When players are engaged in character customization in Baldur’s Gate 3, choosing a background is almost as pivotal as selecting a class or race. The game offers twelve unique backgrounds, of which eleven can be selected by players crafting their characters, allowing them to define their life experiences prior to the events involving the Nautiloid ship. These backgrounds range from professions such as soldier and guild artisan to social standings like urchin and noble, providing players with creative inspiration for their characters’ origins.
While backgrounds add personality to characters, they bear less significance in Baldur’s Gate 3 compared to their counterparts in Dungeons & Dragons. In D&D, backgrounds contribute starting gear, special features, and additional proficiencies. Conversely, in BG3, backgrounds primarily grant just two skill proficiencies and do not offer any extra dialogue opportunities or choices, making them easier to evaluate based on their practical utility.
11 The Entertainer Fails To Impress
No Encore For This Background
Often regarded as a popular option among bards, the entertainer background falls short for charisma-driven characters. Its skill proficiencies in performance and acrobatics rarely come into play during dialogues, with acrobatics being the least referenced skill throughout the game. While performance checks can occur during musical performances, the effectiveness of distracting nearby NPCs does not depend on this check’s success.
Backgrounds also help determine how characters receive inspiration through engaging in actions aligned with their backgrounds. Unfortunately, the triggers associated with the entertainer background often necessitate moderate to difficult skill checks, making it harder to gain inspiration consistently.
With its limited appeal and lack of inspiration mechanisms, the entertainer ranks as the least favorable choice for players. Although NPCs like Alfira present a charming use of this background, mechanically, it falls behind other options.
10 The Folk Hero Fails To Live Up To Its Reputation
Heroes Have Better Options Than This
Despite its heroic title, the folk hero’s background does not significantly outshine the entertainer’s. It offers slightly more applicable proficiencies in animal handling and survival, which appear occasionally. However, many situations involving animal handling can be circumvented with spells or potions that enable communication with animals, and survival checks are limited to finding small loot chests.
Inspiration for the folk hero typically revolves around themes of good deeds and conquering evil, potentially rewarding players pursuing a hero-centric gameplay style. Nevertheless, this does not quite compensate for its lackluster skillset.
9 The Outlander Gets A Leg Up From Its Inspirations
More Experience From Exploration
Similar to the folk hero, the outlander does not boast particularly strong skills, acquiring survival and athletics. While athletics may suit certain builds, it does not see frequent usage for most characters, contributing to a mid-tier ranking for this background.
Nonetheless, the outlander distinguishes itself through its inspiration triggers, which are primarily linked to the discovery of new locations. Players can easily fulfill these triggers through thorough exploration, appealing to those who enjoy engaging with the game’s environment.
8 The Acolyte Is Useful, But A Bit Niche
Certain Play Styles Can Make Good Use Of This Background
With the acolyte background, players gain useful skill proficiencies, such as insight and religion, both of which see frequent application, especially in later parts of the game. However, the acolyte’s inspiration triggers can be a drawback.
While certain checks occur during defined moments, others are passively activated as events unfold, commonly seen with perception alongside insight and history. Although the acolyte has advantageous triggers, some can be contradictory, making it less reliable compared to other backgrounds.
7 The Sage Is Much Like The Acolyte, With Better Inspiration Triggers
Studying The Arcane Versus The Religious
The sage possesses proficiencies in arcana and history, two skills that frequently come into play, especially during magical narrative segments. Additionally, both skills rely on intelligence, which benefits characters with lower intelligence levels by bolstering their checks.
The sage’s inspirations are generally tied to unearthing hidden knowledge from tomes or other characters, a task that is often straightforward, making this a strong choice for players focusing on intelligence-based skills.
6 Guild Artisans Get One Of The Best Skills In The Game
The Power Of Persuasion
The guild artisan background isn’t particularly strong on its own, with insight being a useful but less frequently utilized skill. Additionally, its inspiration triggers can be rather obscure, making them harder to activate.
However, it offers proficiency in persuasion, an essential skill that eclipses previous backgrounds. Persuasion is the most frequently employed skill across the game, particularly valuable for any party leader, making the guild artisan worth considering, though it faces stiff competition from the next background.
5 The Noble Gets Some Easy Points Of Inspiration
Skills That Perform And The Inspiration To Back Them Up
The noble background surpasses the guild artisan in nearly all aspects. Like the guild artisan, it includes persuasion proficiency, essential for many characters, plus it also features proficiency in history, a skill that is utilized frequently in dialogues to deepen narrative understanding.
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The noble background excels primarily due to its favorable inspiration triggers, which emerge from specific dialogue interactions and financial situations, making it more likely for players to access inspirations compared to the guild artisan’s.
4 The Criminal Is A Good Choice For Morally Gray Playthroughs
Inspiration Triggers Based On Immoral Actions
The criminal background embraces its theme, benefiting characters who operate outside the law. It grants proficiencies in deception and stealth, both of which are immensely useful throughout the entire game.
Inspiration triggers for this background are often linked to selfish or immoral actions, which align well with characters embodying such traits, ensuring they can effectively utilize this background.
3 Soldier Provides Useful Skills And A Combat Focus
Making Players Work For Their Inspiration
The soldier background offers proficiencies in athletics and intimidation. While athletics is more situational, intimidation is one of the strongest skills in the game, comparable to other charisma skills like deception and persuasion, making it particularly valuable for characters who rely less on charm.
This background’s main limitation arises from some inspiration triggers requiring specific or challenging combat actions, such as eliminating multiple foes in a single turn. However, other inspiration triggers can be simple to achieve, allowing players to manage combat-based challenges strategically.
2 Urchin Is Great For Non-Charismatic Characters
Some Of The Best Skills Outside Of Dialogue
The urchin background provides proficiencies in stealth and sleight of hand, both vital skills predominantly based on dexterity that play crucial roles in party dynamics. While charismatic skills excel in dialogue, sleight of hand and stealth shine in crucial non-verbal scenarios, enabling players to deal with locks and traps effectively.
Unlike D&D, where checking for thieves’ tools may be separate, BG3 merges all thief-related actions into the sleight of hand skill, enhancing its importance within gameplay. The urchin’s inspiration mostly revolves around narratives centered on downtrodden characters, though its outstanding skill selection makes it favorable.
1 Charlatan Provides The Best Mix Of Great Skills And Easy Inspirations
Unquestionably, the charlatan background stands out as the optimal choice for characters. Its key skills, deception and sleight of hand, enhance gameplay significantly. Deception rivals persuasion in dialogues, assisting characters in evading combat while securing allies, while sleight of hand proves essential for navigating the game’s many traps and locks.
For players wanting a well-rounded character with a blend of offensive and defensive options, the charlatan background is hard to beat, seamlessly integrating into various playstyles.