for mouse & keyboard players. For this reason, it is helpful to leave a controller plugged in, as the game lets you swap control schemes on the fly. This isn’t quite the same for Steam Deck players, as they can swap between the two by using the touchscreen or buttons.

Active Search is a terrific tool that can make things easier, from searching several nearby chests to looting corpses after a fight. For more Baldur’s Gate 3 guides on loot and equipment, check out our links below.