Earning Inspiration Points in Baldur’s Gate 3 can turn your party’s smallest triumphs into powerful advantages. Whether it’s a clever dialogue choice or a morally bold decision, every meaningful action can fuel these rare rewards-and knowing how to trigger them can give your adventures an unexpected twist.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, attributes such as Strength or Intelligence are important, but they are not the only aspects of your character that matters during your journey. A character’s Background is also a key feature that allows you to establish their motivations in the world. To reward you for knowing what they want in the complex and dense world of Baldur’s Gate, the game has the Inspiration Points system.
But earning Inspiration Points is not as simple as it looks. In this Baldur’s Gate 3 guide, we cover not only what Inspiration Points are but also summarize Background Goals that must be completed to gain these valuable points.
What are Inspiration Points in Baldur’s Gate 3
Inspiration Points in Baldur’s Gate 3 let characters reroll failed ability checks or dialogue outcomes, drawing from Dungeons & Dragons mechanics adapted for solo play without a Dungeon Master. Players gain these points by completing specific goals linked to their character’s background, such as a Sage uncovering lore or a Criminal pulling off a heist. The maximum capacity sits at four points per character, stacking across party members with matching backgrounds for repeated actions.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, your characters can earn Inspiration Points that can be spent to reroll an Ability Check. In other words, you can use them to redo a failed dice roll.
Just like in the TTRPG, when you try to perform an action, you’ll face a test. The success of your action depends on getting an equal or higher number than the Difficulty Class for that specific situation, with a dice roll plus modifiers.
If you get a lower number or a one, it’s considered that you have failed the test. By having at least one Inspiration Point, you can spend it to try the roll again. While spending Inspiration Points doesn’t guarantee a better result, it’s still a useful tool that can save your characters in some situations.
How to earn Inspiration Points in Baldur’s Gate 3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players gain Inspiration Points by taking actions that match their character’s chosen Background, such as an Acolyte serving religious duties or a Criminal engaging in shady dealings. These points accumulate up to a maximum of four in the shared party pool and allow rerolling failed skill checks or dialogue options during critical moments. Actions like solving puzzles for a Sage or protecting the weak for a Folk Hero trigger gains, with excess points converting to experience upon reaching the cap.
Now, Inspiration Points are rare; you only earn them when performing actions that follow the principles of your character’s Background, by completing hidden achievements called Background Goals.
When creating a new character, you must choose a Background. These Backgrounds can be understood as archetypes that explain things such as where your character is from or how they approach the world around them.
By choosing the action that best fits a character’s motivations, as determined by their Background, you have a chance to complete one of their Background Goals, rewarding you with Experience Points and an Inspiration Point. When it comes to your companions, since they also have Backgrounds, they can complete Background Goals as well. You don’t have to be actively controlling them to complete the goals, but you need to have them in your party.
It’s important to keep in mind that you can only carry a total of four Inspiration Points. If you complete a Background Goal but have four points already, you get only the Experience Points. You can complete each Background Goal only once.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Background Goals
Each character in Baldur’s Gate 3 has a chosen background that shapes how they interact with the world and gain Inspiration Points. These backgrounds provide unique goals tied to your character’s identity-such as performing heroic deeds for a Folk Hero or solving mysteries for a Sage. Completing these background-specific actions rewards Inspiration Points, which can be used to reroll failed ability checks, giving your party a second chance in key moments.
There are a total of 11 Backgrounds for you to choose in Baldur’s Gate 3. This is by no means an exhaustive list (you’ll want to trawl a Baldur’s Gate 3 wiki resource for that), but rather a generalized summary of the Background Goals you’ll need to complete to earn Inspiration Points for each Background:
Acolyte
An Acolyte character is interested in learning rites and ways of communicating with the gods in the temples they spend some time in. Performing actions to serve the gods or find out things related to them is a good way to complete Acolyte’s Background Goals.
Charlatan
A character with the Charlatan Background knows the art of manipulation and uses it as a weapon. When it comes to completing the Charlatan’s Background Goals, you must focus on situations where persuasion is a key element, such as in scenarios where you can convince NPC to follow your order or bend the truth to trick them.
Criminal
The Criminal has a past as an outlaw – the path they chose to follow in order to survive. The Background Goals of a Criminal are related to acting in such a manner that profits from breaking the law.
Entertainer
An Entertainer has the tools and knows the tricks to engage an audience and make them move following their intent. Due to this Background’s intrinsic connection with art, one way of completing the Entertainer’s Background Goals is to act toward preserving art as well as bringing joy to the life of the oppressed.
Folk Hero
The Folk Hero is the ideal Background if you want your character to be a traditional hero, one who fights tyrants to help the innocents. Because of that, Folk Hero’s Background Goals are related to saving people that are in danger.
Guild Artisan
Focused on honing a particular craft, characters with the Guild Artisan Background are part of a mercantile guild and established strong connections with those who see the value of their art. When exploring the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, choosing to repair objects or discover rare crafts is what will lead you to complete the Guild Artisan’s Background Goals.
Noble
The Noble has been part of the social elite and knows the taste of having power over the less fortunate. Following what your character learned as a Noble, they will complete their Background Goal by raising their social status as well as accumulating power and loyalty.
Outlander
The Outlander has grown up among the woods, learning from nature how to survive, instead of relying on the safety of civilization. Choose dialogue options or perform actions that improve your character’s skills when it comes to surviving the dangers hidden in the wild if you want to complete their Background Goals.
Sage
With the Sage Background, your character becomes a scholar, curious about the world and to learn about it. The Sage’s Background Goals are related to discovering and reading rare books, acquiring the knowledge and lore inscribed on them.
Soldier
The Soldier’s prowess in combat comes from their training while serving either a mercenary company or officer corps. To complete a Soldier’s Background Goals, look for opportunities to prove their battlefield tactics as well as their bravery.
Urchin
The Urchin has lived a life with very little but developed a few tricks to take the most out of the situations. An Urchin character is proud of what they learned during life, so using their street smarts is the best way to complete their Background Goals.
List Inspiration triggers for each background
Inspiration Triggers Overview
In Baldur’s Gate 3, each of the 12 backgrounds has unique triggers for earning Inspiration points through actions that align with its theme. These are often hidden goals granting 1 point (up to 4 total) and 25 XP, with companions sharing the pool.
Acolyte Triggers
Actions tied to faith and rituals reward Acolytes, like Shadowheart. Examples include performing Sharran rituals, discovering the Nightsong’s truth, or studying religious lore such as Emblem of the Moonmaiden.
Charlatan Triggers
Deception and scams fit Charlatans like Astarion. Gain points by tricking goblins (e.g., “Cheese Your Way Through”), deceiving guards at Goblin Camp, or pyramid schemes with ogres.
Criminal Triggers
Shady dealings suit Criminals. Triggers involve stealing (e.g., Toll Collector’s hoard), war profiteering with Roah, or taking Shar’s gem without deals.
Detailed Triggers by Background
| Background | Sample Triggers |
|---|---|
| Entertainer | Join goblin toasts, dance with Tieflings, free Oskar the painter |
| Folk Hero | Save owlbear cub, rescue Volo, protect innocents from peril |
| Guild Artisan | Repair objects, trade as craftsman, convince ogres without gold |
| Noble | Build status (e.g., acquire power), follow Flaming Fist orders |
| Outlander | Confront wild threats, survive bandit traps, delve into deep areas |
| Sage | Uncover lore (e.g., rare knowledge), solve arcane puzzles |
| Soldier | Battlefield wins (e.g., kill 10+ enemies), ensure no defenders die |
| Urchin | Street smarts (e.g., steal from Crusher undetected), help the poor |
Notes on Usage
Triggers are one-time per goal, party-wide if the character is active, and listed on character sheets once unlocked. Mutually exclusive choices exist per background.
Which backgrounds share the same Inspiration triggers
Backgrounds and Shared Triggers
In Baldur’s Gate 3, each of the 12 backgrounds has a unique set of Inspiration triggers tied to thematic actions, but some specific events can qualify for multiple backgrounds simultaneously. Characters with identical backgrounds always share all triggers, earning separate points (and XP) per qualifying character in the active party.
Triggers Shared Across Backgrounds
Certain actions overlap between backgrounds, allowing points for multiple characters at once. Examples include Folk Hero and Urchin both gaining from events like protecting the vulnerable or street aid, as noted in community reports.
Globals or cross-act events (e.g., specific dialogues or loot discoveries) occasionally count for pairs like Entertainer and Guild Artisan in performance or craft scenarios.
Identical Background Duplication
Characters with the same background (e.g., two Folk Heroes like Wyll and a custom Tav) trigger points independently for every shared event. This doubles rewards up to the 4-point cap, though mutually exclusive goals (common per background) prevent full duplication in one playthrough.
No Full Overlaps
No two distinct backgrounds share identical complete trigger lists; overlaps are limited to isolated actions. Check individual background pages on wikis for exact matches, as comprehensive lists confirm uniqueness.
