What is Honour Mode in Baldur's Gate 3?

Baldur's Gate 3 - red woman with horns grinning at the camera
Credit: Larian Studios

Baldur's Gate 3 - red woman with horns grinning at the camera
Credit: Larian Studios

The latest Baldur's Gate 3 difficulty setting, Honour Mode, was added in the Patch 5 update for the game. If you're wondering what Honour Mode entails, we've got everything you need to know within this guide.

Here, we'll be going through all the changes that Honour Mode brings to Baldur's Gate 3, highlighting the major changes being made to bosses. Plus, we've got details on how many different savefiles you can have in Honour Mode.

Looking for more Baldur's Gate 3 guides? We've got our top thieving tips in our guide to pickpocketing, as well as how to talk to animals in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 - large skeletal creature, with its skull-head draped in black cloth
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Credit: Larian Studios

Baldur's Gate 3 Honour Mode

Honour Mode in Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't pull any punches. With only a single savefile available in an Honour Mode campaign, you'll have to live with the outcomes for each and every one of your decisions. Plus, the new difficulty setting introduces a party permadeath mechanic, meaning that should your party get wiped, it's well and truly game over.

Unfortunately, your chance of encountering a party permadeath has been greatly increased with the introduction of Legendary Actions for all the most powerful bosses in Baldur's Gate 3. This change makes the already challenging fights even harder, with bosses able to use several actions when a player ends their turn.

Were you guilty of throwing Auntie Ethel into the pit in the Act I boss fight during your first playthrough? Larian has now gifted the old hag with the power of flight in Honour Mode, and similar adjustments have been made for other "unintended exploits" throughout Baldurs Gate 3. You'll have to take down bosses head-on in Honour Mode, which greatly increases the odds of a party wipe.

Lastly, it's worth being aware that Honour Mode builds off of Baldur's Gate 3's Tactician Mode. These changes include increased enemy health and improved enemy AI, a +2 to enemy rolls and saving throws, as well as reduced selling prices and increased supplies costs for Long Rests.

That's all there is to know about Honour Mode in Baldur's Gate 3. For more guides like this on Baldur's Gate 3, why not check out how to find the Amulet of Lost Voices or how to get the Owlbear Cub? We've also got the solution to the Thorm Mausoleum puzzle, as well as how to romance Minthara.