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The final major patch ofBaldur’s Gate 3is upon us, and with it are 12 new subclasses for players to enjoy. For Barbarians, this means following the Path of the Giants, where players get to grow beyond their size limit and gain the range that such size entails.
No matter if you’re here just to learn what’s new for such Giants, or if you want to master the subclass, we have you covered here. We will break down each aspect of this massive subclass, its long-range potential, and why it is the best way to play Barbarians in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Path Of The Giants Barbarian Overview
Playing as a Path of the Giants Barbarian isn’t only about being large, although that alonecomes with certain benefits. Barbarians are alreadypretty good tanks, but have themgrow in size when raging, and they now haveimproved range, blocking foes all the better. As early as level six, these Barbarians also havereliable access to elemental damage, something the other subclasses can’t do as easily. However, you don’t wantmore than one Giant characterin your team, since their size can make moving your units around a bit of an issue.
The Best Starting Stats And Species For A Path Of The Giants Barbarian Character
While you won’t start your journey on the Giant’s Pathuntil level three, there are a few choices at character creation that you can make to createthe best possible Barbarian. Keep in mind, however, that at this stage there aren’t reallyany bad choices, just recommended ones.
Species
Since you canset your stats as you’d likeno matter your choice of species, you haveplenty of good choicesto choose from. However, try not to takespecies that gain spells, sinceyou won’t be able to cast any of themwhile raging.
Karlach is somewhat of a poor choice for the Path of the Giants, since she already has the Thaumaturgy cantrip unlocked by the subclass due to her species. She still benefits from all the other features, but if you plan to have two Barbarians in your party, have her be a different subclass.
The most straightforward choice here, at least when it comes tothe roles Barbarians typically play, isthe Gold Dwarf. As a Path of the Giants Barbarian, youdon’t need much helpto do what you do best, sothe extra health gained by that speciesis what best helps you to stay in the fight longer.
Background
The Athletics skillis used in a few Path of the Giants features, soa background that already improves on thatcan aid you greatly.The Soldier backgroundends up being the one that fits the most, sinceit also trains you in Intimidation, andit will let youget Inspired after certain challenging combat scenarios.
Stats And Skills
The recommended statsare almost perfect, although as a battle-focused class, it could use some slight changes. Bylowering Wisdom to 10andraising Dexterity to 14, the character gains an additional pointon their armor class, something that will stack up oncewe raise Constitutionlater down the line.
17
14
15
8
10
For skills, as we said before,Athletics is crucial, so pay attention to itin case you don’t take the Soldier background. Beyond that, it is up to your playstyle, butyou’ll use Stealthmore than you’d like to admit, especially at higher difficulties.
Tips To Best Play A Path Of The Giants Barbarian
Path of the Giants Barbariansexcel at catching enemies with their range, either thanksto their larger sizeor to their ability tothrow weapons and enemies. Each new ability unlockedchanges how you approach combat, so read each of them carefully.
At level five,you gain Boot of the Giants, an improved Shove option thatpushes enemies and deals damage to them. You should already know how deadly it isto push enemies around, either to instant death cliffs or into harm’s way, so don’t count this ability out.
While Barbarians aren’t the most social class, they do get special dialogue options due to their brutality. They aren’t the most optimal face of the party, but they can still work as such.
At level six,you gain Elemental Cleaver, turning all weapons you hold while raging intoelemental powerhousesthatcome back to your handwhen thrown. This means that, as a Path of the Giants Barbarian,you don’t have to invest in ranged weapons; all your weapons are ranged.
The final feature of the subclassis Mighty Impel, unlocked at level ten. It might seemoddly similar to the throw action, but the key difference is thatthere is no Strength requirementto throw creatures around andthe distance is fixed; as a bonus action, it is a great way tofling enemies into dangerwithout needing to worry if they pass a check.
The Best Equipment For A Path Of The Giants Barbarian
Best Weapons
Starting out, you’ll want to usethe best two-handed weapons you can find, something often dropped bythe many bossesyou’ll encounter in the game. Later on, to use your size and range,the Polearm Master featwill come in handy, so you’ll want to usethat specific type of two-handed weaponin the late game.
Due to the nature of the subclass,you won’t need ranged weapons, but you might want to keep some form of crossbow handyuntil level six. After that, you can justrage and throw your main weapon around, since it will always come back to your hand.
Best Armor And Accessories
As a Barbarian,you don’t want to be wearing any armor, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wear anything. In Act Two,Quartermaster Talli sells the Mighty Cloth, a clothing item that givestwo points of Strengthto the wearer; this does mean that you are better offsiding with the Druids in Act One.
For accessories thatdo things beyond better stats,there are a few items popular among Barbarians for theiradditional damage when throwing objects or enemies. These arethe Ring of Flinging, sold by Arron at the Druid Grove, andthe Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo, a reward for saving Baelen in the Underdark.
Every Level Up Choice For A Path Of The Giants Barbarian
The only real choices you’ll make as a Barbarian areyour subclass and feats, so we will only cover herethe feats you should pick at each level. We are assuming thatyou pick the Path of the Giants subclassat level three.
4
Tavern Brawler
Greatly improves your thrown weapon damage, and lets you increase either Constitution or Strength.
12
Ability Score Improvement
It is best to round out your stats at this stage, although you can also get a feat like Sentinel if you are happy with your numbers.
