Best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3, ranked (BG3)

Once you reach level three as a Barbarian, you have a tough choice: which subclass should you pick? Here is your guide on the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Unlike other Baldur’s Gate 3 classes that get their subclass right away or at level two, Barbarians unlock their subclass at level three. Here’s which subclasses you should go for.

What are the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Barbarians are high-damage dealers and takers in Baldur’s Gate 3, and their three subclasses slightly change how they go about being a better Barbarian. Here’s a brief description of each Barbarian subclass and what they immediately unlock, and I ranked the best Barbarian subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 from best to worst.

1. Wildheart – Wildheart Barbarians are attuned to nature; these Barbarians are more Druid-like. You immediately unlock Speak with Animals which is a great spell to have, especially if you want to solve the strange ox puzzle.
2. Berserker – Berserk is the typical Barbarian subclass that makes you rage even harder. Rage is replaced with Frenzy, which gives you all the benefits of Rage but you also get Frenzied Strike and Frenzied Throw.
3. Wild Magic – Wild Magic is a Barbarian subclass that unleashes your inner magic. Don’t worry, you won’t turn into a full-blown Wizard with Wild Magic — you do get Rage: Wild Magic, which unleashes a random spell when you go into Rage mode, and Magic Awareness, which is a bonus action you can use to have you and allies within 10 feet of you gain proficiency against spell Saving Throws.

This might be controversial, but I think Wildheart is the best Barbarian subclass because of all the amazing actions you get access to. Berserk is the most obvious Barbarian subclass that makes you stronger through actions that make you rage harder. I personally think Wild Magic is easily the most interesting Barbarian subclass because the randomness of Rage: Wild Magic is a lot of fun, but it’s definitely not the best Barbarian subclass.

Wildheart

The Wildheart Barbarian is the best Barbarian subclass because you start out with Speak with Animals which is cool, but you gain access to a Bestial Heart and Animal Aspects. You can choose between five Bestial Hearts: Bear, Eagle, Elk, Tiger, and Wolf. They all give you a bonus when you enter Rage, come with an extra unique action, and you can only pick one, but you can change it when you level up.

1. Bear Heart – Gain bonus damage resistance to everything except psychic damage. Gain Unrelenting Ferocity which is an action that heals you for three to 10 HP.
2. Wolf Heart – Allies have an advantage on Attack Rolls against enemies within 2m of you. Gain Inciting Howl which lets all allies within 9m to move an extra 3m during their next turn.
3. Eagle Heart – Use Dash as a bonus action and give enemies a disadvantage on Opportunity Attacks. Gain Diving Strike which allows you to leap onto a foe without taking falling damage and knock them prone.
4. Elk Heart – Increase your movement speed by 4.5m. Gain Primal Stampede which allows you to charge forward and knock enemies out of your way. Deals three to six damage and can knock enemies prone.
5. Tiger Heart – Increase your jump distance by 4.5m. Gain Tiger’s Bloodlust which allows you to lash out at up to three enemies and apply Bleed.

The Bestial Hearts are really interesting and powerful. If I had to rank them, I would say Bear Heart is the best, then Wolf Heart, then Eagle Heart, then Elk Heart, then Tiger Heart. You also get an Animal Aspect at level six. There are 10 Animal Aspects to choose from and each one gives you some kind of permanent buff. You gain another Animal Aspect at level 10 which means you get two in total.

1. Bear Animal Aspect – Gain advantage on Strength checks and your carrying capacity is doubled.
2. Tiger Animal Aspect – Gain additional Strength modifier to Attack Rolls against Bleeding or Poisoned targets and gain proficiency in Survival.
3. Crocodile Animal Aspect – Your movement speed in water is increased by 3m. You gain an advantage on Saving Throws on slippery surfaces.
4. Honey Badger Animal Aspect – If you are Poisoned, Charmed, or Frightened, you have a 50% chance to start your turn with Rage without using a Rage Charge.
5. Wolverine Animal Aspect – When you attack a Bleeding or Poisoned target, you also Maim it for one turn.
6. Stallion Animal Aspect – Dashing grants you temporary HP equal to twice your level, but you can only gain temporary HP from this source.
7. Chimpanzee Animal Aspect – Gain resistance to falling damage and throwing camp supplies Blinds enemies.
8. Elk Animal Aspect – Give yourself and all nearby allies increased movement.
9. Eagle Animal Aspect – You can see up to 12m in the dark and gain advantage on Perception checks.
10. Wolf Animal Aspect – Gain proficiency in Stealth.

In general, I think playing a Barbarian can be a bit stale, but the Barbarian Wildheart subclass makes the build much more fun. There are a lot of build options with the Wildheart subclass, not to mention the multiclass potential, and all of them are fantastic options.

Related: Best Baldur’s Gate 3 feats, ranked (BG3)

Berserk

The Barbarian Berserk subclass changes your Rage to Frenzy which makes you more resistant to damage and you’ll deal even more damage. You’ll also get Frenzied Strike and Frenzied Throw which allow you to use the environment to fight which can be a lot of fun.

At level six, you get Mindless Rage which allows you to not get Charmed or Frightened and the Calm Emotions spell doesn’t stop your rage. At level 10, you get Intimidating Presence that instills Fear into a target. With every level up as a Barbarian Berserk, you gain even more HP and ways to dish out high damage.

It could be said that the Berserk subclass is the best Barbarian subclass for their role of being a tank and big damage dealer. However, I think Wildheart has more potential for fun which is important in an RPG like BG3. If you want to stay in the lane of going crazy and dealing and taking tons of damage, Berserk is the way to go.

Wild Magic

Sorcerers have a Wild Magic subclass, but so do Barbarians, and the Barbarian Wild Magic build is really fun. If you want a chaotic Barbarian build that adds an element of surprise and chance to your playthrough, then go with Wild Magic.

With Wild Magic, every time you Rage, you cast a random spell which could be good or bad. At levels six and nine, you gain Bolstering Magic: Boon spell slots that allow you to grant yourself or your ally an additional 1d4 to their Attack Rolls and ability checks. At level 10, you get Unstable Backlash which triggers another Wild Magic effect when you take damage or fail a saving throw.

Wild Magic is definitely not the best Barbarian subclass, but I think it is the most fun. I know it’s not like Barbarians to be stealthy, but if you want to have a lot of fun in Baldur’s Gate 3, you need to learn how to stealth your entire party easily.