Baldur's Gate 3: How To Increase Athletics

Athletics in Baldur's Gate 3 likely won't be the make or break skill for you in most encounters, but it can certainly help turn the tide. As a Strength skill, Athletics affects your characters' ability to Jump and Shove, meaning that your mobility is directly determined by this particular skill.

Some of the game's most challenging enemy encounters can be overcome with a tactical Shove, providing your Athletics skill is high enough. Some classes, such as Monks and Barbarians, have an innate proficiency for Athletics if you choose it as a class skill. But there might come a time when you want to improve that skill, or boost it in other characters.

Can You Increase Your Athletics Skill In Baldur's Gate 3?

While there aren't a huge amount of ways to increase your Athletics skill, there are a few methods to boost it slightly. Certain classes will already be proficient in Athletics as a default, such as Barbarians or Rangers, but you might want to boost them up a little more, or improve the skill on another character.

Athletics Increasing Feats

The best way to increase the Athletics skill, permanently, is through Feats, which are granted to characters every four levels. For single-class characters, that's a Feat at Level 4, 8, and 12. The best Feats to select if you're looking to raise or affect Athletics, specifically, are:

• Ability Improvements: You increase one Ability by 2, or two Abilities by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Athlete: Your Strength or Dexterity increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. When you are Prone, standing up uses significantly less movement. Your jump distance also increases by 50%.
• Resilient - Strength: You increase an Ability by 1, to a maximum of 20, and gain Proficiency in that Ability's Saving Throws.
• Tavern Brawler: When you make an unarmed attack, use an improvised weapon, or throw something, your Strength Modifier is added twice to the damage and Attack Rolls. Also, lets you choose +1 ability score in Strength or Constitution (Not listed in description in game).
• Weapon Master: You gain Proficiency with four weapons of your choice, and your Strength or Dexterity increases by 1 , to a maximum of 20.
• Lightly Armoured: You gain Armour Proficiency with Light Armour and your Strength or Dexterity increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Moderately Armoured: You gain Armour Proficiency with Medium Armour and shields, and your Strength or Dexterity increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Heavily Armoured: You gain Armour Proficiency with Heavy Armour and your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Heavy Armour Master: Your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Incoming damage from non-magical attacks also decreases by 3 while you're wearing heavy armour.

Athletics Increasing Items & Accessories

Throughout Faerun, there are a huge number of special and magical items that provide various perks. Some are even able to increase your skills and profiencies. These items will increase your Athletics skill:

• The Mighty Cloth: Grants Bull's Strength — You gain Bull's Strength and increase your Strength score by 2, to a maximum 20. Unwavering Bull — You cannot be pushed against your will and you have an Advantage on saving throws against be Restrained. Bull Rush Action.
• Dwarven Splintmail: Grants Superior Plate — You take 1 less Piercing Damage,  Body Aid — Gain a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws and Checks. Constitution +2 (up to 20), and Disadvantage on Stealth Checks.
• Ring Mail Armor +2: Grants Superior Material — You take 1 less Slashing Damage,  Body Aid — Gain a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws and Checks. Disadvantage on Stealth Checks.
• Splint Armor +2: Grants Superior Plate — You take 1 less Piercing Damage,  Body Aid — Gain a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws and Checks. Disadvantage on Stealth Checks.

Athletics Increasing Spells

There are also certain spells that help with temporarily increasing skills and abilities. Ones that should help with Athletics (and Strength in general) include:

• Enhance Leap: Level 1 Transmutation Spell — While not enhancing Athletics directly, it triples a creature's jumping distance.
• Enhance Ability: Level 2 Transmutation Spell — Bestow a magical enhancement upon an ally. They gain Advantage on Ability Checks with a chosen Ability.
• Enlarge - Reduce: Level 2 Transmutation Spell — Make a creature larger or smaller to affect their weapon damage and Strength Checks and Saving Throws.

Permanent Bonuses

Finally, there are some certain permanent bonuses up for grabs that'll help increase Athletics:

Auntie Ethel's Hair: Gain +1 to an Ability Score of choice.
Mirror of Loss: Gain +2 to an Ability Score of choice.

And that's all you need to know about increasing your Arthletics skill. Naturally, the choices you make during your Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough are often difficult to rectify, but there's rarely only ever one clear solution to any problem. So, if you find yourself lacking the necessary Athletics for a particular Jump or Shove, don't worry. There's plenty of other ways to achieve your goal.