Best Karlach Build in Baldur’s Gate 3

Best Karlach Build in Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 has several different Companions that you can add to your party to fill various roles. However, the game also includes functions that enable you to respec and edit the progression of these Companions and their Classes to re-build them as you’d like. If you’re trying to find a valuable build for the fiery Tiefling Barbarian, Karlach, then look no further; we’ve got you covered. Follow along below for everything you’ll need to know about how to make thebest Karlach build in BG3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Karlach Build, Explained

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Karlach is theBarbarianClass by default, enabling her to thrive in battle, utilize Strength-based Weapons, and deal consistent damage to enemies. There’s a lot of value to be found in keeping Karlach within this Class due to her significant damage output, which makes her one of the best frontliners in the game.

Because of this, we’ll be focusing on the best Barbarian selections forKarlachspecifically rather than a generalized build, keeping in mind her Racial Feats and unique tricks you can use to take advantage of certain situations.

While Berserker offers many benefits through the natural progression of the build, the best way to capitalize on Karlach’s huge offensive potential is by taking your initial eight levels in Barbarian, and then your last four in Fighter. This will give your Barbarian build significantly more value due to the addition of crucial skills such as Action Surge and Second Wind, which can take your combat to the next level.

The most important thing to consider when setting up and progressing Karlach’s build is the primary stats for Barbarian. This is where you’ll want to assign the majority of your points and assign any additional Ability Increases to ensure her best strengths uplift and enhance her value as a member of your party.

The most important stats for Barbarian Karlach areStrength, followed byConstitutionand thenDexterity.

Recommended Karlach beginning stats: STR 17, DEX 14, CON 16, INT 8, WIS 8, CHA 10

Best Barbarian Subclass For Karlach, Explained

The best Subclass to run on this Karlach build is theBerserker Barbarian. This Subclass emphasizes the use of strong offensive Melee Weapon attacks and physical Strength to perform multiple hits and deal significant chunks of damage to enemies. Most significantly, the Berserker gains the Frenzy Bonus Action, enabling them to gain an additional Attack per turn when Raging which amplifies their offensive output significantly.

Here is a complete breakdown of the Berserker progression to Level 8:

Recommended Level Selections For Berserker Barbarian Karlach

AtLevel 3, you will need to select a Subclass for your Karlach Barbarian build. As mentioned above, the best choice here is theBerserker, so go ahead and confirm your selection.

AtLevel 4, you will be able to select your first Feat. Here you’re going to want to selectTavern Brawler and choose +1 to your Strength. This will enable you to add 2x your Strength Modifier to your Unarmed Attack Rolls, Improvised Weapon uses, and thrown objects. This essentially means that you can use Karlach to hurl objects from around the map or inventory toward your enemies and deal significant damage, which is both highly entertaining to play and surprisingly effective.

you may further amplify these thrown attacks by equipping theRing of Flinging,which will add an extra 1+d4 to your damage. Information on this Ring and where to source it is included in theEquipmentsection at the end of this guide.

On top of this, you can also improve Karlach’s STR (currently 18) to 20 by the end of Act 2 by obtainingAraj Oblodra’s special potion with Astarion. This will enable Karlach to have the maximum STR damage output without expending any of her Feats to boost the stat through Ability Increases, which is exceptionally valuable.

AtLevel 8, you will be able to add a second Feat to your build. For this selection, the best choice isGreat Weapon Master. This enables you to make a second Melee Weapon Attack whenever you land a Crit with your Melee Weapon or kill a target. Additionally, your Attacks with Heavy Melee Weapons will have a -5 penalty to Attack Rolls, but deal an additional +10 damage.

Because you’ve buffedKarlach’sSTR to 18 — or even 20 if you’ve grabbed the potion from Araj, and even higher if you manage to get your hands on the gloves mentioned in theEquipmentsection below — you won’t be hugely impacted by this penalty. Instead, you will benefit significantly from the increased damage. You can also freely toggle this part of the Feat on and off, so there are zero drawbacks to this selection.

Now that you’ve taken your eight levels in Barbarian, it’s time to dip into the Fighter Class for the remaining 4 levels of your Build.

AtLevel 1, you will need to select aFighting Style. ChooseDefenceas your selection. This will buff Karlach’s AC by +1, which is very important for maintaining survivability on the frontline of combat.

AtLevel 3, you will need to choose aFighter Subclass, andBattle Masteris your best choice. This will let you gain 3 differentBattle Maneuvers, which enables you to make increasingly powerful Attacks in battle.

Usually, Champion would be the go-to Fighter Subclass for many due to the improved Crit rate, but you don’t benefit from the Barbarian’s Crit abilities until Level 9, so there isn’t a lot of value to be found in this instance. Instead, Battle Master gives you much more versatility in combat, especially when paired with yourGreat Weapons MasterFeat.

AtLevel 4, you will be able to pick out a third and finalFeatfor your build. SelectSavage Attacker. This will enable you to roll twice for damage during any Melee Weapon Attacks and take the highest result. This enables you to have the best possible damage rates and kill off more enemies with ease, as every little bit of damage can make all the difference in tricky fights.

Best Equipment for Berserker Barbarian Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, Listed

That’s everything you need to know about creating thebest Karlach build in Baldur’s Gate 3. Now that you know the best selections for this lovable Tiefling, why not check out some of our other guides, such asthe 10 best Illithid Powers in the game? After all, these powers can enable you to take advantage of your kit in combat and add a few extra bonuses that’ll help you topple tough opponents.