Fall Damage in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be a major nuisance during your questing endeavors. Often, this results in untimely deaths that can set you back on progress. You take fall damage in the game if you fall from a certain height without using any mitigating measures. In most cases, you are also knocked prone, which can be a separate headache all on its own.
So, avoiding fall damage as much as possible in BG3 becomes necessary. Fortunately, there are several ways to counter this problem. You can cast spells, clever positioning, and even some talents.
Fall Damage Explained in Baldur’s Gate 3
Fall Damage scales with height; in simpler terms, the higher the fall, the more damage you take. Falling from a shorter distance will net you lower damage than falling from a higher distance. If you take fall damage from a jump, it will be indicated on the screen. The game lets you know how much damage you will receive from a fall.
Another side effect of fall damage is going prone. When prone, you take a debuff on your strength and dexterity saving throws and cannot move.
Ways to Reduce Fall Damage
While Fall Damage cannot be eliminated, several ways exist to reduce it. These techniques will allow you to jump long distances and fall ledges without taking any or reduced damage.
1. Feather Fall Spell
The easiest way to mitigate fall damage is by using the “Feather Fall” spell. This spell is one of the Ritual Spells in Baldur’s Gate 3. It eliminates fall damage for you and your allies. This is one of Level 1 Spells, so acquiring it should be easy. You will be able to use it very early on in the game.
The effect of this spell lasts for ten turns and has a range of 9 meters. You must note one thing here. You can only acquire the spell by the Bard, Sorcerer, and Wizard, the Eldritch Knight subclass of Fighters, and the Arcane Trickster subclass of Rogue.
2. Find a Closer Platform
This technique requires you to be a bit more aware of your surroundings. Take the time to study your surroundings, and consider all the alternate paths you can take. More often than not, you will find several platforms between you and your destination.
Taking your time and not rushing to reach your objective using closer platforms can allow you to mitigate fall damage. However, it may take a bit more time to get across.
3. Use Astarion
Lastly, you can use your party to aid you in reducing fall damage, specifically Astarion. You will encounter Astarion fairly early on in the game during Act 1. If you build Astarion just right, he will not take fall damage even if he falls from great heights. He can die, however, if he falls down a chasm, for example. But a fall from a couple of platforms will not be a death sentence for him.
Select the Thief subclass for Astarion once he reaches Rogue Level 3. Doing so will grant him second-story work. This will allow him to reduce fall damage significantly. Alternatively, you can make a Rogue Thief build in Baldur’s Gate 3, which also gets this talent.
