Baldur’s Gate 3 race tier list: Elf, Dwarf, Dragonborn, & more ranked

❘ Published: 2023-12-11T16:40:56

Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of important choices, and one of the first is deciding which race you want your character to be. With so many options to chose from, here’s our race tier list, along with their subraces, to help with your decision.

Larian Studios’ latest release, Baldur’s Gate 3, is a massive RPG and there’s a lot for players to do in its expansive world. From battling enemies to meeting interesting companions, and completing quests to progress through the lengthy main campaign.

There are a lot of factors that impact overworld activities and combat in the game, including the race you select. Depending on the race you are, your character will be able to interact with certain characters in specific races, and with so many to choose from it can be overwhelming trying to choose.

With that in mind, here’s our full BG3 race tier list with a rundown of all the best races in the game.

All Races & Subraces in Baldur’s Gate 3

In total, there are 11 different races to choose from in Baldur’s Gate. We’ve listed all of them and their subclasses below:

Elf
- High Elf
- Wood Elf
Tiefling
- Asmodeus Tiefling
- Mephistopheles Tiefling
- Zariel Tiefling
Drow
- Lolth-Sworn Drow
- Seldarine Drow
Human
Githyanki
Dwarf
- Gold Dwarf
- Shield Dwarf
- Duergar
Half-Elf
- High Half Elf
- Wood Half-Elf
- Drow Half-Elf
Halfling
- Lightfoot Halfling
- Strongheart Halfling
Gnome
- Rock Gnome
- Forest Gnome
- Deep Gnome
Dragonborn
- Black
- Blue
- Brass
- Bronze
- Copper
- Gold
- Green
- Red
- Silver
- White
Half-Orc

Baldur’s Gate 3 Race tier list

In traditional Dungeons & Dragons, and Baldur’s Gate’s Early Access, each race gave you a plus to certain stats, allowing you to pair your class and race perfectly. Now, with the game fully released, these stats have gone, with features taking over the races instead. While this can mean you have more freedom in choosing races, it can also make it pretty tricky to find the best ones out there. So, here’s our tier list so you can work out which race you should try.

For ease, we’ve just focused on the Races overall, rather than their subclasses, for more details on which subclass you should choose for your build, take a look at our build guides.

S = The best races to play with. They’re versatile, strong, and work for most combats or conversations.
A = These races are great to use. They may not be the strongest but they’re efficient and effective.
B = While not the best race in the game, it can be useful depending on your playstyle.
F = They’re not particularly effective and don’t provide much extra power.

Tier	Race
S	Half-Orc, Halfling, Half Elf, Dwarf
A	Githyanki, Elf, Tiefling
B	Drow, Human, Gnome
F	Dragonborn

S-Tier

Half-Orc

With the star increases eliminated, there are not many reasons to opt for a character without Darkvision. The Half-Ork has such, which is vital in multiple locations in the game.

On top of this, that Relentless Endurance is quite literally a lifesaver and is a no-brainer for any melee character. Combine that with the Savage Attacks feature and you’ve got yourself an ideal Fighter, Barbarian, Monk, or any up-close class.

Halfling

In a game filled with some ideal little burrows for a smaller race and a system based on the luck of a dice, a smaller race like the Halfling has never been more desired.

You can get in those little burrows around the game and the Lucky feature enables you to reroll that critical fail, another lifesaving element. On top of this and the advantage on Frightened saving throws, you can also get either an advantage on Stealth, or against poison, along with resistance to such damage. Both are imperative in Baldur’s Gate.

Half-Elf

The usefulness of the Half-Elf as a base race doesn’t come from the features, but rather the multiple proficiencies, and the subclass features.

Gaining one cantrip of your choice or additional movement, or Dancing Lights, you can really do anything with this race, allowing it to fit perfectly into most classes.

Dwarf

The Dwarf is another example of small and mighty. They have some fantastic features from proficiency with tons of weapons, that crucial Darkvision, and resistance to poison damage.

Combine that with their subclass features and you have yet another race perfect for any class. Whether you’re looking for more HP in Dwarven Toughness, proficiency with light and medium armor, or superior Darvision and advantage against being charmed or paralyzed, the Dwarf will provide.

A-Tier

Githyanki

In the same way, Lae’zel isn’t S-tier in our companion’s tier list, the Githyanki can’t be placed in our top spot. Sure, they have some great actions, cantrips, and features, but the prejudice many hold over the race can make your conversations pretty tricky.

They’re pretty powerful, but in a game that’s 60% conversation, having that disadvantage can be pretty tricky, unless you prefer to fight your way out of everything, then go right ahead.

Tiefling

Tieflings are great. When you’re not spending hours designing their horns, you’re enjoying their useful features. After all, who doesn’t want Fire resistance and Darkvision?

On top of this, you can grab a few useful cantrips, which is ideal for a magic class. Sure, there are better races out there, and many have much better features, but this is still a good choice.

Elf

The Elf feels much like the Half-Elf but without the same amount of Subraces, which is a shame since it’s such a popular race to choose.

Sure, you get some great weapon proficiencies, fantastic Darvision, and the inability to be put to sleep, but other than that, and the cantrip or movement speed, you’re better off going for the Half-Elf.

B-Tier

Drow

The Drow is pretty similar to the Elf. It’s got some fantastic features in its weapon proficiency, Superior Darkvision, and sleep immunity, but with the lack of features with its subclasses, there’s not really any reason to choose this race.

The only time you may find this race useful is in the Underdark, and even then it’s not going to change the game for you or your party.

Human

In Dungeons & Dragons, people will likely choose a Human to either capitalize on the variant element or grab that +1 to all stats.

That’s not a thing in Baldur’s Gate 3, so all you get is proficiency in weapons and armor, and an extra skill, which is pretty poor when compared to all the other races. Sure, it’s fun and doesn’t have a ton of negatives, but there aren’t really any positives either.

Gnome

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a smaller race that’s pretty powerful, the Gnome is not it. It’s got a handy feature in Gnome Cunning and does come with a few good subclass options, but aide from the odd spell and Darvision, you’re better suited for the Dwarf or Halfling.

F-Tier

Dragonborn

Dragonborns are one of the most disappointing races in Baldur’s Gate 3.

With no additions to their stats anymore, all this race has going for it is their breath weapon and resistance to the same type of damage. Sure, it might help you, but there are better spells than the breath weapon and other classes give you resistance. It’s just not worth it, even if you do get to be a cool Dragon person.

So, there you have it, that’s our full Baldur’s Gate 3 race tier list! While making your new character, take a look at some of our other handy guides and content: