Top 5 Clever (and Cheeky) Tactics to Survive Baldur's Gate 3's Honour Mode in 2026

Alright, gather 'round, adventurers! Let's talk about the big, scary beast that is Baldur's Gate 3's Honour Mode. We all know the deal: one save file, permadeath, and a world of pain waiting around every corner. It's the ultimate test, but let's be real, sometimes you just wanna see that golden dice roll without the constant heart palpitations. If you're cool with bending the rules a little bit without outright snapping them, here are some tricks that have been floating around the community, refined and polished as of 2026. Remember, the game's spirit is about challenge, but hey, a little cleverness never hurt anybody... right?

5. The Immortal Benchwarmer: Running a 3-Person Party

So, here's the golden rule of Honour Mode: the run only ends when all four of your active party members bite the dust. The most straightforward insurance policy? Don't bring a fourth! Keep one reliable buddy safe and sound back at camp during every scrap. This little maneuver lets you go absolutely ham with your other three characters. Go ahead, Leroy Jenkins that owlbear! The beauty is, XP is shared, so your camp-sitter isn't missing out on the action.

Now, fighting with a trio against encounters designed for four can be... spicy. But the goal isn't to win flawlessly on the first try. It's to soften up the enemy, maybe take a few down, and then—when your three brave souls inevitably fall—you call in the cleanup crew. Pay Withers his gold (you did loot everything, right?), resurrect your fallen heroes, and finish the job. Pro-tip: you can even prepare two separate three-person teams. When Team A wipes, sub in Team B. It's like having a tactical reserve!

Heads up: This doesn't work everywhere. Places like the Mind Flayer Colony before the final Ketheric fight lock you in. For those, you gotta bring your A-game and a full squad.

Even Karlach might judge you a little for this tactic, but she'll understand.

4. The "Talk-No-Jutsu" Ambush: Attacking Without Aggro

This one feels like finding a secret cheat code. In certain social hubs, like the good old Goblin Camp in Act One, you can literally walk up and smack a goblin in the face... and then just talk your way out of trouble. No, really! As long as you don't attack the same target twice in a row, you'll get a dialogue option to smooth things over, usually with a Persuasion check.

This opens up a hilarious and slightly tedious strategy. Roll up with a high-Charisma Assassin Rogue, land a massive Sneak Attack, then flash a charming smile and say "My bad!" Rinse and repeat on the goblin's buddy. After a few successful rounds, you're facing a bunch of enemies with like 5 HP each. When you finally decide to actually start the fight, a single Magic Missile can clear the room. Just make sure you don't kill anyone with that initial hit—dead folks tend not to accept apologies.

3. The Infinite Gold Glitch: Pickpocketing with Impunity

Gold is king in Honour Mode. Resurrections, supplies, bribes—it all costs. One of the fastest ways to amass a fortune? Relentlessly rob every merchant blind. Normally, this is risky business, but we have systems!

• The Sacrificial Lamb: Don't risk your main crew's reputation. Go to Withers and hire a disposable hireling, like Brinna Brightsong (Halflings are great for this). Send them in to do the dirty work. If they get caught, who cares? Dismiss them. Their inventory? Send it all to camp instantly.

• Create a Smokescreen: Cast Fog Cloud or Darkness on the merchant. Out of sight, out of mind!

• Split the Loot: Merchants often hold gold in big stacks. While trading, split their gold pile into smaller, lighter stacks. Stealing a 50-gold pouch is easier than a 5000-gold one.

A word of warning: the old Feign Death trick on merchants got patched out ages ago. But with a careful hireling and some magical obfuscation, you'll be swimming in gold without a single bounty on your head.

2. The Magical Healing Road Trip: Fast Travel Full Heal

Here's a quality-of-life exploit that's survived the test of time. Low on health but out of potions and short rests? No problem! Simply fast travel between different map regions. You know the screen—the one that says "Venture Forth" into a new area. The moment you click it, poof, your entire party's HP is fully restored. It's like a free, instant heal!

Now, it's not a full rest. Spell slots, channel divinity, warlock slots? Those stay depleted. But for your fighters, barbarians, and rogues who mainly need HP, this is a godsend. It saves your precious short rests for when you truly need to recharge those limited abilities. The only cost? A bit of loading screen time. A small price to pay for salvation.

1. The Nuclear Option: The "Oops, My PC Crashed" Save

Alright, let's get controversial. This is the big one, the tactic that sits in a grey moral area. Honour Mode auto-saves constantly and doesn't allow manual saves or quitting without saving. However... if your entire computer or console loses power before the game can register a party wipe, you might just get a second chance. When you reboot, the game often loads back to its last autosave, with your Honour run technically intact.

⚠️ HUGE CAVEAT: You MUST pull the plug before your last character dies. The millisecond the final death blow lands, the game flags your run as failed. If you reboot after that, you'll be booted to a Custom Mode game. Using this feels... less than honorable. It's the ultimate safety net, but beating the game this way can leave the victory feeling a bit hollow. You're not just cheating the game, you're kinda cheating yourself out of the real triumph.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, five ways to tilt the odds in your favour. Whether you use them as a crutch for a first attempt or as emergency "oh crap" buttons is up to you. Honour Mode is about the story you create, and sometimes that story involves a rogue who is way too good at talking, a barbarian who never dies, or a very, very unstable power grid. Happy surviving, and may your rolls be ever in your favour! 😉🎲