Baldur’s Gate 3’s Honour Mode is Apparently Easier Than Being a Bard

When it first came out of Early Access on August 3, 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 had 53 achievements. Some of them are extremely easy to get; for example, Descent from Avernus is earned simply by completing the prologue, while Bedrolls and Breakfast is obtained by taking four Long Rests. Others, like Jack-of-all-Trades and Leave No One Behind, are tricky, and require diligence and commitment throughout an entire Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough.

Then, on November 30, 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 added its 54th achievement: Foehammer, earned by completing the game on Honour Mode. This new difficulty setting not only added extra challenges to Baldur’s Gate 3, but removed the ability to reload saves. Considering the high stakes of this permadeath mode, one would assume Foehammer was the rarest achievement in the game – and yet, that accolade belongs to another accomplishment that seems much easier to get on the surface.

Busker – The Rarest Achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3

Being a Street Performer in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Apparently Harder Than Honour Mode

The Busker achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3 is earned by making 100 gold by performing music in one playthrough. On its surface, this achievement does not seem particularly hard to get; after all, it just requires one to make some money performing. However, it is slightly more complicated than it seems – so much so that only 2.4% of all players on Steam have earned the achievement so far, even over two years after release.

For comparison, the Foehammer achievement has been obtained by 2.7% of all Steam users – 0.3% more people than Busker. This means a greater number of players have gone through an entire playthrough on Honour Mode, permadeath and all, than have made a career as a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Top 10 Rarest Achievements on Baldur’s Gate 3 (According to Steam September 2025)

What makes this particularly hilarious is that this achievement doesn’t even require a character to be a Bard in order to obtain it. Characters of any class can obtain musical proficiency to take the Perform action, even without an instrument equipped. That said, the achievement is time-consuming and finicky enough that it has still somehow remained the hardest achievement to earn in the game.

How to Earn the Busker Achievement in BG3

The first step towards earning the rarest achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to get proficiency in Musical Instruments. There are three ways to make this happen:

• Take at least one level in Bard
• Take the Performer Feat
• Successfully perform with Alfira in the Emerald Grove in Act 1

Once obtained, the character gains a new action called Perform. Using this causes a handful of nearby named NPCs to gather around, after which the character makes a Charisma (Performance) check. On a success, the audience members will throw down gold pieces that can be collected. While fans can attempt to do this earlier in the game, waiting until Act 3 is much easier, as the city of Baldur’s Gate is full of NPCs to donate to a character’s burgeoning career as a musician.

There are a few other tricks players can use to make this process even easier. Using Withers, one can either recruit a Bard Hireling in Baldur’s Gate 3 with maxed out Charisma and expertise in Performance, or temporarily respec themselves to do the same.

Moving about the city to perform, especially in dense areas like Elfsong Tavern and Basilik’s Gate, will ensure one can easily collect their required coins. This achievement’s progress doesn’t always update correctly, so fans shouldn’t get discouraged if the meter doesn’t change. Keep performing long enough, and the rarest achievement in Baldur’s Gate 3 will be unlocked.

Baldur’s Gate 3

9/10

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Engine

Divinity 4.0