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Hello, Gamers!
In the intricate and immersive world ofBaldur’s Gate 3, companions not only add depth to the narrative but also significantly impact gameplay dynamics. Karlach, with her intriguing backstory and powerful build, is a companion you don’t want to overlook. This guide will delve into optimizing Karlach, the Zariel Tiefling Barbarian, ensuring she becomes an invaluable asset to your party.
Who is Karlach?
Karlach’s journey from a slave soldier to a formidable ally is both compelling and inspiring. Her experiences have honed her into a resilient fighter with a soft spot for the downtrodden. Understanding her past is crucial to maximizing her potential, as it influences her reactions and decisions throughout the game.
Key Features and Mechanics
To leverage Karlach’s strengths, focusing on her barbarian roots is key. Here’s how you can optimize her build:
As with all companions, we’re going to want to go in with Withers to respect them before we launch right into building them. Here is what you want Karlach’s ability set to look like:
Constitution
Intelligence
At level 1, Karlach gets her ability to Rage (a Class Action), as well as a passive buff called Unarmored Defense. This last one tells you that you should keep Karlach without any armour on for the whole game - so ensure you double check the boots and gloves you give her, as some may be classified as armour.
You will also want to attack with Karlach at every turn, so that her Rages don’t end too quickly. Make sure she’s equipped with a ranged weapon - ideally a crossbow.
Heavy Crossbow
Upon reaching level two, Karlach will acquire two pivotal abilities: Reckless Attack and Danger Sense. Here’s how they function:
Primarily, Reckless Attack becomes Karlach’s go-to move for amplifying her damage output, with the dual dice roll substantially increasing her chances for a potent strike. Yet, it’s crucial to remember that this opens her up to more potent counterattacks.
In terms of gameplay strategy at this level, the focus should be on initiating combat with Rage to bolster Karlach’s ferocity and resilience. The aim is to either sustain damage to prolong the Rage effect or to deliver a blow. Keeping a bow handy is advisable for moments when melee combat isn’t immediately feasible, ensuring Karlach remains a threat from any distance. For most confrontations, leveraging Reckless Attack will be key to dominating the battlefield.
At level 3, Karlach unlocks her subclass. We’ll be pickingBerserkerfor her. This will give you another Rage charge, as well as two new abilities:
Additionally, theFrenzyfeature enables you to enter a heightened state of rage. In this state, you’re able to make an extra melee weapon attack on each of your turns. However, it’s important to note that this increased power comes at a cost, as you’ll experience one level of exhaustion once your rage concludes. This feature is particularly useful when you need to significantly increase your damage output during critical moments in combat.
At level 4, KArlach unlocks her first feat. PickAbility Improvement, and boost herStrengthto18.
Nothing else special here.
Karlach gets herExtra Attackat level 5, as well as theFast Movementbuff. This gives her a +5 to her base movement if she’s not wearing heavy armour - and she shouldn’t be wearinganyarmour.
At level 6, Karlach will get another Rage charge. She will also getMindless Rage.This is a subclass feature that makes it so that she cannot be Charmed or Frightened while raging, and additionally,Calm Emotionswill no longer end her Rage.
Calm Emotions
Upon reaching level 7, Barbarians acquire theFeral Instinctability, enhancing their responsiveness in combat situations. This ability grants a +3 bonus to Initiative, ensuring Karlach is quick to act in battle. Additionally, the inability to be surprised means that Karlach will always be prepared at the onset of combat, effectively eliminating the chance of losing her first turn due to being caught off guard. This guarantees her participation in the initial round of combat, often placing her among the first to take action. With this advantage, Karlach can prioritize incapacitating or dispatching the most critical threats early on, thereby mitigating potential damage to herself and her allies.
At level 8, the Barbarian gains the option to select an additional feat, andGreat Weapon Masteris a highly recommended choice for its potential to significantly amplify damage output. This feat introduces a high-risk, high-reward dynamic to combat:
Incorporating the Great Weapon Master feat into your strategy can lead to a formidable increase in combat effectiveness, provided you navigate its risks wisely and capitalize on its benefits to secure additional attacks.
If you are having trouble hitting enemies, make sure you toggle Great Weapon Master’s passive off during combat until your stats will override this negative effect.
At level 9, Barbarians gain theBrutal Criticalclass feature, which further escalates their damage potential during combat. This feature allows you to roll an additional damage die whenever you achieve a Critical Hit, on top of the standard extra dice that criticals normally grant. This enhancement is passive, meaning it doesn’t require any activation on your part.
Level 10: Fighter
Plenty of builds will have you take another level of Barbarian here, but the only thing that level 10 Barbarian gets you isIntimidating Presence, which is pretty much useless most of the time. Instead, we’ll take 3 levels of fighter to unlock the Fighter subclassBattlemasterand get some Battle Maneuvres at level 12.
So, pick your first level of fighter here, and chooseGreat Weapon Fightingas your Fighting Style.
Level 11: Fighter
At this level, you will getAction Surge, which is our primary reason for taking Fighter to begin with.
Level 12: Fighter
To end off our build, we will subclass intoBattlemasterand pick the following Battle Maneuvres:
These are the most useful Battle Maneuvres, and give Karlach the ability to react to being attacked by attacking in return. This does not use an action!
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This build guide is dedicated to crafting Wyll into a peerless Fiend Warlock, focusing on the devastating synergy between the Eldritch Blast and Hex.
