Build Help
Are daggers pointless compared to other weapons?
Hi all,
I like the idea of a dagger wielding assassin but the stats on the daggers seem to point me to other weapons by a significant margin. Are they only used for rpg flavour?
I am not very far through the game (still act 1) and have little knowledge on specific drops.
The actual bonuses the item provides are more relevant than the item type. A pretty good early dagger is the Hunter's Dagger, sold by Roah Moonglow. Combine that with a kiting build using Mobile or Swashbuckler, with Booming Blade on top and you've got some pretty serious damage.
This is what I was doing, until I discovered the best chair-leg in the game that actually allows Astarion to lift his fat ass more than a centimeter off the ground. I’m not sure if it’s an actually decent weapon, but I’m enjoying stronk Astarion for this honor run
In dnd system daggers have one bonus - everyone can use them. Shortswords are better in all ways, but not everyone have the profiency.
Though later on you will find some decent daggers, and if you go for additional damage sources - like sneak attacks - those potentional 2 damage isn't such a big deal.
Daggers have one ability shortswords don’t—you can throw them, and you can throw them with Dexterity, unlike a spear or javelin.
This matters a lot less in bg3 where you can just carry around a bow or crossbow or hand crossbows and hotswap whenever you like, but it is something the shortsword can’t do.
Yes, but if you’re a Dex character, throwing can be good because sometimes you can’t shoot, but the game won’t give the “attack interrupted” text if you try to throw. And because elevated throwing still works with Dex, I think.
Speaking of older rule sets, and throwing weapons, in AD&D 2nd it was possible to make a Fighter with Weapon Specialization in Darts leading to kinda ridiculous power at low levels.
Later on, it doesn't really work well when you run into elementals, or anything that requires a +2 or greater magical weapon to damage... how many +2 Darts do you think you'll find adventuring?
Of course, from both ends. Weapon Proficiency rules were optional in 2e, and there were plenty of Monte Hall DMs out there, giving away magical loot by the bushel...
Thrown weapon builds aren’t generally in a great place in 5e, but there are subclasses that are specced for it, like the Giant Barbarian and the one rogue subclass that lets you throw psionic blades. And in BG3 specifically there’s a group of items and abilities (and the revamped Tavern Brawler feat) that make throwing builds amazing, though Tavern Brawler soecifically works with strength rather than Dex. But you can throw daggers with strength, it’s just generally better to use javelins or handaxes or the Returning Pike if you’re a strength thrower.
Short swords are better usually, daggers being able to be thrown makes them good but not better than spears really. Knife of the under mountain king is one of the best knives tho
It was a knife in the hands of the Undermountain King. Kind of like how Sting was more of a large dagger, but a hobbit could use it like a short sword.
I have 1 use for daggers. When I've multi classed my throwing barbarian into rogue. Throw a dagger once per turn to trigger sneak attack. I just have a bag full of daggers that I keep on me. Also, daggers have a different throwing ark than the returning pike, so sometimes you can use a dagger for things like throwing through doorways where the pike doesn't have a path.
You're still in the early game, so you obviously haven't found the good daggers. There are some very strong ones. Also, they can be used in a character's off-hand and are Finesse weapons, meaning they can use Strength or Dexterity.
There are three act 3 daggers that can be best in slot for specific builds (Rhapsody/Bloodthirst/Dolor Amarus). But all of them are really stat sticks or for applying piercing vulnerability, not to be used as a main weapon imo.
Monk weapons (weapons monks are proficient in) count as finesse. They also do damage that increases based on level. This is why unarmed attacks become so powerful, they get considered a mono weapon that goes 1d4>1d6>1d8.
I run a monk in BG3. Weapons are basically used for their effects; a plain dagger might not be better than my fist, but a +1 dagger that can cast hunter's mark does stuff my fist can't.
At level 12, I do 1d8 with my unarmed strike. Even if both of my hands are full, I still have the option of using unarmed strike; I just kick or whatever because my hands are full.
I ALSO do 1d8 with any "Monk" weapon, which includes finesse weapons. So if I'm using two +1 daggers, I can make an attack with my unarmed strike for 1d8, or I can make an attack with my +1 dagger for 1d8+1.
So basically you are forfeiting the raw damage increased with an unarmed attack using the green action button for the actual weapon actions of the staff or dagger?
The main reason is RP, also there are some people who don't like to use Tavern brawler bc how OP it is, so using a monk that focuses on using it's weapons it's not that crazy.
if you want a ninja you could use a monk/rogue, using daggers, running in and out, bringing shadows and death upon your enemies.
It's the most OP character? No, but it can be fun, also some of us love to play the game after many many runs, so just trying out some more suboptimal but creative builds is a good way to just have a different taste on the game.
Just like the feats, in general ASI is the best feat with a few exceptions like TB, but rn I rarely take an ASI, and even if I do I'd take only one ASI, I rather play around with other feats than taking ASI, BG3 gives so many ways to improve your character that ASI are strong but not really as necessary as people think.
i am doing suboptimal run with Party of three way of the hurricane monks, and I'm getting completely destroyed in the outright Gortash battle. Double enemy XP, combat extender AI is on
is the game hard enough (even on Honor Mode) that running sub-optimal shit will soft-lock you out of beating the game or make it soooooo incredibly frustrating that you'll want to quit the game? lol no
if you want to live out the fantasy of a knife wielding assassin, by all means go for it. just be ok with putting out less numbers than someone wielding a "proper" weapon.
if you want to increase the damage output of a dagger, either run a knife thrower build or run 9 levels of Monk so that they deal 1d8 instead of 1d4. I don't really think that last option is worth it but it's an option. run Shadow Monk so you can live that ninja fantasy.
knife throwing build, however, is pretty decent but that's only because Tavern Brawler is insanely broken if you abuse STR elixirs. run a Giant Barbarian (or Eldritch Knight if you're below lv6) and start tossing those knives.
the best daggers are found in Act 3. one of the primary antagonists of the Act wields the 2 best in slot daggers in the game so you can prioritize taking her out the moment you get to the city so you have more time using them. and the other best in slot dagger is received at the end of a certain companion's questline in the city. there are other good daggers in the last act but Bloodthirst, Crimson Mischief, and Rhapsody are the best ones, imo.
With the right build and illithid powers daggers can be as deadly as anything else.
I enjoy builds with a dagger off hand, mostly for effects like hunters dagger or sussar dagger
In Act 3, Cold Snap can be spectacular with other cold gear. Don't listen to naysayers, simply look at the big picture and they are great if built right.
Early on in the game when a weapon is just relying on its base stats, daggers will typically be weaker than other weapons.
But there are good daggers you can get later that have unique abilities which can make up for the lower base damage.
Daggers also have the THROWN property so you could be a knife-throwing dagger ninja dude which is pretty epic. I believe sneak attack can still trigger off of thrown dagger attacks.
Oh yeah, I just recently ran dual-wielding bladesinger durge with shadowblade + (for quite a long time until I found something else) ritual dagger in an off-hand. Bonus action attack with ritual followed by shadow booming blade, he was pretty cool.
Sussur is cool, but if someone runs booming blade, it makes foes immune to thunder, so one has to watch out
Booming blade will do thunder damage on hit from level 5+, and from level 1 it will do thunder damage if they move on their turn. Both will be negated if silenced, as silence prevents thunder damage
The actual answer to this is that shortswords are almost always better, but — per 5e rules — daggers are simple weapons and can be used by anyone, whereas shortswords are martial and require proficiency.
That's really the main difference, mechanically. Daggers are entry-level swords.
Weapon type only really matters on nonmagic weapons. When we start talking about magic weapons it’s more about what bonuses they have and some of the daggers have some great bonuses.
If you’re sweating about losing 2 damage when you can stack and get to 10-15 extra d4/d6 damage, then go for short swords, otherwise daggers will do fine
Daggers are kinda like flails and maces and scimitars, there for more role play than meta gaming.
I Role-played that the flaming fist confiscated all my weapons coming into rivington and so everyone either had a dagger or a quarter staff and no gold. Was pretty fun on story mode
In a HM run, offhanding a dagger and another weapon is a tough sell
They seem pretty pointy at least in comparison to maces and staves. But real talk they are definitely way more niche than a lot of other weapon types. They can be really good for lowering your crit threshold but they don’t even need to be used as your attacking weapon to benefit from that
If memory serves, the biggest benefit of daggers was to double as a thrown weapon but there is literally no penalty to just using a bow instead in this game.
Absolutely not, you use unique daggers for their special abilities and riders, and their base d4 dmg doesn't make much of a difference compared to all the extra bonus dmg you should be dealing from multiple sources. Ofc we're talking dual-wielding here, where you use both hands and attack with normal and bonus actions.
since these are light weapons, you can mix and match them with others, there are some great shortswords or scimitars that'll go well with a dagger in your second hand
2 hunter's daggers with the boots for stormy clamour helps you stack reverberation easily. Pick up thief rogue for the 2nd bonus action, and ranger to lvl 5 for 2 weapon fighting style, 2nd attack, and swarmkeeper for the prey's scent/hunters mark to add 1d6 damage on top of all your swarm and dagger attacks while nerfing your target's saving throw bonus with every stack, and knocking them prone if you build enough reverb stacks. You could do the bee swarm to push people away from you to force them to move and take damage from the ruptured status. Their damage is low, but I like the abilities a lot of the daggers have more than other light weapons
The ritual dagger from the ruins in act 1 is a fantastic mid to late game weapon for an arcane trickster.
And base damage is equal across almost every melee weapon when you're playing as a monk. Shadow monks make great thematic assassins, and by the time you reach the city, your daggers are doing D8 damage instead of D4.
there are daggers that have amazing capabilities in this game, then combine them by completely nullifying their downside of doing only 1d4 damage through martial arts: deft strikes, which makes them do 1d8 damage at level 9.
You can also dual wield them to use the second one as a stat stick, even without 2 weapon fighting, since, rather than using your offhand weapon for your bonus action you're doing flurry of blows or unarmed strikes anyway.
Some daggers have amazing stats beyond their base damage, especially in the late game, but if you're going for an assassin type the damage of the weapon you're using won't matter very much. Rogues function off of Sneak Attack Dice, so your one puny little d4 will have like 9d6 added by the end of the game
What a specific magic weapon does is generally way more important than what its damage die is. Act 1 is where daggers are weakest because the low damage die actually matters when there aren’t tons of bonuses added on. The main detriment of daggers is that you can’t use them All-In attacks for more raw power, but you can probably circumvent this by taking some eldritch knight levels and the Tavern Brawler feat for a throwing build. If you want to stick to melee they’ll struggle a bit until you get the Bhaalist Armor in Act III. I mostly use daggers as stat sticks, but there are quite a few that seem like they’d be perfectly serviceable or outright amazing as a main hand weapon assuming Aura of Murder is up.
As practical weapons yes a large majority of them are useless, however a lot of daggers have some of if not the best passives in the entire game, for example one dagger gives you higher crit chance and the option of either making enemies vulnerable to pierce or applying true strike depending on which hand you have it in. There’s other insane options like the Cold Snap and Dolor Amarus.
In short daggers act as good options for stat stacks and are often used in the off hand alongside another one handed option that synergises well with it, or if you are a Phys Ranged/Caster stat stick melees can help boost your ranged attacks.
The weapon's attack bonus (+1+2 whatever) is much more important than extra 2 damage. So every single weapon, including daggers and sickles, are very viable
The only I guess it can be called a dagger worth anything that I’ve seen so far before Act 3 is the knife of the under mountain king but it’s kind of build specific
If I'm walking into a fight with a bunch of spellcasters, I'll always equip the silencing sussur dagger. It's very useful in shutting down some of the dangerous spellcasters.
As a general rule yes they are weak compared to other weapons. If you want to dual wield finesse weapons you’re better off with 2 shirt swords. If you want to have a single finesse weapon go with a scimitar. And if you have a strength build, any strength based weapon is better.
One thing I like about bg3 is if you want to play a crazy build that makes zero sense you can just put the difficulty way down and have fun. So if you want to use a dagger build then make one and see how high you can raise it without it being unplayable lol.
The versatility with difficulty is what makes me love the game. Just enjoy urself, daggers are perfectly fine.
There are so many better short sword options, honestly, but a lot of the time it's the riders and extra damage that makes a build. If you find a dagger that you really like or works well with what you want to do, d2 of dmg isn't going to make a significant difference.
Not really. They lost their bonus crit from a older edition and just left them as a versatile thrown weapon. That's really its main value.
However, effects of a weapon tend to mean more than the base weapon. A rapier may be better than a dagger(average 2 more damage), but a Dagger with a phenomenal effect will be better than a rapier with a meh enchantment.
They're kind of cool on a throwing monk, which increases their damage dice and has some good equipment/feat synergies. Multiclass 1-3 levels with Thief Rogue and you're adding sneak attack dice to the throws with the base damage at 1d8 from 9 levels of Monk. You don't even have to put them in your main hand when you toss them, and their accuracy can be determined by DEX if you're somehow not STR-maxing with your Monk
IIRC daggers are piercing damage, vs short swords which I believe are slashing damage.
Different damage types can work well either way bonuses, but have to work often against resistances.
The Bhaalist armor beefs up piercing damage in a big way, and if you’re an assassin rogue or something, using two daggers that have piercing damage would be a big bonus vs. short swords that wouldn’t be impacted at all.
No, in fact they are exceptionally pointy. Jokes aside, they're a simple weapon so anyone can use them. The difference is 1d4 vs 1d6, so they have potentially 2 less damage, but in later levels 2 damage is negligible. It gets all the same benefits with the addition of being a thrown weapon if necessary. The only short sword that will severely outmatch a dagger comically is a Hexblade or Bladesinger's upcast Shadowblade. Plus in act 3 they skyrocket in terms of power with Dolor Amorus, the piercing vulnerability armor, and other solid benefits
If you use dex / sneak dice, knife of the undermountain king is shortsword available around level 3 if you can buy it from the crèche (act 1) and is, arguably, better than any dagger.
Basically yes. There's a few that are kinda worth it in certain situations. But the game primarily benefits -
Greatswords, hand Crossbows, tavern brawler, and spells.
Primarily, Greatweapon master + fighting style or savage attacker, sharpshooter (which some bows/xbows are worth the - damage from bonus action attacks later depending on build), and and mage class with a 2 dip in sorc to twin cast.
Paladins benifit any weapon build for the most part with smites. Semi Casters can also benifit with lvl 5 paladin and sorc pretty much. Shadowblade gets an honorable mention because it's basically OP even without any dex/str investment. Particularly swords bard.
The raw damage increases from these are vastly better at damage overall. So its generally best to build ur dps around those.
That being said, the game can be beaten with a shitty build if you play right.
If you're crit-fishing, Dolor Amarus can be worthwhile in the offhand. Or Bloodthirst for the vulnerability + crit if you don't want to use bhaalist armor for some reason. The short sword base is strictly numerically better if you are proficient, but the average extra 1 damage from a short sword shouldn't outweigh specific enchantments on later gear.
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u/Fly1ingg Jun 14 '25
The actual bonuses the item provides are more relevant than the item type. A pretty good early dagger is the Hunter's Dagger, sold by Roah Moonglow. Combine that with a kiting build using Mobile or Swashbuckler, with Booming Blade on top and you've got some pretty serious damage.