Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Help Tips & Tricks Underleveled or just HARD?

I'm about 45 hours in right now and My party is Lvl 4. It's been a lot of run and not TOO difficult up until today. Then Just following the various story threads, I came across the and thought it was nigh on impossible (of course they were Lvl 5 so not totally surprised). I did end up beating them with a LOT of work and once I remembered I had that . But even then 2 of my party went down before I finished them all off. Then I started to go to a new area and it said I would find it "bitterly difficult" at my level. Okay, I realized there was some area down south I hadn't explored yet. Stumbled into the whole and even though I did what I thought was some clever sneaking, exploring, etc. once I got to the once again I very quickly gave up. Now again, I'm only Lvl 4 and everything I'm encountering is Lvl 5 so I figure I've just hit it too early even the questlines led me there. There's still other questlines I could explore that will take me west, but I'm just trying to figure out why it hadn't seemed so difficult until today and suddenly it was like a nightmare. Just bad luck on part as far as where I decided to go and what I decided to check out?

BTW I spend a TON of time exploring and trying to think of solutions to puzzles and such so that's likely why I'm Lvl 4 at 45 hours in. Today just felt like a total grind the entire time I was playing. I thought I'd see if anyone had any insight. I'll keep exploring and see if I can find other things going on that don't feel impossible for me! Thanks!

There are many Encounters which intend to have "mechanics" like a boss-encounter in other games. Some might be easier, if you get them.
LvL5 is a milestone-cap (AOE DMG/HASTE/2nd attacks etc) try to get that level by exploring, doing side-things etc.

I feel underleveled at lvl 8/9 at Baldur's Gate by now, because my party encounters lvl 11-13 enemies - just ridiculous.

Underleved. While it is possible to kill the Gith patrol with very cheesy tactics or with a little luck with a lvl 4 party (or even lvl 3), it's best to fight them with lvl 5. You missed some xp.I got to lvl 5 without even putting a foot into the underdark and before I finally cleared the outside goblin camp (I always fight the bosses in the temple before I'm clearing the outer area).

You should perhaps look at a playthrough tutorial to get some hints where you could get more xp. It's absolutely possible to fight only lvl 3 and 4 creatures (except the spider matriarch maybe) to get to lvl 5.

After endless wipes over the last three years, it became brutally obvious that by level 4 the Gith were a gut check. Honestly, I was very pleased to see there was a way of talking your way out of that and going on my way.

One thing that's unfortunate is that Act 1 has a LOT to do, but you pretty much have to do most of it to be at an appropriate level. They definitely didn't put in a ton of extra XP, there's no way in hell you could go through the game just focusing on the important quests and be anywhere near the proper level.

How to kill Auntie Ethel easily...


The Gith patrol is not so easy. The potion of speed is your friend.

Oh really? I usually talk my way out of everything and couldn't do it on that one! I tried every option and it still always ended in a fight!

I read a few folks who did it this way but it seemed to prevent them from getting something else

The later parts of Act 1 are really a slog. It seems like every encounter has level 5 enemies in it. I had to scrounge up every piece of XP I could find to make it to level 4. I haven't gotten into Act 2 yet but I hope it gets better.

In EA I never managed to beat the Githyanki patrol at lvl 4.
But I talked my way through (Lay'zael cannot be present?).

Ah interesting! I definitely had her present figuring that would HELP me deal with them!

She can be present. Now, with the full game, I managed to talk my way out, but don't ask me how. I wouldn't remember. In early access I always had to fight them and lost.

I definetely am underlevelled at level 4, but I don't know where to get more XPs in the wilderness. I cleared the goblin base, the cursed temple, dealt with auntie and I'm really at a loss where to do more. The whispering depths and their spider queen are a bugger for my party.

Did you look beyond the river (north of the blighted village, I think) where there are the gnolls and the tollhouse? I always made the gnolls at the end of lvl 3 in the EA and was lvl 4 before the tollhouse (Karlach quest). In the release it's seemingly even easier to level, I was lvl 4 even before doing the gnolls, the first goblin camp, the second goblin camp at the temple, the bosses in the temple, the apothecary dungeon, the spiders and before all the Auntie Ethel stuff. You can get to lvl 5 before the underdark, never achieved that in the EA.

To the Gith fight, I absolutely have no interest to solve it peacefully, because I like the Gith armor (only pantless armor in the game so far, I'm still in Grymforge). BTW it was so easy to kill the Gith with my lvl 5 party that I changed to hard mode since then.

Yep. Level 5 make it a lot easier.

Also a scroll of fireball helped too.

If the question was adressed to me, yes, I went beyond the rive, dealt with the Gnolls, recruited Karlach and dealt with the tollhouse. Btw, the Gits are also in that region.

You should be lvl 5 for that encounter, its doable at lvl 4, but definetly can be a bit hard then, depending on your experience with the game, lvl and party composition.
Im playing on tactician mode, only combat I couldnt win was a certain woman under a certain house in her lair at lvl 4, (her and her minions). Tried that 5 or 6 times (several Hold person spells at once towards party is no joke). Did it on normal difficulty first try after.

My point being, unless your playing in story mode, theres no shame in putting down the difficulty .

That encounter was Deadly as hell until they added lvl 5 in Early access.
Personally I did it at lvl 5 with no hiccups and no Ogre aid in tactician mode.

Minor spoiler.
PS: If you dont want to wait until lvl 5, then there are some Ogres that can help you make it easy in blighted village, if you havent killed them that is :P.
EDIT: Read further on in your post, seems like you got them.

I played over 200 hrs of EA, but Im very thourough as well, Ive done all of topside act 1 (including mountain pass etc). And I have second part of Underdark to go. Currently at 55 hrs I think, so your not alone in act 1.

If your looking to lvl up to lvl 5 I recommend you go above the toll post (the safe route), quite a few mobs to get xp from. The sheep in swamp as well. There is also a quite hidden quest you can do (lockpick a certain chest inside the Grove, that will direct you to a place along water in the swamp. And offcourse the temple at the beach if you havent been. Goblin camp is also doable at lvl 4 .

I used a Void Bulb I picked up on the nautaloid ship to pull her into the chasm.

Ethel is lots of fun but really difficult. Use poison on all weapons use magic missile to take out her duplicates and, yea, if you want to scream just void bulb her.

IMO the release version on balanced is easier than EA. Also, on any difficulty level, the game is a lot harder until you have a level 5 party. I would add that if you have never played a Larian game and have no EA experience the game is going to be more difficult than if you had done either of those things, or both.

For the Gith patrol, I used the 3 ogres. However, I had to do it twice because the first time the ogres completely demolished the patrol while remaining all in reasonable health. I wanted the ogres to die so I could get the int-17 circlet. On the second time the patrol killed the ogres with only one guy still standing and I could quickly take him down. Worked perfectly.

I was in EA, but I haven't played for quite a while - I am finding it much much easier than it was in EA. I remember in EA finding the minotaurs in the underdark difficult, but this time they went down in a few hits. I don't think I have gotten better - I think it is just easier.