How to deal non-lethal damage in Baldur's Gate 3

picture of Volo in Baldur's Gate 3

picture of Volo in Baldur's Gate 3

How do you deal non-lethal damage in Baldur's Gate 3? In Dungeons and Dragons, there's a multitude of different damage types that players and enemies can inflict upon one another. But one of the lesser-used and more powerful ones is non-lethal damage.

Baldur's Gate 3 pulls a lot from the famous Dungeons and Dragons tabletop games, but in some cases, some things have changed specifically for the video game. So our guide will break down how to deal this type of damage.

But while you're here, be sure to check out our other Baldur's Gate 3 content, such as our guide on how to dual wield in Baldur's Gate 3, and our guide for the best settings for Baldur's Gate 3 on Steam Deck.

What is non-lethal damage in Baldur's Gate 3?

As the name implies, non-lethal damage in Baldur's Gate 3 (and in Dungeons and Dragons) is damage that is dealt to an enemy that doesn't kill the target. Dealing this slightly more passive style of damage effectively means you can knock the target unconscious, rather than outright killing them. You typically will be unarmed or using a melee weapon.

How do you deal non-lethal damage in Baldur's Gate 3?

In order to deal non-lethal damage, the player will need to toggle on the Non-Lethal Attacks passive feature. This makes it such that any melee or unarmed damage that would normally kill a target simply renders them unconscious instead.

Therefore, once you've knocked out the target with non-lethal attacks, you can steal their belongings and sell them off to merchants for some great profit. Having this as a toggled passive allows players to take on a really interesting play style to make money in the game.

So, it's as simple as that! While you're here, be sure to check out our other Baldur's Gate 3 guides, such as our best Baldur's Gate 3 mods guide, our Baldur's Gate 3 class tier list guide, and our guide on how to edit your hotbar in Baldur's Gate 3.