Baldur’s Gate 3 loves its combat, and since it’s so tactical, the challenge can be a lot of fun. But it won’t always be fun, there’s times when bosses get tough. If you run out of spells or healing resources, staying alive can be a problem. So if that happens to you, you have options.
You can flee from battle in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there’s no dedicated mechanic to do it. Unlike many RPGs, there isn’t a button you can press to automatically run away from a fight. Instead, you’ll have to manually plan your retreat if you’re trying to leave combat. There is a way to disengage from combat in BG3, but it relies on certain conditions.
You need to be far enough away from the enemy to even flee from combat. You also need to be hidden from view from the enemy to get away. So, to successfully escape, ensure that you’re out of the enemy’s range, ideally hidden or in shadows. Use the environment, high ground or low visibility spots to aid in your escape. Just keep Dashing your party away from the battle to escape. It won’t be fun, but sometimes it makes the difference between life and death.
There is one more additional modifier for trying to flee, and that’s hostility. You will sometimes encounter enemies marked as temporarily hostile. You will be able to flee from them if you use non-lethal attacks to knock them out. The toggle for non-lethal attacks is in the Passives part of the UI, click that to turn your weapon-based attacks into non-lethal ones.
Isn’t there a Disengage action?
Yes, in fact there is, let’s talk about it. But at times, you will get overwhelmed. Sure, some of the earlier fights will be pretty even in terms of challenge to your party, but not always. There are times when you need some breathing room in combat. If you need to back up from an enemy that’s in your face, you will need to be careful.
You may now want to disengage from combat in BG3 entirely, but there’s an action that will come in handy here. This is where using your non-attack actions is important, even vital. The thing with movement in D&D is that Opportunity Attacks are a thing. If you move into and then out of melee range with an enemy, they get a free attack on you. This is the reason Disengage exists. If you use Disengage on your turn, it will cost an Action, but you will be able to move away from an enemy without suffering an Opportunity Attack.
Bear in mind that Rogues can Disengage as a Bonus Action when they get to level 2, making them very useful for fleeing combat.
