All Baldur’s Gate 3 Races Explained

Wondering what Baldur's Gate 3 Races are available and can't decide what to play? We're here to help!

Baldur's Gate 3 is right around the corner and most of you are already planning what kind of character you want to play and which Class you to pick.

Your character's race will lay the foundation of what they'll eventually grow into. Here we'll give you a quick rundown of each of the available races in Baldur's Gate 3, their strengths and weaknesses as well as the Class that will go best with them.

That said, you should go with whatever you want to play rather than minimaxing your stats. It's way more fun to play a character with flaws or with a Race-Class combination that is barely functional. It keeps you on your toes and forces you to get creative.

All Baldur's Gate 3 Races

There are a total of 11 playable races in Baldur's Gate 3. Each comes with its own stat distribution, stats, unique feats and proficiencies. Some of them also have subraces that change their affinity or are complete opposites of each other.

Here are all races in Baldur's Gate 3:

• Dragonborn
• Drow
• Dwarf
• Elf
• Gnome
• Githyanki
• Half-Elf
• Half-Orc
• Halfling
• Human
• Tiefling

Dragonborn

The Dragonborn is a race with a Dragonic ancestor and mean mugs. Their Subraces come in many different colors. Black, Blue, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Green, Red, Silver, and White. These colors will determine their elemental affinity and if they can breathe Fire or Lighting or what else fits their element.

Their hardy nature would make them perfect for a Barbarian, Fighter, or Monk.

Drown

The Drown is a dark elven race with a long and complicated history that involves the conflict between two Elven deities. Getting the shorter end of the stick after that conflict, they are now discriminated against. Picking between Seldarine and Lolth-Sworn as a Subrace, lets you pick between living with the discrimination or worshipping a spider queen.

They are known to make excellent rangers or rogues at the start of your adventure.

Dwarf

Dwarfs in Forgotten Realms come in three flavors. Gold Dwarfs who love everything mining and smithing related. The Shield Dwarves are really into fighting, especially goblins and orcs. And last but not least the Duegar. Those fine people spend a long time in the Underdark getting experimented on by the abominations that lurk there. But that has its upsides.

Their sturdy nature makes them great punching bags for the horrors you might face on your journey.

Elf

Who doesn't know and love Elves (aside from Dwarfs)? Even in Baldur's Gate, they are your usual mix of just high nosey enough to be punchable and extremely competent. In Baldur's Gate 3, they come as Wood Elves who are very attached to their homes and nature. And High Elves who are really good with magic.

Wood Elves traditionally gravitate towards rogue and ranger while High Elves make for great Sorcerers, Clerics, or even Warlocks.

Githyanki

Githyanki is a Dungeons and Dragons original race. They are ‘that' warrior race that just loves to fight even after their messy breakup with the Mind Flayers.

Their affinity for armor and all kinds of weapons makes them perfect for any kind of be-sworded Class. Or maybe you want to be a different kind of Githyanki, maybe go for a Bard?

Gnome

They are just smaller, less hairy Dwarfes, right? No? Oh. Gnomes in Baldur's Gate 3 come with three Subraces to choose from. Either the Forest Gomes which are very in tune with nature and can talk to animals, the Deep Gnomes make for excellent thieves with their Darkvision and speed, or the Rock gnomes, known for being great engineers and mages.

So depending on what Subrace you pick, you might pigeonhole yourself into the Class you have to play.

Half-Elf

The Half-Elves exist somewhere in between Humans and Elves, for better or worse. They get the Human's ability to be good at a lot of things, but never get to be as excellent as their full-blooded Elven counterparts. So if you want to play a Human with a side of spice and a dash of inferiority complex, this is the race for you.

In classic D&D fashion, this is best played with a bard. Or something even more magically inclined if you feel like it.

Half-Orc

What if you were a Human but strong and green? That is the Half-Orc who have to deal with their anger issues in some way shape or form. That usually makes for a compelling character in a tabletop game, but we can't tell you yet how that will play out in Baldur's Gate 3.

That said, they are crazy strong and are best suited for Fighters, Monks, or other Classes that love to beat monsters with blunt or sharp objects of varying sizes.

Halfling

They are just Hobbits, aren't they? But everyone loves Hobbits or Haflings. They are small but with a heart of gold, and have an easy time avoiding larger threats. If you pick the Lightfoot Halfling, you'll have an easier time thieving around or talking your way out of trouble. While the Strongheart Halflings live up to their name with high resistance and constitution.

Human

Humans are the triathlon athletes of Dungeons and Dragons as well as Baldur's Gate. While they are decent at everything. They never truly excel at anything.

So it's up to you to turn your basic human into something useful. Being perfectly average makes you the perfect candidate to just pick a Class and roll with it.

Tiefling

Tieflings are popular in Dungeons and Dragons for reasons that are beyond this writer. It's probably the horns and the strong cheekbones. They are known to be charismatic and great friends. And their abilities are also pretty cool.

The Tieflings can pick one of three Subraces; Mephistopheles Tieflings with an affinity for the Arcane, Asmodeus Tieflings who excel at darkness and fire magic, or the Zariel Tieflings who can power up their physical attacks with fire magic.

And that wraps up everything you need to know about Baldur's Gate 3's races. Now go out there and be somebody! But come back to our features page for more Baldur's Gate 3 Guides and Tips after launch.