Summary
There are many ways to improve your survivability inBaldur’s Gate 3. You can be Resistant or Immune to certain types of damage, have a large health pool thanks to high Constitution and various buffs, or even skip danger completely by turning Invisible. But the most consistent way to stay alive is to avoid getting hit by enemies.
Your Armour Class defines how much your enemies have to roll to successfully hit you, and the higher that number is, the more often you’ll enjoy laughing at your opponents’ pathetic misses. If you follow these steps, you may increase your AC all the way up to 50 and more, becoming a true nightmare for those multi-attack fools!
Updated on June 21, 2025, by Alfredo Robelo:Surviving combat is key to completing the hardest modes of Baldur’s Gate 3, particularly Honor Mode, where a single mistake can make or break your run. We’ve updated this list to showcase even more strategies for having that AC as high as it can be, and not only for the heavy armored Fighters and Paladins.
8Increase Natural Dexterity
Dodge Their Attacks Like It’s Nothing
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Dexterity is the defining stat for your Armour Class: the higher it is, the more AC you have. The first step to boosting your natural defenses is increasing your character’s Dexterity as much as possible. Apart from allocating your Ability Score at the Character Creation, there are three major ways to boost it later.
First, you can always respec your character and dump more points into Dexterity thanks to Withers. Second, every four levels, you can increase your Ability Scores with Feats, raking up a solid 20 DEX. Third, and most overlooked,you can use the Mirror of Loss in the House of Griefto gain a permanent +2 to any Ability Score.
7Find Better Armor Sets
They’ll Never Hit You Through That Plate
Believe it or not, your armor plays a huge role in your Armour Class. Finding a more protective set is another easy way to increase your AC, and it’s the preferable option for characters with low Dexterity. However, you can combine these two approaches to become even more invincible — granted, you need to choose your armor wisely.
While heavy armor provides the most raw AC, it doesn’t stack with your Dexterity modifier (save for the late-gameArmour of Agility, which you should totally grab). Medium armor only allows for a +2 additional AC from your Dexterity Score. Light armor has the lowest raw protection but adds your entire DEX modifier to the AC.
6Remember To Use Shields
Nothing Shields You Better Than Shields
Few Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 don’t have natural Shield Proficiency, so unless you’re using two-handed weapons, there’s no excuse for not carrying a shield with you at all times. Taking up a single off-hand slot, even the most basic shield gives you a free +2 AC — and you can find such an asset on every other Goblin warrior!
Your ultimate goal is to find the better shields, of course. The +3 AC shields are not a rare find later in the game, but there’s only one magical shield that offers a whopping +4 AC, and it’s quite easy to miss. You can loot it from Hope if she dies or falls unconscious after you free her from her chains in the House of Hope in Act Three.
5Boost Armour Class With Items
Dashing Look Will Take You Anywhere
Armor sets and shields aside, there’s a plethora of equipment that boosts your Armour Class in Baldur’s Gate 3. In fact, there exists such an item for every slot you may imagine, so should you desire it, you get your AC to abysmally high numbers. But be wary: the hunt for all the required equipment lasts for the entire playthrough!
Items like the Ring of Protection, the Wondrous Gloves, the Evasive Shoes, and the Cloak of Protection can be found across all three Acts, so keep an eye out for them and your party tank will be grateful. To supplement your shield, use weapons like the Defender Flail, which gives a +1 AC bonus and reduces incoming physical damage.
Location
Armour of Agility
17, and it lets you add your Dexterity modifier to AC as well.
3, and spells targeting you have disadvantage on the roll.
Dropped by Viconia in Act 3.
Defender Flail
Yes, this is a weapon that raises your AC by 1.
Sold by A’jak’nir Jeera in Act 1, inside the Crèche Y’llek.
Ring of Protection
1
Rewarded by Mol in Act 1 after completing her quest, Steal the Sacred Idol.
Wondrous Gloves
1, and it also gives an extra use of Bardic Inspiration to Bards (but you don’t have to be a Bard to enjoy the AC bonus).
Evasive Shoes
You can buy this from Mattis during Act 2, at the Last Light Inn.
Cloak of Protection
You can buy this from Talli during Act 2, at the Last Light Inn.
1, and it also heals you every turn.
4Pick Defensive Feats Wisely
Make These Three Boosts Count
Whileyou can use Feats to rake up that sweet DEX 20 quickly, there are more ways to increase your Armour Class with Feats. For instance, you can give Armor Proficiency to your Sorcerer and indulge in wearing heavy armor and casting spells at the same time… Or you can influence your AC directly with the following Feats.
The Defensive Duelist Feat gives you a Reaction that adds your Finesse Weapon Proficiency Bonus to your AC when you wield said weapon. With Dual Wielder, you get a free +1 AC when dual-wielding melee weapons. Finally, Medium Armor Master improves your AC bonus from Dexterity from +2 to +3 when wearing medium armor.
3Increase Armour Class With Spells
Who Needs Armor When You Have Magic?
In Baldur’s Gate 3, several spellcaster Classes don’t have access to Armor Proficiencies unless they take corresponding Feats. Fortunately, there are a handful of spells for improving their survivability, and some of them even work on armored characters, too. Magic will take your already great Armour Class to the next level!
Spells likeMage ArmourandBarkskinincrease your AC to 13 and 16 respectively, with only the former requiring you to wear no armor. Warding Bond,Shield of Faith, andHasteadd up to another +5 AC, but Mirror Image is the real heavy lifter: this spell temporarily provides you with a whopping +9 Armour Class bonus during combat.
Many Abilities Conflict With Each Other
Bigger numbers usually mean good things, so whenever you see a weapon that lets you do more damage, it is likely a better option than what you currently have. However, you do need to consider your strategies as well as enemy immunities when equipping your party, since something as simple as breaking down a door can be tricky without the right items (you usually want hammers for that, not swords).
This is true for AC bonuses as well, since Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot of abilities that constantly interact with each other, and if you simply throw equipment around, you might be unknowingly nerfing your own party. Some early-game items and feats give you AC bonuses when not wearing armor, so even if your Rogue is able to wear light armor competently, it might be best to leave them with only basic clothing depending on what loot you’ve found.
1Swap Your Best Gear Among Your Active Party
No Need To Keep The Best Toys At Camp
You’d be surprised at how many difficult challenges you can overcome before needing a long rest, since between your companions and hirelings you have a multitude of characters to fall back on. Just because Gale is out of spell slots doesn’t mean you need to go to sleep, you could simply swap him for Wyll or any other caster you might have and continue on, saving precious resources.
As you keep finding more and more legendary items, there is no need for a single character to hoard them all (except for your own character, since that one is stuck as part of the active party forever). TheHelm of Balduran, for example, is excellent for a tanky character, so if one of your tanks needs a break, you’re able to simply remove the Helm and any other valuable armor and give it to the new, healthier tank and continue on your journey.
