Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3offers a strong selection ofDungeons & Dragonsraces and subraces to play as, and any choice can be viable for a campaign. Each option has its own unique perks, making it possible to pick a favorite bonus or simply decide based on roleplaying potential or design. Not every perk is exactly equal, however, and oneBaldur’s Gate 3subrace up ends making a surprisingly strong case for the best melee combat choice in the game.
According to traditionalDnDdoctrine, the defaultchoice for a melee-oriented fighteror barbarian is usually human or half-orc. Humans have versatile stat boosts and, in tabletop play, the potential for an extra feat, while half-orcs get Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks to make them great at both melee offense and defense. InBaldur’s Gate 3, however, both of these options might pale in comparison to a subrace that’s never gotten quite as much attention, and anyone looking for a strong melee build should at least consider a change in strategy.
One Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Choice Reveals An Incredible Amount Of Hidden Dialogue
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a lot of choices in character customization, but there’s one in particular that can significantly overhaul the experience.
Duergar Are A Great Melee Subrace In Baldur’s Gate 3
Unique Features Give These Dwarves Advantages
Opting to play as a duergar can be a major power move inBaldur’s Gate 3, especially when it comes to a focus on melee fighting. As a dwarf subrace, duergar have a darker backstory than other dwarves, having mined too deep into the underdark and falling victim to a long period of mind flayer enslavement. Duergar are often evil, taking slaves of their own and rejecting many of the more emotional aspects of other dwarven cultures. A custom character could be of any inclination, and the mind flayer backstory makes duergar interesting and relevant narrative choices.
One D&D Mechanic Would See Dwarves As The Ultimate Heroes In Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 misses out on one tiny, but significant lore detail from D&D that could’ve turned dwarves into the game’s greatest heroes.
Reddit userCool-Grey-Greatpoints out the strength of duergar traits in an argument for their general melee superiority, and there’s no denying that duergar are at least a contender. After reaching level 3,duergar can castenlargeupon themselves once a day, a feature that ends up being more broken inBaldur’s Gate 3than in tabletopDnD. It’s easy to take constant long rests in almost any environment in the game, so anyone willing to burn through some of the generous supply of camp food could easily spend the majority of the game’s combat enlarged.
Backing this up is the level 5 addition of aninvisibilitycantrip, which can be used once per battle and constantly when out of combat. This side of the equation is directly buffed compared toDnD, where it can only be cast once a day in place ofenlarge. Dwarves might not be the obvious choice for a stealthy build, butinvisibilitymakes duergar adept at it, and the game’s highly positional combat arenas offer plenty of opportunities to use the spell in creative ways.
Enlargecan also be stacked inBaldur’s Gate 3when an Elixir of the Colossus or an item like Bigby’s Chew Toy is added into the mix, making it easy to turn the right dwarf into a giant for special occasions.
Duergar Don’t Get Their Due In Baldur’s Gate 3
Dwarves Aren’t Often Picked For Custom Characters
The last notably unique duergar feature is Duergar Resilience, which gives members of the subrace advantage on saving throws against being charmed or paralyzed along with detecting illusions. Adding everything together, it’s hard to argue that it’s not a convincing package, but duergar still don’t get picked especially often inBaldur’s Gate 3.According to data in a tweet fromBaldur’s Gate 3developerLarian Studios,dwarves are one of the least picked classes in the game, coming in only above halflings and gnomes (and rightbehind the equally underrated githyanki), and going as specific as duerger decreases even that.
It’s equally valid to playBaldur’s Gate 3without worrying about optimization, so there’s no need to pick any one particular class for its merits as a melee build. Per the stats, however, duergar are competitive with the best of the available options, and their unique spell access is as exciting as it is versatile. When attempting to jump right into the fray as often as possible inBaldur’s Gate 3, it’s hard to go wrong with a duergar character.
Sources:Cool-Grey-Great/Reddit,Larian Studios/Twitter
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
