Baldur’s Gate 3 “Can’t have disadvantage against target” error: How to fix, possible reasons, and more

Even after a couple of hotfixes, players still seem to face some performance issues in Baldur’s Gate 3. One such issue is the “Can’t have disadvantage against target” error, where you cannot pull off a sneak attack when using Astarion even if there is a “source of disadvantage.”

It’s one of the most annoying bugs players have to deal with in the RPG since there are no permanent fixes for it apart from a few temporary workarounds that the community found.

Depending on the party you are going for, Astarion’s sneak attacks might be one of the core combat abilities that you use often. Hence, not being able to access it is indeed a bummer, which puts you at a disadvantage, especially when it comes to some of the hardest encounters in the game.

Hence, today’s Baldur’s Gate 3 guide will look to go over some of the steps that you can take to fix Astarion’s “Can’t have disadvantage against target” bug in the table-top RPG.

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What causes Astarion’s “Can’t have disadvantage against target” error in Baldur’s Gate 3

Astarion "Can't have disadvantage against target" bug (Image via Baldur's Gate 3)

The Astarion “Can’t have disadvantage against target” bug in Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the more popular bugs that players are facing with the companion, and it’s usually an issue that occurs during particular instances of the game.

It occurs when using the stealth mechanic, even if there are sources of disadvantage right next to the NPC.

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Fixing Astarion’s “Can’t have disadvantage against target” error in Baldur’s Gate 3

As mentioned, there are no particular fixes for this that you can look into, apart from a few temporary workarounds that the community came up with.

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1) Changing Astarion’s default armor

While it may not look like much of a fix for the Baldur’s Gate 3 error, many in the community have noted that by changing the NPC's default armor, they could temporarily deal with the bug. However, it did occur again, although not as frequently.

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2) Boot a previous save instance

Almost all players “save scum” in Baldur’s Gate 3, so if you have a very recent save just before the encounter where you face the bug, reboot that instance. It’s more than likely to solve the bug that was caused in the upcoming encounter.

However, this too is a temporary fix, and the bug may occur again in the future.

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3) Wait for a hotfix

Hopefully, Larian Studios is aware of the issue and will more than likely come up with a hotfix for it. Hence, keep the game update on Steam, as the next patch might address the Astarion bug.

Astarion stealth bug fix (Image via Baldur's Gate 3)

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4) Contact Larian support

If the bug seems to be worsening and forces you to drop Astarion from the party, you are advised to contact the Baldur’s Gate 3 Support team. They are more than likely to help solve the issue for you.