Baldur's Gate 3 is right around the corner, and many hopeful players may already be debating what race and class they want to play. There are so many options it can be hard to choose, especially knowing that completing a single playthrough will require a lot of time. It doesn't help that there are plenty of reasons to play something like a rogue or warlock in Baldur's Gate 3, but it's also pairing a suitable race (or just a fun one) with said class. No matter what, though, perhaps one of the most compelling arguments would be to play a Dragonborn in Baldur's Gate 3.

The first reason is the most obvious: Dragonborn were not available during early access. Early adopters then haven't played, so it's new for everyone at launch. Baldur's Gate 3's Half-Orcs and Dragonborn are the new races for launch, while classes like Monk will be added too. In the world of Dungeons and Dragons, Dragonborn have always been treated as something special and unusual, and Baldur's Gate 3 does the very same thing.

RELATED: Baldur's Gate 3: Wares Explained

Baldur's Gate 3: Roleplaying a Dragonborn

Per the DnD 5e handbook, typical Dragonborn are often order-oriented, skill-based, and clan-attached. Players do not have to play a typical Dragonborn though and could make the character as solitary or as evil as they like. No matter what though, the world of Baldur's Gate 3 will react to this race's quirk. Many NPCs will react and speak to a Dragonborn differently, opening plenty of new roleplay options should players want to lean into that. The newness of the race in the real world and their rarity in the game world are strong arguments in and of themselves to choose this race.

There is another option tied to the Dragonborn, though, worth considering. Baldur's Gate 3 recently introduced a new Origin Character known as The Dark Urge, which makes for an interesting pairing with Dragonborn. Technically speaking, this is more of a hybrid character because, while it's an origin character, it is also completely customizable. Players can pick any race and class to roll the Dark Urge with, but the default race is a White Dragonborn with hints of red in them. The Dark Urge feels the need to murder and is essentially a serial killer, but players can lean into that or resist it as much as they wish. Doing this as a Dragonborn would be an interesting take on the race.

Baldur's Gate 3: Dragonborn Gameplay Options

Ultimately, a lot of the reason to play a Dragonborn in Baldur's Gate 3 will boil down to which class it is paired with. Dragonborn get a buff to Strength and Charisma, making something like a Lawful Good-style Paladin well worth pairing with a Dragonborn, but the general attributes of the race ensure it'll play well with any of the classes, even if they don't benefit from the buffs as much. A Dragonborn Warlock would have better close-quarter abilities than other Warlocks, while a Dragonborn Barbarian could be a little friendlier than most Barbarians. It definitely fits well with more Strength-oriented classes, but there's no need to Min-Max with the Dragonborn. There is one big boon to any class though: its Breath Weapon.

• Draconic Ancestry grants a specific resistance to Dragonborn, while also determining the damage type and area of their breath weapon.
• Breath Weapon gives players an Area Damage ability that can be used once per short or long rest and increases in damage as players level up
  • Black: Acid
  • Blue: Lightning
  • Brass: Fire
  • Bronze: Lightning
  • Copper: Acid
  • Gold: Fire
  • Green: Poison
  • Red: Fire
  • Silver: Cold
  • White: Cold

Breath Weapons ensure that any class combo with a Dragonborn has a ranged, magical-in-nature attack. Whether Sword-and-Boarding it as a Paladin, flinging Eldritch Blasts as a Warlock, singing songs as a Bard, or flinging spells as a Sorcerer, the Breath Weapon will be a constant, great gameplay option when choosing a Dragonborn in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 releases for PC on August 3 and for PS5 on September 6.

MORE: Baldur's Gate 3: Every Paladin Subclass, Ranked