I thought it was impossible to die in Baldur’s Gate 3 before your encounter with Commander Zhalk on the Nautolid. But one player proved nothing is impossible by showing us you can end your run before you even start it.
According to u/AureliusofKvatch’s post on the Baldur’s Gate 3 subreddit on May 7, they died during their first attempt at Honor Mode (a separate difficulty with only one save) in the first room. After interacting with the tadpole pool, which chunks roughly half your health, they destroyed some Brine Bulbs that explode and spread fire. Desperate to heal up, they tried to reach the Restoration Pod—which heals you and restores your Spell Slots—but unfortunately they died on the way, thus ending their first Honor Mode run.
Honor Mode is Baldur’s Gate 3’s hardest difficulty for two main reasons: You need a deep understanding of the game, and you can’t make silly, funny decisions. Since u/AureliusofKvatch was only in the first room, they didn’t lose much time, but if you progress further, you have to be aware of everything that might kill you—characters, items, and the environment.
If you decide to defy Vlaakith in the Githyanki Creche, that decision will lead to a total party kill. The best possible advice I can give you is to take your time, plan combat carefully, and control your urge to press buttons and experiment. If you want to test out new builds and risky decisions, stick to Explorer, Normal, and Tactician difficulties.
