When Baldur's Gate 3 launches, players will have many options to choose from regarding their class and race. Even though players have plenty to choose from in the game's Early Access version, several more options have been confirmed for the full release of Balder's Gate 3, but of all of them, Barbarians will likely be the tankiest.
Barbarians have been present since Baldur's Gate 3's Early Access builds and are known for being great melee damage dealers who can sustain several hits. Like many of the game's other classes, the full release will offer players even more options as to how they want their Barbarians to be built, but regardless of what direction is chosen, it's a valuable class to have when in need of someone to soak up all the damage.
Barbarians Take Damage As Well As They Deal It
The most important thing to know about Barbarians is that they are arguably one of the more accessible classes in Baldur's Gate 3 because they emphasize dealing high amounts of damage while having great defenses. Their main purpose on any team they are a part of will likely come down to taking advantage of these traits, regardless of how players customized them.
That being said, they still have a significant amount of room for expression as like any other class in Baldur's Gate 3, there are several subclasses Barbarians can choose from based on ones in Dungeons and Dragons. All 3 subclasses for Barbarians have some variation of Rage that buffs player damage with physical melee attacks and thrown objects, but each offers variants that add a little spice to an individual's play style.
- Berserker is based on Path of the Berserker and is for players looking for a classic Barbarian play style, emphasizing brutal and reckless physical abilities that destroy enemies.
- Wildheart is based on Path of the Totem and still focuses on physical abilities but is themed around a chosen animal, be it a wolf rallying allies or an eagle plunging to attack its prey.
- Wild Magic is based on Path of the Wild Magic and adds Wild Surge when players activate Rage as the primary effect, causing a d8 roll that determines a magical effect.
All the Barbarian subclasses play into their Rage ability as many potential skills gained are offensive with a few useful for support. Wild Magic is somewhat of an outlier as the effects granted are based on a separate roll but still depend on Rage being active. This does not change the fact that Barbarians of all types can help bring the best out of the strongest melee weapons in Baldur's Gate 3.
Outside of combat, Barbarians are still useful for the party since they can break through many locked doors and are invaluable for passing skill checks reliant on physical abilities. Despite their combat abilities, Barbarians can also excel at using their strength to quickly end confrontations before a proper fight breaks out or use it to intimidate an enemy into backing down. As simple as the class's concept is, its capabilities for role-playing are still strong.
This extends into how Barbarians should be built in Baldur's Gate 3, as regardless of the chosen subclass, it would be ideal to emphasize having high Strength and Constitution given how often they will be in the center of battle and those stats count as its saving throws. Having a decently high Dexterity could help a Barbarian out also, as that affects its Armor Class and damage with ranged weapons, meaning if up-close physical attacks are not viable, there is an option to fall back on.
Barbarians are a great introductory class for players unfamiliar with the systems in Baldur's Gate 3 because they are relatively simple to understand and incredibly satisfying to play. Almost nothing compares to breaking down a giant door with ease or taking a massive chunk out of a boss's health in a single swing, and the Barbarian is the perfect class to accomplish both things.
Baldur's Gate 3 comes out on August 3 on PC and September 6 on PS5.