Choosing Your Role in Baldur's Gate 3: A Guide to Selecting Your Class and Subclass for Gameplay Customization
In the realm of Baldur's Gate 3, selecting your class is a crucial decision that forms the foundation of your character and playstyle. With options ranging from Barbarians to Wizards, each class offers a unique set of abilities and characteristics. If you're not interested in the traditional paths, here's a look at some less obvious subclasses that bring something fresh to the table.
Barbarian: Path of Giants
The Path of Giants subclass offers a focus on environmental manipulation, granting you the ability to temporarily increase your size and strength, allowing for unique mechanisms such as flinging heavy objects at your enemies. Going a step further, you can infuse your attacks with elemental damage (fire, cold, etc.).
Bard: College of Glamour
Specializing in the College of Glamour, bards morph into support/crowd-control specialists, using charm-focused abilities like Mantle of Inspiration to grant temporary HP and free movement to allies without provoking opportunity attacks. The Enthralling Performance ability even lets you charm multiple enemies with a single Performance check.
Cleric: Death Domain
This uncommon offensive cleric path emphasizes necromancy and melee, offering abilities such as Reaper (twin Necromancy cantrips for multi-target damage) and Touch of Death (add necrotic damage to melee attacks). This blend of life and death creates a complex playstyle that sets itself apart from more conventional cleric builds.
Druid: Circle of Stars
For an alternative to the traditional Wild Shape focus, opt for the Circle of Stars, which allows you to transform into various constellations, each offering unique bonuses. Become an Archer, gain advantage on ranged attacks with a bonus action. If healing is more your style, choose the Chalice constellation for amplified healing effects. Additionally, Stanley Omens lets you reroll dice for yourself or allies as a reaction.
Rogue/Wizard: Unlisted Niche Options
While specifics may vary, classes like the Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Transmutation Wizard (if available) often feature less common mechanics such as Mage Hand Legerdemain (invisible telekinesis for stealth/theft) and Transmuter's Stone (grant allies buffs like darkvision or resistance). Keep an eye out for these classes to uncover their unique quirks and playstyles.
These subclasses deviate from the "damage per second" archetype, instead providing environmental control, charm-based tactics, or transformative mechanics that require creative play. With the late addition of the Circle of Stars and Path of Giants subclasses, Baldur's Gate 3 offers even more opportunities to tailor your character to suit your style.
- In the game Baldur's Gate 3, the Path of Giants subclass for Barbarians provides a focus on environmental manipulation, allowing for the temporary increase of size and strength, and the infusion of attacks with elemental damage.
- Specializing in the College of Glamour as a Bard transforms one into a support/crowd-control specialist, with charm-focused abilities like Mantle of Inspiration and Enthralling Performance.
- The Death Domain in Clerics is an uncommon offensive cleric path that emphasizes necromancy and melee, offering abilities like Reaper and Touch of Death, creating a complex playstyle distinct from conventional cleric builds.
- For a change from the traditional Wild Shape focus, Druids can choose the Circle of Stars, which allows transformation into constellations, offering unique bonuses like the Archer or Chalice constellations that amplify ranged attacks or healing effects.
- Rogue/Wizard classes like Arcane Trickster (Rogue) and Transmutation Wizard (if available) often feature less common mechanics such as Mage Hand Legerdemain and Transmuter's Stone, offering stealth/theft abilities or granting buffs like darkvision or resistance to allies.
- The late addition of the Circle of Stars and Path of Giants subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3 provides even more opportunities to tailor one's character, deviating from the "damage per second" archetype and offering environmental control, charm-based tactics, or transformative mechanics that require creative play.
