Baldur’s Gate 3: All status effects explained
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 floods you with all sorts of information during your playthrough, but one of the most important ones you have to look out for are the status effects. Here’s a detailed explanation of every status effect in BG3.
Status effects are a feature common to most RPGs, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is no exception. These let you know if your character is afflicted by a condition or if they’re benefitting from some ability boosts. The status effects in Baldur’s Gate 3 are all taken from DnD, but some of them may have minor changes. Several of these offer some serious advantages to you and your companions, while others can cause harm.
Here is a list of every status effect in Baldur’s Gate 3 along with how they affect your characters’ stats.
- What is a status effect in Baldur’s Gate 3
- List of negative Status effects
- List of positive status effects
What is a status effect in Baldur’s Gate 3?
A status effect is a condition that alters the way your character moves, heals, takes actions, interacts with the environment, or does damage in Baldur’s Gate 3. They can be positive or negative, and learning what they do is key to taking down the hardest late-game challenges.
Status effects have a considerable impact on Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay, even during dialogue phases. So keep that in mind when you traverse through the many locations of the Sword Coast you will explore during your adventures.
These effects can be caused by the environment, spells, abilities, weapons, enemy attacks, or by items equipped or used by your character. They can alter your character, allied NPCs, and enemies so you can use them to your advantage during combat.
Larian StudiosList of negative status effects in Baldur’s Gate 3
Negative status effects in Baldur’s Gate 3 cause damage, disadvantage and diminish your character capabilities during combat and outside of it.
Here’s a full list of all negative status effects present in Baldur’s Gate 3 and how they alter your character stats:
| BG3 Status Effect | Effect Description |
|---|---|
| Acid | The unit has its Armor Class reduced by 2 |
| Bane | The unit receives a 1d4 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws |
| Bleeding | The unit is dead. Can be revived if it’s a companion. Cannot be revived if enemy or allied NPC |
| Blinded | Ranged attacks and spells have a range of 15 ft, and melee attack rolls suffer Disadvantage. |
| Bloodless | The unit has -1 to attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks |
| Burning | The unit takes fire damage per turn over the duration of the condition |
| Caustic | The unit takes 1d4 acid damage per turn |
| Charmed | The unit can’t harm the enemy that charmed it, and has CHAR disadvantage against the caster |
| Chest Trauma | The unit has Disadvantage on CON saving throws, -1 to Actions per turn |
| Chilled | The unit becomes vulnerable to Cold damage, and Resistant to Fire damage |
| Crippled | The unit’s movement speed reduced to 0, and has Disadvantage on DEX saving throws |
| Dazed | The unit has Disadvantage on WIS saving throws, can’t take Reactions, and loses the DEX bonus to their Armour Class |
| Dead | The unit is dead. Can be revived if its a companion. Cannot be revived if enemy or allied NPC |
| Difficult Terrain | Halves movement speed of the unit |
| Downed | Your character has reached 0 HP, and need to take three successful Death saving throws to become stable, if it fails three times, it dies. |
| Electrocuted | The unit takes 1d4 lightning damage at the start of each turn |
| Encumbered | The unit’s movement speed is reduced, and Jump distance is halved |
| Ensnared | The unit cannot move and takes 1d4 piercing damage each turn |
| Entangled | The unit cannot move and attack rolls against the affected unit have Advantage |
| Enthralled | Lost control of the unit for the duration of the effect |
| Enwebbed | The unit cannot move, attack rolls against it have Advantage, attack rolls have Disadvantage. You also have Disadvantage on DEX saving throws. |
| Feeble | The unit causes half damage with STR based weapons |
| Flammable | The unit becomes flammable, when taking fire damage, it explodes taking 2d4 extra fire damage and spreading Burning to all units around it |
| Frightened | The unit has disadvantage on ability checks, runs away from the source of its fear, and can’t willingly move near the unit that caused the fear effect |
| Frostbite | If the unit takes cold damage when affected by Frostbite take an additional 1 cold damage per turn of Frostbite remaining. |
| Gaping Wounds | Attacks against this unit deal an additional two piercing damage. |
| Haemorrage | The unit suffers 1d6 piercing damage at the end of each turn for the duration of the effect |
| Hamstrung | The unit’s movement speed is reduced by 50% |
| Heavily Encumbered | The unit’s movement speed reduced by 75%, and can no longer climb or jump. Also has Disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, as well as STR, DEX, and CON saving throws |
| Incapacitated | The unit becomes stunned and unable to act or react, loses concentration in case it is channeling a spell |
| Infested | The unit becomes infested with tiny spiderlings that deal 1d4 piercing damage and 1d4 poison damage each round for the duration of the effect, attacks on this unit spread the effect to the attacker. Upon death, the infestation spreads to all nearby units |
| Lethargic | The unit becomes unable to take actions, reactions or move, and needs to recover for one turn during combat or outside combat |
| Mud | Causes the unit the same effects as Difficult Terrain, unit moves at half speed |
| Nauseated | The unit becomes vulnerable to Psychic and Acid damage until next long rest |
| Noxious Fumes | The unit takes 1d4 Poison damage each turn. It must succeed a CON saving throw or take an additional 2d4 Poison damage on a failed roll, or half damage if the roll is successful |
| Off Balance | The unit has Disadvantage in DEX and STR saving throws, attacks against this unit have Advantage |
| Oil(ed) | Unit becomes Flammable |
| Paralyzed | The unit is unable to act, react, automatically fails DEX and STR saving throws, other units attacking it have Advantage on attack rolls, any attack made to the unit from 10ft distance are an automatic hit and Critical Hit |
| Pinched | The unit takes 1d4 piercing damage each turn and has its movement speed reduced by 10ft |
| Poisoned | The unit has a Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks for the duration of the effect |
| Prone | The unit has Disadvantage on STR and DEX saving throws, and has to recover at the beginning of next turn, losing all its movement speed |
| Reeling | The unit has -1 penalty to attack rolls for the duration of the combat phase |
| Shocked | The unit cannot take reactions and has Disadvantage on DEX ability checks and saving throws |
| Sickened | The unit becomes vulnerable to most types of damage, except slashing and sacred |
| Silenced | The unit becomes unable to cast spells or spell-like abilities |
| Sleeping | The unit cannot move, becomes unable to react, fails automatically every STR and DEX saving throw, attack rolls against it have Advantage, and any enemy hitting the sleeping unit at 5ft range scores an automatic Critical Hit |
| Stunned | The unit cannot move, take actions, bonus actions, or reactions |
| Surprised | The unit cannot take actions or reactions, nor move during initial round of the combat |
| Threatened | The unit is threatened by enemies, cannot move without causing an Opportunity Attack, and has Disadvantage on ranged attacks |
| Turned | The unit becomes affected by Fear and needs to take every possible action or reaction to move away from the unit causing its Fear |
| Twisting Vines | The unit becomes affected by Difficult Terrain and takes 1d4 piercing damage each turn until a DEX saving throw ceases the effect. In certain environments, piercing damage is replaced by 1d4 necrotic damage |
| Weak Grip | The unit has Disadvantage on attack rolls and STR saving throws, must immediately make a DEX save or lose current held weapons |
| Wet | Prevents the Burning effect, but the unit becomes Vulnerable to cold and lightning damage |
List of positive status effects in Baldur’s Gate 3
Positive status effects in Baldur’s Gate 3 boost your character stats and allow you to gain an advantage on most saving throws, skill checks, and during combat.
Here’s a full list of all positive status effects present in Baldur’s Gate 3, and what benefits they grant to your character:
| BG3 Status Effect | Effect Description |
|---|---|
| Arcane Acuity | The unit has a +1 bonus to its spell attack rolls and spell difficulty class per turn until the duration of the effect expires |
| Arcane Sinergy | The unit adds its spellcasting ability modifier as bonus weapon damage for melee or ranged attacks until the duration of the effect expires |
| Aura of Leadership | Units around the source cause an additional 1d4 force damage when hitting with a melee or range attack |
| Aura of Courage | Units around the source are immune to Fear effects, and gain Advantage on their CON, WIS, and INT saving throws |
| Awakened | The units are able to use Ilithid powers as a Bonus Action each turn |
| Blessed | The units receive an additional 1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws |
| Braced | The unit loses half its movement speed, and for the rest of the turn, rolls ranged or melee damages twice, and takes the highest result |
| Calmed | The unit cannot be affected by Charm or Fear |
| Guidance | The units receive an additional 1d4 to skill checks |
| Happy | The unit gains +1 to all attack rolls, saving throws, and most ability checks |
| Hasted | The unit gains +2 to Armor Class, and takes an additional action or reaction each turn, doubles the movement speed. After the duration of the effect ceases, the unit becomes Lethargic |
| Heat | The unit takes 1d4 fire damage each turn, but unlocks the ability to use Heat Covergence, dealing 2d4 additional fire damage with melee or ranged attacks |
| Heavily Obscured | The unit becomes really hard to detect, has Advantage on Stealth skill checks and synergizes with certain items for additional bonuses |
| Heroism | The unit becomes immune to Fear effects and gain 10 temporary HP each turn during the duration of the effect |
| Invisible | The unit becomes invisible and has Advantage on attack rolls, units cannot target it unless revealed. The effect ceases when the unit attacks or is revealed. Greater Invisibility allows units to attack without ceasing the effect |
| Lightning Charges | The unit gains +1 to attack rolls and deals 1 additional lightning damage. Additionally, when reaching 5 charges, the next spell or attack does 1d8 additional lightning damage |
| Momentum | The unit gains an increase in movement speed by 5ft per charge, the unit loses all charges if Restrained, Incapacitated, Prone, or slowed down by Difficult Terrain |
| Prepared | The unit gains extra 1d4 slashing damage on the next melee attack |
| Protection | The unit is protected against energy, or attacks according to the source of the effect, and gains certain immunities to damage, or Advantage against effects caused by damage that comes from designated sources |
| Rallied | The unit gains +8 to its maximum HP until the duration of the effect ceases |
| Resistance | The units receive Advantage in CON, WIS, INT, CHAR, and DEX saving throws |
| Thaumaturgy | The unit gains Advantage on Intimidation and Performance skill checks |
| True Strike | The unit gains Advantage on attack rolls |
| Wrath | The unit gains +1 to melee attack damage per turn, per charge of Wrath, until the duration of the effect ceases |
That was every status effect in Baldur’s Gate 3, remember to also check our guides for more content:
Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3: Stats, tips & where to find them | How to craft Potions in Baldur’s Gate 3: Ingredients, recipes & more | Baldur’s Gate 3: How to get Scratch companion