Each of Baldur's Gate 3's Classes offers different abilities and utility to a character in combat, dialog, and exploration. Each class has something different to offer the player and the party, and the Barbarian is no different in that regard.
Baldur's Gate 3's Barbarian Class is focused on strength and durability first and foremost, with access to the highest base HP of any class alongside abilities like Rage to allow them to withstand incoming damage and dish out a ton of damage themselves. Each of the Barbarian's subclasses are focused on how they fight and any additional power sources that fuel their rage. The Berserker replaces Rage with Frenzy for greater offensive benefits, the Wildheart takes primal animal aspects to gain additional powers while raging, and the Wild Magic Barbarian wields chaotic magic to strengthen their rage and fortify their body.
Berserker
The Berserker Subclass replaces the normal Barbarian Rage with an improved version called "Frenzy." This has all the benefits of a standard Rage but also grants access to the abilities "Frenzied Strike" and "Enraged Throw." These allow the Berserker to perform an additional attack or Throw a nearby object/creature, respectively, and each only uses a Bonus Action. This allows the Berserker to dish out extra damage on every turn while raging, making them an excellent choice for players who want to prioritize damage output.
Wildheart
The Wildheart Subclass, likely a reimagining of the Totem Warrior from D&D 5e Tabletop, chooses a Bestial Heart at level 3. Each Bestial Heart offers different bonus effects while the Barbarian is raging, along with access to a special action while raging, as the table below shows:
Bestial Heart | Rage Benefit | Power |
Bear Heart | Resistance to all Damage Types except Psychic Damage. | Unrelenting Ferocity: Healing as an Action. |
Eagle Heart | Foes have disadvantage on opportunity attacks against the character, and the ability to dash as a bonus action. | Diving Strike: Leap onto a foe below the character to knock them prone and deal damage. |
Elk Heart | Movement Speed increased by 4.5m. | Primal Stampede: Charge Forward dealing Bludgeoning Damage and knocking foes Prone). |
Tiger Heart | Jump distance increased by 4.5m. | Tiger's Bloodlust: Lash out to hit up to three enemies with an attack that causes bleeding. |
Wolf Heart | Gain advantage on attack rolls on targets within 2m. | Inciting Howl: Howl to boost the movement of all allies in range by 3m for 1 turn. |
As an additional benefit, Wild Heart Barbarians are able to cast "Speak with Animals," which can be very useful when not in combat.
Wild Magic
The Wild Magic Subclass is not available in the Early Access build of the game, so all information in this section is based on information from the developers or the 5e Tabletop rules.
Wild Magic Barbarians cause a Wild Magic Surge when they enter a Rage, much like a Wild Magic Sorcerer can when they cast spells, drawing from a large pool of random effects. They can also use their wild magic to strengthen themselves and their allies, or to restore expended spell slots for allies.
Eventually, a Wild Magic Barbarian can trigger a new Wild Magic Surge whenever they take damage or fail a saving throw during a rage.
Baldur's Gate 3 launches on the 3rd of August 2023 for PC and Mac, and the 6th of September 2023 for PS5.