Highlights
- Honour Mode in Baldur's Gate 3 is a challenging difficulty level with permadeath and only one save, making it a grueling but thrilling experience.
- Players should complete Tactician Mode before attempting Honour Mode, and preparation with the right support items is crucial for success.
- Despite the risks, Honour Mode adds replayability and provides an ultimate challenge for dedicated players, which will likely keep the community engaged for a long time.
The Honour Mode in Baldur's Gate 3 is not for those faint of heart, as one player failed their playthrough in heartbreaking fashion after Scratch decided to play a dangerous game of fetch. Introduced in Patch 5, Honour Mode is a new difficulty level in Baldur's Gate 3 that not only makes bosses tougher (even compared to Tactician Mode), but also restricts players to just one save. Permadeath is in full effect, and when the entire party wipes, it signifies the end of a run.
Starting an Honour Mode playthrough in Baldur's Gate 3 isn't advised until players at least complete Tactician Mode once. It's a grueling ordeal by any measure – though that's precisely what makes it fun for those who seek a challenge, and what makes it so thrilling to watch for the rest. Preparing one's party in Baldur's Gate 3 takes priority in Honour Mode, and having the right support items and consumables for each encounter is what separates success from failure.
Larian Studios Comments on Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox Game Pass Release Plans
Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke provides an update on whether or not there are plans to launch Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Game Pass.
In a long list of hilarious Honour Mode losses, such as dying in the attempt to sleep with Haarlep, or failing to save Mizora while playing a Wyll Origin, a player named PoliticalBudgie adds their own playthrough's untimely end: Scratch playing a game of fetch with a barrel of runepowder. After carefully making their way to the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3, and preparing to conclude Act 1 by rescuing Nere, PoliticalBudgie forgot to un-summon Scratch before tossing the barrel of runepowder and launching an arrow at it. This resulted in the oblivious dog charging at the runepowder barrel while the arrow was in mid-flight, resulting in a total party wipe in unceremonious fashion.
While Baldur's Gate 3 won many awards at Geoff Keighley's show to cap off 2023, Larian seems to have also struck gold with Honour Mode. On top of its wondrous replayability, Baldur's Gate 3 now has an ultimate challenge for players to chase. Though only a small percentile of fans will complete this brutal game difficulty, it is likely to keep the community engaged for a long time to come.
Despite initially launching for the PC and PS5, Larian managed to release an Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 just in time for the holidays, as players from all three major platforms can now enjoy 2023's Game of the Year. Though it remains to be seen if the developers have plans for more Baldur's Gate 3 content in the near future, thanks to the Epilogue provided by Patch 5, the base game's narrative is finally complete.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
