Baldur’s Gate 3 Wildheart Barbarian Build Guide
Jan. 7, 2023Baldur’s Gate 3 Wildheart Barbarian Build Guide
Baldur’s Gate 3 Wildheart Barbarian Build Guide– In thisBaldur’s Gate 3 Wildheart Barbarian Build Guide, I’m going to cover myBarbarian Build, and show you what I’ve found to work best. I’ll be doing moreBuild GuidesforBaldur’s Gate 3, but for now, let’s look at how you can use aWildheart Barbarianeffectively.
Be sure to check out our other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds including:Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer,Berserker Barbarian,College of Lore Bard,College of Valour Bard,Oath of Devotion Paladin,Oath of the Ancients Paladin,Oathbreaker Paladin!
The Wildheart Barbarian is a ferocious and straightforward BarbarianSubclassthat focuses on dealing Melee Damage above all else. Unlike theBerserker, they don’t gain access toBonus Actionssuch asFrenzied StrikeandEnraged Throw. It means that their damage isn’t as high and they don’t engage inThrowoften so they can save theirActionfor impactful attacks. Instead, these Barbarians call forth the aid of a spirit animal to grant additional abilities whileRaging.
Wildheart Barbarians are extremely effective at point-blank range because of theirMartial Weapon Proficiency. Although they can’t wearHeavy Armor,they continue to be resilient on the battlefield thanks to their highConstitutionandAC.
In this section, we’ll take a look at how to set up your Barbarian duringCharacter Creationfor the best results.
ForBackground, choosing one that provides you with theAthleticsStrengthSkillshould be acceptable, especially since Constitution doesn’t have Skills related to it anyway. You can then choose a Background that boostsDexterityandWisdom SkillslikeFolk Hero,Outlander, andUrchinto improveSleight of HandandSurvival.
The firstRacethat works well for this Build is theGold Dwarf. Gold Dwarves haveDwarven Resilience, Darkvision, andDwarven Toughness. Dwarven Resilience makes it so that they gainSaving ThrowAdvantageagainst Poison and have resistance to Poison Damage so they’ll only receive half the damage. And then they have Darkvision to help them see and attack more accurately in the dark together with Dwarven Toughness that raises their Max HP by 1 every time they level up.
An alternative to this Race is theWood Half-Elf. On top of Darkvision, you gainFleet of Foot, enhancing your Movement Speed, thereby allowing you to cover more ground as a Barbarian. You also haveMask of the Wild, letting you gainProficiencyinStealth.
Regardless of the Race you choose, you won’t have issues with Weapon Proficiencies since the Barbarian has access to each and every one of them.
Skills aren’t super important but given that you’ll have decent Dexterity and average Wisdom relative toCharismaandIntelligence, it’s better to select those that fall under both Abilities. As such, you can also go withStealth,Animal Handling, andPerception.
Your primary Ability as a Barbarian is Strength to successfully hit targets and to effectively damage them using Melee and Thrown Weapons especially whenRageis active. It also affects your jump distance in addition to your carry weight capacity. For this reason, you’ll want at least 16 in this Ability during Character Creation and likely 18 later on.
Next, you should focus on Constitution for improved survivability. Although you’ll have 17 Strength and 17 Constitution to start with, by the time you reach Level 4, you’ll be able to allocate 1 point each to eitherAbilitythanks to theAbility Improvement Feat. Doing so will yield a high combination at 18 points for Strength and Constitution.
Similar to the Berserker, it’s also worth noting that the Wildheart Barbarian won’t be making use of the Barbarian’sUnarmoured Defense. Instead, you’ll benefit more from equippingMedium Armor, which accounts for a maximum of +2 Dexterity Modifier for yourAC. You can then add points into Dexterity to enhance your AC followed by Wisdom but the latter won’t matter much since it won’t influence your damage. However, it’s worth considering that Wisdom will affect the outcome of corresponding Skill Checks. Your Ability Spread should look something like this:
Barbarians are known for their Bonus Action, which is Rage that they immediately have access to at Level 1. What this does inCombatis it allows you to deal +2 extra damage with theWeaponsyou’re wielding, may it be melee or the objects you’ll throw at enemies.
You also gain anAdvantageon Strength Checks andSaving Throws, letting you easily traverse areas with climbing or jumping. Remember that it’s crucial to attack a target or be attacked in return in succeeding rounds after you enter Rage, otherwise, this feature will end earlier than 10 turns. To recharge it, you only need to take aLong Rest.
At Level 2, your Barbarian gainsReckless Attack, giving you an Advantage on yourAttack Rollwhile dealing massive Slashing Damage if you’re wielding theEverburn Blade. The caveat is enemies also gain the same Advantage against you. This shouldn’t be a problem given your high HP and improved AC thanks to your Medium Armor. You’ll be able to survive physical hits since Rage grants resistance to Slashing, Bludgeoning, and Piercing Damage so you only take half the damage.
Note, however, that Reckless Attack is only applicable to melee attacks, which means you can’t use this if you plan on throwing a creature or an object at your target.
Additionally, you gain a passive known asDanger Sense. What this does is make you more attuned to your surroundings. So you’ll likely improve the chances of avoiding damage from traps, surfaces, and evenSpellssince you gain an Advantage onDexterity Saving Throws. Remember that it’s only applicable if you’re not incapacitated or blinded.
At Level 3, you’ll be selecting the Wildheart Barbarian, which is significantly different from the Berserker. You gain access to severalBestial Hearts, each providing you with various combat abilities while Rage is active. Out of the 5, the ones that I find useful, especially for the Shield Dwarf whose Movement Speed is limited, areEagle HeartandElk Heart. To maximize Reckless Attack, you’ll need to always be next to your target, and both of these provide good opportunities to do so.
Conversely, Elk Heart boosts Movement Speed and lets you usePrimal Stampedein the same turn. Primal Stampede allows you to charge in a straight line, possibly knocking multiple enemies Prone. As a result, everyone in the party gains an Advantage on their Attack Rolls as long as they hit them up close and personal.
Furthermore, because of the Wildheart Barbarian’s affinity with nature, they’re able to castSpeak with Animalsto gain insight into the minds of creatures wandering around.
At Level 4, you can choose aFeat, and here you’ll be taking Ability Improvement to place 1 point into Strength and Constitution, amounting to 18 each if you’ve chosen the Shield Dwarf Race. Doing so will not only boost your Attack and Damage Rolls due to the +4 Strength Modifier but also bring your max HP by up to 45, which is huge!
At Level 5, you gain the much-anticipatedExtra Attack, which lets you make another attack using your Melee Weapon. In a single turn, you’re able to perform 2 Reckless Attacks to increase the chances of slaying your target outright. Just avoid being surrounded by several enemies beforehand since they also gain Attack Roll Advantage against you. It’s also worth noting that Extra Attack doesn’t apply to most of your Bestial Heart Abilities. For instance, if you were to use Primal Stampede, you’ll need to wait for your next turn to activate Reckless Attack.
Additionally, your Movement Speed increases by 5 withFast Movementas long as you’re not wearing Heavy Armor so gone are the days of helplessly chasing after your enemies!
At Level 6, the Wildheart Barbarian gains access to the Aspect of the Beast, letting you stick with the Primal Beast you’ve chosen previously or pick a new one to make use of its corresponding magical effect. For the Bear Heart, your carrying capacity is essentially doubled and you have an Advantage on Strength Checks so lifting a boulder to check for some glinting treasure will always be available!
Next is the Eagle Heart, which makes it so that your eyesight is significantly improved, allowing you to see things clearly 1 mile away from you. What’s more, is that the lack of light won’t impose a Disadvantage on your Perception Check, making it easier to discern the objects you need to keep a lookout for.
And lastly, the Wolf Heart helps you move Stealthily to take enemies by surprise. You can use this to your advantage in combination with Enraged Throw.
At Level 7, the Barbarian learns Feral Instinct, which gives them an Advantage on every Initiative roll they make. As such, they’ll have a higher chance of attacking first in combat. Not only this but if you and your party get ambushed, and therefore, Surprised, as long as you enter Rage right away, you’ll be able to perform an Action normally on the first turn rather than skipping it entirely.
At Level 8, you can choose another Feat and here I recommend taking theGreat Weapon Master. To improve your chances of hitting targets despite the -5 Attack Roll penalty that you get from this, you’ll want to at least include an ally who can cast Bless on top of the Advantage you have from Reckless Attack. Once dealt with, your overall Melee Damage will always include a +10 boost, which is huge!
At Level 9, the Barbarian gains access to the Brutal Critical Feat. This makes it so that every time you land a Critical Hit on a Melee Attack, you’ll be given the option to make an additional Weapon Damage Roll, which will then serve as the extra damage you deal. This is huge because of the chance to further increase your damage if you’re lucky and happen to roll well.
At Level 10, the Wildheart Barbarian can now cast the Commune with Nature Spell, which makes it so that they’ll be able to summon the actual beast of the corresponding Bestial Heart they’ve chosen in order to gather the information they seek. This is a rather interesting Spell since it’ll help you prepare and plan for combat encounters better.
At Level 11, you gain Relentless Rage, which makes it so that should your HP drop to 0, you’ll need to make a Constitution Saving Throw in order to remain alive. Succeeding here will give you 1 HP instead of facing death. Just remember that Rage has to be active to make use of this benefit.
And lastly, at Level 12, I recommend fully investing in Strength to hit 20, improving the outcome of both your Attack and Damage Rolls.
When it comes to the Wildheart Barbarian’sEquipment, I prefer wieldingTwo-Handed Weaponslike the Everburn Blade, which you get by killingCommander Zhalkof theNautiloid, because of their massive damage. In addition to Slashing Damage, the blade inflicts Fire Damage and can set the surrounding on fire when combined with barrels of oil orGrease. Remember that you’re not limited to Reckless Attack since you have several Weapon Actions likeCleaveandLacerateto attack multiple targets and to inflictBleed, respectively.
In terms ofArmor, you’ll be sticking with Medium Armor in Early Access so eitherLae’Zel’sGithyanki Half PlateorScale Mail +1should give you 17 AC. If you go for a One-Handed Weapon andShieldsetup, you’ll further boost your AC to 19. This is going to be better than not equipping Armor at all because Unarmoured Defense only grants a total of 16 AC.
ForAccessories, you’ll want to equip theHaste Helm,Reason’s Grasp, andSilver Pendant. Haste Helm from theBlighted Villageis especially useful for a Shield Dwarf to improve Movement Speed at the start of combat while gaining a +1 Dexterity Saving Throw bonus. Reason’s Grasp fromThe Risen Roadgives you the option to gain temporary HP if you choose to end Rage early or after every combat encounter. You can then wear the Silver Pendant to make use of theGuidance Cantripfor Ability Checks.
At Levels 4 & 5, you can change Bestial Hearts to try out the other spirit animal abilities.Wolf Heartis good if you intend to partially take on a support role, especially if your party is mostly comprised of Martial Classes and none of you haveBless. It inflicts Rage: Wolf Heart’s Prey on the target. This status effect causes your party to gain an Advantage on Melee Attack Rolls against the same enemy. Just take note that the Wildheart Barbarian needs to be nearby for it to take effect. Plus, they gain extra Movement Speed withInciting Howl.
Alternatively, if you’re no longer having issues with Movement Speed, I suggest takingTiger Heart. Aside from raising yourJumpdistance, you gain access toTiger’s Bloodlust, which can be used twice thanks to Extra Attack. Not only do you inflict Bleed on at most 3 enemies, but you’re also able to deal massive damage, especially if you’ve chosen the Great Weapon Master Feat at Level 8.
Lastly, if you’re unable to acquire the Everburn Blade, you can go for theSword of JusticeTwo-Handed WeaponfromAndersbut it’s not because ofTyr’s Protection. Tyr’s Protection requires Concentration. This can’t be maintained after activating Rage, which is always the case with the Wildheart Barbarian Build. But like the Everburn Blade, Sword of Justice also has Cleave and Lacerate.
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Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
