Baldur’s Gate Cheats & Secrets for PC

BioWare’s Baldur’s Gate is commonly recognized as one of the greatest and most important games ever released, RPG or otherwise. Originally released on December 21, 1998, the game would go on to serve as a major paradigm shift within the industry, influencing the direction of other computer RPGs (CRPGs), as well as the characteristics of nearly all Western-developed RPGs. Notably, the title would serve as most players’ introduction to BioWare, with the studio going on to become synonymous with well-written and thought-provoking RPGs that incorporate meaningful player choices. Additionally, Baldur’s Gate would become the gold standard for other video games using the Dungeons & Dragons license.

Both critical and commercial praise for Baldur’s Gate wound up being incredibly strong. The title would go on to win several Game of the Year awards in 1998, as well as selling more than 500,000 units in just a few months. Current sales estimates place Baldur’s Gate somewhere in the 3 million unit mark. Accordingly, the game’s success would give way to sequels and spin-offs, with Baldur’s Gate II arriving just 2 years after the original’s release. Aside from its importance in the medium of video games, Baldur’s Gate is also recognized as one of the greatest stories in the entire Dungeons & Dragons universe.

Baldur’s Gate Premise

Baldur’s Gate‘s story takes place within the Forgotten Realms region of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, centering around the Sword Coast and its many different cities and locales (including the most populous city in the region, the titular Baldur’s Gate). The player, an orphan with a mysterious past, is the Ward of the powerful mage Gorion. When Gorion dies, it sets the player off on a journey to uncover the identity of the assailants while also solving the region’s ongoing iron shortage. What the player and his companions eventually uncover is a conspiracy to draw the regions of the Sword Coast into a war, with the evil Sarevok hoping to use the chaos as a means to seize power.

The gameplay in Baldur’s Gate takes place from a top-down isometric perspective. Players control the main character, the Ward, along with their companions. Depending on the player’s choices in quests and dialogue, certain companions become available to recruit while others are locked away. The game’s RPG mechanics are governed by the 2nd Edition Rules of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, with each action’s outcome decided by a virtual dice roll. Players get to choose their main character’s race, class, gender, and alignment, which will affect how other characters in the game world perceive and react to them.

While players are free to tackle the main quest at their leisure, there are also several worthwhile side quests to pursue in the world of Baldur’s Gate. Many of these involve the player venturing into dangerous dungeons or other hostile areas. During these segments, Baldur’s Gate uses a “real-time with pause” combat system where characters act according to pre-set behaviors and roles. However, players can always pause combat and issue specific commands to override set character behaviors.

Baldur’s Gate Main Characters

The story of Baldur’s Gate takes place within the fictional Forgotten Realms setting of the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Specifically, the game’s setting puts players in the regions of the Sword Coast, including the city of Baldur’s Gate, right during a dire iron shortage. The world’s iron supply is dwindling, and what inhabitants can come by is brittle and easily breaks. As the ward of the powerful mage Gorion, the player character sets out on an investigation into the region’s iron shortage, recruiting up to 25 different companions throughout their travels based on their choices in the game. Main characters in Baldur’s Gate include:

• Gorion’s Ward: An orphan of mysterious lineage, the player character is the ward of the powerful mage Gorion. One night, with no explanation, Gorion orders the Ward to depart their home, Candlekeep. During the escape, a group of attackers demands that Gorion hand over the player character. He refuses, giving his life to help the Ward escape and setting him off on his journey. The player gets to choose the race, class, gender, and name of the Ward.
• Imoen: The Ward’s childhood friend and a fellow orphan, Imoen is the first companion that joins the player as they embark on their journey following Gorion’s mysterious death.
• Sarevok: One of two Bhaalspawn central to Baldur’s Gate‘s story, Sarevok is the game’s main antagonist and the brother of the player character. He is responsible for Gorion’s murder and schemes to be crowned Duke of Baldur’s Gate for his own nefarious ends.

Games in the Baldur’s Gate Series

Starting with BioWare’s original 1998 RPG masterpiece, the Baldur’s Gate franchise has grown into a major force within the genre. Following a successful sequel, the series would spin off into an ARPG franchise, returning decades later thanks to Larian Studios. The most recent mainline game in the franchise, Baldur’s Gate 3, is another unmissable RPG experience that continues the series’ legacy. Ultimately, Baldur’s Gate games embody the best characteristics of a good pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They feature endearing characters, sharp writing, unprecedented freedom of player expression, and plenty of excellent role-playing goodness in a fully realized world. Games in the Baldur’s Gate series include:

• Baldur’s Gate (PC, Mac, 1998)
• Baldur’s Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (PC, Mac, 1999)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC, Mac, 2000)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (PC, Mac, 2001)
• Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (PC, Mac, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, 2001)
• Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II (PC, Mac, PS2, Xbox, 2004)
• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Android, iOS, PC, Mac, 2012)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition (Android, iOS, PC, Mac, 2013)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, 2023)

Baldur’s Gate Cheats & Secrets

There are several cheats and secrets players can take advantage of in Baldur’s Gate. Most of the more significant cheats are made possible through console commands, which require some tinkering with the game’s files in order to activate. Other secrets are in-game exploits that take advantage of errors in the game’s code.

Baldur’s Gate Secrets

Duplicate Items

Players can use this trick to duplicate any item capable of being “stacked” in the inventory. One of the more common uses is to duplicate gems to create an unlimited source of gold. Place a Potion of Healing in one of the Quick Item slots. Open the inventory screen, replace it with a gem, then immediately return to the game screen. The image of the potion should still be in that slot, but the gem’s name should appear on the help scroll if the pointer is left over that slot. Left-click on the gem once, wait for the target cursor to disappear from your character, then left-click the gem again.

After the target cursor disappears, return to the inventory screen. The number of gems in that slot should now be 65,352 instead of 1. Do not stack any additional gems in that slot, or the CPU will reset the total to 20. Note: This trick works with the game’s original release and may not function in patched versions.

Save Screenshot

Press [Print Screen] to save the current screen in the “scrnshot” sub-directory in the game’s file directory.

Infinite EXP

Players can utilize this trick to repeatedly earn 1000 EXP as many times as they like. While in the Boneyard, head over to the Gun Runners and offer to take out the Deathclaws. Travel to the previous screen and take out the Mother Deathclaw and the eggs, then return to the Gun Runners. Talk to Gabriel and select the “Give me guns and ammo” dialogue option and nothing else. After receiving your EXP, return to the screen where you took out the Deathclaws and then return to Gabriel, selecting the same dialogue option. Repeat this process to earn 1000 EXP each time you return and select the dialogue option. Note that selecting any other dialogue option will disable the glitch.

View All FMV Movies

Note: This procedure involves editing a game file; create a backup copy of the file before proceeding. Using a text editor, edit the “Baldur.ini” file in the game’s file directory. Add the following lines under the “[Movies]” section to unlock all FMV sequences in the “Play Movie” option:

• DEATHAND=1
• REST=1
• BGSUNSET=1
• BGENTER=1
• IRONTHRN=1
• PALACE=1
• TAVERN=1
• DUNGEON=1
• BGSUNRIS=1
• CAMP=1
• WYVERN=1
• BHAAL=1
• SEWER=1
• ENDMOVIE=1
• ELDRCITY=1
• MINEFLOD=1
• ENDCRDIT=1
• GNOLL=1
• NASHKELL=1
• BG4LOGO=1
• TSRLOGO=1
• BILOGO=1
• INFELOGO=1
• INTRO=1
• FRARMINN=1

After entering each of the lines above, players can view all of Baldur’s Gate‘s FMV sequences from the main menu.

Baldur’s Gate Cheat Codes/Console Commands

Note: This procedure involves editing a game file, so it’s best to create a backup copy of the file before proceeding. Using a text editor, edit the “Baldur.ini” file in the game directory. Add the line “Cheats=1” under the “[Game Options]” heading. Then, begin a game and press [Ctrl] + [Tab] to display the console window. Type one of the following case-sensitive codes, press [Enter], then press [Ctrl] + [Tab] to close the console window and activate the corresponding cheat function:

General Cheats

Cheat Keys

Press one of the following keys after enabling the “CLUAConsole:EnableCheatKeys()” code.

Creatures and NPC Names

The name that is entered in “CLUAConsole:CreateCreature(“[name]“)” must be six characters or less. If the desired character has a name longer than that, only enter the first six letters. However, note that creating and killing some characters will prevent the game from finishing. Accordingly, save the game before experimenting. Some examples include:

Item Names

The following values are what players will put in the brackets of the CLUAConsole:CreateItem(“[item name]“) cheat. For example, “CLUAConsole:CreateItem(“AMUL01”)” will result in creating a Necklace of Missiles.

Baldur’s Gate Cheat FAQs

How do you enable cheats in Baldur’s Gate?

Whether playing the original Baldur’s Gate or Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition on Steam, players will need to modify the game’s files to enable cheats. Before doing so, make sure to make a backup of the game’s file directory. After, go into the Baldur’s Gate file directory and use a text editor (e.g. Notepad) to open the Baldur.ini (or, Baldur.lua) file. From here, the command string differs depending on the game version.

After saving the file and booting the game, players can open up the command console by pressing either [Ctrl] + [Tab] (Baldur’s Gate) or [Ctrl] + [Space] (Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition).

What’s the most OP class in Baldur’s Gate?

While every class in Baldur’s Gate has merit, some stand out over others as being more powerful. In particular, both the Wild Mage and the Sorcerer are two of the strongest classes. Both classes have the potential to become very powerful early on in the game. Additionally, both classes can still be useful in the rare instances where magic use is forbidden. In terms of a melee-focused class that is fairly overpowered, players cannot go wrong with a Paladin.

Do I have to play Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2 before playing Baldur’s Gate 3?

While playing the first two games in the Baldur’s Gate series (or even a few pen-and-paper games of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons) will give players more insight into the D&D universe and its many elements, it’s not necessary to play them before diving into Baldur’s Gate 3. That said, missing out on these two excellent RPGs would be a disservice to the player. Both Baldur’s Gate and its sequel are amazing CRPGs that every fan of the genre should play at least once.

How long to beat Baldur’s Gate?

Like other RPGs, Baldur’s Gate is a sizable experience that will take players many hours to finish. On average, most players will spend roughly 45-50 hours on just the main quest. Factor in side quests, optional encounters, and the need to reload segments for better RNG outcomes, and a 100% playthrough of Baldur’s Gate can easily take someone over 100 hours.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Baldur's Gate key art.