Baldur’s Gate 3: How to dual wield weapons in BG3

Dual wielding weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3 can potentially make your character deal twice as much damage, so it’s only logical that you want to know how to inflict double the trouble.

The ways you can deal damage in Baldur’s Gate 3 are near-endless. Dual wielding is just one of these many possibilities and allows you to diversify your arsenal. No doubt you’re already a DPS machine in Larian Studios’ epic RPG, but it doesn’t hurt to have more options.

In fact, the only ones it’ll hurt are the enemy. Here’s how to dual wield in BG3.

How to dual wield weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3

To dual wield in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to equip two “Light” weapons in your active weapon slots.

Here’s an easy explainer for you of how to do this:

1. Open up your in-game inventory.
2. Under your melee slots, you need to select two individual weapons.
3. Remember, they must fall into the “Light” classification.
4. Confirm them, and they’ll now be equipped, which means you can switch between them and inflict a wider range of damage.

As a reminder, you can switch weapons with the “R” key by default on PC or by opening your character sheet (right trigger, then selecting the helmet icon at the top) and pressing “Y” on controller.

During fights, you will have two separate options for making attacks with the weapon in your main hand and off hand. Attacks with your main hand weapon are represented by an action icon of a longer sword, and off-hand attacks, which by default do less damage unless you have a specific feat or class feature, are represented by a shorter dagger icon.

While it would be dream-worthy to equip two heavy weapons and become a tank-swinging machine, dual wield does come with the limitations of requiring Light weapons. However, using the Dual Wielding feat, players can expand their dual wielding capabilities to include Versatile weapons that aren’t categorized as Light. You still won’t be able to dual wield Heavy weapons, but you’ll have more flexibility.

Also, take care when employing a dual-wield strategy because your main hand attacks are Actions and any off-hand attack is a Bonus Action. So it’s best to be mindful when deciding whether or not to attack with your off hand. Doing so could prevent you from doing other important Bonus Actions like drinking a health potion or jumping over an obstacle. We want you to feel as almighty as possible in Baldur’s Gate 3, but know that power comes with a price.

Keep all these things in mind, and you’ll be dual wielding like a pro in no time.

Others Asked

Why might a player choose to use Non-Lethal Attacks in Baldur's Gate 3?

A player might use Non-Lethal Attacks to loot necessary items without killing the creature holding them, particularly if the creature is innocent or a civilian.

Baldur’s Gate 3: How to turn Non-Lethal Attacks on and off in BG3, explained

Scott Robertson Scott Robertson

Was this helpful to you?

What system change do players suggest for improving combat in Baldur's Gate 3?

Players suggest a system that incorporates the attacker's roll, the defender's armor type, and the ability scores or feats of either party to make combat more interesting and immersive by providing a variety of descriptions for missed attacks.

Baldur’s Gate 3 players agree this combat feature would improve immersion

Scott Robertson Scott Robertson

Was this helpful to you?

How can players change their class in Baldur's Gate 3?

To change class, players need to find Withers by going through a series of steps involving fighting or persuading bandits, breaking into a crypt, and interacting with a sarcophagus. Once found, Withers will travel to the player's camp, where you can change class for 100 gold.

How to change class in Baldur’s Gate 3

Josh Challies Josh Challies

Was this helpful to you?