Once you reach level three as a Barbarian, you have a tough choice: which subclass should you pick? Here is your guide on the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Unlike other Baldur’s Gate 3 classes that get their subclass right away or at level two, Barbarians unlock their subclass at level three. Here’s which subclasses you should go for.
What are the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Barbarians arehigh-damage dealers and takersinBaldur’s Gate 3, and their three subclasses slightly change how they go about being a better Barbarian. Here’s a brief description of each Barbarian subclass and what they immediately unlock, and I ranked the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 from best to worst.
This might be controversial, butI think Wildheart is the best Barbarian subclassbecause of all the amazing actions you get access to. Berserk is the most obvious Barbarian subclass that makes you stronger through actions that make you rage harder. I personally think Wild Magic is easily the most interesting Barbarian subclass because the randomness of Rage: Wild Magic is a lot of fun, but it’s definitely not the best Barbarian subclass.
The Wildheart Barbarian is the best Barbarian subclass because you start out with Speak with Animals which is cool, but you gain access toa Bestial Heart and Animal Aspects. You can choose betweenfive Bestial Hearts: Bear, Eagle, Elk, Tiger, and Wolf. They all give you a bonus when you enter Rage, come with an extra unique action, and you can only pick one, but you can change it when you level up.
The Bestial Hearts are really interesting and powerful. If I had to rank them, I would say Bear Heart is the best, then Wolf Heart, then Eagle Heart, then Elk Heart, then Tiger Heart. You also get an Animal Aspect at level six. There are10 Animal Aspectsto choose from and each one gives you some kind of permanent buff. You gain another Animal Aspect at level 10 which means you get two in total.
In general, I think playing a Barbarian can be a bit stale, butthe Barbarian Wildheart subclass makes the build much more fun. There are a lot of build options with the Wildheart subclass, not to mentionthe multiclass potential, and all of them are fantastic options.
Related:Best Baldur’s Gate 3 feats, ranked (BG3)
The Barbarian Berserk subclasschanges your Rage to Frenzywhich makes you more resistant to damage and you’ll deal even more damage. You’ll also get Frenzied Strike and Frenzied Throw which allow you to use the environment to fight which can be a lot of fun.
At level six, you getMindless Ragewhich allows you to not get Charmed or Frightened and the Calm Emotions spell doesn’t stop your rage. At level 10, you getIntimidating Presencethat instills Fear into a target. With every level up as a Barbarian Berserk, you gain even more HP and ways to dish out high damage.
It could be said that the Berserk subclass is the best Barbarian subclass for their role of being a tank and big damage dealer. However, I think Wildheart has more potential for fun which is important in an RPG like BG3. If you want tostay in the lane of going crazy and dealing and taking tons of damage, Berserk is the way to go.
Wild Magic
Sorcerers have a Wild Magic subclass, but so do Barbarians, and the Barbarian Wild Magic build is really fun. If you wanta chaotic Barbarian build that adds an element of surprise and chanceto your playthrough, then go with Wild Magic.
With Wild Magic, every time you Rage, youcast a random spellwhich could be good or bad. At levels six and nine, yougain Bolstering Magic: Boon spell slotsthat allow you to grant yourself or your ally an additional 1d4 to their Attack Rolls and ability checks. At level 10, you getUnstable Backlashwhich triggers another Wild Magic effect when you take damage or fail a saving throw.
Wild Magic is definitely not the best Barbarian subclass, butI think it is the most fun. I know it’s not like Barbarians to be stealthy, but if you want to have a lot of fun in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to learn how tostealth your entire party easily.
Noah Nelson
From his early days of blog-style music, movie, and game reviews to working as the Esports Writer at Coastline Community College, Noah Nelson now works fulltime as a Staff Writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion. He has been helping gamers everywhere with Destiny 2 god rolls, Warzone 2 DMZ missions, and collectibles in any indie game for over a year and a half. His Bachelor’s Degree in English Rhetoric and Composition with a minor in Journalism from CSULB has shaped him to be a strong writer and editor. His fondest gaming memory is playing Sly Cooper 2 after begging his mom (for hours) to play it before his birthday and he still cries myself to sleep remembering the time he accidentally saved over his 99% completion save file in Kingdom Hearts 2.
