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There are several classes inBaldur’s Gate 3, allowing for a diverse range of characters and roleplaying experiences.Multiclassing can add even more depthto your playthrough. But, there is one secret character build that isn’t officially sanctioned by the game — Barrelmancy.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is a big game that can be tricky for new players to get a hang of; here are some tips to help you get started.
Barrelmancy is just what it sounds like: the art of using barrels in combat. And why not? There are plenty of barrels in the game to use to your advantage. Barrelmancy is a callback to Larian Studios' other popular game:Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Basics Of Barrelmancy
Barrelmancy requires big muscles to lug around all those barrels. You can boost your power by improving your Strength score with racial bonuses, feats, and as you level up. Strength is also impacted by your character’s size: a half-orc will naturally be far stronger than a gnome, for example.Having enough space in your inventoryand a throwing Strength or carrying weight are requirements to use Barrelmancy effectively.
Barrelmancy involves two tactics:Throwing barrels full of itemsto make them extremely heavy, andplacing explosive or volatile barrelsaround an area in a strategic way before blowing them up. You will need to consider items like Smokepowder Barrels or various barrels full of alcohol like ammunition; they’re a limited resource. But, there is no shortage of useless junk to stuff in a plain barrel and lob at an enemy.
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How To Build A Barrelmancer
Picking the right race, class, stats, and feats as you progress will make your barrel-savvy character a force to be reckoned with. This doesn’t have to be limited to your player character, though:Karlach is incredibly beefyand well-made for Barrelmancyif you respec her with Withers at your camp. But, if you’re building your own Barrelmancer, consider their setup.
Best Race For Barrelmancy
Picking an appropriate race for your Barrelmancer will do more for your gameplay experience than just improve your roleplay. Racial features have a lot to offer unique class builds.By far the best race for a Barrelmancer is a Githyanki.This alien race comespacked with unique abilitiesthat can make or break your barrel-placing strategy. Githyanki havethe Astral Knowledge ability,which lets them temporarily gain proficiency in many skills at once. They alsogain Mage Hand, Enhanced Leap, and Misty Stepas they level up, which means they have better mobility than other races. Other races don’t have much to offer in terms of the Barrelmancer playstyle.
Best Class For Barrelmancy
Without a doubt,Barbarian is the best class for a Barrelmancer.Barbarians can hit hard, get hit hard, and play a little more recklessly than other classes. With Strength as one of their core stats, a Barbarian Barrelmancer will see bonuses to thrown weapons and attack rolls. A Barbarian’s Rage will grant some extra thrown damage, too, which makes the throwing aspect of Barrelmancy more potent.Choose Berserker to upgrade your Rage to a Frenzyand gain access to the extremely useful Enraged Throw ability. You’ll need the Enraged Throw to really make those barrels full of random junk hurt. A Berseker can use bonus actions for attacks, making you even more dangerous.
Best Abilities For Barrelmancy
Make sure you are proficient in Athletics.You get to be proficient inone other abilitywhen you choose Barbarian from Animal Handling, Intimidation, Nature, Survival, and Perception, sopick Perception to help you spot ways to get aroundlike Cragged Walls and Vines.Acrobatics can also be a useful abilityif your background allows you to be proficient, as this affects your jumping and landing rolls. If you’re out placing lots of explosives, being able to jump or fall gracefully make strategic placement more available.
Best Feats For Barrelmancy
There aredozens of feats in Baldur’s Gate 3, and all of them are useful in their own way.Ability Improvement will let you add pointsto your precious Strength score. you may take Ability Improvement more than once, which will really beef you up if you add to your Strength score more than once. You cannot make your Strength score higher than 20 with Ability Improvement, though.Athlete will add 1 to your Strength or Dexterity scoreand give you a nice boost to your jump ability.The Mobile feat will give you some extra movementand make you less affected by Difficult Terrain, which means placement of barrels is a bit easier. You can also pick upthe Resilient feat for a +1 to Strength, though this isn’t as potent as Ability Improvement. The most useful feat after Ability Improvement isthe Tavern Brawler Feat, which adds your Strength modifiertwice to your thrown, unarmed, and improvised attacks while also boosting your Strength score.
Best Background For Barrelmancy
Backgrounds are more than flavor text. Pickthe best background to add some extra bonusesand proficiencies to your character.The Outlander background will improve your Athleticsand Survival proficiencies, making it a well-rounded pick to pair with a Barbarian. Other backgrounds don’t offer well-paired proficiency bonuses, so unless you’re planning to roleplay pretty hard, Outlander is the most viable choice.
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Best Gear For Barrelmancy
Once you’ve made your beefcake, you need to findthe right items and accessoriesto really make a good impression. You won’t need to worry too much about having a strong weapon; barrels will be your weapon.Items that boost your Strength scorecan push it past 20.
The Mighty Cloth
Gain Bull’s Strength, increase Strength by 2 to max 20.
Quartermaster Talli, Act 2
Improves Strength Score
Grymskull Helm
Can’t receive Critical Hits; Resistance to Fire Damage
Grym the Forge Guardian,Act 1
Fire Resistance prevents accidental death from barrel explosions
Bonespike Boots
Evasive Instinct; increased jump distance
Rivington, Act 3
Jumping adds increased mobility for strategic barrel placement
Blackguard’s Greaves
+1 Athletics, gain Longstrider
That Which Lurks, Act 3
Bonus to athletics
Slinging Shoes
Returns to owner when thrown, deals additional psychic damage
Tara, Lower City, Act 3
With all your thrown weapon bonuses, these will really hurt and you never have to go pick them back up.
Cloak Of Cunning Brume
Upon Disengaging, create a foggy cloud that lasts for 1 turn
Last Light Inn, Act 2
Useful for getting away from aggro’d enemies after placing barrels
Gauntlets Of Hill Giant Strength
Increase Strength to 23
House Of Hope, Act 3
Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo
Extra damage with thrown attacks
Underdark, Act 1
Boost to thrown damage when tossing barrels
Amulet Of Misty Step
Grants the Misty Step ability
Misty step allows for a quick escape after barrel placement
Ring Of Flinging
Bonus to thrown attack damage
The Druid Grove, Act 1
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Barbarians are as straightforward as can be in Baldur’s Gate 3. Spice it up with some magic gear and be unstoppable!
Best Types Of Barrels (And Other Things To Throw)
You can throw just about anything that isn’t nailed down in Baldur’s Gate 3 if your Strength is high enough: barrels, corpses, tanks, crates, friends, junk. One of the main tactics of throwing in Barrelmancy involvesincreasing the weight of a plain barrel by loading it with other itemsthat aren’t really dangerous on their own. Empty barrels are a lot easier to find than explosives, so throwing loaded barrels will be your main way of attacking enemies.Pick up empty barrels when you find themand send them to your camp to load them with all the useless junk you find, like ropes, tongs, and empty bottles. You can even add the corpses of your enemies and armor or weapons to really add some weight. Having a high enough Strength score means you can carry a few of these to get you through several rounds of combat.
Theother main tactic in Barrelmancy is strategic placement:sneaking or walking into a region, placing explosive barrels or crates, and leaving before setting them off. Sometimes combat can be avoided entirely if all your targets die in the initial blast. The following items are best for this type of Barrelmancy:
How To Use
Load with useless or clutter items, then throw at target enemy
Barrels can mostly be found in populated areas like the Druid Grove, Goblin Camp, and around the Lower City.
Runepowder Barrel
Grymforge,Steel Watch Foundry
Set up near target enemy and ignite with a fire source
There are only a few Runepowder barrels in game, so use them wisely.
Smokepowder Barrel
Goblin Camp, Zhentarim Hideout
These are more plentiful than the Runepowder Barrel, but still limited.
Firewine Barrel
Zhentarim Hideout,the Goblin Camp, Temple of Selune
Another limited source, about as plentiful as Smokepowder Barrels, creates ignitable surface
Oil Barrel
Goblin Camp, Waukeen’s Rest
As available as other types of barrel listed above, creates and ignitable surface
Nautiloid Tank
Prologue, Mind Flayer Colony
Only available in two locations but does quite a bit of damage, so use wisely
Water Barrel
Waukeen’s Rest, Various
Throw at target enemy
Will douse any fire, but weighs 40 lbs and will hurt a struck enemy.
Alchemist’s Fire
Throw at set Barrels to ignite them
Easy to find
Flammable Slime Bomg
Arrow Of Fire
Shoot at set Barrels to ignite them
Smokepowder Arrow
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Barrelmancer Leveling Guide
Progressing through a game as long and complex as Baldur’s Gate 3 means you will need to be constantly leveling your Barrelmancer and improving their build to keep up with the challenges thrown your way. With a build like Barrelmancer, there is a degree of freedom in your leveling choices that matches your play style. You may encounter difficult fights that benefit from different skills and abilities than what you have set up, in which case you shouldgo talk to Withersto respec your character. Thankfully, respec’ing is easy and relatively cheap, so you can flex your Barrelmancer for whatever situation you’re in. The list below is a suggestion for abalanced Barrelmancerthat handles throwing containers and strategic placement well.
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There are many ways to build your party. We’ll walk you through the best compositions you can choose from.
Barrelmancer Finishing Touches
It may be prudent to figure out which method of Barrelmancy you prefer. If you like to think tactically,consider adding some Stealth bonusesto your character so you may set the stage for your attack. If you want to just throw really heavy things, keep investing in Strength. Manage your inventory carefully and be careful not to accidentally encumber yourself so you don’t slow yourself down. If you have other party members with room to spare, keep some spare barrels on them as well. Make sure you pick up just about every container you come across and keep it in your camp storage for later use.
