Have you ever wanted to hit an enemy with another enemy? Would you rather chuck goblins first, and ask questions later? If either of these are true for you, you may be interested in the Barbarian.
The Barbarian is a longstanding class in the Dungeons and Dragons franchise with a storied history, so long-time players of the tabletop game will be familiar with this class. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Barbarian is a ferocious, strength-based melee combatant that harnesses inner rage to wield against their foes in battle. They are known for their resilience, starting the game with a bulky health pool, as well as their ability to deal some nasty damage. With all this in mind, the Barbarian is also one of the easiest classes to pick up for new players.
Level 1 Barbarian
Before you launch into character creation, here are the things you get right away:
At level one, the Barbarian is at once distinguished from Fighter and Paladin by its class action and feat –RageandUnarmored Defence,respectively.
What makes the Barbarian special among its melee compatriots is itsRagemechanic. Barbarians can activateRage, which gives them advantages in combat like extra damage with melee, throwing, and improvised weapons. Remember when I asked if you wanted to hit your enemies with another enemy? The Barbarian was born to do just that.
Unarmored Defence
Barbarian’s feature,Unarmored Defence, gives this class its tanky identity. Unarmored Defence allows the Barbarian to add itsConstitution Modifierto itsArmor Classin additionto itsDexterity Modifier. That means, if you build right, your Barbarian could have a higherArmor Classthan one of your armored companions with absolutely nothing on but their smallclothes.
Since wearing armor rendersUnarmored Defenceutterly useless, you typically want to keep your Barbarian unarmored. Luckily, this simplifies things when you plan your Barbarian build further into the game.
Ability Points
For now, you will want a good ability score spread that capitalizes on Barbarian’s defensive features but does not impede its damage. These are the ability scores that we suggest:
This layout gives you a lot to work with. At 16, yourStrengthandConstitutionModifiersare at a whopping +3. YourDexteritygives you a modifier of +2. All in all, this Barbarian would start out with a respectable15 Hit Pointsand15 Armor Classwithout any armor on.
Best Barbarian Race: Half-Orc or Dwarf
Barbarian can be played successfully with any race, but theHalf-OrcBarbarian will shine above the rest. Half-Orcs have the most synergy with Barbarian because they come with two race features that help out with the Barbarian playstyle. The first one isRelentless Endurance, the second isSavage Attacks.
The features themselves are pretty straightforward.Relentless Endurancemakes it so that when the Barbarian’sHit Pointsreaches 0, they live with1 Hit Pointinstead. Secondly, theSavage Attackstrait increases the damage you do when you land a critical hit. This trait stacks with Barbarian’s level 9 feature,Brutal Critical, which gives you an additional critical roll and an extra damage roll on top of that.
The Gold Dwarf
Another good choice for Barbarian is the Dwarf, particularly the Gold Dwarf. Many players will opt to play a Gold Dwarf Barbarian because of itsDwarven Toughnesstrait. This trait makes it so that the Barbarian gains an additional1 Hit Pointevery level.
Barbarian can be played well with either race. The only reason we suggest Half-Orc over the Gold Dwarf is because of the Dwarf’s slower base racial speed. Dwarves can move up to7.5 metersper turn, where the Half-Orc can move up to9.5meters.
Best Backgrounds: Soldier or Folk Hero
Similarly to race, you may play Barbarians with any of the backgrounds and not be set back too much. To get the most out of your build, we recommend you pick theSoldierbackground for the boost inathleticsandintimidation(the latter of which may be extremely useful if you want to avoid a fight).Folk Herois another viable option here, especially becauseanimal handlingis very useful in the first zone of the game.
Barbarian Subclasses
At the third level, Barbarians can choose between three subclasses:Berserker,Wildheart, andWild Magic. What you choose here decides the way you will play your Barbarian for the rest of the game (or until you respec).Berserkeris the best subclass for dealing a ton of damage, due to its bonus action utility.Wildheartsare versatile and flexible with any playstyle, they are easy to fit into any party. Thirdly,Wild MagicBarbarians are chaotic and random, especially in how they do damage. They are all fun options to play and there is no real punishment for rerolling your build with Withers, so do not be afraid to experiment as you go.
Barbarian is a great class to get into Baldur’s Gate 3 with. If not for the mechanics of the Barbarian, then at least for the sheer hilarity of picking up a goblin or gnome in the middle of combat and hurling them across the battlefield at an enemy archer. Give it a shot!
Best Race And Class Combinations In Baldur’s Gate 3
Choose the right class in Baldur’s Gate 3
