Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3can occasionally feel like a punishing game, but one mechanic that frequently cushions the blow is resurrection. Like tabletopDungeons & Dragons, party members can be brought back to life after being taken down in combat, making it possible to keep the story going even in the aftermath of rough encounters. Clawing back to the land of the living can have its own consequences, however, and one particular side effect of resurrection can be a particularly harsh realization for anyone looking to abuse the mechanic.
Resurrection inBaldur’s Gate 3can be done through two primary mechanics — the spellrevivifyand the mysterious camp follower Withers. Althoughrevivifycan be handy on the battlefield,Withers tends to be the more comprehensive option, as there’s no need to recover bodies or find wisps of their souls for him to work his magic.Baldur’s Gate 3lore proves that there’s a reason for the significant extent of the power that Withers holds, but even in his case, there’s still a fundamental limitation that he can’t overcome.
Baldur’s Gate 3: What Is Withers' Real Identity?
Throughout most of Baldur’s Gate 3, Withers is a mysterious character who helps you resurrect fallen companions, but you can find his true identity.
Permanent Buffs Aren’t Safe With BG3 Resurrection
Withers Can’t Fix Everything
There are a lot of different ways to power up characters inBaldur’s Gate 3, but one great option throughout is to applythe game’s permanent buffs. Permanent buffs can be found through any number of means, from reading mysterious books to accepting the wills of powerful NPCs. The best permanent buffs can add significant advantages to any who bear them, sometimes making common checks or saving throws that occur repeatedly during the course ofBaldur’s Gate 3easier.
There’s one thing that can sometimes make permanent buffs impermanent, however — death. Although this obviously makes sense, it’s an easy enough fact to forget when the consequences of death are otherwise so low inBaldur’s Gate 3.A bit of help from Withers or a quick cast fromrevivifycan restore characters to the height of their powers in other regards, so seeing that a permanent buff that’s been assisting them throughout the story is suddenly gone can come as a shock.
Picking uprevivifyspell scrolls is the easiest way to have resurrection on hand in the early parts ofBaldur’s Gate 3, but clerics and paladins can equip the spell at higher levels.
The loss of permanent buffs isn’t a universal condition upon death inBaldur’s Gate 3.A number of buffs are connected to items, and unequipping and re-equipping them might solve a little hiccup after going to the grave and back. It’s definitely best to be careful, however, as there’s generally no guarantee that any benefit a character is enjoying will be lucky enough to survive resurrection. Within the scope of the game’s direct mechanics, there isn’t much to do about this unfortunate fate than simply grin and bear it.
Withers Isn’t The Only Option In Baldur’s Gate 3
A Battle That Goes South Can Always Be Reloaded
Of course, there is another way out of death inBaldur’s Gate 3.It’s always possible to reload an encounter or jump back to a save before an unfortunate choice and replay things more carefully, avoiding the tragic turn of events that loses the permanent buff to begin with. Withers might be an extremely powerful entity in the Forgotten Realms, but the only thing actually binding players to the rules of the universe is their own willingness to engage with them, and a bit ofBaldur’s Gate 3save scummingtranscends even his abilities.
10 Things You Can Do In BG3 That Are Against D&D Rules
There are some differences between Baldur’s Gate 3 and D&D when it comes to abilities and actions that mean that some D&D rules are getting broken.
As an incentive to play a little more carefully,it’s not a bad thing thatBaldur’s Gate 3imposes some actual consequences upon death, however minor. Taking on the grueling trials of Honour Mode might not be for everyone, but it’s still good to attempt to respect the power of death in the game. A hard-fought battle where a party member needsrevivifyafterward is as much a badge of honor as anything, and taking a minor hit to buffs that definitely aren’t needed to complete the game isn’t that much of a price to pay.
Regardless, the fact that Withers can’t fix everything is certainly something to keep in mind inBaldur’s Gate 3, no matter how enigmatically wise the undead entity might seem.Baldur’s Gate 3throws the party a lot of bones, but truly permanent buffs aren’t something to take as a given.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
