Inspiration – Baldur’s Gate 3

If you’ve ever done a good job roleplaying during a table-top session Dungeons and Dragons, you’ve probably been awarded Inspiration, which you could then use to re-roll a die. Inspiration works much the same in Baldur’s Gate 3, albeit not at the whim of your Dungeon Master. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how Inspiration works in Baldur’s Gate 3, and how to earn it.

How to Get Inspiration

All characters have a Background — where they come from and who they are — and earning Inspiration requires characters to be behave in a manner consistent with their Background. Each time a character performs an action that is true to their Background, they earn an Inspiration Point and some experience. For example, both Shadowheart and Gale can gain Inspiration by reading the Book of Dead Gods: Shadowheart because of her religious Acolyte Background, Gale thanks to his Sage-ly thirst for knowledge.

Note that you don’t have to have every character read a book or complete an action — being in the party while the action is completed seems to be enough. You can see each character’s background, along with a list of Inspirational Events that have earned them Inspiration, by pressing ; on controller, hold, select the Journal, then navigate to the Inspiration tab.

There doesn’t seem to be a way to predict that you’ll earn Inspiration from an event, so when in doubt, always try to do what you think the characters currently in your party would do: Charlatans lie, Acolytes pray, Urchins survive at all costs, and so on. Don’t forget you can always review the Backgrounds of your party in the Inspiration menu!

How to See Your Current Inspiration

You can see how much Inspiration your characters currently have by pressing / — see below for the respective locations the information is displayed. It’s important to remember that you can only have four Inspiration Points stored, so if you find yourself with three or four points, don’t hesitate to use them to re-roll an Ability Check, as if you are at your maximum Inspiration, completing Background Goals only grants experience.

How to Use Inspiration Points

You’ll be able to use Inspiration Points any time you fail an Ability Check (Ability Checks are when you roll the D20 die). Upon failure, you will see the option to Roll Again, assuming you have Inspiration Points to spend. You’ll also be able to see how much Inspiration you currently have stored — in the example image below, we have 2 Inspiration Points available.

List of Inspirational Events

Below is a list of all of the Inspirational Events we’ve been able to find so far — please note the list is a work in progress. Here are all of the events you can earn Inspiration from:

• Charlatan (Astarion)
  • Flexible Diplomacy – Earned by betraying the tieflings after convincing them to free Lae’zel, north of the Roadside Cliffs near the Mind Flayer ship crash site.
  • Anything for a Profit – This point can be earned by successfully stealing Crusher’s Ring in the Goblin Camp. His toe ring can be stolen by choosing certain dialogue options.
  • Just Passing Through – Earned by successfully tricking some of the goblins in the Goblin Camp.
• Sage (Gale)
  • Secrets of the Sundering – This point can be earned by unlocking and reading the Book of Dead Gods, found in the Dank Crypt northeast of the Mind Flayer ship crash site.
  • Whispers from the Grave – Successfully use Speak with Dead to get information from a corpse.
  • Secrets of the Matron – Read “On Educating the Faithful” located in the Underdark in an area cowered by spiderwebs to the west of the Underdark – Selûnite Outpost Waypoint.
  • Secrets of the High Chieftain – Read Volo’s guide on goblins located on top a tower overlooking to Goblin Camp Waypoint.
  • The Phases Unfold – solve the Defiled Temple puzzle.
  • Corrupted Beyond Recognition – Read the dead druid’s journal located in the Ruined Battlefield to the southeast of the exit from the Underdark.
  • Waking the Sleeper – Wake Art Cullagh by playing the lute you get in the House of Healing.
  • Theskan Tactician – Help Mol win a game of lanceboard against Raphael in the Last Light Inn.
  • New Normal – Let yourself be scanned by a Steel Watcher at the South Span Checkpoint leading into Baldur’s Gate.
  • A Grand Prize! – Steal Akabi the genie’s ring and then win the jackpot in the Circus of The Last Days.
  • Secrets of the Shadow Druids – Uncover Khaga’s secret and read the book found in her chest (Faldorn’s Canticle: The Shadow Druids’ Doctrine).
• Acolyte (Shadowheart)
  • Divinity Undone – This point can be earned by unlocking and reading the Book of Dead Gods, found in the Dank Crypt northeast of the Mind Flayer ship crash site.
  • Her Gift of Silver – You can earn this point by recovering Selûne’s lost treasure through prayer, or in other words — opening the Gilded Chest in the Owlbear Nest (which is west of the Emerald Grove Environs Waypoint) by using the Selûnite Prayer Sheet.
  • Fate Must Wait – All you have to do for this is wait for anybody in your party to die and subsequently revive them. This does not include picking up companions that are downed but alive.
  • Shatter the Moon – Destroy the Moonstone protecting the Selûnite Outpost in the Underdark.
  • Last Rites of the Dark Dancer – Pass the Religion check when getting the Phalar Aluve sword.
  • Blessed’s Final Rest – Read Olam’s journal in the side room of the House of Healing morgue.
  • No Rest for the Wicked – Assist He Who Was Found at the Camp in the Shadow Cursed Lands map marker by bringing him the ledger found under the floorboard near the Rat Bat in The Waning Moon tavern.
  • Moonweaver’s Prayer – Witness Isobel’s ritual to keep up the protection of the Last Light Inn.
  • Saving the Heretic – Free the follower of Maglubiyet from his cage in the goblin sanctum.
  • A Wounded Open Heart – Side with the close-minded priest (Brother Bill) inside the Open Hand Temple.
  • A Kiss Without Mercy – Endure the priest of Loviatar’s torture in the Goblin Camp.
• Soldier (Lae’zel, Jaheira)
  • Chain of Command – Following Flaming Fist orders at the burning inn. This can be earned by helping the soldiers at the burning inn.
  • To Arms! – Help teach Guex, one of the tiefling kids in the Emerald Grove, how to fight.
  • No One Left Behind – Defeat the goblins at the gate to the Emerald Grove without any of the NPCs being killed.
  • A Headless Horde – Kill every leader in the Golbin Camp, which includes Dror Ragzlin, Priestess Gut, the drow Minthara.
  • Pentacrush – Kill five enemies in a single turn.
  • The Best Offense Is Virtually Nonsense – defeat a member of the Thorm family without drawing steel – easy to achive after challenging Thisobald Thorm to a drinking contest.
  • Return to Sender – Kill the Orthon Yurgir inside the Gauntlet of Shar.
  • An Apple a Day Keeps the Scalpel Away – Defeat the Surgeon inside the House of Healing without him using any operating tools on you.
  • Reporting for Duty – Report to Commander Lightfeather – a pigeon on the second floor of Sword Coast Couriers outside Baldur’s Gate.
• Folk Hero (Wyll)
  • Snake Whisperer – Get Kagha the druid leader to let Arabella the tiefling girl go, then return to speak with the girl’s parents.
  • Protector of the Small – Save Mirkon the tiefling boy from the harpies on the beach northeast of the Emerald Grove.
  • A Smile Better Suits – Reassure Alfira that her people are fine when you meet her inside the Last Light Inn.
  • Meeting of Fates – Side with either Isobel or Marcus during the confrontation in the Last Light Inn.
  • Helping the Little Guy – Help Mol win a game of lanceboard against Raphael in the Last Light Inn.
• Noble
  • Soul for Sale – Earned by acquiring a Soul Coin. These can be found in a few locations, but the earliest opportunity is by opening the sarcophagi within the Dank Crypt in the Overgrow Ruins.
  • Noblesse Oblige – Ignore the pleas or requests of a companion in dialog. To get this inspiration you’ll have to wait for a conversation where a companion requests something and you ignore it. An early example is ignoring Lae’zel when she demands to go to a creche for healing.
  • Protector of the Duke – Rescue Counsellor Florrick from the burning inn. Earning this inspiration requires assisting the Flaming Fist and successfully rescuing the counsellor on the second floor of the burning inn.
  • Lest Ye Be Judged – Speak with Asarion in your camp and learn about his history as a magistrate.
• Outlander (Halsin)
  • The Floor is Lava – To earn this point, you’ll need to defeat the Lava Elemental in the lava lake located to the southwest of the Underdark – Ancient Forge Waypoint.
  • Abyss Jumper – Enter the Underdark through the bottomless well inside the Whispering Depths underneath the Blighted Village.
  • I’ve Had Worse – Best Thisobald Thorm in a drinking contest while resisting the effects of his concoction inside the Waning Moon tavern.
  • Tools of the Trade – Get the Orthon’s crossbow after defeating Yurgir inside the Gauntlet of Shar.
  • Grove Keeper’s Keeper – Protect Halsin’s portal while he saves the spirit of the land after you wake Art Cullagh.
  • Bumps in the Dark – Complete three combat encounters while exploring the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
  • Solemn Farewell – Witness the Gur funeral to the northeast of the Rivington Waypoint outside Baldur’s Gate.
  • Enlisted Avian – Meet Commander Lightfeather – a pigeon on the second floor of Sword Coast Couriers outside Baldur’s Gate.
  • Cat’s Got Your Tongue – Find the missing letters on the roof of the Open Hand Temple outside Baldur’s Gate.
  • Sticky Fingers – Successfully obtain the pouch from the Rocky Crevice southwest of the Emerald Grove (minimap coordinates: X: 148 Y: 368).
• Guild Artisan
  • In Working Order – Fix the elevator in the Zhentarim hideout.
  • An Artist in Need – Save Oskar the painter from the Zhentarim.
  • The Spider’s Gift – Earned when you recognize drow armour on a corpse near Waukeen’s Rest.
  • Valued Customer – Earn high approval with an NPC and trade with them.
• Urchin
  • Pyramid Scheme – Talk Lump and the other ogres in the Blighted Village into working for you without paying them.

We hope this guide on Inspiration was helpful! If you have questions, suggestions, or want to let us know of places in the game you were able to earn Inspiration, use the comments below!