Don't worry about resting too often in Baldur's Gate 3⁠—except when a quest tells you otherwise (2024)

Don't worry about resting too often in Baldur's Gate 3⁠—except when a quest tells you otherwise (1)

When I first started playing Baldur's Gate 3, I figured I was on a time crunch: "I've got a tadpole in my head! I can't dawdle!" I wasn't sure if this plot-important parasitization would progress to a critical state if I took too many long rests⁠—the health and spell-restoring function of Baldur's Gate 3.

Thankfully, this isn't the original Fallout⁠—you're pretty free to take long rests whenever you see fit, even when some plot events seem like they might progress if you take too long. Sleeping can trigger scenes related to the main quest, but what we've found is that the quests themselves rarely advance without your input, unlike the notoriously time-limited companion quests of Baldur's Gate 2.

There are exceptions: Sometimes characters will tell you that there's a time limit on their offer. If they refer to "the next day," that means after your next long rest. Those are the main things you need to know, but if you want to understand more about time progression in Baldur's Gate 3, read on—some Act 1 spoilers follow.

Baldur's Gate 3 guide: Everything you need
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Baldur's Gate 3 find Halsin: Where's the bear?
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I was feeling the pressure of Kagha's Ritual of Thorns at the Emerald Grove, but it really only comes to a head as you advance the plot of the Grove vs the Goblins. One thing I'm less sure of is how the slightly hidden and tangentially related quest, Investigate Kagha (one of our five things not to miss in the opening hours of Baldur's Gate 3) is affected by advancing the main story of the Grove⁠—there's a lot of different variables at play, and I've yet to see what happens if you bring Halsin back without first investigating Kagha.

If you agree to Drow Paladin Minthara's assault on the Grove, she says the attack will begin the next day and she means it⁠—a long rest will trigger the battle sequence, and if you want to side with the Grove, you'll no longer be able to sneakily take out the Goblin leaders in their camp and will instead have to betray them at the assault.

But overall, you can take your time with Baldur's Gate 3 and rest up when you need to⁠—it's a challenging game, and for the most part you'll want to be at peak strength when you stumble across a tricky fight. You'll just want to pay attention to what quest givers tell you about the timing of their tasks, and plan accordingly.

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Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

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Don't worry about resting too often in Baldur's Gate 3⁠—except when a quest tells you otherwise (2024)

FAQs

Is it bad to long rest often in BG3? ›

You can long rest as often as you'd like, provided you have the resources. However, long rests move "time" forward and may affect the outcomes of quests, the availability of NPCs, etc.

What happens if you don't rest in BG3? ›

A lack of rest can be disastrous, leading to a swift end to the campaign. However, the resting mechanic may confuse those new to the Baldur's Gate franchise, leading to an underutilization of the feature.

What happens if you sleep too much in BG3? ›

Sleeping can trigger scenes related to the main quest, but what we've found is that the quests themselves rarely advance without your input, unlike the notoriously time-limited companion quests of Baldur's Gate 2. There are exceptions: Sometimes characters will tell you that there's a time limit on their offer.

How does resting work Baldur's Gate 3? ›

When you're low on HP or Spell Slots in Baldur's Gate 3, you'll need to rest. Resting is split into two types: Short and Long Rests. Short Rests are more useful for a quick break between fights, while Long Rests will send you back to camp and allow you to have some evening chats before tucking yourself into bed.

What happens if you long rest without supplies in BG3? ›

Taking a long rest passes the night, and costs 40 (80 in tactician or honour difficulty) camp supplies. If the party lacks the required supplies, they may instead take a partial rest, which restores the following: Restore hit points up to half of their maximum.

Should you let Astarion bite you? ›

Should you Let Astarion Bite You? Letting Astarion bite you is an easy way to get approval with him. The simple answer is yes, as the only downside is gaining the Bloodless debuff, while Astarion gains the Happy buff and his approval rating of you increases.

What happens if you give the hag your eye in BG3? ›

Your new eye gives you +1 on intimidation, but a disadvantage on perception checks and attacks against hags. Perception is an important stat in Baldur's Gate 3, so it depends on whether or not your party can pick up the slack or not.

Can you beat Baldurs Gate without long rest? ›

Long resting is pretty much necessary in Baldur's Gate 3 since it restores health, resets skill slots, and y'know, is mandatory for progressing through multiple quests.

Can you be evil in BG3? ›

1: Yes, going evil will have some companions leave you (specifically Karlach, Wyll, and Gale... though I think you can persuade Gale into staying.). In return you do get a couple evil companions. 2: While it is entirely possible to do an evil playthrough, doing so cuts out a massive portion of the game's content.

Can you romance Gale BG3? ›

Gale does seem to be a bit of a love-hate character in terms of whether he comes across as charming, or an absolute creep, but either way, he is a romance option. Unlike a lot of the other characters, Gale's romance is a bit of a long haul, and you won't properly seal the deal until act two.

Does Sleeping progress the story in BG3? ›

Larian has confirmed with IGN that the time in which you decide to take Long Rests can have an impact on the story and events in the game.

Can you befriend the Owlbear in Baldur's Gate 3? ›

yes! The owlbear can be recruited as a pet/ally, and while it's not quite a companion on the level with the others, finding the nest and the creature's mother starts a little chain of events that can have impact all the way to the very end of the game.

Are long rests bad in BG3? ›

But a simple gameplay progression of 2-3 battles before every long rest should be fine. Ideally, you do battle, short rest, battle, short rest, battle, long rest. After a particularly difficult battle (say, a boss battle), you may need a long rest, which is fine. What you shouldn't do is long rest for the sake of it.

What is the benefit of short rest in BG3? ›

Using a Short Rest is the best way to recover hit points and Spells to continue with your adventures and engage in new fights without needing to retreat from the area. You can only use 2 Short Rests before using a Long Rest after which all uses of Short Rest will be restored.

What is the worth of a single mortal life in BG3? ›

The question is unanswerable by mortals as a life's worth is determined by the individual and all those who were affected by the life of the individual, and we don't have the weights on those factors. Of the available options I lean towards the infinite value one.

How many times can you long rest before the Grove closes? ›

The story isn't timed but some side quests are, they'll only trigger the countdown when you get near them so like with that burning building you have to go up towards the Gnoll area to trigger it's countdown, the Druid Grove does have a timer but it's like somewhere around 15 long rests before it closes off.

How many long rests before Orin kills? ›

* From the wiki: "Although Rescue Orin's Victim appears to be time-sensitive - it is not. The party can take an infinite amount of Long Rests without Orin killing her kidnapping victim. The companion's life is only at risk once Orin is spoken to in the Temple of Bhaal."

How many rests until Karlach dies? ›

If you rest more than three times at the camp: Karlach mission is failed and the grove gets sealed.

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