Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Hey there, gamer! Are you ready to dive into the world of Baldur’s Gate 3? Well, before you do, let’s talk about one of the most important aspects of the game: character creation. From choosing your race and class to assigning ability points, we’ve got you covered. So, grab a bag of Cheetos and let’s get started! By the end of this article, you’ll be able to create a badass character that will make even the gods of Blizzard games envious.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Will Have Truly Impressive Character Creation
Larian Studios has promised a lot of player freedom, allowing you to choose your race, subrace, background, and class, with each selection having an impact on the game. But the best part is the character customization, which will allow you to create the perfect character for total immersion. With over 150 unique heads and a wide variety of races to choose from, Baldur’s Gate 3 aims to provide incredibly photorealistic faces and unique design aspects, making it an immersive experience. The team used scanned faces to create characters that are as realistic as possible, and with cinematic dialogues added, they’ve put the bar very high in terms of quality. So go ahead and craft your ideal character, and feel more in tune with your character’s journey in the game!
Choosing the Origin of the Character
Alright, it’s time to talk about the Background of your Baldur’s Gate 3 character. This is where things start to get interesting. Your Background determines the Proficiency bonus for two Skills that are essential for interacting with the game’s world. When you’re on the Origin tab, you’ll see the Background option, which gives you a list of different Backgrounds to choose from. Each Background has its own set of two Skills that you’ll be proficient in. For example, if you choose the Entertainer Background, you’ll get a bonus in Acrobatics and Performance. So, think about your character’s backstory and choose a Background that fits. If you’re a newbie to the game, we recommend going with the Sailor Background. It’ll give you proficiency in Athletics and Perception, which are both super useful skills for any adventurer.
Here is a table of all the available backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3, along with the associated proficiency skills:
| Background | Proficiencies (Skills) |
|---|---|
| Acolyte | Insight, Religion |
| Charlatan | Deception, Sleight of Hand |
| Criminal | Deception, Stealth |
| Entertainer | Acrobatics, Performance |
| Folk Hero | Animal Handling, Survival |
| Guild Artisan | Insight, Persuasion |
| Hermit | Medicine, Religion |
| Noble | History, Persuasion |
| Outlander | Athletics, Survival |
| Sage | Arcana, History |
| Sailor | Athletics, Perception |
| Soldier | Athletics, Intimidation |
| Urchin | Sleight of Hand, Stealth |
You may also like:
- How Do You Become an Oathbreaker in Baldur’s Gate 3?
- Baldur’s Gate 3: Who Is Bernard and How To Defeat Him?
Character Name
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players will need to choose a name for their character before they can proceed with the game. The game provides a default name, Tav, but players are encouraged to choose a name that fits their character’s backstory and personality. The character name is not just a cosmetic feature, as it will be used throughout the game when interacting with other characters and in various dialogues. Choosing a name that suits the character can enhance the immersive experience and make the player feel more connected to their character. So, take some time to think of a name that fits your character’s personality, backstory, and role in the game world.
Coming Up with the Race
Let’s talk about one of the most exciting parts of character creation in Baldur’s Gate 3 – choosing your character’s Race and Subrace. This decision will impact everything from your base stats to the weapons you can use to your walking speed to your senses. When you’re on the Race tab, you’ll see a list of different Races and Subraces to choose from, each with their own unique features and proficiencies. For example, if you choose the Dwarf Gold Race, you’ll get a Constitution bonus, resistance to poison, and proficiency in certain weapons. But if you choose the Elf Wood Race, you’ll get a Dexterity bonus, an advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and proficiency in certain weapons.
Ultimately, the choice is up to you and what kind of character you want to play. Just keep in mind that different NPCs in the game might react differently to different races. For our starter character, we recommend going with the Dwarf Shield Subrace, which will give you bonuses to both Constitution (hit points) and Strength (hitting enemies with weapons). So, get ready to choose your Race and Subrace, and get ready for an epic adventure in Baldur’s Gate 3!
| Race | Subrace | Race Features | Race Proficiencies | Subrace Traits | Subrace Proficiencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drow | Lolth-Sworn | Dexterity +2, Charisma +1, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Superior Darkvision, Dancing Lights cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | Rapier, Shortsword, Hand Crossbow | – | – |
| Drow | Seldarine | Dexterity +2, Charisma +1, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Superior Darkvision, Dancing Lights cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | Rapier, Shortsword, Hand Crossbow | – | – |
| Dwarf | Gold | Constitution +2, Advantage on Saving Throws against Poison, Resistance to Poison (half damage), Darkvision | Battleaxe, Handaxe, Light Hammer, Warhammer | Wisdom +1, HP Max +1 (per level), 25ft. speed | – |
| Dwarf | Shield | Constitution +2, Advantage on Saving Throws against Poison, Resistance to Poison (half damage), Darkvision | Battleaxe, Handaxe, Light Hammer, Warhammer | Strength +2, 25ft. speed | Light Armor, Medium Armor |
| Elf | Wood | Dexterity +2, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Darkvision | Perception, Longsword, Shortsword, Longbow, Shortbow | Wisdom +1, 35ft. speed | Stealth |
| Elf | High | Dexterity +2, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Darkvision | Perception, Longsword, Shortsword, Longbow, Shortbow | Intelligence +1, 1 Wizard cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | – |
| Githyanki | – | Strength +2, Intelligence +1, 30ft. speed, Mage Hand cantrip (spell) | Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shortsword, Longsword, Greatsword | – | – |
| Half-Elf | High | Charisma +2, Two Abilities +1, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Darkvision | – | 1 Wizard cantrip, 30ft. speed | – |
| Half-Elf | Wood | Charisma +2, Two Abilities +1, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Darkvision | – | 35ft. speed | Stealth |
| Half-Elf | Drow | Charisma +2, Two Abilities +1, Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, Cannot be magically put to sleep, Darkvision | – | Dancing Lights cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | – |
| Halfling | Lightfoot | Dexterity +2, Reroll 1s on Attacks, Checks, or Saving Throws | – | Charisma +1, 25ft. speed | Stealth |
| Halfling | Strongheart | Dexterity +2, Reroll 1s on Attacks, Checks, or Saving Throws | – | Constitution +1 | |
| Half-Orc | – | Strength +2, Constitution +1, Menacing (proficiency in the Intimidation skill) | Greataxe, Handaxe, Light Hammer, Battleaxe, Javelin, Mace, Spear | – | – |
| Human | – | Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Constitution +1, Intelligence +1, Wisdom +1, Charisma +1, 30ft. speed | – | – | – |
| Tiefling | Asmodeus | Resistance to Fire (half damage), Darkvision | – | Charisma +2, Intelligence +1, Thaumaturgy cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | – |
| Tiefling | Mephistopheles | Resistance to Fire (half damage), Darkvision | – | Charisma +2, Intelligence +1, Mage Hand cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | – |
| Tiefling | Zariel | Resistance to Fire (half damage), Darkvision | – | Charisma +2, Strength +1, Thaumaturgy cantrip (spell), 30ft. speed | – |
Players can choose any of these races and subraces to create their character in Baldur’s Gate 3. The choice of race and subrace will have an impact on the character’s base stats, the weapons they can use, their walking speed, and their senses, among other things.
The Next Step – Choosing the Class
Baldur’s Gate 3 features six classes for players to choose from, each with its unique playstyle and set of abilities. The available classes are Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, and Wizard. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses, making them suitable for different types of gameplay.
Clerics are divine spellcasters who draw their power from a deity or higher power. They are skilled at healing and support spells, as well as dealing damage to enemies. They are proficient with medium armor, shields, and a limited selection of weapons.
Fighters are martial combatants who specialize in close-quarters combat with weapons. They are proficient with all armor, shields, and weapons, making them incredibly versatile. Fighters can choose between different fighting styles, such as archery or two-weapon fighting, to suit their playstyle.
Rangers are skilled archers and survivalists who can track enemies and navigate through the wilderness. They are proficient with light and medium armor, as well as a selection of ranged and melee weapons. Rangers can also summon animal companions to aid them in battle.
Rogues are agile and sneaky characters who excel at stealth and subterfuge. They are proficient with light armor and a selection of weapons, including daggers and bows. Rogues have a range of abilities that allow them to pick locks, disarm traps, and deal massive damage with sneak attacks.
Warlocks are spellcasters who make pacts with powerful entities to gain access to magic. They are proficient with light armor and a limited selection of weapons, but their spells are potent and often deal damage over time. Warlocks can choose from different types of patrons, such as fiends or fey, to determine the source of their power.
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who learn magic through rigorous study and practice. They are proficient with light armor and a limited selection of weapons, but their spells are incredibly versatile and can do almost anything, from dealing damage to manipulating the environment. Wizards can choose to specialize in different schools of magic, such as evocation or necromancy, to focus their abilities.
Skills and Abilities
In Baldur’s Gate 3, every character has the same list of skills, including Acrobatics, Perception, and History. Skills are a more specialized way to interact with the world, and your abilities determine the modifier for each of your skills. If your background, race, or class gives you proficiency with a skill, you’ll get an added bonus on top.
You get to choose two more skills to become proficient in, depending on your class. Most of the conversation and interaction choices in the game outside of combat will require skill checks. There are 18 skills available, and depending on your background and class choices, you will be granted proficiency in some automatically, while others you will not be able to obtain proficiency in. It’s important to note that the Githyanki can choose one “base skill” to gain proficiency in, which can be any of the skills on the list.
Character’s Attributes
Attributes play a crucial role in defining the abilities of your character in Baldur’s Gate 3. There are six attributes available, including Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each attribute has a specific impact on your character’s abilities and affects various aspects of combat, skills, and spells. For example, Strength affects melee attacks, damage, and Athletics skill, while Dexterity influences ranged attacks, initiative rolls, and certain skills like Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. Constitution determines your hit point total, while Intelligence is essential for Wizards and affects their cantrip and spell attack rolls, some damage, and specific skills like Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion. Wisdom is vital to Clerics and affects their cantrip and spell attack rolls, some damage, and skills like Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival. Finally, Charisma is essential to Warlocks and affects their cantrip and spell attack rolls, some damage, and skills like Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion.
To assign attribute points, Baldur’s Gate 3 uses a point-buy system, in which you spend a total of 27 points to assign attributes from a base of 8 to 15. The point-buy system is adjusted for races, where some races offer attribute bonuses that “push” the values down, and certain attributes may start higher than 8 or extend beyond 15. It is advisable to allocate more points to your primary attribute and then divide the remaining points among the other attributes for which you have skill proficiencies or Constitution for extra hit points or Dexterity for extra armor class. Attribute modifiers increase by 1 every two points from 10 onward, which affects ability, skill, and spell modifiers. Understanding the attributes and how they affect your character’s abilities is crucial to creating a well-rounded character in Baldur’s Gate 3.
In conclusion, character creation and customization in Baldur’s Gate 3 is shaping up to be truly impressive, with a lot of player freedom and incredible photorealistic fantasy races. Players will need to choose their race, subrace, background, and class, each of which will have an impact on the game. The character customization tools in Baldur’s Gate 3 are designed to allow players to create their ideal character, whether leaning into total fantasy or just looking to recreate themselves for total immersion. To create the perfect character, players will need to follow the steps outlined in the game, choosing their attributes, skills, and abilities, and creating a character that can thrive in the game’s world.
