Mage Hand is a very helpful talent in BG3, albeit it is a little more restricted than in the tabletop D&D version for a variety of reasons.
The Hand of Mage With Baldur’s Gate 3 ability, players can call upon a phantom hand to carry out their commands. Despite Mage Hand’s limitations in comparison to tabletop D&D, it remains one of the most beneficial talents in Baldur’s Gate 3 for several reasons.
It serves as a fighting companion with special abilities that aid in pushing back opponents, but it may also be employed to enter areas that are inaccessible to players on their own. The finest methods to make the most of the summon in BG3, both during and after combat, are covered in this Mage Hand tutorial.
Updated by Nahda Nabiilah on February 28, 2024: Mage Hand is only one of the several Conjuration Spells available to players to help in combat and exploration. The Mage Hand may be used by the following classes: Arcane Trickster, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard, and Eldritch Knight. Certain classes have the ability to call out an unseen Mage Hand, providing enough opportunity for ambushes, particularly when the adversary is positioned close to a cliff in Baldur’s Gate 3. In addition to using it in battle, you may use it to distract an opponent or pull levers to release teammates.
Shove, Throw, and Pick Up Enemies
The power of Mage Hand to push and pick up adversaries is one of the finest things to utilize it for in Baldur’s Gate 3. This is why Mage Hand in BG3 is so helpful in battle: call Mage Hand close to an adversary via a ledge or an elemental surface, then use the Shove action on them. Make sure the Mage Hand is positioned appropriately, and keep an eye out for the blue line, which indicates the direction and distance the adversary will be moved in the event that the Shove is successful. Simply aim for the bottom of a large drop, or a chasm.
Not all foes can be picked up and thrown by Mage Hand, though. It’s astonishing how many targets Mage Hand can hurl; most Medium targets, for instance, may be picked up and thrown a short distance. Some foes, however, are just too big to be picked up without huge boosts (like Enlarge). Take use of this chance to utilize the Shove action, eliminate foes entirely by positioning them against cliffs, or just move an enemy to block Opportunity Attacks and similar attacks. Trying to “reposition” the victim into another adversary, maybe resulting in both of them falling prone, is not a terrible idea.
Scout Ahead Through Small Spaces
Scouting is another extremely valuable function for a Mage Hand while they are not engaged in battle, especially when they are traveling through areas that are generally too narrow for most characters to fit through. Rather than Wild Shaping into a small creature, you might want to send a Mage Hand to investigate the location of any tiny passageways, burrows, or cracks.
The greatest option for scouting ahead is the Githyanki-only Racial skill Invisible Mage Hand, as opponents it encounters won’t be able to see it (without See Invisibility-type abilities, that is). Look for adversaries, potential traps, buttons, levers, and other interactive items when using Mage Hand to scout ahead. You should also search for a wider entrance so that the party may enter as well.
Distract Enemies From Targeting Party Members
With just three actions—shove, fly, and throw—Mage Hand may appear to have minimal use in battle, but maybe the most helpful thing it can do for the squad is create distractions. Even with its low HP and AC and vulnerability to attacks, foes frequently target it rather than party members. Even if it implies the Mage Hand is destroyed, this effectively ends their turn for the game.
Bring Mage Hand into battle relatively close to your adversaries to increase the likelihood that they would target it rather than party members.With any luck, the Mage Hand will escape destruction and you will be able to utilize it to throw and shove opponents as you see fit.
Mage Hand is still vulnerable to Concentration AoE, much as Cloud of Daggers, so proceed with caution when traveling through foes. It may also still result in Opportunity Attacks.
Mage Hand Can Activate & Disarm Traps “Safely”
Even though the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons version of Mage Hand has more powers (such as the ability to pickpocket and plunder), the Baldur’s Gate 3 version still has some of the same qualities that make it a valuable cantrip for stealthy builds. Disarming traps is one of these features.
Mage Hand can’t expose the traps directly, but once it finds them, it can try to disarm them. Move the group away from the trap and keep the Mage Hand apart. The Mage Hand may go off and get killed if its Disarm Trap attempt fails, but at least no harm will be done to the group. Also, the sacrifice could be justified because certain traps don’t reset.
Turn on the outside levers and the surrounding objects.
The last use for Mage Hand is its capacity to control and communicate with a variety of surrounding items. This is somewhat restricted because the Mage Hand cannot steal goods, but it may still activate switches and levers and move things that are on the ground. You can transfer potions put by a partner to a better location for splash effects, move explosive barrels from the room’s corner to the middle, and so on. The only thing it cannot do is remove items from the inventory; someone else must set them down.
Buttons and levers are frequently used to activate objects in the real world, disclose secret doors to previously undiscovered locations, and more. Like every other companion, Mage Hand may flick these switches and press these buttons. Look out for these gadgets while using your Mage Hand to explore tunnels and other small openings. Usually, they expose an entry for the rest of the party, but occasionally, they set off traps that incapacitate or kill adversaries before they can draw swords.