Best Karlach Build In Baldur's Gate 3

Summary

Karlach can be recruited in Act 1 and is a strong Barbarian character with an intriguing backstory.
Players can enhance Karlach's abilities by choosing the best Barbarian subclass and picking useful feats.
Multiclassing Karlach as a Barbarian-Fighter-Rogue can create a versatile and powerful build for combat situations.

Baldur's Gate 3 was one of the biggest games of 2023, with its popularity still maintaining a solid player base, and it wasn't just the gameplay and graphics that got it so much love. The characters were also incredibly memorable, with one of the most popular being Karlach, the Barbarian demon-slayer with a heart of gold.

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Karlach has her own storyline and related quests to follow should the protagonist decide to pursue them, and she's also an Origin character, so the player can also experience her plot as the game's main protagonist. There are a variety of different builds that players can use to make Karlach even better, which is not easy because she already starts out as one of the game's best characters.

Updated by Rei Penber on December 16, 2024: Karlach is a beloved character from Baldur’s Gate 3, and definitely one of the best companions the players can make use of in fights, thanks to her amazing strength and abilities. She’s recruited a bit later in Act 1 compared to other companions, but despite that, she’s an amazing one. Being a Barbarian as a default, here’s how to best make use of her abilities, and how the player can potentially Multiclass her.

Who Is Karlach?

Tiefling, Barbarian, And Devil's Advocate

Meet her in Act I either by chance in the wilderness or through Wyll's Companion quest

Karlach is one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s origin characters, meaning the player has the option to play as her if desired. However, the player can also simply recruit her during the playthrough of the game. She can be found during Act 1 of the game. To find her, the player must head to the Risen Road, which is located after the Broken Bridge in the Blighted Village.

She’ll specifically be found in the forest at the end of the road. To recruit her, if the player has Wyll, they will have to talk him out of attacking her, as he believes she’s a devil serving Zariel, one of the rulers of the Nine Hells.

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Default Karlach

Created As A Companion Or Origin Character

Karlach is a Barbarian who has yet to choose her subclass when she first meets Tav

“Karlach has escaped ten years of services in the Hells with nothing but the axe on her back - and the infernal blazing furiously where her heart used to be.”

Karlach is part of the Tiefling race, being a Zariel Tiefling, to be specific. Her class is the Barbarian, fitting her fiery nature well and also working well with her high strength. Her class also gives her saving throws in Strength as well as Constitution. The Barbarian class gives her access to Unarmored Defense and Rage from the start, which is extremely useful throughout the game.

Karlach also has the Outlander background, which gives her proficiencies in Athletics and Survival. She also possesses proficiencies in Perception and Intimidation, the latter being extremely useful in some dialogues.

When it comes to her starting statistics, Karlach's Strength is the highest ability score, followed by Constitution and Dexterity, which is the basic Barbarian blueprint.

STATISTIC	SCORE
Strength	17
Dexterity	13
Constitution	15
Intelligence	8
Wisdom	12
Charisma	10

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Best Karlach Build

Includes Stats And Levels

When it comes to the best build for Karlach, the player should definitely keep her as a Barbarian, as this class brings Karlach’s power out the most.

When the player first encounters Karlach, she has yet to choose her subclass and is using basic weapons. As soon as she's recruited into the party, the player can start making changes or follow the basic build that's already started.

Level 1 of the Barbarian class will give her Unarmored Defense and Rage.
At Level 2, Karlach will unlock Dark Sense, which will help her pass dexterity saving throws against traps, spells, and surfaces. She also gets Reckless Attack, which gives both her and her enemies Advantage on attack rolls.
Level 3 is where things get really interesting, as players will have to pick Karlach’s Barbarian subclass. The player has the option between Wildheart, Berserker, and Wild Magic.

Wildheart allows Karlach to choose a Bestial heart, which is an interesting class subfeature and gives the player a lot to experiment with. Berserker, on the other hand, is more limited but possesses some powerful actions and class subfeatures, such as Frenzy and Mindless Rage. Wild Magic would allow Karlach to access Rage: Wild Magic, and later on, Bolstering Magic. The other two subclasses are powerful in their own regards; however, nothing comes close to the power the Berserker showcases.

At Levels 4, 8, and 12, the player will pick Feats to help build the character.
At Level 5, Karlach will unlock Extra Attack. She will also get Fast Movement, which increases the distance she can walk each turn by 3 meters.
At Level 6, she will be able to use Mindless Rage as a subclass feature, making her Rage unaffected by charming, frightening, or calm emotions. She also receives an additional Rage charge at this level.
At Level 8, she picks a Feat once again.
At Level 9, Karlach will have the Brutal Critical feature, allowing her to roll a damage dice after landing a critical hit.
At Level 10, she will get Intimidating presence as a subclass action, which will cause her target to become fearful.
At Level 11, she receives Relentless Rage. This will allow her to gain 1 HP instead of downing when her HP reaches 0 while she is enraged.
At Level 12, she will receive her final additional Rage charge and pick her last feat.

Some good options for her when it comes to feats include Athlete, which increases her strength or dexterity, both very useful abilities to her. She will also make great use of Durable, as it will increase her constitution, which is essential for a frontline fighter. It also makes her regain all her HP after a short rest. One other feat that can be extremely useful is the Martial Adept, which would allow her to learn 2 maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass. Some of the best to learn include Disarming Attack, Goading Attack, and Sweeping Attack.

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Best Multiclass For Karlach

An image of Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3

Karlach, as a default, is of the Barbarian class. However, with the option to Multiclass companions, the player has countless options in their hand to make different builds. When it comes to Barbarians, they can work very well with many other classes, but here’s a recommendation on how to go through with Multiclassing Karlach.

When it comes to Karlach’s Multiclass build, she will go through three different classes, notably: the Barbarian, the Fighter, and the Rogue.

To start off at level 1, Karlach will be a Barbarian. This gives her access immediately to Unarmored Defense, which can grant her defense without having to wear any armor, as well as Rage, which gives her a boost of strength and resistance.

Now at level 2, still a Barbarian, she will get Danger Sense, which gives her the advantage against dexterity saving throws. She also gets Reckless Attack, which gives her and her enemies an advantage on attack rolls.

Now at level 3 as a Barbarian, she can finally pick a subclass. She has three options: the Wildheart, the Berserker, and the Wild. Here, Karlach should go for the Berserker. This will give her access to Frenzy, a replacement for Rage. This gives her Frenzied Attack and Enraged Throw.

Now at level 4 of the Barbarian class, she gets to pick a feat. For Karlach, a good feat would be Martial Adept, which allows her to learn two maneuvers from the battle master subclass. She should pick Sweeping Attack and Disarming Attack.

Now for the last level as a Barbarian, at level 5, she will get access to a very useful feature, Extra Attack, which does exactly what the name suggests. She also gets Fast Movement, which will increase her movement speed by 3m as long as she isn’t wearing any heavy armor.

Now, she will switch over to the Fighter class, making her a Barbarian 5 - Fighter 1. At level 1 as a fighter, she gets to choose a fighting style, with a good option for Karlach being Great Weapon Fighting. She also gets Second Wind, and this allows her to heal herself as a bonus action.

Now, continuing on to level 2 of the Fighter class, she gets Action Surge. This grants her an extra action when used, which is extremely useful and gives her the option of attacking even more.

Karlach should switch again, this time to the Rogue class. At level 1 as a Rogue, making her a Barbarian 5 - Fighter 2 - Rogue 1, she will get access to Sneak Attack, both ranged and melee. This allows her to deal extra damage if she sneaks up on an enemy, which isn’t the most useful ability for her, but it doesn’t go to waste. She can also pick two expertise in two skills, though the options are limited. Here, she should go with any, but good options are Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand.

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At level 2, she gets Cunning Action, which includes Hide, Dash, and Disengage. These abilities can definitely come in clutch, as Hide allows her to evade enemy attention by succeeding stealth checks. Meanwhile, Dash allows her to move twice as far this turn, and Disengage allows her to move without provoking enemy attacks.

Now coming to level 3 as a Rogue, making her Barbarian 5 - Fighter 2 - Rogue 3, she will finally be able to choose a subclass. She can choose one of the following subclasses: the Thief, the Arcane Trickster, or the Assassin. When it comes to this build, the Assassin is what Karlach should pick. This subclass will immediately give her access to Assassinate, which includes Assassinate: Initiative, Assassinate: Ambush, and Assassinate: Alacrity. Her sneak attack also gains more power, going from 1d6 to 2d6.

Continuing on to level 4 of the Rogue class, which would make her Barbarian 5 - Rogue 4 - Fighter 2, she just gets to pick a feat. Here, she could go for Tavern Brawler or Savage Attacker, as both feats go well with this build.

Now finally, at level 5 of the Rogue, making Karlach a Barbarian 5 - Rogue 5 - Fighter 2 character, she gets Uncanny Dodge. This class feature will allow Karlach to only take half the damage from attacks that hit her. Her sneak attack also gains again more damage, going from 2d6 to 3d6.

Best Items For Karlach

Rage Generation, Strength Bonuses, And More Critical Hits

To elevate Karlach’s build to the max, Baldur's Gate 3 players should definitely equip her well. Some good items include:

The Everburn Blade: This blade can be acquired during the game’s prologue if the player chooses to fight against Commander Zhalk. Killing him won't be easy, but the reward is worth it. The uncommon greatsword deals 2d6 slashing damage with an extra 1d4 fire damage. This sword also grants Pommel Strike, Lacerate, and Cleave.
Reason's Grasp: These uncommon gloves will be very useful for Karlach, as they grant Ever Vigilant, which rewards the player for ending their Rage earlier with 15 extra temporary HP. They can be found very early on at the Risen Road, which makes them more worth it.
Crusher's Ring: This rare ring will increase Karlach’s movement speed by 3 meters, which will be extremely useful and allow her to cover a larger area. This ring will be found in the Goblin Camp and is worth looking for.
Killer's Sweetheart: This very rare ring will allow Karlach to land a critical hit on her next attack after killing an enemy. This effect is usable once per long rest.
Haste Helm: This rare helmet will allow Karlach to start each combat with momentum for the duration of 3 turns. It can also be found early on, not far from the Waypoint next to the Blighted Village.
Balduran's Giantslayer: Perhaps the best endgame weapon for Karlach, this legendary greatsword offers 2d6 + 3 slashing damage, and it allows for double the damage when using the strength modifier of Karlach. It also grants an advantage against larger creatures when it comes to attack rolls. With it, Karlach will also have Pommel Strike, Lacerate, Cleave, as well as Topple the Big Folk.