Baldur’s Gate 3: Speedrunning Guide

Speedrunning Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) is a thrilling way to experience the game, allowing players to exploit game mechanics, glitches, and optimized routes to complete the game as quickly as possible. This guide will introduce you to the essentials of speedrunning BG3, including character creation, key glitches, and optimized strategies for completing the game.

1. Speedrun Setup

Before diving into the game, it’s important to configure your settings and understand the key mechanics that will help you succeed in your speedrun.

Settings

• Frame Rate: Cap your frame rate at 60 FPS. This can help with consistency in executing certain tricks, especially wall clips and jumps.
• Keybinds: Bind an interact key to a combination like Shift + Mouse Scroll Up. This will be crucial for performing wall clips and other interaction-based glitches.
• Turn Off Tutorials: These only slow you down. Disabling them will prevent pop-ups and interruptions during critical moments.

2. Character Creation

Choosing the right race, class, and abilities is vital for a successful speedrun. For most runs, you’ll want to take advantage of specific movement spells and stealth abilities.

Origin

• Custom Character (Tav): A custom character is ideal because it avoids extra cutscenes and dialogue that come with origin characters like the Dark Urge or Gale.

Race

• Lightfoot Halfling or Deep Gnome: These two races have advantages with stealth checks, which can be crucial for avoiding unnecessary combat and progressing quickly through certain sections. Their small size also helps with pathing and movement glitches.

Class

• Wizard: Wizards are the go-to class for speedruns due to their access to key spells that enhance mobility and utility.

Key Spells

• Enhanced Leap: This spell increases jump distance by 300%, which is essential for quickly traversing large areas and avoiding obstacles.
• Feather Fall: Prevents fall damage, allowing you to take shortcuts by jumping off cliffs or high platforms without worry.
• Fog Cloud: Obscures vision, enabling you to bypass enemy encounters by making yourself and party members invisible to NPCs.
• Magic Missile: Useful in early fights to quickly eliminate enemies, especially during mandatory encounters.
• Chromatic Orb (optional): Needed for the “Shadowboxing” glitch (more on this later).

Abilities

• Strength (17): Higher strength increases your jump distance, which is the fastest way to move through the game.
• Dexterity (16): Improves initiative rolls, helping you start combat first, which is essential for some key encounters.
• Intelligence (14): Ensures you can prepare enough spells to optimize your run.

3. Prologue: Nautiloid Skip

The first major skip in the game takes place on the Nautiloid ship. The objective is to bypass the majority of the tutorial area and reach the transponder as quickly as possible.

Steps:

1. Cast Enhanced Leap: Start by casting Enhanced Leap and jumping towards the exit. It’s faster than walking or running.
2. First Jump: Aim for a raised platform near the transponder room.
3. Dash + Turn-Based Mode: After landing, cast Dash and immediately enter Turn-Based Mode. This allows you to stack the Dash effect, letting you cover much greater distances.
4. Wall Clip: Use your interact keybind (Shift + Mouse Scroll Up) while jumping to clip through the wall near the transponder. If done correctly, you’ll bypass the door and skip straight to the final cutscene of the prologue.
5. Final Jump: Dash one more time to reach the transponder and trigger the cutscene that ends the prologue.

4. Act 1: Shadowboxing and Node Flings

Act 1 introduces two key glitches that will drastically shorten your playtime: Shadowboxing and Node Fling.

Shadowboxing

Shadowboxing is a glitch that allows you to teleport a dead companion to a far-off location, skipping large portions of the game. You can perform this glitch with Shadowheart.

1. Kill Shadowheart: After recruiting her, use Magic Missile and melee attacks to kill Shadowheart. Loot her body and take it with you.
2. Set Up the Node: Drop an item (like a scroll) in the inventory at a specific location. This sets a “node” that you’ll use later.
3. Send Shadowheart’s Body: Place Shadowheart’s body in a container, set the container on fire, and then attempt to move it. If done correctly, the container will “fling” to the node you set earlier, taking Shadowheart’s body with it.
4. Trigger Cutscene: When Shadowheart’s body hits the node, it will trigger a cutscene from that location, effectively teleporting your entire party to the next section of the game.

Node Fling

Node Fling is a trick where you set a node at a distant location and use the game’s item interaction system to teleport objects (and by extension, characters) to that node.

1. Set the Node: Use items like crates or barrels to set a node at a location far ahead in the game (e.g., the Mountain Pass).
2. Teleport: Once the node is set, you can move containers or bodies to that location instantly, skipping large portions of the map.

5. Act 2: Fast Travel Through the Shadowlands

In Act 2, you’ll be moving quickly through the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Shadowboxing and Node Flings will remain your primary tools for skipping ahead.

Key Tactics:

• Fog Cloud: Use this spell liberally to bypass enemy encounters. Cast it before engaging with groups of enemies to slip past undetected.
• Long Jumps: Cast Enhanced Leap and Feather Fall to navigate large gaps and avoid cliffside paths.
• Teleport to Endgame: Use the Shadowboxing glitch one last time to teleport directly to the end of Act 2, skipping major boss fights and encounters.

6. Act 3: The Final Push

By Act 3, you’ll be preparing to finish the game. Your goal is to gather the necessary items and companions, set up a final Shadowboxing teleport, and trigger the endgame cutscene.

Ending the Game:

1. Trigger Final Cutscenes: By using Shadowboxing or Node Fling, teleport to the final area (either the Upper City or another critical point).
2. Endgame Dialogue/Choices: Depending on your choices and glitches, you can trigger a variety of quick endings, including the Gale self-destruction ending (if you’re playing as Gale).

7. General Tips

• Save Often: While speedrunning, things can go wrong, especially with glitches. Keep quick saves handy.
• Practice Key Glitches: Spend time practicing Shadowboxing, Node Fling, and Nautiloid Skip. These are the most time-saving tricks in the game and mastering them will drastically improve your speedrun times.
• Optimize Pathing: Pay attention to your movement path. Jumping is faster than walking, and using Enhanced Leap reduces travel time significantly.

Conclusion

Speedrunning Baldur’s Gate 3 requires a mix of skill, knowledge of glitches, and strategic planning. By mastering techniques like Shadowboxing, Node Flings, and optimizing movement, you can drastically cut down your playtime. Keep practicing, and you’ll be shaving minutes off your time in no time!