InBaldur’s Gate 3, Barbarians are an incredibly formidable class to have in a party, as they can act as effective frontliners and ranged attackers. While they can excel as a tank and deal respectable damage at close range, the strongest way to play a Barbarian is to use them as a thrower.They can utilize their bonus action for throw attacks, which synergizes well with many gear options.
Barbarians can get some advantages to wearing Clothing, but the strongest option is always going to be the one with a higher Armour Class. In this case,Barbarians can make use of some incredibly strong Medium Armours, which, in my opinion, outweigh the benefits of using Clothing. The Barbarian Thrower also takes 3 levels in Fighter, so they can make use of Heavy Armour if they so choose.
10Cloak of Displacement
Impose Disadvantage on Enemies
The Cloak of Displacement can be bought or stolen in Act 3 at Danthelon’s Dancing Axe inWyrm’s Crossing. The Cloak of Displacement grants enemies Disadvantage on attack rolls against the wearer, which can keep the player from taking damage. However, this effect will end if the target takes damagebut will reactivate at the start of the wearer’s next turn.
If this cloak is needed for another character, the Barbarian can use the Cloak of Protection for a similar effect.
To make the most out of using a Barbarian, they will have to remain at 50% HP or lower in order to activate the Helmet of Grit’s ability. This means that the Barbarian cannot afford to get hit too often,as they are already starting fights at lower HP. As such, if it is not contested by another party member, the Cloak of Displacement is a great option in order to keep the Barbarian standing as long as possible.
9Caustic Band
Deal Extra Acid Damage
TheCaustic Bandcan be bought or stolen in Act 1 from Derryth Bonecloak in theMyconid Colony in the Underdark. This ring is perfect for Barbarians, especially those who have gone the route of being a thrower.It adds 2 Acid damage to every attack the wearer makes, which can stack up to a lot of added damage.
The Caustic Band may not sound like an incredibly strong option at first glance, as 2 damage might seem abysmal. However, with the amount of attacks a Barbarian can make per turn, 2 damage on every attack can add up quite quickly, especially on throwing builds. Also,there are plenty of items that synergize with dealing Acid damage, such as theIchorous Gloves.
8Ring of Flinging
Deal Extra Throwing Damage
TheRing of Flingingcan be bought or stolen incredibly early in Act 1 from Arron inthe Emerald Grove, who is often the first vendor players will meet. Given that this ring is found so early on in a playthrough,the Barbarian thrower build comes online incredibly quickly. Many of the Barbarian thrower’s most important gear pieces are found significantly earlier than other powerful builds' gear.
Advantage on Attack Rolls but Disadvantage on Saving Throws.
Spurred Band
When starting their turn with 50% HP or less, the wearer gains Momentum for 1 turn.
+1 to Armour Class and +1 to Saving Throws.
Ring of Evasion
When the wearer fails a Dexterity Saving Throw, they can use their reaction to succeed instead.
The Ring of Flinging adds a 1d4 to all throwing damage, which means every attack of the Barbarian thrower will be doing that much more damage. This ring is a staple of all throwing builds and is even classified as Rare rather than Uncommon in Honour Mode. This ring should be used by the Barbarian for the whole game, as it is the best in slot option.
7Adamantine Scale Mail
Immunity to Critical Hits
TheAdamantine Scale Mailcan be forged in Act 1 and is the best Medium Armour in the game until the player reaches halfway through Act 3. The materials needed to forge this item are theScale Mail Mould and one piece of Mithral Ore.Players must defeat Grym, an Adamantine Golem, in order to access the forge.
I recommend waiting until at least level 5 to take on Grym, as players will want their melee characters to have Extra Attack.
This armour piece prevents its wearer from being critically hitand applies the Reeling condition when an enemy attack hits the wearer. It also has the passive Magical Plate, which reduces all incoming damage by 1. There is no better piece of Medium Armour for all of Act 1 and 2, outside a very select few options, such as theYuan-Ti Scale Mail.
6Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength
Sets Strength to 23
TheGauntlets of Hill Giant Strengthallow Barbarians to reallocate stat points, as they automaticallyset the wearer’s Strength stat to 23. These gauntlets are found extremely late in the game inRaphael’s House of Hope, where they must be stolen from the left side pedestal in the Archive, just like the Amulet of Greater Health. Either disarm the trap in order to steal them or swap a piece of unwanted gear for the gauntlets to prevent the trap from triggering.
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16
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Charisma
These gauntlets work well for Barbarians, as 23 Strength gives them a +6 Strength boost, which is quite high. Players can respec their Barbarian to dump Strength so they canput those extra stat points into Constitution and Dexterity. This allows Barbarians to have higher initiative and HP, as well as increase their Armour Class through the Armour of Agility.
5Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo
Deal More Extra Throwing Damage
TheGloves of Uninhibited Kushigocan be acquired in Act 1 as a reward from Derryth Bonecloak for saving her husband, Baelen Bonecloak, during the quest: Finding the Mushroom Picker.These gloves are unobtainable without mods if the player fails to rescue Baelen, so make sure to be careful around the Bibberbang. I also recommendgiving the Noblestalk to Derryth, as it will greatly benefit players in Act 3.
These gloves come with the Kushigo’s Might passive, which makes the wearer deal an additional 1d4 bonus damage with Throw Attacks and attacks made with Improvised Weapons.This stacks with the Ring of Flinging, which can lead to some absurd damage numbers when throwing weapons. I recommend using these gloves over the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, as players can just use Elixirs of Cloud Giant Strength to reach 27 Strength.
4Armour of Agility
Armour Class Increases With Dexterity
TheArmour of Agilitycan be bought or stolen in Act 3 from Gloomy Fentonson at the Stormshore Armoury near the Lower City Central Wall. It is a very rarepiece of Medium Armourthat does not limit the wearer’s Armour Class boost from Dexterity like most Medium Armours do.It also adds a +2 to all the wearer’s Saving Throws.
The Armour of Agility comes with the Exotic Material passive, whichallows the wearer to add their full Dexterity Modifier to their Armour Class. This is why Dexterity can be very important to Barbarians, not including the obvious initiative bonus. Without using this armour piece, Barbarians generally have a hard time consistently breaking past 20 AC.
3Boots of Persistence
Increased Movement Speed
The Boots of Persistence are one of the best pairs of boots in the game and can bebought or stolen in Act 3 from Dammonat the Forge of the Nine.If Dammon never makes it to Baldur’s Gate, whether it be due to the party’s actions or not, this item is unobtainable without using mods. If this is the case, I recommend using the Helldusk Boots for Critical Hit immunity.
Other Boots Options
Helldusk Boots
Hellcrawler Class Action Steadfast - Cannot be forcibly moved by a foe’s spells or actions, and ignore the effects of difficult terrain.
The wearer’s movement speed is unimpeded by difficult terrain.
Bonespike Boots
Brutal Leap Class Action Evasive Instinct - +1 to AC and Saving Throws while not wearing Armour of a Shield Refined Vaulting - Jump distance increased by 1.5m
Blackguard’s Greaves
Athletics +1 Strider Movement - Gain Longstrider
The Boots of Persistence grant the wearer the effects of Freedom of Movement and Longstrider permanently. This means that the wearer is no longer impeded by difficult terrain,cannot be paralyzed or restrained, and gains an additional 3 meters of movement speed. If the player is using camp buffs to give the whole party Longstrider anyway, players can make use of the Bonespike Boots to have Brutal Leap as a mobility option.
2Amulet of Greater Health
Sets Constitution To 23
TheAmulet of Greater Healthis found very late in the game withinRaphael’s House of Hope, within the Archive. to explore the Archive, players will need to succeed a dialogue check in order to be allowed to roam.They will be located on a pedestal on the right side of the room, triggeringa trap if the amulet is stolen before the trap is disarmed.
If the player decides to use this amulet, I recommend respeccing and dumping stat points out of Constitution to put these extra points into Dexterity in order to increase Armour Class through the Armour of Agility.
The Amulet of Greater Healthsets the wearer’s Constitution stat to 23, which is perfect for a Barbarian that uses the Helmet of Grit. This is quite a significant boost to the wearer’s health and is even more important for characters who need to stay below 50% HP. If the player is making use of a Throwzerker Barbarian, this amulet must be used by that character.
1Helmet of Grit
Extra Bonus Action
TheHelmet Of Gritcan be looted in Act 3 from a locked opulent chest withinCazador’s Szarr Palacein the room with the cursed corpse of Victoria. This item comes with the Grit passive, whichgrants the wearer an additional Bonus action when below 50% HP. It also provides a +1 to Dexterity Saving Throws.
Take 3 levels in Fighter for Action Surge and the Eldritch Knight subclass for the Bound Weapon ability.
This is the most important item for a thrower Barbarian, as Barbarians can use the ability Enraged Throw, which uses their bonus action. Taking 3 levels in Rogue for theThief subclass gives the character an extra Bonus action, which means when below 50% HP, the Barbarian will have three Bonus actions. This means that Barbarians can make 4-8 throwing attacks per turn, which can easily decimate even the hardest boss fights inBaldur’s Gate 3.
