Best Barbarian build in Baldur’s Gate 3: Race, skills, subclass & more

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Barbarians are the tanks. They excel in damage dealing and are also able to take a fair amount of damage in combat – but to make them deadly, you’ll need to use the best build. Here’s the best Barbarian build in Baldur’s Gate 3, including the ideal skills, race, and multiclass options.

For many, the Barbarian is a rather simplistic class, designed to take and deal damage without too much to worry. However, as you level, many will soon realize there’s so much more to this class than a simple rage and hit. When played with cunning, you can take on most of the game’s enemies with little struggle.

However, to get the most out of the Barbarian in Baldur’s Gate 3 you need the best build. So, here’s the best Barbarian build in Baldur’s Gate 3 from the ideal race, subclass, Ability Scores, and some fantastic multiclass options, just in case you want to spice it up.

Contents

• Best race to choose
• Best subclass
• Best skills
• Best Ability Score spread
• Best multiclass options
• Best build

Best race to choose for a Barbarian in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are three great races for the Barbarian, each providing great features to help you in battle and exploration:

• Shield Dwarf
• Gold Dwarf
• Half-Orc

We recommend using the Half-Orc due to its Darkvision, Relentless Endurance, and Savage Attacks features.

Best subclass for a Barbarian in Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian Studios

There are three subclasses available for the Barbarian, Berserker, Wildheart, and Wild Magic. We suggest choosing Berserker for your Barbarian build.

This subclass will grant you access to Frenzied Rage, Frenzied Strike and Enraged Throw, dealing more damage and giving you more attacks, which is imperative for this class.

Best skills for a Barbarian in Baldur’s Gate 3

With Strength being the primary stat for the Barbarian, you’ll want to prioritize these skills:

• Athletics
• Intimidation
• Survival
• Perception
• Insight

It’s best to pick a background that gives you proficiency in some of these skills, as that’ll make it easier down the line, like Soldier, for proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation.

Best Ability Score spread for a Barbarian

The best Ability Score spread for the Barbarian focuses on three stats. You can opt for the recommended spread, or you can choose these:

• Strength: 17
• Dexterity: 15
• Constitution: 16
• Wisdom: 8
• Intelligence: 8
• Charisma: 8

The primary stats for a Barbarian are Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, so those are the stats you should be putting all your points in. Strength will increase your damage, Dexterity your AC, and Constitution your health, all imperative aspects for this class.

Best multiclass options for the Barbarian

Rogue / Barbarian

Combining the Berserker’s Frenzy from the Barbarian with the Rogues extra attack can be fantastically powerful, essentially allowing you to deal insane damage twice in one go. Add that sneak damage and you’ve got potential one-hit kills even at a lower level.

We recommend going for eight levels in Rogue and the rest in Barbarian, but the order you choose to do this is up to you. Although it’s best to level until you get Berserker’s Frenzy then going to Rogue until you get the extra attack.

Fighter / Barbarian

Barbarians are often classed as the tank of the party. They have a ton of hitpoints and can take most you throw at them. Then there’s the Fighter. They usually have an impressive AC and deal some devastating attacks using cunning and simple hacks and slashes.

So, combine the two and you have a tank with tons of HP, a good AC, and enough damage to become a deadly force. This is a classic combination and one that works in any fight.

Best build for a Barbarian in Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian Studios

Race: Half-Orc

Background: Soldier

Skills: Perception, Insight, Survival

Ability order from highest to lowest: Strength, Consitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma, Intelligence

Best Barbarian build:

Level	Feature
1	Rage
2	Reckless Attack — Danger Sense
3	Subclass: Berserker
4	Ability Improvement: Stength
5	Extra Attack — Fast Movement
6	Additional Rage Charge
7	Feral Instinct
8	Feat: Great Weapon Master
9	Brutal Critical
10	—
11	Additional Rage Charge
12	Feat: Mobile

So there you have it, that’s the best Barbarian build in Baldur’s Gate 3. While preparing for battle, take a look at some of our other handy Baldur’s Gate 3 guides:

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