Each of Baldur's Gate 3's classes offers different abilities and utility to a character in combat, dialog, and exploration. Each class has something different to offer the player and the party, and the Barbarian is no different in that regard.

Baldur's Gate 3's Barbarian Class is focused on strength and durability first and foremost, with access to the highest base HP of any class alongside abilities like Rage to allow them to withstand incoming damage and dish out a ton of damage themselves. Each of the Barbarian's subclasses are focused on how they fight and any additional power sources that fuel their rage. The Berserker replaces Rage with Frenzy for greater offensive benefits, the Wildheart takes primal animal aspects to gain additional powers while raging, and the Wild Magic Barbarian wields chaotic magic to strengthen their rage and fortify their body. Barbarians choose their subclass when they reach level Three.

Updated on the 8th of August 2023 by Thomas Hawkins: With the full release of the game and the addition of the Wild Magic subclass, a vast array of new information on the three Barbarian Subclasses has been made available. This article has now been updated to provide a level 1-12 overview of abilities granted by each of the three Barbarian Subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3.

Updated on the 16th of February 2024 by Thomas Hawkins: Now that the game has been out for a while and players have been able to uncover the game's immense collection of magic items, certain Barbarian Subclasses have changed places in the listing due to synergies and other utilities that weren't immediately obvious. Additionally, the complete list of potential Wild Magic effects for the Barbarian has been uncovered, allowing for a more in-depth assessment of the Wild Magic Subclass.

RELATED: Why You Should Play a Barbarian in Baldur's Gate 3

Berserker

The Berserker Subclass replaces the normal Barbarian Rage with an improved version called "Frenzy." This has all the benefits of a standard Rage but also grants access to the abilities "Frenzied Strike" and "Enraged Throw."

These allow the Berserker to perform an additional attack or Throw a nearby object/creature, respectively, and each only uses a Bonus Action. This allows the Berserker to dish out extra damage on every turn while raging, making them an excellent choice for players who want to prioritize damage output.

At level Six, Berserkers gain the "Mindless Rage" ability, which grants them immunity to the Charmed and Frightened status effects while raging. It also prevents the "Calm Emotions" spell from ending their rage. At level 10, they gain "Intimidating Presence," allowing them to inflict fear on a target as an action. This can be useful for neutralizing foes and rendering them more vulnerable to attacks.

The Berserker Subclass pairs exceptionally well with the "Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo", which boost the damage dealt by improvised and thrown weapons. Used in conjunction with Enraged Throw, this can allow the Berserker to further dish out damage using whatever's close to hand. All Barbarian Subclasses will also get plenty of use out of the "Wrath" magic items, which allows them to build up a stacking damage bonus by taking damage and raging. These consist of the "Linebreaker Boots", "Bloodguzzler Garb", "Enraging Heart Garb", and "Cap of Wrath."

Players looking to strengthen their defenses further should instead grab the Bonespike set, consisting of the "Bonespike Helmet", "Bonespike Garb", "Bonespike Gloves", and "Bonespike Boots." These generate temporary hit points, boost AC, allow attacks to ignore physical resistances, and add a chance for raging to cause psychic damage to nearby foes.

Of course, since the Berserker subclass is more offensively focused, players will likely want to grab the Wrath gear to further enhance that damage.

Wildheart

The Wildheart Subclass, likely a reimagining of the Totem Warrior from D&D 5e Tabletop, chooses a Bestial Heart at level three. Each Bestial Heart offers different bonus effects while the Barbarian is raging, along with access to a special action while raging, as the table below shows:

As an additional benefit, Wild Heart Barbarians are able to cast "Speak with Animals," which can be very useful when not in combat.

Wildheart Barbarians choose an Animal Aspect from the table below at level six, gaining permanent benefits.

At level 8, the Wildheart gains "Land's Stride: Difficult Terrain." This prevents difficult terrain from reducing their movement speed. They gain a second Animal Aspect at level 10, choosing from the same list.

Wildheart Barbarians can use their choice of Bestial Heart and Animal Aspects to specialize in a variety of different ways. A Bear Heart is well suited to tanking and can make good use of the Bonespike set, further enhancing their own defenses while gaining some offensive utility. Elk and Tiger Heart are more suited to dishing out damage and can make good use of the Wrath set.

Wild Magic

Wild Magic Barbarians channel Wild Magic when they enter a rage, causing a Wild Magic surge similar to the one some Sorcerers can cause when casting spells. They also get the ability "Magic Awareness," which lets them use a bonus action to allow themselves and allies within 3m to add their proficiency bonus to saving throws against spells.

At level Six, Wild Magic Barbarians gain three "Bolstering Magic" abilities, which allow them to provide a bonus to themselves or an ally in melee range. They can use "Bolstering Magic: Boon" to add a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls and ability checks or use their Bolstering Boon to restore a single level one, two, or three spell slot.

This can make them a valuable addition to caster-heavy teams. At level 10, a Wild Magic Barbarian gets the ability "Unstable Backlash." This allows them to create a new Wild Magic surge (replacing the old one) whenever they take damage or fail a saving throw while raging. This helps to increase the chaos they cause in battle.

The Wild Magic Barbarian rolls on a different Wild Magic Table to the Sorcerer, with a different set of effects that are, as a whole, consistently beneficial to the Barbarian and their allies. Here's a complete list of Wild Magic effects available to the Barbarian:

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC, Mac, and PS5.