An Often Overlooked Baldur's Gate 3 Item Could Save Your Weakest Companions

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Don't skip the most underrated kind of equipment in — when used properly, it can save even the weakest companion's life. Following ' fifth edition rules, companions live and die by their equipment in. Somewhat uniquely, a character's Armor Class (AC) doesn't determine how much damage they take; it's a deciding factor in whether every attack targeting them successfully hits. That means that an under-armored character is at a much greater risk, and needs to be kept strategically far away from any enemies who might pose a threat.

The thing is, not every companion can equip every piece of armor. armor is divided into three classes: Light, Medium, and Heavy. A character must have proficiency in the relevant armor type in order to wear it without gaining disadvantage on all checks, attacks, and saving throws pertaining to Strength and Dexterity, and losing the ability to cast spells. Suffice it to say that the risks of equipping armor a character isn't proficient in greatly outweigh the benefits. But there is an overlooked item that any character can equip, greatly boosting their defense without any negative consequences.

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Even the weakest, lowest-HP, magic-only characters can equip shields in , increasing their Armor Class without the need for armor proficiencies. Most shields increase the equipper's AC by two points. It's a slight change, but one that can certainly come in clutch, potentially preventing an otherwise fatal strike. It's easy to forget that shields aren't exclusive to certain melee classes, and the game never explicitly explains that. As a result, many characters like Gale, who certainly don't fit the hardened warrior archetype, may be left in the lurch.

Using a shield does require proficiency, but most companions have it naturally. Humans and elves can wield shields by default, and even some low-HP classes,