In Baldur’s Gate 3, a character’s Armor Class (AC) equals the number an opponent must roll on their hit die to deal damage to the individual in question. For this reason, ensuring you raise your AC through various methods throughout your playthrough is very important for several classes, especially as you work towards boss fights with increasing difficulties.
One of the easiest ways to raise your characters' AC is by changing the type of Armor that they have equipped. However, in order to wear a particular Armor and gain all the bonuses it offers, players will need to have Armor Proficiency with that specific type. When it comes to the highest AC Armors in the game, Heavy Armor is almost always the answer, as they offer the highest base-level AC at the cost of some stealth/sneaking drawbacks. If you’re looking to equip Heavy Armor in Baldur’s Gate 3, all information on how to acquire Heavy Armor Proficiency has been outlined in the guide below.
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How to Get Heavy Armor Proficiency in Baldur's Gate 3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Heavy Armor Proficiency enables players to equip some of the best Heavy Armor variants in the game, such as Splint Armor, Plate Armor, Ring Mail, and Chain Mail, among other brilliant legendary armors.
Several classes and subclasses gain Heavy Armor Proficiency as a Class Feature, meaning players will be able to equip Heavy Armors to these characters from the get-go. These classes are as follows:
- Lv1 Life Domain Cleric
- Lv1 Nature Domain Cleric
- Lv1 Tempest Domain Cleric
- Lv1 War Domain Cleric
- Lv1 Fighter
- Lv1 Paladin
- Lv1 Ranger Knight (Ranger Favored Enemy)
For any other class that you are looking to bump up to be proficient with Heavy Armor, you will instead need to utilize the Heavily Armored Feat as one of your choices during level progression.
Heavily Armored Feat
|
Feat |
Description |
Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
|
Heavily Armored |
You gain Armor Proficiency with Heavy Armor. Your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. |
|
However, there are a couple of things to consider first. Most importantly, you only get a limited number of Feats in Baldur’s Gate 3, unless you implement mods to allow for additional Feat selections. As Heavily Armored also has a prerequisite of Medium Armor Proficiency, a character who has neither will need to take the Moderately Armored Feat first, therefore using up two out of their three potential Feats—or even less in Multiclass situations, depending on the build.
Players will also be at a minimum of level 8 when this occurs if they choose Moderately Armored first, then lead into Heavily Armored, which leaves little room for the likes of Ability Increases or other vital Feats that come in handy for various builds (Sentinel, Tavern Brawler, Mobile, Sharpshooter, and Great Weapon Master, to name a few). This means that, while you will have these Armor Proficiencies, you may find that your character is lacking in other areas of combat. However, if this is the case, you can always change things up with a Respec from Withers.
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Is Heavy Armor Viable For DEX-Based Characters in Baldur's Gate 3?
It’s also important to note that, while some very specific builds can make the most of these options, Heavy Armor proficiency isn’t all that brilliant for heavily DEX-based classes—especially those that need to utilize actions such as Stealth/Sneaking, Hide, and Sneak Attack. This is because almost all Heavy Armors apply Disadvantage on Stealth, making the DEX-based stat much less viable, and causing DEX in general to take a hit as a result.
For the likes of finesse weapon users, this can also be a waste, as they will need to utilize DEX not only for the likes of sneaking, lockpicking, and trap disarming, but also as their weapon hit/damage modifier. Essentially, you would be limiting your greatest strengths. Instead, players who want to amp up the AC of their squishier DEX characters should look to max out their DEX (as armors generally give bonus AC depending on DEX modifier), and hunt down the highest base AC light or medium armors in Baldur's Gate 3, as there are plenty of solid choices that do not impose Stealth stat penalties. Lastly, they can also then make use of utility spells that can give them extra defensive properties in combat, such as Mirror Image, Shield, and Haste.
Baldur's Gate 3
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- 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.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
