Baldur’s Gate 3: Optimal Build for Giant Barbarians

Barbarians in Baldur’s Gate 3 are fierce, imposing fighters well-known for their unyielding aggression, especially when provoked. In stark contrast to wizards, sorcerers, or warlocks, these warriors relish engaging in direct combat, and they will relentlessly pursue their foes until they emerge victorious or fall in battle.

The recent patch 8 introduced the Giant Barbarian subclass, an exciting addition that allows players to amplify their character’s size while in a rage. This unique ability enhances melee damage potential, enables the tossing of enemies, and allows for stomping opponents into the ground.

If close combat and high melee damage appeal to you, then the Giant Barbarian is an outstanding choice.Let’s dive into creating the ideal character for this subclass.

Optimal Character Creation Choices for the Giant Barbarian

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian in Combat

At the heart of a Barbarian’s prowess lie two critical attributes: Strength and Constitution. It is essential to prioritize these stats when shaping your character.

While the class offers flexibility in choices, there are several key selections that can enhance your character’s effectiveness.

Ideal Race Selections for a Giant Barbarian

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian Dwarf Race Selection

Choosing the right race is pivotal for optimizing your Barbarian’s combat capabilities. The Gold Dwarf stands out as an excellent option due to its robust characteristics.

Dwarves inherently gain proficiency with various strength-based weapons, darkvision, and resistance against poison effects. Notably, Gold Dwarves receive extra hit points with each level-up, enhancing their survivability.

Alternatives like Humans and Half-Orcs are also viable choices. Humans benefit from additional weapon proficiencies and skills, while Half-Orcs possess attributes like Relentless Endurance, allowing them to stay standing after a deadly blow, and Savage Attacks, which enhance damage on critical hits. However, if your build emphasizes throwing weapons, consider other races.

Recommended Background and Skills for Barbarians

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian Background selection

Barbarians have limited skill options at the outset, but selecting Perception and Survival is advisable. Alternatively, Athletics remains a strategic choice due to its reliance on Strength.

For your background, Soldier is a powerful pick, granting essential Athletics and Intimidation skills that complement the Barbarian’s playstyle. Consider Folk Hero if you wish to enhance Survival and Animal Handling at the expense of combat skills.

Optimal Ability Score Allocation

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian Ability Score Selection

Ability	Score
Strength	16
Dexterity	13
Constitution	16
Intelligence	8
Wisdom	10
Charisma	13

As a Barbarian class focusing on physical prowess, you should aim for a Strength and Constitution of 16, netting +3 modifiers for each. A balance of Dexterity around 12 serves well, providing a +1 modifier. Given the importance of Charisma for intimidation tactics, you may prioritize it at 13, while allowing Wisdom (10) and Intelligence (8) to act as your ‘dump stats’.

Giant Barbarian Abilities and Leveling Choices

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian level up feat

The Giant Barbarian class endows players with various abilities that enhance combat prowess, from increasing size to imbuing weapons with elemental powers:

Ability	Level	Description
Path of the Giant’s Rage	3	Unleash a Rage that grows your size, doubling damage on thrown attacks.
Vaprak’s Green	3	Boosts your carrying capacity by 25%.
Boot of the Path of the Giants	5	Kick targets away based on your Athletics skill.
Elemental Cleaver	6	Imbue your weapon with elemental damage during your rage.
Mighty Impel	10	Launch medium-sized or smaller foes or objects.

Leveling up grants the option to select Feats to enhance gameplay further. Here are the most advantageous Feats for Giant Barbarians:

Feat	Description
Giant Weapon Master	Landing a critical hit allows a bonus melee attack. Two-handed weapon attacks risk a -5 penalty but gain a 10 damage boost.
Savage Attacker	When rolling for melee attacks, you may roll damage dice twice and take the maximum result.
Tavern Brawler	Double your strength modifier for unarmed attacks or throw actions, while increasing strength or constitution by +1.
Tough	Your hit-point maximum increases by +2 for every level gained.
Alert	A +5 bonus to initiative prevents surprise attacks.

To summarize the Feats:

Giant Weapon Master is optimal for two-handed weapon users, providing extra attack opportunities after a critical strike.
Tavern Brawler enhances your throwing capacity with doubled strength bonuses, leading to spectacular outcomes.
Tough is universally beneficial, crucial for boosting overall health.
Savage Attacker grants a second chance for damage rolls, yet there may be superior options.
Alert is invaluable for maintaining your initiative and avoiding ambushes, which occurs frequently.

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian level up Great Weapon Master Feat

Personally, I selected Great Weapon Master, Tavern Brawler, and Tough as my key Feats. The Tough Feat significantly increases my character’s HP, while Tavern Brawler, combined with Balduran’s Giantslayer weapon, enables explosive throwing damage by doubling my strength modifier.

Optimal Equipment for Giant Barbarians

Baldur's Gate 3 Giant Barbarian Character with Nyrulna

In Baldur’s Gate 3, having the right equipment can be a game-changer both in combat and in general gameplay.

Be mindful that wearing any armor negates the Barbarian’s unarmored defense benefit. Moreover, heavy armor can limit your ability to rage effectively.

Equipment	Slot	Description
Bhaalist Armor	Chest	Enemies within 2 meters become vulnerable to piercing damage. Grants a +2 initiative roll bonus.
Wrath Armor	Chest	While raging, gain 2 turns of wrath and +2 to Constitution.
Iron-Rage Armor	Chest	Gains 15 temporary hit points when you rage and reduces incoming damage by 2.
Arms of Strength	Arms	Increases your strength to 23 and provides +1 to Strength saving throws.
Slinging Shoes	Legs	Returns when thrown and deals an extra 2-8 psychic damage.
Bonespike Helmet	Head	Enemies near you must succeed in a wisdom saving throw during your rage or take 2-8 psychic damage.
Helm of the Balduran	Head	Heals 2 hit points every turn and prevents critical hits while providing a +1 armor class bonus.
Gloves of the Uninhibited Kushigo	Arms	Increases damage from improvised throw attacks by 1d4!

Recommended Equipment Build

As for armor, I’ve found that opting for no armor can be beneficial based on my build. I tend to prefer Bonespike Armor for its temporary hit point advantage, which enhances survivability in fights.

Although Bonespike Gloves are a fitting match, I prefer Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength. Upgrading Strength to 23 grants a +7 bonus on attack rolls, simplifying the process of hitting enemies. This choice also opens up opportunities for selecting Feats without having to focus on Strength boosts.

Despite the lack of armor, protective accessories can be useful. Consider equipping Bracers of Defense, Ring of Protection, and Cloak of Protection to elevate your armor class significantly. Based on my character’s attributes, this strategy can yield an AC of 18. Adding the Helm of Balduran can further raise this while offering healing each round.

In terms of offensive capabilities, I have a preference for thrown weapons. The Nyrulna trident, which explodes upon being thrown, is my ultimate weapon of choice. Additionally, its ability to return to my hand ensures I remain armed at all times. The Elemental Cleaver features a similar function but lacks protection against being disarmed, making Nyrulna the superior option.

Moreover, Balduran’s Giantslayer is another exceptional option, delivering double the damage from your Strength modifier, particularly beneficial when paired with the Gloves of Hill Giant Strength. This is especially useful in the latter stages of the game against formidable foes like Steel Watch robots and the Netherbrain.

For those struggling to obtain legendary gear, the Sword of Chaos has been a reliable companion from my Paladin days. This weapon has the capability to restore hit points with each impact, allowing for considerable health recovery per round, rendering it a solid choice for prolonged combat.

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