Baldur's Gate 3 Best Race: Which Race is best for your Class?

[@Fextralife]

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[@cali_ryder4235]

Half-Orc is just the best race. Best Druid, best Wizard, best Paladin, 1v1 me :D. In all honestly with the 2/1 being placed anywhere. You know it's true :D. Good video btw. Edit: after watching the video, you agreed with me. The horde shall remember and spare you :D

[@prahstik]

What's a good race for sorcerer?

[@pixection9046]

Heyo, could you tell what music do you use on your background the whole video?

[@acephas3]

So, humans are useless???

[@MastemaJack]

Level 12 cap!?

[@Satirical_whit]

I came here for help figuring out what to decide between two races. Im leaving now, lucky to have honed it down to 5 races. thanks.

[@jessiemccrea6274]

Is..... what.....What is this math?😂

[@dps_is_hard]

Role a 5 sided dice. It is THE WAY

[@SwordWieldingDuck]

Just choose between those 2 using info you gained. Ignore actual synergies, just take what class you want.

[@dps_is_hard]

Pick halfling. Laezel can throw halflings farther than they can jump. It's funny

[@peternystrom921]

@@dps_is_hard It is The Way!

[@Yueff]

To put into perspective how good the Halfling Lucky is: normally you have a 1/20 chance of rolling a 1, with Halfling that chance becomes 1/400.

[@that_dude7268]

Luckily I want to do a rogue character so Lightfoot halfling is a solid choice

[@torresilk4277]

And of the other 95% of the time when you avoided a critical miss/failure a good number of them become a hit/success.

[@flakdampler11]

If only they weren’t short

[@that_dude7268]

@@flakdampler11 fair

[@thedoomslayer5863]

U can still miss by rolling like a 2 or 3 or some other low numbers against enemies especially if they have high AC tho

[@D71219ONE]

*Before watching* “I think I know which race and build I want!” *After watching* “I know nothing.”

[@Blueskybuffalo]

It does not matter which one you choose. You can succeed with any combination. Pick the one you like looking at and have some sort of connection with. He says he’ll explore the races to see which ones are “good” for your class. To me, this is a poor way to describe what he’s doing. You can say some races have abilities that reinforce the core function of your class more than others which is taking a min/max approach to making the decision. Good/bad combos don’t exist in this game. Had they kept the original mechanics of race in the game I think there would be objectively good and bad choices.

[@SP-ou6hy]

some races add skill proficiencies which are not listed. For example, Wood elf will also give a character perception and stealth skill proficiencies.

[@KriptoniteCola]

Would a half wood elf have those proficiencies too?

[@ablattel]

I was going to comment this same thing. Its not shown anywhere but is a notable part of making a choice. Probably too late to include in the video but the sort of thing good to let people know.

[@tanklike4413]

@@KriptoniteCola half wood elf gets stealth. I don't think they get perception.

[@Zayphar]

This video, which is obviously based on the full release version, shows no 'Mask of the Wild' bonus that was clearly present in the EA version. Is 'Keen Senses' also nerfed?

[@Princitius]

@@Kharis-a half wood elf would have to have as much wood as a half wood elf would have if the wood elf would half his wood

[@Voitan]

The human and half elf proficiencies are actually nice for wizard/sorcerers that don't plan on multiclassing into any martials. Shield, and quarterstaff is a really potent combo.

[@FransizSefKurbaga]

Dunno man half orc wizard kinda slaps. Not getting downed instantly is a HUGE thing since i can just teleport away after that plus just taking a knife instead of staff. I think half elf and humans lost their worth after they made it so every race can pick whatever +2 +1 they get.

[@FransizSefKurbaga]

@@louiesatterwhite3885 I do have decent con it just that i get ganged up for no reason. I'm just unlucky, for example in harpy fight they all jumped on me even tought i was on the middle of the group. More examples with goblins running beside my companions and hitting me but i guess its because i'm just big. For the half elf part my problem with it is why not pick normal elf? It's not a bad race but unless you're going to run shields for sorcerer/wizard(whih is pretty strong having 20 AC with dragonic sorcerer makes you better tank then most) then no reason to pick it. Normal elfs are just better overall

[@ObsidianKnight90]

@@FransizSefKurbaga Humans and Half-Elves are terrible now. Even if Humans got a Feat and a Skill proficiency like Variant Humans they're probably still worse than Githyanki or Tieflings.

[@Necr0e1]

coulda swore quarterstaff was 2 handed and could not be used with a shield?

[@sm0ky12]

There's no point going human with their other features though, they are probably the worst clrace in the game by a funking mile

[@V3x0r]

Keep in mind that for "slower" races there are multiple ways around the move speed and it's not that big of a deal. Druids can fly or teleport through shapeshifts. Barbs have move speed options through their rage abilities. There's a ring that gives +3 meters flat out. There are boots that triple your move speed and so much more. Misty Step is found on multiple items to help you move around.

[@elmerfud96]

What boots triple your move speed??? As a monk, I need this, I want to run laps before I attack

[@jeepersmcgee3466]

my forest gnome wizard casts Longstrider on the whole party every morning. Between that, misty step, and Karlach throwing me up to three times, I can always get where I need to go

[@V3x0r]

@@elmerfud96 I believe you can get those Boots of Speed in the underdark from Thulla in the myconid camp - cure her with any antidote potion. Grant's a "Click Heals" ability to massively buff (x2) your movement for a turn as a bonus action. Also gives enemies disadvantage on opportunity attacks while active.

[@hexsing2760]

Free Perception from Drow and Elf is the deciding factor depending on the class you decide to play.

[@XzaroX]

I'm really annoyed that Half Elves do not get perception. There is no reason to not go with full elf if you are min maxing, especially with a martial class.

[@abrahamagdigos9718]

​@@XzaroXthe polearms and light armor seems good for casters without those proficiencies

[@SH1NK1R01]

@@XzaroXnot really sure on the logic here. If min maxing there would always be a race that trumps all others in a specific context. You are basically mad that it didn’t turn out to be the race you specifically wanted.

[@Trowarr]

I wish perception did exist in one of the backgrounds, but right now it is tricky to get. Ranger, rogue or you play an elf.

[@hexsing2760]

Agreed on choosing Elf/Drow: They removed Sailor a long time ago. It offered perception, which is widely accepted as being one of the most critical skills in DnD and Baldurs Gate 3. Elves, Drow, and Humans (If you choose the skill) are the only starting races with Perception. Elves and Drow are far superior to the Human. Half-elves do feel as though they got robbed. If you were min/maxing and you wanted, by current rules, the most efficient race which ticks all the boxes and does well at everything, then Elf/Drow is your best bet. Fun fact...Elves are my favorite race. But now they are just really the best race for respeccing and getting the most out of your time.​

[@screes620]

You failed to mention it. Wood elf is the only race in the game with 2 skill proficiencies (stealth and perception), along with having the highest base speed in the game and having darkvision. If you wanna play a skill monkey, Wood Elf is the way to go to maximize the number of skills you have proficiency with.

[@livlivinn]

Does this work the same for half elfs?

[@SpaceVentura69]

@@livlivinn Wood Half-Elf gets the stealth proficiency from Wood Elf. No Half Elf gets the Perception proficiency from Elves trait "Keen Senses"

[@doppelganger_1769]

Honestly githyanki seem to be much more powerful as skill monkeys. Up to 6 extra proficiencies AND an option to change focus is very strong.

[@dtczyk8976]

Gith gives you 4 if you choose charisma intelligence or wisdom

[@sup3rAVATARtlafAN]

I feel like for your first playthrough, just play what you want is my mindset, but a great video to learn more

[@dillonwilliams4416]

I think that’s why most of us are here lol. I’m gonna play how i want but I’d like to at least have some understanding of the decisions i make in game

[@DJ-1Q84]

This might be the first RPG where I just pick the race/class I want rather than min/maxing.

[@hansfranzwilli1958]

@@DJ-1Q84 what are u doing under this video then? Jk oc

[@ai-j03]

thank you for making this video. i was struggling with this all day yesterday

[@Kastagaar]

I think that the Lucky trait is really cool because it changes the probability of your critical fails from 5% to 0.25% , but I wonder if it also stacks with Advantage/Disadvantage. If so, there's a 9.75% chance of a single re-roll, thus essentially giving you a three rolls to pick the best of, and that same 0.25% chance of picking the best from four rolls. I think it's really worth looking at the probability curve change that this trait gives.

[@RexorInvicta]

Clearly mindflayer is the best race to be.

[@nicklausendicott]

I found the tadpole

[@paco9502]

@@nicklausendicott 💀

[@peterhospodar7876]

Tas' ki!

[@user-ee6lk1pb6w]

@@nicklausendicott don't be jelly just cuz you can't be a hentai tentacle monster

[@RexorInvicta]

@@nicklausendicott *A strange force tries to make you pick mindflayers as the best race, you... love them?*

[@Spam1192]

Something else to note (not sure if it's been pointed out) is that Dragonborn don't natively get a bonus to damage with an element. That's the Draconic Sorcerer subclass that gets that, not the race itself.

[@justicetaylor3050]

I'd want to become a Draconic sorrcerer with ice magic as a white dragonborn.

[@eloisaguercoll1875]

I honestly love all the races, even the bad ones

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

I love all the races, except for the ugly ones.

[@D71219ONE]

@@ThwipThwipBoom Racist! 🫣

[@csquared4538]

Out of context youtube comments.

[@PozzaPizz]

Me, personally, I'm a big fan of the 400m. It has sprinting traits as well as a bit of long distance.

[@canadasyrup2125]

I agree, for me it’s either the 400 or the 200 though, I’m not sure which.

[@jayb8321]

See for me, it's 110m hurdles. Short and sweet but intervallic difficulty spikes that keep you engaged

[@dilberthigh]

The 400 is only traits of long distance in middle school. After that in high school and college it is decidedly a sprint. I like watching the 1500, 3200, and the 3k steeple. All short enough to easily stay engaged but long enough for a race to actually develop. Racing I like the 5k and 3k steeple. Otherwise I really like the 8k in cross country.

[@parkeroneilbryant]

Imo the 4x400 is the best race in track

[@degreeskelvin3025]

​@@parkeroneilbryanta team player I see

[@Jaap-Relou]

As a non D&D player im very much looking into this game. The amount of choice is just stellar and with that overwhelming as well. Together with all the jargon 😅 Only thing for me is that some races match better in being proficient with curtain classes when my role play fantasy for that specific class if with a other race. Something to work in that case I guess

[@brutalbeard9441]

Yea, that's a big thing in TTRPG's and I never liked it but you'll find a lot of people upset when race is just cosmetic. Larian made this better by moving the stat bonuses of each - otherwise it would be far worse :-)

[@imperialknight3942]

​@@brutalbeard9441 because an orc spellcaster should still be strong... its an orc. But its not a big deal and never matters past lvl 3

[@brutalbeard9441]

@@imperialknight3942 Hard pass on that line of thinking. For one, it's very nearly a racist/bigotted way of thinking. 2ndly, and more importantly - it should be up to the player to decide that. If you think an Orc caster should still be strong than give yours the +2 str. Even under the easy assumption that on average orcs are stronger - if I create a cannon for my character where he is not then I can align the stats with that. Larian moving the stat bonuses elsewhere still gives people who want races with X stat to have races with that stat - it seems like the only issue those people have is with other people not being forced to do the same.

[@donniebrascowitz3305]

@@brutalbeard9441bro Orks aren’t real and 2 not all stereotypes are bad it’s just your perception that they are

[@ObsidianKnight90]

Githyanki seems busted. Astral Knowledge is 4-5 extra skill proficiencies, Mage Hand is a very useful and versatile cantrip, they get Jump and Misty Step at higher levels which are generally great mobility spells, and their weapon and armor proficiencies are quite nice if you're playing a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard. I think they'll make exceptionally good Blade Warlocks, especially since that frees up an invocation for something like Beguiling Speech so you can have two extra proficiencies. 2 Class, 2 Background, 2 Beguiling Speech, plus 5 from Astral Knowledge on Int or Wis means you're proficient in 11 out of 17 skills at 2nd level.

[@Diceux]

Their only weaknesses are eyesight and being super ugly.

[@raknikmik]

I just don’t like how they look 🫤

[@ObsidianKnight90]

@@raknikmik That's fair. Doesn't make them any less busted though.

[@D71219ONE]

@@raknikmik I feel like they did it on purpose. It’s like making the ugly unpopular nerd the homecoming king. 😅 If only Larian had controlled all my bullies in school! 😂

[@Taliesin_]

Following up Human's "you get proficiency in a single skill" with Gith's "you get proficiency in all skills as needed, up to 5 at a time" is a *cartoonish* failure in balancing.

[@tammyboy2084]

I’m having a lot of fun as a shield dwarf storm sorcerer. Medium armour, axes, using flight to leap into melee range. Feels quite cool.

[@bryankarsh9909]

Best video I’ve seen yet on class selection and strategy. Thank you so much.

[@acephas3]

Is there no sub race of humans??

[@daviddent5662]

I used to think Gnomes had to be the weakest race that you would only take for Spellcasters but I'm starting to see there's a actually some overlap to one of the least beloved classes from Star Wars 3E: Nobles. You can make a really tanky Charisma-based creature that focuses on defusing situations but when they need "Aggressive Negotiations" you can hang back and buff people and yourself. I'm adding this to my list of builds to try. I swear this gonna be worse than Divinity where all I did was log in and play maybe one or two but mostly just brew new concepts all the time by starting a new game. XD

[@misterbxiv]

I actually think gnomes are probably the 2nd or 3rd best race. They have advantage on all mental saves. Mind flayers, hold person, crown of madness, luring song, bane, etc. they’re the best race for avoiding enemy effects. Go cleric or fighter for heavy armor and you’re as invincible as it gets

[@TransientWitch]

Lucky doesn't mean a Halfling *can't* critically fail, it just means that they can re-roll a critical failure one time and must use the second value. This second value can still be a critical failure, though this is very unlikely because you've got a 1/20 chance to roll a 1, so you'd have a 1/20 and then another 1/20 occurrence. Trust me, I've played the ttrpg enough to have seen it happen! Poor Billy. Who knew that carrying grease-filled jars in your pack when going into combat with a fire-breathing dragon could work out so poorly?

[@V3x0r]

My halfling wizard died in a river from a lightning bolt on two critical fails in a tabletop game. A lot of fish didn't make it either...

[@SpaceVentura69]

Personally think Deep Gnomes are the strongest. The movement speed debuff is a factor, but the Gnome Cunning makes them for some of the most defensive players in the game. Add an Aura of Protection on there and it's likely you'll pass your saving throws. The darkvision distance can help make up for their lack of speed, as well so does their stealth advantage, allows them to position themselves likely better than any other race besides possibly wood elves at high levels because they get Stealth proficiency naturally before even having to engage and start utilizing that movespeed.

[@galaxxy09]

I wish Larian added the future abilities that the race acquire in the menu. Also when you chose a spell that’s already known from a racial, it doesn’t tell you.

[@SH1NK1R01]

It literally does tell you. If you have a spell learned that is already known from some other means it lights up yellow. It does this in character creation two. Easiest example is picking a high elf which starts with fire bolt cantrip. If it was already selected as the cantrip for your sorc or wizard it will glow yellow and warn you to pick something else. If you ignore it the game will just let you lose out on an ability though

[@Sheamu5]

​@@SH1NK1R01they're talking about the future bonuses, the spells from gith or teiflings for example

[@SH1NK1R01]

@@Sheamu5 “also when you chose a spell that’s already known from a racial, it doesn’t tell you” If you read you’ll see that this was what I was referring to. And you’ll also see that it has nothing to do with future unlocks.

[@Psquared2324]

Maybe they will down the road. May have left it alone to allow people to discover things on their own. Always fun getting something new and unexpected.

[@V3x0r]

I would love to see class breakdowns in character creation. Like what you get each level, spell progression, learned abilities etc.

[@Thomasnmi]

Forest gnome is one of my favorites due to the saving advantages. Speak with animals is also nice

[@vinch3]

I feel they could have done it so that when your race and class have overlaping proficiencies, they give you a +1 to hit with that weapon or something. I think pathfinder does it that way.

[@blame7121]

Or just turned proficiency in to expertise. As in your race already has "basic training" in it, but then your class training with it stacks up to expert level.

[@chrisharrison9403]

You're right that Pathfinder does that but in 5e DnD, which is the rule set the game uses, that unfortunately isn't a thing. They just give you the option to take a different proficiency instead.

[@Iives.tesIa-officiaI]

​@@chrisharrison9403Then change it? I'm sure the game doesn't follow DnD rules on everything and it's totally fine to change stuff for a video game since they're two different mediums

[@feronanthus9756]

Pathfinder may give you a +1, but its a game system where you end up with something like a +30 to hit by the time your level 20 (and thats when you don't go nuts with a build, and also before you factor in additional bonuses for spells and everything else). A +1 in 5e DnD is worth significantly more than it is in Pathfinder.

[@V3x0r]

@@Iives.tesIa-officiaI There's a ton of DnD stuff that they should have added. Like Dodge and Hold Action options. Those are major core things. Solasta is actually the most "accurate" DnD 5E port when it comes to combat and mechanical rules.

[@davidparkes7741]

Being an irl Halfling (from Middle Earth), my choice of race is incredibly easy for me.

[@stevewallace1387]

I found this very helpful looking forward to it coming out on the PS5

[@alexw4482]

The gith ability that lets you get 5 proficiencies is really, really good if you want to make a skill monkey character. Just have to compensate for no darkvision somewhere.

[@yujin_sumeragi]

by casting the darkvision spell on yourself, for example! easiest for wizards, since you get arcane recovery, but any caster aside from warlock can get it

[@adamwilcox8947]

If you are playing a bard skill monkey then do a two level dip into warlock you can pick up devil's sight and agonizing blast. Also synergises nicely with the extra short rest from bard.

[@alexw4482]

@@adamwilcox8947 playing skill monkey so grabbed beguiling influence. I’ll probably just keep using the light cantrip until I get the darkvision ring.

[@V3x0r]

Githyanki bard. I've yet to fail a skill check. I have a ring that gives +12 meters dark vision.

[@Jtime42]

Wood elves also gets proficiency in stealth.

[@dustyngoldstien199]

Yeah, but then you'd be wood elf

[@Voitan]

Had. It's no longer in the character creation menu.

[@Jtime42]

@@Voitan naw look at the character’s proficiencies when it changes to or from wood elf.

[@screes620]

@@Voitan Sorry, you're mistaken. Still there, just not as obvious. I don't like the new UI for character creation either.

[@daniellee3520]

Imagine he's ranking best race irl

[@aliquidcow]

Still not quite sure what race to pick, but this video did really help me understand how to think about combining different classes and races, so really useful.

[@vindurza]

I hope they eventually add more races like Kobolds or players eventually make a mod for them

[@bemvas2484]

Yes. But they are a little too OP tho. Pack tactics allow for too many crit shots. Pair that with something like paladin and your kobold starts reaching triple digit damage. That's the story of "Destroyer-of-Fortresses", my 2 year campaign dual wielding kobold fighter/paladin. It really felt like this race is a bit unbalanced and I don't know if this would be better for this game.

[@WATERmelonsCREW]

@@bemvas2484the current 5e Kobold doesn’t have pack tactics

[@vindurza]

@@bemvas2484 they can always make that not be an option for playable ones

[@V3x0r]

Yuan-Ti isss what we really wantssss.

[@bemvas2484]

@@WATERmelonsCREW what do you mean? Is this UA thing? Because volo's guide's player kobold has pack tactics

[@daniellarsson4308]

You forget a few things regarding Githyanki. They get mage hand, and they get the jump spell at level 3. And at 5 they gain another spell. The ability to gain prof in all skills from a certain traits..they make one of the best warlock åact of the blade races as they can use medium armor (weapon training don't matter) and warlocks Devil sight make it so dark vision from a race don't matter since warlocks not only have dark vision but can see through the darkness spell.

[@RealistRatRace]

Soo good but I don’t want to be githyanki 😢

[@JM-db8ez]

@@RealistRatRace Then stop min/maxing and just play what you want to play to have fun. All of these guides are for optimization and synergies--but there is no rule that you can't be any class with any race and make it work. Do what's fun. When min/maxing takes you out of your fun zone then stop doing it. This isn't a competition, you're not playing against other people, so what's the point? It's an RPG--go with what you like. The rest is just chatter.

[@V3x0r]

@@RealistRatRace Wear a helmet and you'll never know...unless you get naked with one of your horny party members.

[@Sargassian]

@@JM-db8ez i mean.. min/maxing is kinda important if you play on higher difficulties..

[@PhabloxL]

@@Sargassian Not necessarily, although you COULD take advantage in Character Creation Menu, "Strategy"* is a much more determining factor than just raw power. "Meme" Builds CAN solo Tactician Mode if u know what ur doing. So yeah u can be pretty, funny and strong at the same time. -Really? -YES -Wooow *Yes i said "Strategy" coz u can just BOOM everything with barrels so... thats one way to do it. This game have SO MANY TOOLS dude, its crazy NOTE: Ofc u can turn ur brain off and just play a "Meta" Build with the "BEST" MultiClass/Race/Etc...thats another way to enjoy the game...

[@CeruleanCitizen]

Came here to learn more about the other races as I always just kind of go with my gut in picking races and classes and whatnot, and hoping for the best. Started as a mundane human, played as a tiefling for a bit but decided dragonborn (silver subrace) was for me and is my "canon" play through. I like the idea of being a rare race and for whatever reason roleplaying with my dragonborn and just making up a unique story and personality traits for her was far easier than my other two attempts. Maybe because she is so different from humans that my imagination felt less constricted. Either way 9/10 race imo.

[@daniellarsson4308]

Half orc savage critical stack with barbarians savage critical which means a half orc level 9 barbarian will now deal 4 times the damage instead of double.

[@MarDamas]

They make more good champion fighters, too. Crit machines.

[@daniellarsson4308]

​@MarDamas yes but barbarians have reckless attacks giving them similar crit chance as champion fighter. With adamantite later its better.

[@daniellarsson4308]

@MarDamas as long as people remember savage critical and barbarian 9 extra crit is only 1 weapons die. And does not add extra die on smite or added elemental dmg . Also for great sword it only adds 1 extra d6, but for great axe 1d12, which is why great axes or even 2h longswords or 2h mace, or polearms is better. End if the day when you understand mechanics savage critical is pretty bad. You choose half or for relentkess endurance. Overall the race is bad compared to Zariel tiefling or githyanki if it's mobility and damage you are after. Zariel tiefling gets 2 smite attacks. However they don't work while raging which us why you shoukd respect karlath to paladin😉

[@thedoomslayer5863]

​@@daniellarsson4308the smites are only per long rest and who wants to constantly stop their gameplay to long rest to regain them lol

[@Local_commentor]

​​@@thedoomslayer5863half orc warlock with 20 charisma in so good in act 1 you can get a free greatsword that hits as hard as the sword of the astral plane and the crits from the champion subclass deal so much damage

[@WooBunny]

Githyanki lore bard is pretty nutty. Use your racial on wisdom, your skill picks to every int but arcana on creation. Then Jack of all trades the charisma stuff as well. So fun.

[@monstrosity8855]

"picks to every int but arcana" is htis a typo? What does this mean

[@BonesCapone]

Incredible depth, thank you for this breakdown to properly min/max a character. *Starts as Human Male Fighter*

[@fmar528]

At around 14:15 in the video, you mentioned dragonborne get bonuses to damage of their subclass type at later levels, but this is not true (unless larian changed something) What you Might be confusing is the sorcerer's draconic bloodline, which DOES get bonus damage based on their draconic ancestry. Feel free to correct me if im wrong though

[@TheRaullo]

15:40 "our racist guide"

[@AEGISDEFENSE]

Dwarf Berserker or Dwarf Paladin Oath of Vengence for some sweet Grudgin' for me.

[@bandorando6405]

Longbeard/Hammerer or Slayer Dwarf...? So many build ideas I haven't finished Act 1 lol

[@crazyyobbo]

duergar can also enlarge once per short rest and turn invisible whenever they want, no spell slot, no rest, infinite invisibility

[@TheWoWisok]

The best tip is to pick a race you think. You like the look of and play for 30 mins, pay attention to their face in the dialogue. I am 25 hours I to my dragonborn race character and am starting over because I noticed how often his mouth was open looking like he was challenged, or his chin phasing into his jaw.

[@Xhumed]

I'll be honest: I'm not a min-maxer. I'll pick suboptimal races for whatever class. My current DnD game is using a non-WotC supplement for mixed-race characters, and mine is a half deep gnome and half Tiefling, that's a bard. I didn't mean to be overpowered, but I rolled for my stats, and I got lucky. But I didn't pick stats to be good at combat, I wanted to be good at the non-combat stuff. She's a trainee spy. And it made me a bit OP at Dex and Cha stuff, which made sense still with my character, and was great RP wise. So, play how you want, especially in a game where you don't have a DM or other players to answer to.

[@Baraz_Red]

I did a Forest Gnome Druid, which ended-up a sub-optimal choice for the following reason: Forest Gnomes can Speak With Animals, but that effect is a spell that can be cast as a Ritual (in BG3, you can change your Prepared spells anytime on the fly and Speak With Animals is a non-combat Ritual). So it is a uselss overlap with the Druid spell. I will still roll with it. It is a small detail. - the only benefit is I never need that spell Prepared.

[@brutalbeard9441]

I mean, you just explained why that's not sub optimal X-D That's a very common spell to cast - so effectively your racial feature is allowing your Druid to have one extra spell prepared :-D

[@Baraz_Red]

@@brutalbeard9441 With any race, whenever you need or want to Speak with Animals, you can just select the spell and Ritual cast, so the racial feature is useless on a Druid/Ranger. The only advantage for my Forest Gnome is that it is active/ready at all times (I cast it in the morning and it is Prepared all day). Not really an issue: it is a flavor choice really, though some races give whacky bonuses! (Gith notably)

[@brutalbeard9441]

@@Baraz_Red that's exactly what I'm saying - it's always prepared. So, assuming you would normally always prepare it anyway - it's the equivalent of giving a Druid/Range an extra prepared slot per day. Same way that a Cleric's domain gives them auto-prepared spells - it frees them up to select other things (it's not a "waste" just because they can learn them anyways).

[@Baraz_Red]

@@brutalbeard9441 My point is that another race would just Prepare it on the fly, out of combat, whenever they want to speak with an animal.

[@a.s.5262]

​@@Baraz_RedYeah, that's the point, you have to use an extra spell slot which you wouldn't have to do when you get that ability via the race you picked.

[@Ulfhednir9]

Heads up. They didn't even mention the Duergar aka Grey dwarfed get racially magic abilities as they level up. Enlarged at level 3 and possibly invisible at lvl5

[@paulfinley8812]

An EXCELLENT guide thank you very much!

[@masti733]

Im running a githyanki draconic sorcerer. Got the gloves that give 18 dex. Medium armor, dual short swords, extra hp from subclass. Pretty decent setup for a pure sorcerer build. Twinned haste defo helps offset the lack of martial second attack too. Its a fun build. Can nuke as a pure sorcerer but have some fair melee abilities, especially as i took a feat for superiority die skills.

[@Local_commentor]

U sudda gotten the sword of the astral plane from voss in act 1 and haste your self for basically infinite free action surge

[@artimex723]

Drows have always been my favorite race in DnD. Their story is very complex and interesting . Choosing between following Lolth and the Menzoberranzan culture or defying it and forging your own path has always been an interesting dilema for me. In BG3 I'm currently 40 hours into my first playthrough, which is a Lolth-Sworn Drow Warlock. It's very fun, especially rp-ing as a morallly ambigous character.

[@temijinkahn511]

Deep gnome. superior dark vision, gnome cunning and advantage on stealth checks

[@yalkn2073]

DO NOT PICK FRIENDS cantrip, its a trap. It turns the target you casted at, hostile after it runs out

[@SH1NK1R01]

So you could read the description but couldn’t like….walk away? Friends only causes the target to search in a nearby distance for the caster. After they can’t find them they give up and forget. It’s actually easier to get away with then stealing as the npc will accuse anyone nearby of being the thief but will only accuse the caster of friends when it wears off. It’s arguably the best spell for speech checks because it does the exact same thing as charm person but costs no spell slot.

[@Darkwolfie33]

Just kill them after you get what you want. Then they've fallen into your trap. 😉

[@Neon-zq5of]

I can't wait to try out BG3 for my self, Tiefling bard here i come

[@LordBilliam]

So I see they made the two least aesthetic species mechanically the best to avoid having so many human male fighters, eh? 😋

[@RedMage117]

Lol, exactly. In fact, gnomes also got some pretty solid bonuses as well. Tempted to make my wizard a gnome now

[@tantalus_complex]

Gith are one of the best among all 5e D&D races, as well. BG3 just didn't go far enough to either buff other races to compensate or nerf Gith. To be fair to Larian, their job was to create a 5e game and all the optimizers will quickly become overpowered before long anyway, between all the magic items, Illithid powers, elemental surfaces, weapon dipping, and save scumming.

[@tantalus_complex]

Plus, in a way, _everyone_ has an unkillable flying familiar: the magic 3rd-person camera.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

I feel like dragonborns, for all they are incredibly cool looking, don't really get much. Oh sure, dragon's breath is good but usable once without a short or long rest is only ok and the damage reduction for certain elements isn't great either and is only situationally good

[@MtheRat]

Not a fan of where this leaves the half-elves. 😢

[@LeatherBear45]

Dwarven Rogues and Rangers are really fun tabletop and BG3, highly recommend

[@JoeOklahoma]

My first time playing... Well.. anything like this. And I came here after knowing I want rogue and thinking I dig the dwarf stats. Trying not to cheese or look up just based on what's "good" as I want it to be just part of my own adventure and fun. (random head cannon is he's into loose leaf tea cultivating lol). Still deciding but I'm leaning this way!

[@briankelly1240]

Thank you! This is harder than class because it cannot be respeced!

[@lorsev3840]

Githyanki works really well if you plan to play a warlock pact of the blade character. It's the closest thing we have to hexblade

[@xdean816]

What do you mean

[@napalm777]

@@xdean816 because of their armor and weapon profeciencys, however you could also just take one level of war/tempest cleric on your blade pact warlock and you get heavy armor, shield and martial, guidance, spell slots, profeciencys, and you lose nothing but 1 feat which uh honestly the cleric level more than makes up for. It will also delay your warlock progression one level but it hardly matters, im doing it on tactician and its extremely good. Ontop of the racials of whatever race you decided to be that wasnt gythyanki. Drows superior dark vision and other bonuses would be quite good for a martial character like a bladelock.

[@lorsev3840]

@@napalm777 githyanki have misty step which is one of the best mobility spell and you can take darkvision as a free lock feature if you have problem in dark areas, also not going full lock will make you lose one feat/+2 stat and 1d6 bonus damage on every melee attack.

[@vanity1602]

....but they're sooooo ugly lol

[@Local_commentor]

​​@@lorsev3840half orc is better in my opinion for 1 reason pact of the blade with savage attacks and with 20 charisma the sword you get for free does as much damage as the sword of the astral plane with champion crits

[@midend]

relentless endurace does not grant you invincibility, so if enemy A downs you with an attack and you revive; and enemy B's turn is next, they can possibly target you again to down you. same for multi hit attacks which will down you regardless

[@blame7121]

One thing to mention about Asmodeus Tiefling is that the Hellish Rebuke that they unlock is automatically applied, so you're passively walking around with it, rather than having to cast it on yourself. Also the Produce Flame is a pretty nice cantrip, actually. You can cast it out if combat and it will remain active until a long rest, so while you have dark vision and probably don't need it, if you're in melee range it can very well benefit your ranged allies that do lack sight in dark, since you're essential a walking light source.

[@billwumsen4108]

that Hellish Rebuke is only once per long rest though isnt it? you make it sound like a permanent thing, which would be asome though!

[@Nezxmi]

Hellish Rebuke is always passively active, it’s a reaction.

[@billwumsen4108]

@@Nezxmi wow so even if its gotten activeted after getting attacked? Thats a frontrow or tanking thing thats feels unmatched! Das thing Karlach doesnt have it. :(

[@fkbf161]

Hey Guys, im new to BG3, can someone explain in short what a short/long rest even is in this game? Thx in advance!

[@Nezxmi]

@@fkbf161 For every long rest, you get two short rests. A short rest partially restores your hp, restores certain item abilities or weapon skills, and sometimes spell slots like for Warlocks. You can short rest in most non-hostile places. A long rest is when you return to camp, spend camp supplies, and go to bed. Long rests restore spell slots for everyone from clerics to wizards to rangers, Rage for Barbarians, superiority dice for fighters, etc, and fully restore your HP. They cost 40 camp supplies (food you find in the world) on balanced difficulty(normal) and 80 camp supplies on tactician difficulty(hard).

[@Keovar]

*Halberd* B-E-R-D sounds like “bird”, not “bread”. Duergar are grey dwarves. Draugr are Norse undead.

[@tengri_tunga]

Nevermind this. I shall give the corret answers now: As of 2023, Barbarian: Balkanese, Turkish, Scottish, Irish, Central Asian Fighter: White North American Monk: Indo-Chinese, Tibetian, African American Rogue: East European, Armenian, Georgian Ranger: Finnish, Baltics, Oceanian Bard: Iberian, Italian, Arabic, Jew Warlock: Indigenous Arctics Druid: Scandinavian, Siberian Sorcerer: German, Dutch Wizard: Swiss Paladin: English Cleric: French

[@Vhite]

I love dwarf casters. Getting light armor, medium armor and bunch of martial weapon proficiencies on classes that don't get any of that is worth like three feats for free (though arguably not the best ones).

[@tokugava77]

so basicaly in video no info that mentioned in title. Where the list race\class? I didn't understand what class best for half elves or humans for example. You just read race bonuses

[@roaringthunder8069]

There aren't really best classes for any race. They can all work well with any class. Though paladin high elf/high half elf is really good because you can take a cantrip when paladins typically can't without taking a feat.

[@RinSyuveil]

Any class is best with any race their is no optimizing just pick a race or racial ability you like then grab a random class you like and level it up how you think sounds fun

[@TheCynicalJay]

​@@RinSyuveilThis is actually true. D&D and especially BG3 is designed around you "making it up as you go". The only thing you need to do is try to have fun, in whatever way you find best. Good luck

[@jamesc7894]

The key, like most videos, is to listen. Carefully. If you prefer a more spoon fed approach, Do a google search.

[@thaipankatima658]

Crap! Totally forgot this was releasing today. Just started to redownload it. I'm actually surprised that Dwarves can only see 12m in darkness. I figure a race tracing its ancestry deep in the mountains would develop cat-eyes. Will definitely go human first, for story purposes. Then I'll switch to dragonborn after i get used to the mechanics again.

[@Sheamu5]

I went dragonborn because they look awesome, and an aoe attack is nice to have

[@XzaroX]

9:18 You completely missed the part about how Elves get perception proficiency and half elves do not, making them inferior on any martial class. There is literally no benefit, only a drawback for going with a martial class half elf instead of an elf.

[@brendanmuller7301]

Nice guide each race seems wonderful to play such a diverse potential for role play and customization >picks blond hair blue eyed male human fighter

[@lillyrosi7513]

This was very helpfull. Thank you!

[@jackal242]

"Speak with Animals" is a requirement for this game because soooo many story lines require you Speak with Animals to open up the quests. So you "Speak with Animals" is a requirement for this game. The Forest Gnome get "Speak with Animals" FOR FREE and it's a ritual spell, so when cast outside of combat it's a free cast. AND it last until your Long Rest (all day). So clearly Forest Gnome is the best race in this game. Because it opens up the ability to take any class you want _AND_ you still get "Speak with Animals."

[@cattysplat]

But then you'd be a gnome.

[@SH1NK1R01]

That’s a bias based on personal experience and not grounded in anything concrete. Speak with animals is not required. This same logic would dictate that sleight of hand is required because so many quests are locked behind keyless doors or traps. If you could t finish a quest because you couldn’t speak to a cow it just means you didn’t find another way not that it doesn’t exist.

[@Khagrim]

Larian sure like their speak with animals stuff and shove it into every game

[@FelipeArthurferpa]

Could you do a class tier list video, please? 🙏

[@BlackBirdOni]

Elves don't have beards, thats a huge issue 😂

[@purplemayonnaise3467]

I went Githyanki hoping for some epic silver swords and being able to ride red dragons

[@wimbeltonhank1946]

I always instant dwarf or goblin race in these game cuz they're short and I love shortie

[@carinsurance9070]

I choose you, human fighter!

[@RansomMemoryAccess]

TLDR: Githyanki best for every class. Alternative Deep Gnomes for ranged playstyles.

[@danzansandeev6033]

I feel like they really wanted people to play gith. It’s mostly unpopular race in tabletop dnd I would say

[@Spotastic9]

​@danzansandeev6033 I could see it being especially boosted for the story they're trying to tell in BG3. I don't know if githyanki in tabletop are also that strong, though.

[@danzansandeev6033]

@@Spotastic9 they aren’t. This ability they get in BG3, the one that gives proficiency in one ability score till long rest, doesn’t exist. They just get one language and one skill or tool proficiency that’s it. Pretty standard stuff. But in game you can pick for example perception, insight, arcana and investigation as your skills, and just spam charisma proficiency after every long rest in order to excel in dialogue

[@Rabid_Imp]

Many of the races gain abilities as they level; you did cover the tiefling, but no others.

[@JARedwolf100]

I always pick the beastmen race in these types of games because I’m so jaded with elves, humans, dwarves, orcs and other humanoid creatures. Especially the popular Kemonomimi hybrids between human and beast but just ears and tail. Added - If there was an undead race I would always choose that one! Pity Necopoloids aren’t popular except as enemies.

[@thedoomslayer5863]

Divinity original sin 2 did undead so well

[@JARedwolf100]

@@thedoomslayer5863 Now that sounds very interesting! I’ll have to check it out!

[@KinMusicUK]

I don't think dragonborn get a way to increase damage to their type. That's a draconic sorcerer feature

[@Artanis69]

Removing racial attribute bonuses (and penalties, in fact) was a big mistake in my opinion balancewise...

[@DieDieNacho]

It allows for more choice during character creation. You still get your +2 and +1, but you get to choose where to put those.

[@Artanis69]

@@DieDieNacho let the player choose racial features too then. I want to be a human with dark vision.

[@DieDieNacho]

@Artanis69 Ath that point its no longer a racial trait, it's just a trait 🤷

[@Artanis69]

@@DieDieNacho yes, that's what I meant. Make all races the same and let them just be a "skin".

[@DieDieNacho]

@@Artanis69 You could still be a human and gain darkvision, but you would need to loon at specific class abilities and spells 🤫

[@xyzen9673]

I play a tiefling rogue... I like tieflings and i like rogues... Sue me.

[@wolfVFV]

a guide i would be very interest in would be how to lvl your companion 2 versions: a if staying same class, what spells what subclass and what feats/ASI (especially feats) would be recommended and for more experienced people what multiclass options may work pretty well

[@MidnightHozz]

Wood Elves for Darkvision, Perception proficiency and especially extra movement speed are my choice for more builds than any other race.

[@KnicKnac]

Either Tiefling or Gnome are going to be my choices. Gnome is my overall favorite in D&D.

[@tinysmardy]

what class?

[@maxanderson3733]

Kind of wish you gave a bit more info on what would go great with half orcs but overall great video

[@cattysplat]

Playerbase: I pick human. Larion: And I took that personally.

[@colin8696908]

strictly on stats I would say the githyanki are the best, the extra jump length and the misty step ability are very useful for getting around especially if your character is leading, additionally you can use their proficiency boost for lockping, probably the best race to use if your going bard as long as you can deal with being a lizard.

[@Jaboll252]

Humans got so incredibly shafted. Just compare them to elves - they also have additional weapon profs, also have additional skill (perception) but then elves have Fey Ancestry, Darkvision and a subrace feature. You literally get the same things with marginal difference, but also much more as an elf. There's no reason to choose a human (or half-elf too) over an elf, except some very niche situations. Like, how useful carry weight even is? When you want to go solo but still want to hoard things, I guess? Also wizard in light armor? Pretty lame, just cast mage armor and retain your cool wizard robe.

[@skeel77730]

Stop min maxing like a nerd

[@Jaboll252]

@@skeel77730 Dude, this whole change was made so that people can min/max their favorite race. Or else why would you care if your gnome can't have +2 to charisma? Just stop min/maxing you nerd, and accept your 15 charisma gnome warlock.

[@varangianwolf8797]

Yes elves better mechanically, but can't have beards, nuff said. 😂

[@ObsidianKnight90]

Humans should have gotten a skill and a feat like Variant Human in the tabletop. I'm very much hoping that this is what Larian decides to give them in an upcoming patch.

[@Jaboll252]

@@varangianwolf8797 Then go with half-elf, my guy. With these mechanics, half-elves are just elves without perception (but you can have a beard).

[@TheAseraphim]

not sure if it was mentioned below, but wood elves and wood half elves get stealth skill proficiency , i was able to have my wood elf bard start with 7 skills at creation instead of six. Not listed as a feature like it was in early access, but you will see it on your list of skill proficiencies. :}

[@thecognitiverambler8911]

As a fighter, I was annoyed that I either had to be green, or waste features. I chose to waste features lol. I generally like playing humans in rp games, but the humans are so cartoonishly undertuned here, I just couldn't justify it.

[@stevenwoodward5923]

@stevenwoodward5923 0 seconds ago For me its not for the cartoonish undertones, I still wouldn't play human or dragonborn. Darkvision is to good to pass up, yes you can carry a torch of somekind of a magic light souce, but that takes up resource's that you may need.

[@thecognitiverambler8911]

@@stevenwoodward5923 If a free feat hung in the balance (like D&D proper) I'd give up that darkvision faster that you could say "who cares, light is a spammable cantrip." ;) But alas, I'm a half-elf.

[@xYoungDeezYx]

I love this game but they really shouldn't have removed the racial stat bonuses - it made the choice of race almost meaningless and is not true to D&D at all.

[@marquisepixley684]

I disagree with you

[@jackvancekirkland]

woke machine go brrrrrr

[@masaheimoi]

One buff for gith is that a lot of gith gear works beater for them compared to other races.

[@howmanynamesaretaken]

Githyanki could have an ability called "win the game" I still ain't picking them

[@telfordexotics167]

100% based

[@ThirteenthThunder]

Proficiency is the least to put into account because classes offer more in that section. What classes don't offer at all is movement speed, so it's fair to give more credit to quicker (read: taller) races. Racial traits/passive skills are also important because we don't take any identical trait from classes (except Gloom Stalker which offers Superior Darkvision, so this particular sub class is the worst for Duergar, Deep Gnome and Drow). Half Orc is easily the best for frontliner, either tank, melee damage dealer or frontline support. As for non-melee classes, the best choice is very much various. I think the worst race is Dragonborn because they offer the least. They don't receive Dragonic Resilience like Sorcerer's Draconic Bloodline subclass. I think this race needs justice by receiving that particular trait. Just like shorter races have very food passives in exchange of their slower movement.

[@Lilitha11]

I made a githyanki rogue, that is a skill monkey/face. I use their racial to cover all the wisdom skills, while I got training in other stuff.

[@N-Double-D]

Awesome video. Amazingly paced. Very informative.

[@oxylepy2]

Half Wood Elf because it's stupid broken to give shield and light armor proficiency, bonus speed, AND Darkvision. The fact they threw light and shield on humans just straight up makes it amazing to play arcane casters

[@DenisTRUFFAUT]

So: Caster: Duergar, Assassin: Deep Gnome, Champion: Half-Orc, Others: Githyanki

[@ChrisfromDevelopment]

Of my 10 characters, I have 3 Half-Elves. They have nice bonuses and fulfil the RP itch for me. Happy Exploring.