Baldur's Gate 3 is built on the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition system by Larian Studios and works almost exactly the same as it does in a session of D&D Fifth Edition. This means that Baldur's Gate 3 players have access to the range of diverse rules, systems, and features from one of the most popular editions of Dungeons & Dragons. As a result, players have a great deal of freedom in both exploration and in combat.
One often-overlooked Fifth Edition rule is the Thrown weapon property, which can be found on certain melee weapons. On the tabletop and in Baldur's Gate 3, a Thrown weapon can be hurled to deal its full damage at range. However, throwing a weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 isn't quite as simple as it sounds.
How to Use Thrown Weapons in Baldur's Gate 3
While weapons with the Thrown property can be placed in a character's melee weapon slot, this is only used to perform melee attacks with them and isn't necessary for throwing. Instead, players should use the Throw action. Selecting Throw will replace the character's hotbar with a list of the items in their inventory that can be thrown, including any Thrown weapons they currently have equipped. Thrown weapons always appear at the far left of the hotbar, making them easy to find.
To throw a specific weapon, players simply need to select it from the list and then choose their target. This will make an Attack Roll against that target, using either the character's Strength or the highest of their Strength and Dexterity if the Thrown weapon has the Finesse property. Interestingly, all characters currently add their Proficiency bonus when using Throw, even if they don't have Proficiency in the weapon they're throwing, though it is possible that this could be a bug.
Although thrown weapons don't count as ranged weapons for features like the Fighter's Archery Fighting Style, they do still gain the +2 bonus from being on high ground, and the -2 penalty for being on low ground. If the Attack Roll of the Thrown weapon exceeds the target's AC, the weapon will deal its usual weapon damage, plus Strength or Dexterity depending on the Ability used for the Attack Roll.
Thrown Weapon Tips
Only a few melee weapons have the Thrown property by default in Baldur's Gate 3:
Dagger
Handaxe
Javelin
Light Hammer
Spear
TridentHowever, there are also magical weapons that add the Thrown property as well as others that can return to the character's hand after being thrown. While any character can throw weapons in Baldur's Gate 3, there are two features that can significantly improve throwing. Barbarians with the Berserker subclass gain the Enraged Throw ability while raging, which turns Throw into a Bonus Action and adds a chance to knock the target Prone. This can be a great combo with the Tavern Brawler Feat, which allows a character to double their Strength modifier bonus to the attack and damage rolls of Thrown weapons.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC. The PlayStation 5 version will be available on September 6th, 2023. A version for Xbox Series X/S is still in development.
