One Overlooked Baldur's Gate 3 Feature Could Be Weighing Down Your Party (2024)

In a game as vast as Baldur’s Gate 3, there are many features and abilities that the party needs to keep track of. From spells and class features to quests and equipment, it can at times feel a little overwhelming on top of focusing on saving all of Faerûn. However, as parties come to grips with the nuances of inventory management, there is one surprising aspect that many don’t realize is adding to some encumbrance woes.

Inventory management in Baldur’s Gate 3 is sometimes an afterthought in a game that throws mind flayers, cultists, and life-or-death decisions at the party. However, by keeping on top of all the loot the group finds, the party will always have the best gear equipped and be able to turn quite a profit in the process. Unfortunately, it is the group’s funds that can be the source of some trouble if the game’s tooltips are not properly paid attention to.

Gold In Baldur’s Gate 3 Has Weight

The More Gold, The More Carrying Capacity It Takes

It can happen in many RPGs, from Skyrim to Baldur’s Gate 3, as the adventure party travels and loots everything not nailed down, the dreaded pop-up arrives to tell them they are over-encumbered. This usually prompts a closer inspection of inventories with any unnecessary items having to be sold or even dropped. However, there is one surprising source of encumbrance that is catching some BG3 players off guard: the party’s gold. As in a break from RPG tradition, but very much in keeping with DnD, gold in BG3 has weightand adds to a character’s encumbrance.

How Much Does Gold Weigh In BG3?

There Are Some Easy Fixes To Avoid Over-Encumbrance From Gold

Gold is one of the most common and useful items in BG3, often given as quest rewards and used to purchase items from BG3's merchants. However, gold pieces in BG3 also have a carry weight which can quickly add up the more gold the party has. One gold weighs 0.001kg/0.002 lb, which makes it easy to transport in small amounts. But this can rapidly escalate once the party has access to hundreds or even thousands of gold pieces.

Once a character is carrying more than 10 pieces of gold, the weight begins to be registered as part of their encumbrance. As a character's carrying capacity is calculated from their Strength score, this means that barbarians, fighters, and other high-Strength characters can carry around a lot more than physically weaker characters like wizards or sorcerers. Once a character gets to 80% of their carry capacity, they become encumbered, with over 93% triggering heavily encumbered.

There are a few ways the party can deal with hoarding thousands of gold pieces without becoming encumbered. The first is to split the gold between party members, which works well at lower levels, or to have the strongest party member be the designated gold carrier. However, the best way to deal with gold weight is to send it back to the camp chest and keep it there. Gold stored in the camp chest can still be accessed by traders, so Baldur's Gate 3 shopping sprees can continue uninterrupted.

Baldur's Gate 3

Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.

RPG

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Number of Players

1-4

Local Co-Op Support

1-2 Players

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical Only