Summary
Barbariansmight be the best class inBaldur’s Gate 3at smashing things and avoiding death, but tend to struggle with non-combat scenarios. The class is more complicated than that in the game than it is in traditionalDungeons & Dragons, as it gives Barbarians some unique options in conversation, but not by all that much.
That lack of complication actually makes choosing the perfect Barbarian race somewhat tricky, since many of them get extra spells as features, and Barbarians can’t use any of them while Raging. This list is here to help you avoid suboptimal choices and build your character more effectively.
Description
Halfling Luck
Single Reroll Of Ones On Ability Checks, Saving Throws, And Attack Rolls
Strongheart Resilience
Advantage Against Being Poisoned And Resistance To Poison Damage
Halflings make good Barbarians for the same reason they are a strong pick for any class. Having an advantage against being Frightened can be useful for non-Berserker Barbarians, and the Strongheart-specific protection against poisons is often useful, though probably not worth going out of your way for.
However, the real star of the show here is Halfling Luck. Re-rolling ones is exceptional outside of combat, no matter what class you happen to be playing, but you can only maximize its power if you also make a lot of attack rolls, which Barbarians definitely do.
Gnome Cunning
Advantage On Intelligence, Charisma, And Wisdom Saving Throws
Deep Gnomes don’t seem like they would make for great Barbarians, but they have one ability in particular that really helps the class. Out of all the racial features in Baldur’s Gate 3, Gnome Cunning is one of the absolute best.
Barbarians get saving throw proficiencies in Strength and Constitution, and their Intelligence, Charisma, and Wisdom ability scores are going to be low, so resisting effects that target those stats can be difficult. The various Barbarian subclasses do have ways to counteract being afflicted with conditions like Frightened or Charmed, but it’s still good to have extra protection, as you really don’t want your Barbarian getting hit with Dominate Person or some similar effect.
Gain The Enlarge And Invisibility Spells
Duergar Resilience
Advantage On Saving Throws Against Illusions, Being Charmed, Or Paralyzed
All Dwarves get extra defenses against Poisons, which adds to the excellent defensive capabilities Barbarians already have. What separates Duergar from the other Dwarf subraces are some unique racial abilities, which don’t necessarily work the way you might expect them to.
Unlike the Enlarge/Reduce spell, The Duergar’s Enlarge ability doesn’t use concentration, so Raging won’t take you out of it, allowing you to take advantage of some extra weapon damage. Additionally, while most Barbarians don’t care much about Stealth, if you do need to sneak around, free Invisibility will help make up for the fact that your build isn’t otherwise set up for it.
Gain Limited Access ToMage Hand, Enhanced Leap, AndMisty Step
Astral Knowledge
Gain Proficiency In All Skills Associated With A Given Stat Until Long Rest
A lot of the Githyanki’s racial features don’t synergize all that well with how Barbarians generally work. They get a bunch of armor and weapon proficiencies, which Barbarians either don’t want to use or already have.
Meanwhile, the spells you get have some utility outside combat, but can’t be used during Rage. But Astral Knowledge is just too good to ignore. As a Barbarian, your best ability scores are probably going to be Strength and Constitution, which have one associated skill between them, so getting a bunch of proficiencies in other areas increases your versatility immensely.
Dwarven Toughness
Maximum Hit Points Increased By One Each Level
Unlike their Duergar cousins, Gold Dwarves don’t rely on tricks to make Barbarians strong. Instead, Gold Dwarves that choose this class are among the best tanks in the game, thanks to Dwarven Toughness.
Barbarians already have more HP than any other class, and are almost definitely going to have a high Constitution modifier, but you can always use more survivability. After all, most Barbarians spend their time charging recklessly into the enemy, and it’s hard to have an impact on a fight if you get instantly killed.
Advantage Against Being Charmed And Immunity To Magical Sleep
Keen Senses
Perception Proficiency
Unless you’re playing the variant focused around thrown weapons, closing the distance between yourself and your enemies is going to be crucial as a Barbarian. That’s why Barbarians already get extra move speed as a class feature, and can get even more movement abilities if they choose the Wildheart subclass.
But if you really want to roleplay as the Flash, you’ll need even more speed, and the Wood Elf’s Fleet of Foot ability gives you exactly that. As for why true Wood Elves are better than the Half-Elf version, since they replace Perception Proficiency with Shield proficiency, and most Barbarians have no use for Shields.
Deal Extra Damage On Melee Weapon Crits
Relentless Endurance
Drop To One HP Instead Of Being Downed Once Per Long Rest
Half-Orcs and Barbarians are a match made in the Celestial Planes. The Half-Orc’s racial abilities are great for martial builds generally, but synergize especially well with the way Barbarians want to play.
The Barbarian’s Reckless Attack ability gives you more chances to roll crits, allowing you to take greater advantage of Savage Attacks, and Relentless Endurance combines with the Barbarian Relentless Rage feature to let you escape death multiple times. Together, these abilities will make you an even more unstoppable force of destruction than Barbarians usually are.
