Baldur’s Gate 3 offers several ways of building and playing your character where every trait you have matters when interacting with other characters. Your primary stat often dictates how successful these traits will be when it comes to battle as well as conversation. Talking your way out of situations is very possible and Persuasion is one of the ways you can do it.
So what is Persuasion and how does it affect your gameplay? And do you even need it on your character? You’d be surprised how useful a silver tongue can be in Baldur’s Gate 3 when you’re stuck in difficult situations. But before we get to Persuasion itself, we will need to talk about the primary stat that Persuasion is based on: Charisma.
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Charisma in Baldur’s Gate 3, explained
Depending on the class you start with, your character will have different traits that will be useful based on your character’s primary stat. Some common examples are Wizards with their Arcane knowledge and Clerics with their Religion awareness which use Intelligence and Wisdom respectively.
An often-underrated stat in most RPGs is the Charisma stat because of how little the stat actually influences situations in terms of gameplay. But in Baldur’s Gate 3, that is far from the truth. Your Charisma stat is responsible for four different types of conversational skill checks.
- Deception: Deception skill checks determine how well you can lie to get out of sticky situations. You can also hide the truth and get unexpected reactions from certain characters.
- Intimidation: Intimidation skill checks determine how easily you can impose your will on characters to get out of a battle or gain information from characters who are afraid of you.
- Performance: Performance skill checks determine your entertainment level. This works well for Bard characters and others that can put on a show to win over other characters.
- Persuasion: Persuasion skill checks determine how easily you can convince or coerce people to do what you want. A silver-tongued devil can get out of most situations with no problem.
Of these four skill checks, Persuasion is by far the most useful when it comes to most situations. This is because Deception only works perfectly when you know the real truth and has little value when you don’t. Intimidation only works if your character is imposing enough to scare others with your hostile behavior. Performance just doesn’t have as many opportunities to be useful in the game.
On the other hand, Persuasion has a lot of use cases. You can get your way out of and into several situations by simply convincing other characters that the current state of affairs is the way you make it out to be. As such, Persuasion has several advantages over other actions in Baldur’s Gate 3, which is what we will be talking about next.
Related: The most enjoyable character builds in Baldur’s Gate 3
Advantages of Persuasion in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Art of Persuasion can do so much for you that brute force simply won’t solve in most situations.
1) Avoiding battle
By far, the biggest advantage that Persuasion offers is the option to completely avoid battles. Depending on the situation you find yourself in, sometimes battle might not be the best option, especially if you are woefully unprepared, or winning the battle just seems unrealistic. When it looks like the odds are stacked against you, don’t be afraid to talk your way out of a difficult situation.
A good example of these fights would be if the entire Druid Grove turns against you in act one or if Isobel dies in the Last Light Inn, allowing the shadow-cursed creatures to overwhelm you in act two. Not all fights are meant to be won in Baldur’s Gate 3.
2) Gaining unexpected allies
Making choices has always been the heart and soul of RPGs. In Baldur’s Gate 3, depending on the choices you make, especially during conversation, you can win over the hearts and minds of certain characters. In some cases, they might be important characters that can change the flow of the game state by cutting off their prior allegiances and joining your cause with (almost) no repercussions.
Very few characters in the game are capable of pulling off massive feats of heroism without lifting a finger in battle. This could be you if you play a Charisma-based class and persuade the right allies.
3) Altering questlines
This aspect is by far the most satisfying use of your Persuasion. Knowing that you can completely change the events of a quest using a few well-placed words is immensely satisfying. Whether it is something simple like tempting bandits away with the promise of treasure in act one or something as brutal as some of the decisions you make in act two, altering the flow of events is very possible.
A good example would be two side quests in the second act that vary immensely based on your choices. In the House of Healing, you can completely avoid battle and convince the surgeon Malus Thorm that performing surgery on himself is the way to go. You can also potentially tell him to get rid of all of his attendants if you so wish.
The other quest involves convincing Raphael’s old enemy Yurgir to kill himself and all of his hellspawn allies, including the Displacer Beast, thus avoiding a potentially difficult fight. These altered questlines save a lot of time, especially in the Gauntlet of Shar, allowing you to focus on more important matters.
4) Making you feel like a puppet master
While this point seems more light-hearted, playing a game is all about finding satisfaction in the things you do and the decisions you make. Some people like carnage while others prefer diplomacy. If you fall into the category of the latter, knowing that the decisions you made permanently altered the state of the game going forward is an immensely satisfying feeling.
When you reach the end of the game and the final battle with the Elder Brain is upon you, take some time to look back and give yourself a pat on the back for all the potential allies you recruited. If it wasn’t for your quick wit and overwhelming charisma, most of this would not be possible.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to find the Nightsong in BG3
Disadvantages of Persuasion in Baldur’s Gate 3
On the flip side, not everything can be solved using Persuasion. You are better off using brute force to get what you want in these situations.
1) Missing out on potential loot
Baldur’s Gate 3 is, first and foremost, an RPG. This means that collecting loot is one of the keys to character progression going forward. As is with any RPG, the best loot is usually found on the corpses of powerful enemies. If you talk your way out of most situations, you limit your ability to generate said corpses and potentially miss out on some unique gear that you can’t get elsewhere.
There are plenty of ways to gain Legendary gear without killing certain characters. But just remember that you can’t talk your way out of every battle, so be prepared to fight as well.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: How to get the Blood of Lathander in BG3
2) Leveling up slower
The other key to character progression in RPGs is experience. Most of the experience you will gain in Baldur’s Gate 3 comes from battles and simply avoiding every one of them will lead you to be under-leveled in the coming acts. This becomes an especially bigger problem when you’re playing on Balanced and Tactician difficulty levels since you will need to progress faster than normal.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is quite forgiving if you choose to avoid battles, however, since the game still provides you experience for successful Persuasion attempts. Although it is not nearly as much as you would get by actually winning the battle, so we recommend keeping a healthy balance of both.
3) Negating challenging aspects of the game
Some battles in Baldur’s Gate 3 are almost meant to be unwinnable. However, others are not, they are simply more challenging than the rest. As brutal as they might seem, the game gives you the tools to handle most of these situations in battle with proper positioning and a synergistic party lineup. Winning these challenging battles makes you feel like an accomplished tactician.
If you enjoy battle and your characters include bloodthirsty Barbarians or righteous Paladins, negating some of the challenging fights in the game through Persuasion is not nearly as satisfying.
Special mention: Bards
Now that you know the ups and downs of Persuasion, you see there are more upsides than downsides to this play style. Larian Studios has made it so that one class can talk their way out of pretty much anything: The Bard. If you encounter tough rolls, you don’t need to rely on save scumming because the Bard gains bonuses to their Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, and Saving Throws.
Their unique Bardic Inspiration grants Bards a bonus +1d6 that can scale all the way up to a bonus +1d10 depending on their levels. This makes Persuasion a breeze in most scenarios and is perfect if you want to play a less violent, more tactical-oriented character.
Since you will still need to fight in some cases, the Bard is a perfect support character. You can buff your allies with Bardic Inspiration while Song of Rest gives everyone the benefits of a Short Rest. Jack of all Trades ensures proficiency in areas you aren’t proficient in by default, making Bards the most well-rounded class just off one primary stat.
With the variety of ways you can play Baldur’s Gate 3, why not let your imagination run wild with a charismatic character? Persuasion is an art that is often overlooked but is never underwhelming when you’re in a pinch.
