Baldur’s Gate 3’s Hirelings can be OP without even leaving camp
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 lets you create custom Hirelings with the power to break the game, even without putting them in your active party.
Baldur’s Gate has some amazing party members, with rich characterization and ongoing storylines that unfold throughout the game. Despite this, they’re not really the most min-maxed group, leading to many players altering their abilities in the camp to make them better at their jobs.
Those who want to play with every class and race in the game can bring in Hirelings via Withers. These are custom characters that lack any connection to the setting but give you more opportunities to play with the game mechanics.
There are more uses for Hirelings than people might realize, as detailed on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit. It’s possible to abuse D&D 5E’s Concentration rules to create Hirelings characters with access to buffing spells that last all day, use them on the party, and keep them in the camp.
“Hire the cleric to cast Warding Bond on your tank and soak up all the tank’s damage while never leaving camp,” one user wrote, “Basically gives you a fifth party member to soak up damage. Also useful for casting freedom of movement and protection from poison without using a party member’s spell slots.”
“Long rest buffs, like Aid, Freedom of Movement, Protection from Poison, Death Ward, Heroes’ Feast. Long strider, Warding Bond,” another user wrote, “All can be cast at the start of your adventuring day and keeps them active till a long rest. Saves your primary party’s spell slots. It’s quite useful in HM runs.”
Of course, there are other uses for the more… discerning player. “I use them to get access to better underwear as early as possible,” one user wrote, “I’m fond of Gith underwear. What can I say?”
Keeping active buffs on your party at all times is a lifesaver in Honour Mode runs, especially if you’re not burning precious spell slots to do it. If you get Hirelings to cast the spells from the camp, then they’re protected from breaking Concentration, as no one can damage them, letting the effects stay active all day.
You probably wouldn’t want to use this tactic in other difficulty modes, as it might make the game a little too easy, but for Honor Mode players, keeping a Hireling in your camp with some powerful active spells might help you make it to the ending.