Summary

• Mage hand in Baldur's Gate 3 has multiple utility uses, such as interacting with levers, shoving enemies, setting off traps, distracting enemies, navigating minefields, tossing potions, moving loot, throwing projectiles, and exploring small spaces.
• It is a cantrip that can be used without expending spell slots, and bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards can equip it.
• Using mage hand effectively can enhance gameplay and provide advantages in different scenarios, even if it may not seem like the most powerful tool initially.

Mage hand may not always feel like the most powerful tool in Baldur's Gate 3, but it has a surprisingly wide range of utility that can make it effective in many different scenarios. In the tabletop version of Dungeons & Dragons, mage hand is an exceptionally versatile tool, as anything that a player can think of to do with it might be allowed by a DM so long as the request is reasonable. The nature of video game programming makes it slightly less improvisational in Baldur's Gate 3, but developer Larian Studios has prepared for quite a few potential uses nonetheless.

Although not every spell is going to see use in every party, mage hand is a tool that's likely to crop up in most campaigns. This spell conjures a floating hand that can be controlled within range of the caster, allowing for extended reach and an extra bit of action in combat. As a cantrip, mage hand can be used without expending any spell slots, and bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards can all equip it in game. It's easy to go through Baldur's Gate 3 without making proper use of this feature, but learning a few interesting applications can quickly solve that problem.

10 Interacting With Levers

Baldur's Gate 3 is full of doors, and it especially features a surplus of doors controlled by levers. Interacting with these isn't always simple, however. Whether they're out of convenient reach or potentially booby-trapped, waltzing up isn't always the way to go. Mage hand, however, can't really go wrong here, and pulling levers just so happens to be a particular specialty of hands.

9 Shoving Enemies

Shoving enemies off of heights is one of the great pleasures of Baldur's Gate 3 combat, and the mage hand makes the feature more powerful than ever. Although the spectral hand isn't particularly strong, it still stands a reasonable chance at successfully shoving a humanoid foe. When its ranged capabilities are taken into consideration, sending mage hand over to a cliffside enemy and giving it a go makes for an effective use of action, even if the odds aren't entirely in its favor.

8 Wielding Weapons

Mage hand generally can't be used to wield weapons, but unless it's patched out at some point, certain instances of Baldur's Gate 3 make it possible to break that rule. When selecting certain key weapons shows a gear icon instead of the usual gauntlet, mage hand seems to be able to wield them. This may not come in handy particularly often, but the occasional chance to have an extra blade in combat is a welcome one.

7 Setting Off Traps

Baldur's Gate 3 is full of traps, and it's possible to bleed health or lose a party entirely due to stepping in the wrong place in a dungeon. Mage hand is the perfect expendable resource to trigger or disarm traps, as losing the hand to one will set it off all the same without actually endangering a character. The efficacy of this technique depends on the type of trap in question, as failing to disarm one could still threaten a party at a distance depending on the nature of the threat. In many cases, however, it's the perfect way to dodge the danger.

6 Distracting Enemies

The best general application for mage hand in Baldur's Gate 3 combat may just be the fact that it exists as a combatant. Casting mage hand near many enemies can interest them in attacking it rather than going after a character, buying time to dispatch other foes while the enemy in question wastes their turns on a floating hand. This can be an excellent method of taking the heat off of wounded party or wizards and clerics with low defensive stats.

5 Navigating Minefields

Baldur's Gate 3 features a number of areas that can be death to enter, like a field of volatile mushrooms primed to explode. Although a character might have trouble navigating such a space even when stepping lightly, a mage hand doesn't have to step at all. Whether retrieving a bag or unlocking a chest, mage hand is the perfect way to efficiently interact with an area that's just too deadly to enter in the typical manner.

4 Tossing Potions

Tossing potions is a major health recovery tactic in Baldur's Gate 3 combat, particularly if Shadowheart isn't currently in the party to offer a healing hand. Using the throw action, however, takes up a character's option, significantly slowing down offense to recover a bit of ground. Mage hand can help with this, as it's able to equip and throw potions in combat, making good use of a separate turn that lacks the general potential to deal the same damage as an actual character can.

3 Moving Loot

A lot of great Baldur's Gate 3 loot is just lying around in the various clutter of the game, but not all of it is so easy to access. Although scenarios like the mushroom field are obvious threats, there are many more mundane roadblocks to retrieval, sometimes as small as a shelf being too high. Mage hand can move items around, bringing them within reach of a party to make sure no stone goes unturned and no gold is left behind.

2 Throwing Projectiles

Baldur's Gate 3 combat is often well-served by throwing items around, whether grabbing something lying about in the environment or having a barbarian hurl a greataxe at an unsuspecting enemy. Mage hand is a great way to do this, as it can hurl with surprising strength considering its overall weakness. Pelting enemies with random objects might not be the most dignified approach to combat, but that hardly matters when it can be so very useful.

1 Exploring Small Spaces

Small burrows and ageways are common in Baldur's Gate 3, and it can be frustrating when the party lacks the means to explore them. Playing a small enough character or using a spell or item that reduces size or evaporates form is one way to get around these, but mage hand is a solid method that doesn't require expendable resources. A mage hand can easily enter a narrow gap and check out what's on the other side, acting as a tiny scout for the party in Baldur's Gate 3.