In Baldur’s Gate 3, sometimes you can go a while without noticing you’re being affected by a curse. It’s made worse when you can’t figure out how a specific curse affects you or how to get rid of it. I had this happen to me recently whilst skulking around in the darkness of Shar’s Gauntlet, and felt like it might help other new Baldur’s Gate 3 players if I shared what I found out about the Cheater’s Folly curse.
I was completing the three trials (Soft-Step, Self-Same, and Faith-Leap), and I noticed I was affected by the Cheater’s Folly curse after completing the Self-Same Trial, which tasks you with defeating a party of doppelgangers, all of which have the same stats, weapons, and abilities as your current party. It was wholly unclear why I had been affected by this curse, so I did a little bit of reconnaissance. Read on to learn what Cheater’s Folly is and how to get rid of it once and for all.
What is Cheater’s Folly in Baldur’s Gate 3?
In the Self-Same Trial, when you fight the doppelgangers, it would seem you’re only supposed to use the corresponding character to fight their clone. It’s admittedly hard to explain, but if your party consists of your original character, Karlach, Shadowheart, and Astarion, then you’re not supposed to have Karlach fight Astarion’s clone, or have Shadowheart attack the clone of your original character. If you do, then you’ll walk away from this encounter cursed with Cheater’s Folly.
Cheater’s Folly is a curse that subtracts one point from all rolls until it’s removed. It might not be the biggest hindrance, but it can be rather annoying since that rule was not established clearly enough. But thankfully, this curse can be cured rather easily, if I do say so myself.
How to Cure Cheater’s Folly in Baldur’s Gate 3?
There are several methods by which you can cure the Cheater’s Folly curse. One is to take a Long Rest by traveling to your camp and interacting with your sleeping bag to sleep until the following day. But, while you’re in Shar’s Gauntlet, the game will not let you take a Long Rest, so what other options are there?
Well, you can always use the Remove Curse spell, which is a third level spell, which can be learned by Clerics, Wizards, Paladins and Warlocks. Because the spell works against all curses and hexes, and because Cheater’s Folly is just a curse, it’ll work like a dream.
You could also use the Greater Restoration spell if you happen to have it, but that’s a fifth level spell, and it might be a little less common depending on where you are in your journey. Greater Restoration can be learned by Bards, Druids, and Clerics, and it also cures charms, petrifications, and stuns.
