The Barbarian is one of the hardest-hitting classes inBaldur’s Gate 3, combining multiple attacks with Rage damage bonuses and the best weapons in the game. While a level 12 Barbarian is strong enough to complete the game on any difficulty, a multiclassed Barbarian can achieve new heights of power inBaldur’s Gate 3. There are many effectiveBarbarian multiclass combinations, but one of the most powerful is theCrit-Fishing Barbarian,which focuses on boosting critical hits for massive single-target damage.
The Barbarian is already one of thebest classes inBaldur’s Gate 3for optimizing critical hits, mostly due to the reliable Advantage it can get from Reckless Attack. With the addition of theChampion Fighter subclass,which allows critical hits on a roll of 19 as well as 20, as well as a few other features, the Barbarian can consistently land crits for massive damage.
The Crit-Fisher Champion Levels 1-8
Players who want to maximize their Crit-Fisher build should start bypickingHalf-Orcas their race. This will grant them the Savage Attacks feature, which adds an extra damage die to all critical hits. They should also prioritizeDexterityas their primary ability score, followed byConstitutionfor survivability, Unarmored Defense, and skill checks. Dexterity is recommended because this build will use dual-wielding to make more attacks, which means more chances for critical hits, and Dexterity is more useful than Strength when wielding Light weapons.
This build should focus onLight weapons like Hand Axes, Shortswords, and Scimitars.Players can either rely on their Dexterity and Constitution scores for their Unarmored Defense AC, or wear Light or Medium Armor. Players can switch between these defensive options freely, based on which magic items they acquire, asonly Heavy Armorprevents the Barbarian class from Raging.
Like most martial classes inBaldur’s Gate 3, it’s generally a good idea to get the Barbarian to level 5 as quickly as possible to take advantage of the powerful Extra Attack feature. After reaching this important milestone, take three levels of Fighter to pick upthe Champion subclassand the all-important Improved Critical Hit feature.
The Crit-Fisher Champion Levels 9-12
By level 8, players will have unlocked the Champion’s Improved Critical Hit Feature, doubling the odds of landing a successful crit with each attack. It’s at this point that the Crit-Fisher build comes together, with three attacks per turn,all with Advantage thanks to Reckless Attack, and an improved chance to crit.
From level 9 onward, players have a choice of two routes for finishing their Crit-Fisher build. The simpler route is to take one more level of Fighter to collect a Feat, and then finishBarbarian for the extra Rage Chargeand subclass features. The second, more complicated, route is to take three levels of Rogue to grab Sneak Attack (which is multiplied on a critical hit), as well as the Thief subclass for an extra attack every turn.
First Option: Simple and Effective
This route is all about maximizing Rage and base damage, picking up an additional Feat along with high level Barbarian features. Players who want to take this route canoptionally switch from a Dexterity to a Strength build,trading in dual-wielding for a two-handed weapon and taking the Great Weapon Master Feat. While this trade will mean two fewer attacks overall, each of those attacks will deal more damage.
Second Option: The Blender
While this route is more complicated and takes longer to reach its full potential, the combination oftwo Bonus Actionswith dual-wielding and critical hit bonuses can be devastating. From level 11 onward, this build canattack four times per round, increasing to six times using Action Surge. With each of those attacks having a 10% chance to crit before Advantage and magic items, which can boost the chance even higher, this means a lot of critical hits.
Baldur’s Gate 3is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox Series X/S.
