Baldur's Gate 3 Feats, Weapons and Armor Guide

Quick answer: BG3 normally grants feat choices at class levels 4, 8 and 12, with extra choices for fighters and rogues. Ability Improvement is one of those choices. Match any other feat to the weapons, armor and actions your character actually uses, then check proficiency before equipping new gear.

This guide covers the unmodded Patch 8 game. It explains decisions you can make from your character sheet, without requiring a particular companion, rare item or optimized multiclass build. It is a beginner rules guide, not a ranking for every difficulty mode.

Content warning: The game contains mature violence, nudity and sexual content. The advice here stays non-graphic and focused on character mechanics.

When You Get Feats

The unmodded character-level cap is 12. There is no universal five-feat allowance.

Single-class character	Feat-choice class levels	Total choices by level 12
Most classes	4, 8, 12	3
Fighter	4, 6, 8, 12	4
Rogue	4, 8, 10, 12	4

These are class levels, not simply the number beside your portrait. A Fighter 3/Rogue 1 is a level-4 character, but neither class has reached its first feat milestone. Taking another fighter level produces Fighter 4/Rogue 1 and unlocks the fighter’s level-4 choice.

Before multiclassing, count the milestones your planned classes will actually reach. Do not assume that every fourth total character level produces another feat. Proficiency bonus works differently: that bonus follows total character level. Explorer difficulty does not allow new multiclass selections.

Compare a Feat with Ability Improvement

Ability Improvement lets you add two points to one ability or one point to each of two abilities, up to 20 through this choice. It occupies the feat selection; you do not receive it alongside a different feat for free.

Look at modifiers, not just scores. Moving Strength from 16 to 18 raises its modifier from +3 to +4. For an ordinary Strength-based weapon attack, that improves both the attack modifier and the usual damage modifier. Moving a casting ability from 16 to 18 improves the relevant spell attack bonus and spell save DC.

Splitting the points can also make sense: two scores at 15 can both become 16, improving both modifiers. By contrast, changing 16 to 17 does not immediately increase that modifier. Consider what each point accomplishes now and whether a later increase is part of your plan.

Some feats bundle a one-point ability increase with another feature. They are worth comparing when you have an odd score, but read which ability they raise and whether their additional benefit applies to your character.

Choose a Feat for a Specific Job

Start with a recurring problem: acting late, losing concentration, or struggling to use a preferred weapon setup. A feat should change that situation, not merely sound powerful.

Initiative and Concentration

• Alert adds +5 initiative and prevents being Surprised. Consider it when you want a character to act earlier; it does not guarantee first place in every encounter.
• War Caster gives advantage on saves to maintain concentration. Its reaction spell is specifically Shocking Grasp against a target leaving melee range, not any spell you choose.
• Resilient adds one point to a chosen ability and proficiency in that ability’s saving throws. Constitution is the relevant save when damage threatens concentration.

Check your existing save proficiencies before choosing Resilient. Duplicate proficiency does not stack. War Caster and Resilient solve the concentration problem differently, so neither needs to be your automatic choice on every caster.

Damage Toggles and Weapon Setups

Great Weapon Master: All In trades -5 on an attack roll for +10 damage with a proficient two-handed melee weapon, including a versatile weapon held in both hands. It is a toggle. Compare the displayed hit chance with it enabled and disabled instead of leaving it on for every target. The feat’s separate follow-up attack after a melee critical hit or kill still costs a bonus action.

Dual Wielder permits eligible non-Light weapons in a dual-wield setup and adds +1 AC while holding a melee weapon in each hand. It does not permit two-handed weapons or grant the Two-Weapon Fighting style’s off-hand damage benefit.

Check prerequisites too. For example, Heavily Armoured requires medium armor proficiency. A feat description is not a promise that every character can select it immediately.

Check Weapon Proficiency and Properties

Weapon proficiency adds your proficiency bonus to attack rolls with the relevant weapon. It also unlocks a proficient main-hand weapon’s special actions. A bigger damage die can be a poor trade if the new weapon loses the attack bonus you were relying on.

Read these properties separately:

Property	What it means for your choice
Finesse	Uses the higher of Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls
Light	Allows ordinary dual wielding when both weapons are Light
Two-Handed	Requires both hands; a two-handed melee weapon cannot be paired with a shield
Versatile	Works in one hand or two; two-handed use increases its damage
Enchantment, such as +1	Adds that bonus to weapon attack and damage rolls

Light does not automatically mean Finesse. A high-Dexterity character should inspect both properties instead of assuming a small-looking weapon uses Dexterity.

For a hypothetical character with Strength 10 and Dexterity 16, a Finesse weapon uses +3 rather than +0. That does not grant proficiency: you still need to check training separately. Likewise, switching a versatile weapon to two hands changes the hand arrangement, so compare the resulting offense with the shield setup you are giving up.

Choose Armor Using Your Actual AC

Armor Class makes you harder to hit with attacks. It is not a number subtracted from every incoming damage roll, and it does not replace saving throws.

Armor category	Normal Dexterity contribution to AC
Light	Full Dexterity modifier
Medium	Dexterity modifier, capped at +2
Heavy	No Dexterity modifier

Imagine two hypothetical pieces with no special effects: light armor with base AC 12 and medium armor with base AC 14. At Dexterity 16, they give 15 and 16 AC respectively. At Dexterity 20, they give 17 and 16. These examples assume the normal medium cap and no other bonuses.

Item-specific effects can change the comparison. Read the actual item and resulting character AC rather than deciding solely by category. Some medium armor and normally heavy armor impose Stealth disadvantage, another tradeoff to inspect before choosing equipment for a sneaking character.

Check Every Equipment Slot

Wearing armor without proficiency blocks spellcasting and imposes disadvantage on attacks, ability checks and saving throws. A shield also requires its own proficiency.

The chest slot is not the only risk. Some helmets, gloves and boots count as armor and require the appropriate proficiency. If spells become unavailable after changing equipment, check these smaller pieces and the shield before changing your entire build.

A spellcaster can use armor they are proficient with; the problem is lack of proficiency, not a universal rule that magic requires robes. Conversely, a seemingly helpful armor piece can undermine an otherwise sensible setup if the wearer lacks its training.

A Practical Level-Up and Gear Checklist

1. Identify the ability used by your usual attack or spell.
2. Compare its next modifier increase with the feat’s actual benefit.
3. Check the feat’s prerequisites and any existing proficiency it would duplicate.
4. Confirm your weapon properties and hand arrangement support the choice.
5. Inspect AC, Stealth penalties and proficiency across all equipped armor pieces.
6. Check whether a new attack option competes for a bonus action you already use.

Withers allows rebuilding classes, ability scores and feat choices. Oathbreakers must restore their oath before he can respec them. When revisiting a character, repeat the equipment checks too: a weapon or armor arrangement that suited the previous class may no longer fit its proficiencies.

Common Mistakes

1. Counting total levels as feat milestones. Count levels in each class separately.
2. Equating Dual Wielder with Two-Weapon Fighting. They provide different benefits.
3. Leaving a damage toggle on without checking accuracy. More damage matters only when the attack connects.
4. Equipping untrained armor for a higher AC number. Check casting and roll penalties first.
5. Ignoring the smaller armor slots. Boots, gloves, helmets and shields can change whether your setup works.