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Baldur’s Gate 3will feature a wide variety of different classes, as is a common practicein the genre. Each of these classes will have various roles to aid in the success of your journey. Failure in covering a wide range of skills and roles in combat will result in plenty of hardships down the line, so having a balance and fleshed-out party will be key.
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The Barbarian class brings with it lots of brute force and striking power. When you think of a large and beefy character, you think “tank,” but the barbarian does not normally wear any armor. This is so it can utilize its most critical feature to its fullest,Rage. There is anOrigin companionoption available with Barbarian for you at Character Creation.
Updated by Chad Thesen onAugust 30, 2023:This guide has been updated to feature new embedded links that can allow easier navigation for readers. These embedded linksincludea list of the best skills and another list for the best feats.
Best Barbarian Ability Distribution
Yourprimary Abilitieswill be the ones that you will try toget as high as possiblebefore worrying about any of the other Abilities on the list. Yourdump stats are the ones that are completely useless to you. The Barbarian is just one character in a party of adventurers.Each will have different roles to play, and your Barbarian is no exception. You do not need to be chatting it up with any of the NPCs, nor will you be looking for clues to solving some elaborate puzzle. The Barbarian will be leaping through the air and raining death down upon any unfortunate enemies that happen to be where they come crashing down.
Maximize their Strength and Constitution, as they will be a significant melee damage-dealing cornerstone to combat. Your Wisdom and Dexterity modifiers will come into play when you make saving throws, so having some points in them when there is nowhere else to allocate points is not a bad call.Favor Wisdom over Dexterity, as you will be gaining advantage for your Dexterity Saving throws at level 2.
Best Race For Barbarians
Go with aHalf-Orc. This race gives+2 to your Strength Ability and +1 to your Constitution. This is 1 less Constitution compared to a Shield Dwarf, but they make up for it by being able toprevent their HP from dropping to 0 with every long restby having it drop to 1 instead. Furthermore, whenever you score a critical hit with a melee weapon,you get to deal some extra damageon top. This will feel so satisfying every time it comes up in combat. HavingDarkvisionis also a big plus.
Alternative Race Option
TheShield Dwarfwill give you +2 to both your Strength and Constitution abilities and let you perform very well at what you do best: combat.Githyankipsionics offer some great mobility, but the +1 Intelligence and extra proficiency compared to the Shield Dwarf’s +2 Constitution is just a massive downgrade. TheHumanrace can help round up every odd number ability, but if everyone is playing their role right, this will not be a concern.
Best Skills & Background For Barbarians
There is onlyone skill tied toStrengthandno skills tied to Constitution. This Strength skill in question isAthletics, which you may pick up from your class or Background. If you take theOutlanderBackground, you will getAthleticsandSurvival. For your otherskill proficiencies, got withPerceptionandAnimal Handling.
There are no other Backgrounds that offer this possible outcome, and the rest should be avoided.
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Best Subclass For Barbarians
Berserkerall the way. This Subclass will grant you aspecial frenzied statewhenever you activate yourRage. While in this special state, you may use yourBonus Action to make weapon attacks,and it will grant youEnraged Throw. Enraged Throw is just an all-aroundbetter version of Throw.
What Do The Other Sub-classes Offer?
Wild Heart offers some great utility. It lets youspeak with animalsand lets you heal yourself up. However, thehealing is not very useful in combat,as it uses your Action and should primarily be used between encounters. Overall, it does not commit to the role the Barbarian is meant to be playing in the group.Magic Heartlets youroll for random bonuses and benefits, making it veryunreliablewhen you have the least desired outcome.
Best Feats For Barbarians
Feats help fine-tune your character and there arequite a few to decide between. Yourfirst feat, take theAbility Improvementto allocate points intoStrength and Constitution. If you have been following this guide, they should be at 17 Strength and 16 Constitution. Put one point into Strength and the other into an odd-numbered Ability to bring it up. If you have chosen a Shield Dwarf, they should both be at 17 when you get to take your first Ability Improvement. Put a point into Strength and a point into Constitution.
For yoursecond feat, push yourStrength up to a solid 20with another Ability Improvement. For yourfinal feat at level 12, you will already be using your bonus action for an extra melee attack, so it would be a waste to take Great Weapons Master. Instead, takeMage Slayer.This will let you attack with your reaction when a magic user you have locked down tries casting spells.
Feat Description
Ability Improvement
+2 Ability points to spend as the player sees fit between Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Charisma, and Wisdom.
Mage Slayer
When a creature within 5 feet of you casts a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. When you damage a creature that is concentrating on a spell, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw it makes to maintain its concentration. You have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by creatures within 5 feet of you.
Avoid Multiclassing.Nothing is going to make you better at being a raging juggernaut than more levels in Barbarian. Just keep taking levels in this class and pick up the above feats as they become available.
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Best Party Composition For Barbarians
TheBarbarian is the frontlinerof the party and will always be leaping into the fray. You will want to build around backing up this brute. Barbarians do not have heavy armor, and they will favor a two-handed weapon over carrying any sort of shield. This means their AC might not stack up compared to other classes like a Paladin or Fighter. You will want somemore frontline assistance and a dedicated healer. A good combo to handle this is throwing in aBard and a Monk. TheBard will cover all your Charisma checks outside of battleand provide a slew ofuseful spells,evenlow-levelones. The Bard will also be thededicated healerfor those putting themselves into the melee action.
The Monk will havehigh Dexterity and Wisdom, making them great forPerception checks and being the groups scout. They will be able to sneak in and pick up on all the secret little details. Monks can also leap into thefrontlinesalongside the Barbarian and helpdivide the aggro. Finally, you will want someone to handleIntelligence checks, which brings us to theWizard. Have this wizard take theEvocationschool so that they can use their big and powerful damage spells directly on top of the Barbarian and Monkwithout it dealing any damage to your allies.
Barbarians In Combat
Despite popular misconception, not all Barbarians need to useUnarmored Defense. In fact, only Heavy Armor impedes your Rage. This means if you have someMedium Armorthat overall gives you a higher Armor Class than without it, you should wear that Medium Armor andreap all of its rewardswithout worrying about any negatives.
Once you are within range of something you can start hitting, you will want toactivate your Rage. Rage willincrease your damageand make you resistant to physical damage types such as slashing and piercing. Rage will also give youAdvantage on any checks for your Strength-based skills and Saving Throws you make.
You will also want to make use ofThrowwhile not in melee range. Throw will be your best bet and consistentlyattack enemies while you are out of range, but you should always be aiming to close this gap whenever possible.
At level 2 you will gain access toRelentless Attack and Danger Sense. This lets you dish out a ton of extra damage and avoid taking damage from a lot of AoE spells and traps.
Barbarians Outside Of Combat
Barbarians can help outside of combat too, although not as much as other classes that cover far more skills. Barbarians can use theirAthleticsto push against the world that would otherwise knock other characters down. They can use their Rage togain Advantage on every one of these checksto swim against a raging current, jump between dangerous ledges, and shove things around. This might not seem like much, butnever underestimate just how vital pulling off a specific skill at a specific moment can be. You will be grateful that someone has this skill covered when you need it most.
Berserker Leveling Choices
The Barbarian is a simple class with not a lot of choices, the same can be said for its Berserker subclass. Outfitting it with the hardest-hitting of all options results in a truly devastating unit in your party that will utterly excel in combat situations.
Gear & Upgrades
Race: Half-Orc Background: Outlander Skills: Perception, Animal Handling
Gear:Haste Helm(Blighted Village)
Subclass: Berserker Quest: Hunt The Devil Gear:Linebreaker Boots (Shattered Sanctum) Gear: Crusher’s Ring (Goblin Camp) Gear:Absolute’s Talisman(Shattered Sanctum) Gear:Boots of Striding(Shattered Sanctum)
Feat: Ability Improvement (+2 Strength)
Gear:Amulet of Misty Step(Underdark)
Gear:Bloodguzzler’s garb(Underdark)
Feat: Mage Slayer
Wildheart Leveling Choices
Wildheart may not be as optimized as Berserker, but it offers you a bit more flexibility. You will have options to choose from rather than just close the gap and annihilate everything in your way. You may be able to stun something you want to shut down or charge forward and knock enemies prone. This gives you more control to protect yourself and your allies over ending the fight as quickly as possible.
Race: Shield Dwarf Background: Outlander Skills: Perception, Animal Handling
Subclass: Wildheart Bestial Heart: Elk Quest: Hunt The Devil Gear:Linebreaker Boots(Shattered Sanctum) Gear: Crusher’s Ring (Goblin Camp) Gear:Absolute’s Talisman(Shattered Sanctum) Gear:Boots of Striding(Shattered Sanctum)
Feat: Ability Improvement (+1 Strength, +1 Constitution)
Animal Aspect: Elk
Animal Aspect: Stallion
Wild Magic Leveling Choices
Wild Magic is very different from Wildheart. Whildheart lets you make a lot more choices and develop a character in a certain way. Wild Magic is a lot more chaotic and will have you gaining random powers through a range of possible rolls.
Subclass: Wild Magic Quest: Hunt The Devil Gear:Linebreaker Boots(Shattered Sanctum) Gear: Crusher’s Ring (Goblin Camp) Gear:Absolute’s Talisman(Shattered Sanctum) Gear:Boots of Striding(Shattered Sanctum)
