What is Karmic Dice in Baldur's Gate 3 & should you use it?

What is Karmic Dice in Baldur's Gate 3 & should you use it?
Images via Larian Studios

Written by 

Tarran Stockton

Published 

17th Aug 2023 16:45

The Karmic Dice feature in Baldur's Gate 3 is confusing a lot of players with how exactly it works, so you may want to know if you should use it. 

Baldur's Gate 3 is Dungeons & Dragons brought to the video game medium, so any time you perform an attack in combat, make a Perception check while exploring, or use Persuasion to skip a fight during conversation, a die is rolled to decide the outcome of the action. This means randomisation plays a big part in the game, especially with some major choices, meaning you want some extra help courtsey of Karmic Dice.

For a full explanation of Karmic Dice in Baldur's Gate 3 and if you should use it, read on below.

Baldur's Gate 3 Karmic Dice explained

an image of the Karmic Dice option in Baldur's Gate 3
Click to enlarge

Karmic Dice in Baldur's Gate 3 is a feature that balances out the good and bad results of dice rolls to make them more even, essentially tuning down the randomness a little bit. 

It can be found in the 'Gameplay' tab of the 'Options' menu, with the description stating, "Karmic Dice avoid failure or success streaks, while keeping the results mostly random."

For example, if you are disarming traps in the game and fail a few times, the Baldur's Gate 3 Karmic Dice feature will eventually counter this and give you a higher roll that's guaranteed to pass.

Should I use Karmic Dice?

The Baldur's Gate 3 Karmic Dice feature is enabled by default, and we personally suggest using it, as it will help you succeed a little more often and helps to retain the D&D power fantasy.

However, if you prefer the complete randomness of dice rolls and want a more hardcore experience, it's probably worth turning off. 

That's our full explanation of Karmic Dice in Baldur's Gate 3, and now you know what the feature does and if you should use it.

For more Baldur's Gate 3 guides, stick with GGRecon. Alternatively, check out how Inspirational Events work in Baldur's Gate 3.

Tarran Stockton
About the author
Tarran Stockton
Tarran is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. He previously wrote reviews for his college newspaper before studying Media and Communication at university. His favourite genres include role-playing games, strategy games, and boomer shooters - along with anything indie. You can also find him in the pit at local hardcore shows.
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