Baldur’s Gate 3 Haste, Explained

Haste is one of the most iconic spells in Dungeons and Dragons, and it is clear Baldur's Gate 3 fully respects this. A single buff that provides a whole slew of benefits, it can turn the tide of any battle if cast at the right time. If you're curious about how Haste works and all its effects, you've come to the right place. My party fully abuses the power of Haste, so I can tell you what you need to know about it.

What is Haste in BG3?

Haste is a third-level Transmutation spell that applies the Hastened effect to any friendly target it is cast on. A target that is Hastened gains a +2 to Armor Class (AC), Advantage against Dexterity-based saving throws, doubled movement speed, and an additional action per turn the effect is active.

Haste is a very loaded spell with tons of benefits baked in, but while those benefits are pretty much spelled out in the description, what do they really mean in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay? Let's break down each benefit:

• Armor Class +2 - AC is your bread-and-butter survival stat that determines whether you take a hit or not. The higher your AC, the lower the chance you have of taking a hit from attacks that use Attack Rolls. Having two extra AC is huge in BG3 because AC is not easy to come by past around 20, especially since many sources of AC do not stack with each other. This would be huge value even if this was Haste's only benefit.
• Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws - When an enemy caster decides they want to roast your entire party with a well-placed Fireball, it is your Dexterity Saving Throws that will save you from most of the damage. A success in this scenario would halve the damage of the Fireball.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 – Can you Respec your Character?

• Doubled Movement Speed - Because BG3 is a turn-based game, it is easy to dismiss the value of Movement Speed as a stat. However, what this benefit really means is the target affected by Hastened can move twice the distance they could normally, per turn. Positioning is everything is BG3, so this benefit has crazy value no matter what type of character gets access to it.
• An Addition Action Per Turn - This is the single largest benefit that Hastened provides, because it lets you attack, use an item, and cast a spell one additional time per turn. The effects this can have on a battle are so insanely valuable that, like the AC benefit, this alone would be enough to justify using an action to cast Haste.

These crazy buffs do come with two downsides:

• Concentration - Haste is a Concentration-based spell, meaning its effects can be completely dispelled if you fail a Concentration saving throw, and you can only have one Concentration spell active at all times. It's a significant downside.
• Lethargic - The debuff appears after Hastened ends, and makes it so you cannot move, take actions, bonus actions, or use any items for one turn. This hardly matters though because most encounters do not take more than 10 turns to win or lose.

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As you can see, the value of casing Haste as a single action spell that lasts 10 turns is practically unrivaled by anything else offered in BG3. I highly recommend getting access to this spell as soon as possible, as it is a game changer. Haste can come from items, Scrolls of Haste, Potions of Haste, and from invoking the spell directly.

Momentum vs Haste in BG3

Speaking of items, there is one that is a source of confusion called Haste Helm.

Given the name, one would assume the helmet provides Haste in some way. However, upon further inspection, you'll see the helmet actually gives you a different buff called Momentum.

Momentum can easily be confused with traditional Haste at a glance, due to both terms relating to speed in some way. However, Momentum's value is much lower than that of Haste, only providing a very small buff to your movement speed based on the amount of turns the buff has left.

Related: Is the Bard Class Good in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)?

The Haste Helmet not only has a misleading name, but it little value for traditional builds. The only real benefit of the helmet is Momentum is given to the wielder at the start of every encounter, for free. Still, if you have any other helmet with a useful effect, it is likely to be better than this one.

For more quality guides relating to all things Baldur's Gate 3, check out Baldur’s Gate 3 Dog Collar – Should I equip it? and BG3 – How to save the Tieflings & Wulbren in Baldur’s Gate 3 right here on Pro Game Guides.