User:HarveyPekar/Differences between Tactician and Balanced

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Tactician difficulty, as a harder difficulty option, carries with it many differences gameplay. Chief among these are enhanced statistics and abilities for creatures. These can be increased ability scores, new passives, permanently applied conditions, or even new or improved actions. This is a list of all such noted differences.

Flat bonuses

These are clearly defined changes that are implemented across races of creatures, subsets within those races, or upon individual creatures. For any entity that gains a new or modified action, the game must be on Tactician difficulty before combat is initiated in order for the change to take effect.

Racial bonuses

These are bonuses implemented to every member of a specific playable or non-playable race. Some specific creatures or characters encountered within those races may gain additional bonuses, as detailed later.

Racial Bonuses on Tactician
Race Bonuses
Intellect Devourers
Phase spiders
Goblins
Ogres
Bugbears
Githyanki
Minotaurs
Kobolds
Merregon
Meenlocks
Death Shepherds
Dark Justiciars

Creature and archetype bonuses

Some bonuses are applied to subsets of creatures within a race. This can include named NPC's, as long as the group they belong to can be easily generalized. For example, githyanki NPC's who wield a crossbow and have the "Raider" title – even if their name is Hi'so'ka or Ki'llua – in Act One can expect to get the same Tactician bonuses. These apply in addition to any other racial or individual bonuses.

Group Bonuses on Tactician
Group Bonuses
Githyanki Raider (Level 5)
Githyanki gish (Level 5)
Githyanki warrior (Level 5)
Githyanki ardent (Level 5)
Redcap Blood Sage[note 2]
Agile Guardian
Robust Guardian
Mimic
  • Resistant to Non-Magical BludgeoningResistant to Non-Magical PiercingResistant to Non-Magical Slashing
Shadow-Cursed Vine Blight
Shadow-Cursed Shambling Mound
Shadow-Cursed Raven
Zealot of the Absolute
Adept of the Absolute
Undead Nurse
Cursed Kuo-Toa (and Chief)

Unique individual bonuses

For any uniquely-occurring creature or NPC that gets their own bonuses. If a named NPC doesn't neatly fit into a generic group, as described above, they'll be included here.

Act One

For any entity first encountered in Act One:

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC Bonuses
Commander Zhalk
Gandrel
Hyena[note 3]
  • Alert Alert and additional +4 initiative, for a total +11 Initiative
Dror Ragzlin
Buthir
Sarth Baretha
Kith'rak Voss
Bulette
  • Resistant to Non-Magical BludgeoningResistant to Non-Magical PiercingResistant to Non-Magical SlashingResistant to all Acid
Bernard
Ancient Giant Eagle
Kith'rak Therezzyn
Ur'uth and D'hak
Varsh Ko'kuu
Sa'varsh Kethk
Ghustil Stornugoss

Act Two

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC Bonuses

The Warden

Kar'niss
Gerringothe Thorm
Giant Shadow Creeper
Intelligent Sentinel
Charismatic Sentinel
Malus Thorm
Balthazar
Yurgir

Act Three

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC Bonuses
Viconia DeVir
  • Houndmaster Pol, Zina, Rocky, and Gordis: Hunter's Camouflage. The dogs also get Evasion.

Exception(s)

The enemies in one specific encounter, the goblin raiding party at the Druid Grove gate, are exempt from buffs. The goblins, led by Za'Krug, and the bugbear are missing the passive bonuses that are found elsewhere on otherwise identical creatures on Tactician. They retain, however, the Tactician HP bonus.

Variable increases

These are changes that are implemented to varying degrees across creatures in the game.

Health

NPC hit points are generally increased by 30%, or close to 30%, with some exceptions. These exceptions include but are not limited to:

Footnotes

  1. Gith that already had this ability on Balanced or Explorer, such as Kith'rak Voss, retain the ability. Playable gith such as Lae'zel do not gain this ability.
  2. Including BOOOAL
  3. Found on The Risen Road at X: 9 Y: 522