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There’s a lot of focus on combat inBaldur’s Gate 3,but not all of it has to do with killing. What happens when you fail a Persuasion or Deception check and end up in combat with someone you’d rather not eliminate? Thankfully, there’s an option for that.
With Non-Lethal Damage, you can knock enemies out instead of killing them. This handy mechanic removes the inner turmoil of fighting NPCs you want to spare while also stopping them from standing in your way. Here’s how to find the Non-Lethal Attacks mechanic and use it as you play through Baldur’s Gate 3.
Updated July 07, 2025, by Sean Murray:Some foes in Baldur’s Gate 3 deserve a second chance. That’s why we’ve updated this guide to non-lethal attacks with improved formatting so it’s easier to knock people out rather than kill them. We’ve also given this guide more links to other helpful BG3 topics.
How To Turn Non-Lethal Attacks On Or Off
To toggle Non-Lethal Attacks on and off, go to thePassives section of the hotbar(or expand your action radial if you’re using a controller). Look for the icon that shows a figure getting whacked on the head with a hammer.
When you hover over it, you’ll see theToggle Non-Lethal Attacksdescription. Select it. You’ll see that each party member now has a smaller version of theicon beside their portraiton the sidebar. Now that Non-Lethal Attacks have been turned on, it will stay that way until youclick the button again to turn it off.
Double-checkat the start of combatto ensure you have this setting on when needed. Otherwise, you could end up needing to restart or face the consequences.
How To Use Non-Lethal Attacks In Combat
While using Non-Lethal Attacks, not all actions will result in knocking out opponents. For example,ranged attacks and spells will still deal lethal damage, as there’s no way to avoid doing harm with those. Only melee weapons, such asswords, glaives, daggers, etc., will knock enemies outinstead of killing them.
Thankfully, you can stilluse spells and ranged attacks to lower an opponent’s healthin combat. This allows you to use the best attacks in your arsenal to weaken your opponent before swooping in with a melee attack to knock them out. As long as the target reacheszero health from a melee attack, they will be knocked unconscious.
When To Use Non-Lethal Damage In Combat
Non-Lethal Attackscan be used in combat whenever you’d like, which comes in handy during encounters where you’d rather not fight. For example, when freeingthe fighter Lae’zelright after the opening of the game, there are two tieflings deciding what to do with her. You have the opportunity to persuade them to leave, butif you fail the check, you end up in combatone way or another.
If you see an enemy target withthe “temporarily hostile” condition, this means that if youknock them out now and come back later, they may no longer be hostile
If you want to side with the tieflings and druids, orif you’re playing a good-aligned character, you may not want to start killing people just for being cautious, curious, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Instead, knocking them out solves two problems:they’re no longer in your way, and they are still alive.
There are plenty of scenarios throughout the game where one failed save can lead to combat you didn’t want, sotake advantage of Non-Lethal Attacks to get through combatwithout dealing with lethal consequences. And yes,you’re able to still loot opponents if they’re knocked out; it’s just called stealing.
