How To Sneak Attack in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Looking to find out how to perform a Sneak Attack in Baldur’s Gate 3? Keep reading to find out everything about using this shady technique.

Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to fight their own way, whether through brute force or stealthily taking out each enemy. This method of attacking provides you with extra damage upon an unsuspecting foe, which can sometimes result in one-shoting them outright. This guide will show players of all levels how to sneak attack in Baldur’s Gate 3 and how to use stealth with their sneaky Rogue, Ranger, and more.

How To Rogue Sneak Attack in BG3

The sneak attack is an ability used during combat by the Rogue class only. By default, if you have Astarion as your companion, he is a member of the Rogue class. The ability is located on the hotbar and is represented with an icon of a hand holding a dagger for the melee version and an icon of a hand holding a bow for the ranged version. To be able to use the ability, players must position their rogue in such a position that they have Advantage over the enemy during their attack turn in a combat encounter. The Assassin subclass excels at this form of attack. Even for ranged weapons, Rogue’s still need Advantage which can be obtained by staying in the shadows and hiding. Then players can click on the sneak attack icon to execute the backstab from melee or range.

The Rogue class has advantages that help them Sneak Attack more regularly. For instance, their Cunning Action class ability lets them take Hide, Dash, and Disengage a couple of extra times in a round as additional bonus action. Their access to finesse weapons means that they can use a dagger or rapier to dish out more damage due to their usually high Dexterity ability score. Lastly, all three Rogue subclasses – Assassin, Thief, and Arcane Trickster – can be very effective at Sneak Attacking.

Why Is Sneak Attack Not Working?

You will find in some instances, the sneak attack will not work for you. This could be due to your player not having Advantage on a creature, the creature could also have resistance to surprise-type attacks. If you want to always be able to sneak attack, then make sure you have the True Strike spell and then use the sneak attack. Another reason why the sneak attack is not working is because your character failed the Stealth check (for example, due to low Dexterity or proficiency). Alternatively, enemies might have simply succeeded in a Perception roll and seen through your hiding.

How To Enter Stealth Mode In Baldur’s Gate 3

Using stealth is a great way of sneaking past enemies, or just getting the jump on them first to make battle encounters easier. Your character or party can use stealth by simply crouching and moving around. Out of combat, stealth lets you perform some neat tricks, like Sleight of Hand to pickpocket while avoiding detection. You will have to avoid every light source, however. Here is how to do it:

• Choose which character you want to enter stealth with from the left side of the screen.
• Press the C key on the keyboard to crouch and then move your character as you would like, though the other characters in your party will just walk behind.
• Hold the Shift key and then press the C key for the entire party to enter stealth and crouch.
• Press the C key again to exit stealth and stop crouching.
• Going into stealth through Hide is a Bonus Action during combat.

That is everything to know about how to sneak attack in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more helpful guides on the game, please be sure to check out Baldur’s Gate 3 – Is Mouse and Keyboard the way to play, and Can You Play Baldur’s Gate 3 Without Playing Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2?