As you adventure through Baldur’s Gate 3, the number of scrolls and potions that you come across can be extremely overwhelming. It feels like there’s an endless variety of potential consumables in the game, but there are some that stand out as being especially useful.
Every playthrough of BG3 is unique and what works best for you may vary widely depending on your group composition. But there are more than a handful of consumables you’ll find around that are most certainly worth using whenever you might need them.
If you’ve looted the game as extensively as I have, you almost assuredly have a character loaded up with a million different scrolls and another with potions, many of which are just waiting for the right situation to be used.
We’re limiting this list to items that are between the common and rare quality. The point of this list is to help players notice when they’re looting something that can have an exceptional impact on an upcoming combat sequence or can help them in a tricky situation. Here are some of the best consumables that you should keep an eye out for as you continue your journey:
Best scrolls and potions in Baldur’s Gate 3
Potion of healing – This is an obvious one, and you’ll have ample opportunity to nab these everywhere. As you start to level, you’ll notice that more potent versions of the pot exist. Greater, Superior, and Supreme. If you’re keeping up with your alchemy, you’ll be able to make some for yourself.
These can come in clutch when you don’t want to do a full rest but a half rest doesn’t quite top off some of your characters’ health bars. It can also be used in a pinch during combat as a bonus action. I was practically chugging these things when I started the game before I got a hang on how to heal and time my full rests.
Potion of Speed/Scroll of Haste – Haste is one of the most overpowered buffs in BG3. Getting an extra action every turn is an enormous perk, and you also get added movement speed, among other things. But you better kill off your enemies quickly, because just like downing an energy drink, you’ll crash after a certain number of turns and lose a turn to being Lethargic.
The Scroll of Haste lasts 10 turns, as opposed to the Speed potion’s three turns, but the Scroll requires an Action and the potion is a Bonus Action. You cannot stop the Lethargic debuff by consuming another potion or scroll right before your Haste ends. You’ll just effectively lose a turn of Haste from the newer consumable.
I personally prefer to use the scrolls because I can use them as an action on my support hero and cast the ability on a damage dealer. This gives my healer something extremely impactful to do early in fights without needing to try to do damage.
Potion of Flying & Potion of Feather Fall – Flying will help you get to places in the open world that you might otherwise struggle to get to. I have to admit, there are times that I’ve used flying consumables in situations where I could hypothetically just jump because the jumping mechanics in BG3 can be a bit buggy.
Feather Fall is similar to Flying, but with the opposite effect. If you want to check something out that you’ll take a lot of fall damage if you attempt to jump, this will get you there nice and safe.
Potion of Invisibility/Scroll of Invisibility – Along the same lines as Flying and Feather Fall, Invisibility can help you sneak around places where you’d otherwise probably fail a stealth check. I highly recommend using this if you need to sneak by some guards without worrying about getting yourself into trouble.
Scroll of Misty Step – This is easily one of the best scrolls you can use in combat as a caster or ranged damage dealer. This can teleport you across a fight and help you get high ground without worrying about the movement you have in your turn. This can also be used to chase down an enemy that might be trying to create space.
Best Elixirs in Baldur’s Gate 3
Arcane Cultivation – This elixir will give your caster an extra spell slot and is highly recommended for Warlocks during extended fights. While Warlocks often rely on the Eldritch Blast cantrip, having the ability to throw out an extra spell when you only have a couple can make all the difference.
Bloodlust – Any opportunity to gain an action during combat should be taken advantage of in BG3, and this elixir will allow you to have an extra action once per turn if you have taken someone out. Pair this with a Potion of Haste early in a combat sequence and you’ll be able to do massive damage to start a fight. Play your cards right, and you can probably take down a couple of enemies on your first turn, making encounters significantly easier on you.
Colossus – This elixir will make your character bigger, but it will also make your weapons deal an additional one to four damage. You’ll also get advantage on Strength checks. This is a great elixir to use for your Strength-based melee characters like Fighter and Barbarians.
Giant Strength – There are multiple versions of this that give you more or less Strength depending on the elixir’s potency, but the key here is that your Strength will go through the roof. This is useful for Strength-based melee characters.
Heroism – This won’t give you a Strength buff like the other physical damage elixirs, but it’ll give you a raw one to four bonus on attack rolls and saving throws as well as 10 temporary HP. This is another exceptional elixir to give you a little boost.
Vigilance – This elixir will give you an enormous initiative boost and prevent you from being surprised. I highly recommend using this if you find your character regularly getting the last turn in combat. This initiative boost can be especially powerful if you’re playing a damage dealer that can burst multiple enemies on the first turn.
Tadpole Elixir – Only to be used if you’re going all in on embracing your Illithid powers, this will make you disadvantaged on Constitution, Wisdom, and Intelligence Saving Throws. But it will give you advantage on all attacks for three rounds after you use an Illithid power. It’s the ultimate all-in Illithid elixir for players who want to play a glass cannon and take over the world.
