Baldur’s Gate 3 – Long Rest vs Short Rest Differences In BG3

Baldur’s Gate 3 uses the Rest system from DnD to restore HP and regain spell slots. Here is the difference between short and long rests.

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Your party members in Baldur’s Gate 3 will take a beating from enemies, so they’ll need to take a Short Rest or Long Rest to heal their wounds. There are different benefits to the two kinds of resting in Baldur’s Gate 3, as well as some limitations that players need to be aware of before committing their time and resources to snooze.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have several options for healing your party’s wounds. The first is spells, as members of the Bard, Cleric, and Druid classes will have access to Cure Wounds and Healing Word, both of which cost spell slots to cast but are reliable sources of healing. The other is items, as you’ll find lots of food and potions in the world. The only problem with healing potions is that there is a finite amount, even in the shops, so you can’t spam them like you could in, say, a Final Fantasy game.

Baldur’s Gate 3: What Happens When You Take A Short Rest

You can take two Short Rests before needing to take a Long Rest. If you take a Short Rest in Baldur’s Gate 3, the party members will restore hit points equal to half their maximum amount, while downed characters will be awoken. Some class features are restored on a Short Rest; most notably, Warlocks regain spent spell slots after a Short Rest, so if you think you need to take one in the near future, then don’t be afraid to spam your Warlock’s limited spells.

Baldur’s Gate 3: What Happens When You Take A Short Rest

To Long Rest, you first need to set up the camp. Here, you can interact with the party members, potentially furthering their storylines or romance quests. Once you’re ready for a Long Rest, head to the bedrolls and select them. Taking a Long Rest requires supplies, with food and drink counting towards what you can use. This means there are a finite amount of times you can Long Rest, so don’t spam them if you don’t need to.

The benefit of taking a Long Rest is that it will fully heal all party members and restore all spent spell slots and special abilities. This means that taking a Long Rest will be necessary for your spellcasters, as most of their power is tied to their limited number of spell slots. You should try and go as far as you can with your current resources until they run out before taking a Long Rest and using supplies.