Baldur’s Gate 3: Unfair Enemy Ability Frustrates Stealth Strategy

Baldur’s Gate 3 players are experiencing frustration due to the lack of effectiveness of magical stealth, as enemies possess an unfair ability that allows them to easily discover players.

In Dungeons and Dragons, Invisibility stands out as a top-tier spell at lower levels. The power to disappear from view is perfect for stealthy maneuvers or catching adversaries off guard, although it does fade if you take offensive actions or use magic.

At higher levels, the enhanced versions such as Greater Invisibility become even more valuable as they are less prone to breaking easily.

Regrettably, Invisibility does not prove to be as advantageous in Baldur’s Gate 3. This is because numerous enemies possess the ability to Detect Presence, which allows them to reveal your whereabouts and nullify the advantages of being invisible.

Reddit users of Baldur’s Gate 3 are expressing frustration with the frequency of Detect Presence being used by enemies in the game, making it nearly impossible for characters to remain invisible. This significantly weakens the usefulness of the Invisibility spell.

Baldur's Gate 3 players call for major change to Honour Mode — Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 enemies make the most of their enhanced senses to track invisible characters

One user expressed frustration with the issue of invisibility in the game, stating that it is one of the few things that annoys them. They use invisibility but are quickly detected by every NPC enemy. The enemies, however, are able to turn invisible and the user struggles to locate them until they attack. The cycle continues as the enemies constantly turn invisible again, leaving the user to frantically cast spells in hopes of hitting them.

“Another user inquired, “Are you curious as to why creatures with a strong sense of smell can detect you without visual contact?”They added, “The issue at hand is that once you are detected by one creature, you become visible to all of them.”

The game’s use of an unfair trick was brought to attention. “I haven’t seen anyone provide this answer, so here it is: All NPCs are capable of using the Detect Presence bonus action. This applies to NPCs on your team as well, as long as you are not directly controlling them. However, the moment you take control, they lose this ability.”

As a means of balance, Detect Presence was most likely added to prevent players from exploiting fights with Invisibility. This is particularly important as the spell can also be cast through magical objects. Allowing players to remain unseen through the use of magic would give them a significant edge in battles.

One drawback is that a single roll can easily undo stealth strategies, leaving players with the option of either loading a saved game or, if they are playing Honour Mode, bracing for a potentially unwinnable battle.