Blog

Jul 04, 2023

Baldur's Gate 3: Should You Sell Ingots And Gems?

Ingots and gems are a common find in Baldur's Gate 3, but players may be reluctant to sell them in case they can be used for something else. Although Baldur's Gate 3 has a wide variety of items, not

Ingots and gems are a common find in Baldur's Gate 3, but players may be reluctant to sell them in case they can be used for something else.

Although Baldur's Gate 3 has a wide variety of items, not all of them will be vital parts of a playthrough - although in many cases, it can be hard to know what to hold onto. Ingots and gems are a common find in BG3, which may set up the expectation that they'll be used in some kind of crafting system, either through the game's own Combine function or through one of the many blacksmith NPCs such as Dammon. Players who do hold onto these items, however, will inevitably end up having to contend with a cluttered inventory and carry weight restrictions.

Outside of items with clear use cases, such as weapons, accessories, and armor, Baldur's Gate 3 also has a number of seemingly useless items for players to pick up. In some cases, like with using the Adamantine Forge, items that don't have a clear use at first can be vital for certain quests, often allowing players to access rare equipment or extra story moments. However, holding onto too many items can leave players encumbered, and lead to unwanted inventory management. For items that have no real use, players will likely be better off simply selling them to vendors - or just not picking them up in the first place.

Related: Baldur's Gate 3: How To Beat Grym (Adamantine Forge Boss)

Ingots and gems will be a common find for any player diligent about gathering loot in Baldur's Gate 3, which may lead to the belief that they have extra uses. Unfortunately, outside certain exceptions, these items are only useful for their gold value, and will be best used as wares to sell to vendors. Notable exceptions do exist, such as the Infernal Iron which can be used for Karlach's personal quest as well as to gain some rare loot from Dammon, but in most cases, players will be safe to sell any ingots or gems that they pick up.

As progress is made through the game, ingots and gems become a very common reward, as they can be found semi-randomly in many of the game's minor chests, on the bodies of slain foes, or even just lying out in the open. Without knowledge of any particular use, however, selling them can be an uncertain prospect, as despite their relatively high gold value, there are a number of elements present within Baldur's Gate 3 that indicate that using the items for crafting could be an alternative option. While players might be tempted to hang onto these items, however, selling them is their only major use.

Many items that can be found in Baldur's Gate 3 suggest the presence of a crafting system like the one implemented in Larian Studios' previous game, Divinity: Original Sin 2, which allowed players to craft basic weapons, armor, and other useful items. Aside from the alchemy system, which lets players make potions, weapon coatings, and grenades, however, Baldur's Gate 3 has no such system, meaning that many of the same items that may have had a use in Divinity are essentially worthless in BG3. This means that any of these items that are actually worth gold can be freely sold to vendors.

Likewise, although many of the blacksmiths present through the game have dialogue that suggests they might be able to put ingots or gems to use in different ways, there are no actual ways to provide the items to them to have them craft anything. Players will likely find a number of gold and silver ingots, as well as a variety of gems, but these can freely be sold as wares with little to no consequences - especially as these items will add up in terms of weight and inventory slots, potentially requiring heavy inventory management for players who pick up everything they come across.

Although ores, ingots, and gems are typically useless, there are a few notable exceptions. Infernal Iron, as previously mentioned, plays an important role in the earlier stages of Karlach's personal quest, as the blacksmith Dammon requires it to fix her infernal engine, and Dammon can also craft three unique pieces of gear once Karlach's needs have been met. After players have progressed past the early stages of her quest and obtained the gear, however, Infernal Iron has no further use in current versions of the game, and may be freely sold if more is obtained.

Another exception is the Mithral Ore that can be obtained in the Grymforge. Once players have gained access to the Adamantine forge, they have the ability to use Mithral Ore that they have in combination with the various molds that can also be found around the forge to craft rare gear that can't be obtained in any other part of the game. These items include heavy armor, medium armor, a shield, a longsword, a scimitar, and a mace, although players will only be able to make two items at the forge due to the limited amount of Mithral Ore that can be found.

Related: How to Finish the Masterwork Weapon in Baldur's Gate 3

Outside similar special cases, most of which are clearly indicated by the game, common-variety ingots and gems have no practical use besides being sold - and, as players progress further into the game, money will become less of a concern, meaning that these items are likely safe to simply leave behind. In a similar vein, simply being a thief in Baldur's Gate 3 and stealing whichever items a player might need removes most of the need for extra money, making these items potentially even less useful.

Although there are plenty of elements that point to the existence of crafting systems, the game has no alternative ways to make use of ingots or gems, making them essentially useless aside from their gold value. While first-time players of BG3, especially those who might've played Divinity: Original Sin 2, might be tempted to hold onto these items, they will be better off marking them as wares and selling them to vendors. While some exceptions exist, ingots and gems in Baldur's Gate 3 mostly exist simply to be sold for a bit of extra gold.