The Honor Mode in Baldur's Gate 3 could put even the most highly-skilled adventurers to the test. But, a recently discovered exploit promises to make even the hardest fights laughably easy. Here is an in-depth explanation of the trick and how it can completely change your gameplay experience.
Before we delve into the specifics of the exploit, let’s take a look at Honor Mode. This mode significantly ramps up the difficulty of Baldur's Gate 3, making it a real challenge for players. Designed for those who seek the ultimate test, Honor Mode introduces permadeath, meaning a total party wipe results in the need to start a new game.
Throughout the game, you'll frequently come across 'checkpoints.' These are points in the game where you're able to save your progress. In regular modes, you can utilise these to reload a previous state if things don't go your way. Unfortunately, this feature is not accessible in Honour Mode; instead, the game auto-saves at specific points or after notable events.
Honor Mode creates an entirely unique dynamic, where every fight could potentially make or break your playthrough. This intense level of difficulty has resulted in many players attempting to look for ways to circumvent some of the more challenging aspects of the mode.
The newly discovered exploit involves two important game concepts: the waypoint system and unconsciousness. To understand how the exploit works, we first need to grasp these two things.
Unconsciousness in Baldur's Gate 3 represents the state where a character is knocked out but hasn't yet met their end. In this state, you're unable to partake in combat or interact with the environment and are entirely at the mercy of your foes or allies.
On the other hand, the waypoint system is essentially the transportation system of Baldur's Gate 3. Using this system, a player can transport characters from one location to another almost instantaneously, thus saving precious in-game time, and perhaps even your party's life.
So how do these two systems lead to an exploit? Here's where the 'Unconscious Wayfarer' trick gets interesting.
When you're in combat in Baldur's Gate 3, foes tend to knock you unconscious rather than killing you outright. They'll focus their attention on any remaining party members. It's not until your entire party is downed that the foes deliver their killing blows.
Through careful manipulation of the game's systems, it's possible to use the waypoint system to take an unconscious character out of combat. This achieves two things: firstly, it saves the character from receiving the finishing blow, and secondly, it causes the AI to think that there's still one party member left, preventing a total wipeout.
While a character is unconscious, you can simply select them and use a waypoint to get them to safety. The character is then revived, safe from combat. This character can then act as a safeguard if the rest of the party is taken out in combat.
This makes fights much less risky, as the exploit effectively eliminates any chance of a total party defeat. If things go south, the character that was saved earlier can revive the rest of the party after combat ends.
This exploit has been received with mixed reactions by the game's community. Some players believe it defeats the purpose of Honor Mode and takes away from the challenge. Others think it's a useful tool for those that want to experience Honor Mode without the extreme difficulty.
Some may argue that using this exploit spoils the excitement of the game. However, those who utilize this exploit counter that argument by stating that it merely allows for a more enjoyable playthrough.
It's also worth noting that this exploit is not an official feature of the game, meaning using it may end up bugging or crashing your game. Therefore, proceed with caution if planning to take this route.
It is unclear whether or not the game developers will address this exploit. In many ways, its existence goes against the very essence of Honor Mode.
Applying this exploit completely changes the dynamic of Honor Mode, making an intense, high-stakes gameplay significantly less nerve-wracking. So, whether you're a gaming purist or someone just trying to get through the ruthless Honor Mode, the 'Unconscious Wayfarer' trick adds an interesting twist to the Baldur's Gate 3 experience.