The Giant subclass for Barbarians in Baldur's Gate 3 lets players tower over almost everything in sight while empowering Thrown weapons one way or another. This subclass is perfect for those who just want to chuck things at people, whether it's bladese, objects, or other people.
The following guide covers some general knowledge about how to build a Giant Barbarian, as well as some recommendations for early and late-game gear options. Its playstyle isn't totally different from a Berserker Barbarian, but once a Giant unlocks all of their abilities, they become extremely scary to fight against.
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BG3 Giant Barbarian Build - Character Creation
You won't get access to the Giant subclass until you reach level 3, but it's good to prepare your character before you even begin the game. The following are our recommendations on what makes a good foundation for a Giant Barbarian in BG3.
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Giant Barbarian Character Creation Preferences |
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|---|---|
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Race |
Half-Orc or Dwarf |
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Background |
Soldier |
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Preferred Stats |
Strength Dexterity or Wisdom |
Race
Half-Orcs and Dwarves are arguably the best races for Barbarians (and melee fighters in general) thanks to their racial traits. Half-Orcs have Relentless Endurance, which will prevent them from falling after reaching 0 HP once every Long Rest. Meanwhile, Dwarves have Dwarven Toughness, which further increases their max HP every time they level up.
You can't go wrong with any race when building a character, but if you want to be able to shrug off hits and death itself, then these two are your best bets.
Background
Soldier is the preferred background for Giant Barbarians mainly due to the Proficiency bonuses it provides for Athletics and Intimidation checks. Giant Barbarians rely a lot on Athletics to hit their skills, and since they'll be naturally intimidating, getting the Intimidation bonus is a no-brainer.
Outlander is also a decent alternative. Apart from the Athletics bonus it provides, it also improves your Wisdom (Survival) Ability Checks. The latter could come in handy, especially if you're not planning on intimidating people much.
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Stats
Strength is a given for Barbarians. The real concern here is the secondary stat. We recommend either Dexterity or Wisdom for the following reasons:
- Dexterity will improve your Armor Class, which is very useful for Barbarians who wear either light or no armor at all.
- Wisdom will improve your Wisdom Saving Throws. Many enemies in the late-game use Wisdom-based attacks and spells. Boosting your Wisdom will protect you from them.
Whether your level up Dexterity or Wisdom is up to you. There will always be other ways to improve these stats later on as you level up and collect gear.
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Feats
Upon reaching levels 4, 8, and 12, you'll gain Feat points, which you can use to unlock some powerful passive effects. For Giant Barbarian, we recommend choosing any of the following:
- Tavern Brawler: Increase either Strength or Constitution by 1, to a max of 20. When you throw something, add your Strength modifier twice to both Attack and Damage rolls.
- Alert: You can't be surprised, and you gain a +5 Initiative bonus.
- Ability Improvement: Add 1 to any stat you choose.
- Sentinel: Defensive feat that buffs Opportunity Attacks.
Multiclass Options
There are tons of good multiclass builds for Baldur's Gate 3, and as far as GIant Barbarian is concerned, your best choice is going to be Fighter. Action Surge is too good of a skill to pass up since it lets you attack more times, and by picking Fighter, you get to use the Great Weapon Fighting Style, which will let you reroll attacks with two-handed weapons if it rolls a 1 or 2.
Best Equipment for Giant Barbarians in BG3
The Giant Barbarian subclass is all about throwing things, and that includes weapons, items, furniture, and even your enemies themselves. With that in mind, you'll want to get the best throwing weapons in BG3 early on, and once you reach Act 3 and get all of your important skills, you can move on to using legendary weapons.
Important Early Game Gear
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Weapon |
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Armor |
|
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Trinkets |
Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo
Ring of FlingingThese three are your bread-and-butter items. 
Returning Pike is great since, as its name suggests, it returns when thrown. Use this until you get Elemental Cleaver at Level 6 — this ability imbues your weapon with an element of your choice while also giving them the Thrown property, making any weapon return to your hand after being thrown.
Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo and Ring of Flinging both improve the damage you deal with thrown weapons. You can get the former by saving Baelen in the Underdark, while the latter can be bought from Arron in Emerald Grove.
Late Game Gear
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Weapon |
|
|
Armor |
Mask of Soul Perception |
|
Trinkets |
|
Balduran's Giantslayer
Bonespike Garb
Bonespike Boots
Bracers of Defence
Ring of Protection
Amulet of the Harpers
Amulet of Greater Health
Fey Semblance AmuletBalduran's Giantslayer is an amazing two-handed weapon. With Giant Barbarian, you can throw this thing and have it return to you afterward thanks to Elemental Cleaver. Plus, Giant Form stacks with Giant's Rage stacking the effects of both while also making you extra large.
For the rest of our gear, we'll be focusing on defense. Parts of the Bonespike Garb and Boots contradict the previous sentence, but since they count as Clothing, players will get all the bonuses related to effects that require you to not have armor on (such as Bracers of Defence's AC bonus).
As for accessories, Giant Barbarian has a ton of options thanks to Elemental Cleaver. Basically, since you'll be able to deal elemental damage with your attacks, rings like Snowburst Ring and Ring of Spiteful Thunder gain more value. Use what you prefer.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- August 3, 2023
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- December 7, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- September 6, 2023
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
