There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

In most cases the straightforward approach works. The exceptions are specific and listed below.

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.

When the usual advice fails

Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Baldur's Gate 3. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does.

The practical answer

Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.

What to do instead

Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Baldur's Gate 3 is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

Everything below is framed around the current state of Baldur's Gate 3 rather than a launch-week impression. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.

Worth knowing alongside this

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

Why it works this way

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration.

Where people go wrong

  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.

BG3 FAQ

Why do people disagree about this?

Mostly because they are describing different versions. Version drift explains the majority of contradictory advice about Baldur's Gate 3.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Is this still accurate after the latest Baldur's Gate 3 update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

If you only take one thing from this: the answer near the top is the part that matters, the rest is context.