Aside from class and race, background is the main decision players make when constructing their custom character inBaldur’s Gate 3. There are twelve backgrounds in the game, eleven of which are available for custom characters to choose to shape the details of their life before the Nautiloid. They include professions like solider and guild artisan, as well as levels of social status like urchin and noble, andprovide a bit of inspiration for the player when thinking about their character’s origins.
However, the backgrounds inBaldur’s Gate 3are not nearly as consequential as their counterparts inDungeons & Dragons. There, backgrounds include some starting equipment, extra proficiencies, and a special feature. InBG3,backgrounds only provide two extra skill proficienciesand don’t have any extra dialogue options or choices at any point. That does, however, make them easier to rank by usefulness, comparing the utility of each of their combinations of skills.
11The Entertainer Fails To Impress
No Encore For This Background
Despite being a common choice for bards,the entertainer background is not a great one for charisma-focused characters. Its two skill proficiencies, performance and acrobatics, are hardly ever used in dialogue; in fact, acrobatics is the least-used skill in the entire game.Performing with instrumentscan include a performance check, though the ability to distract or lure nearby NPCs is not based on its success.
Besides skills, the one other thing backgrounds are used for is determining the “triggers” for characters to gain inspiration. This happens when the character does something that relates to their background, giving them this temporary resource. Backgrounds with easier-to-access inspirations are therefore a little better; in the case of the entertainer, however, most are locked behind moderate to difficult skill checks.
Between its lackluster skills and lack of consistent ways to get inspiration, the entertainer lands itself at the bottom of the heap. While NPCs like Alfira who make use of this background may be fan favorites,mechanically, it’s probably the worst choice for any character.
10The Folk Hero Fails To Live Up To Its Reputation
Heroes Have Better Options Than This
The folk hero sounds powerful, but it’s not much better than the entertainer. It has slightly more viable skills in animal handling and survival, which actually do end up being relevant somewhat frequently.Most animal handling checks can be easily subverted with spells or potions to speak with animals, however, and survival checks are only ever made to discover small chests of extra loot.
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As for inspiration, mosttriggers for the folk hero revolve around vanquishing evil and “doing the right thing,“meaning characters going for a super-heroic playstyle could get something out of them. All the same, that nowhere near makes up for the weakness of its skills.
9The Outlander Gets A Leg Up From Its Inspirations
More Experience From Exploration
Much like the folk hero, the outlander’s skills are not especially useful. It gets survival, which is not ideal for reasons already made clear, and athletics.Athletics can be good for certain character builds, but it’s not used especially oftenfor most characters, and that drags this background down a little.
The outlander is much better than the two previous options, however, in terms of its inspiration triggers, whichlargely involve the discovery of new places. No skill checks or combat are required, just thoroughexploration of the map. This is very easy to accomplish for curious and observant players, giving the outlander some staying power.
8The Acolyte Is Useful, But A Bit Niche
Certain Play Styles Can Make Good Use Of This Background
The acolyte is where the skill proficiencies actually start to become pretty useful. Insight and religion are both used frequently inBaldur’s Gate 3, especially when it comes to the third act of the game. However,the acolyte does suffer from its inspiration triggers.
While many skill checks are made actively, others are passive and happen as events unfold. This is most common for perception but also occurs fairly often for things like history and insight.
It has a few very good ones, likeone for reviving a teammate which can be unlocked at an opportune moment,but also several that contradict each other. These are situations where either response to a choice will earn an inspiration, but there are fewer to unlock overall across a single playthrough. Most other backgrounds don’t have this problem, aside from the haunted one, which is exclusive to Dark Urge characters.
7The Sage Is Much Like The Acolyte, With Better Inspiration Triggers
Studying The Arcane Versus The Religious
The sage gets proficiency inarcana and history, two other skills which see pretty frequent use when it comes to the game’s more magical story beats. They are also both intelligence-based skills, andsince many player characters tend to have mild to low intelligence, getting a boost there is helpful.
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Many of the inspirations for the sage requirediscovering secret knowledge in tomes or from characters,which is not especially hard compared to other backgrounds. All in all, it’s a fairly strong choice for any character looking to beef up their intelligence skill checks.
6Guild Artisans Get One Of The Best Skills In The Game
The Power Of Persuasion
By all accounts, the guild artisan doesn’t have a ton going for it. One of its skills is insight, which is fairly useful but not especially common.Its inspiration triggers tend to be on the more obscure side, and players will likely have a harder time unlocking them than with other backgrounds.
However, the guild artisan also gets persuasion proficiency, which is enough to put it over every other option so far.Persuasion is the most used skill in the game by far,and it’s vital for any leader of the party. That alone is enough to make this background worth choosing – or it would be, if not for the next choice.
5The Noble Gets Some Easy Points Of Inspiration
Skills That Perform And The Inspiration To Back Them Up
The noble beats the guild artisan in almost every way. Like that background, it has persuasion proficiency, making it incredibly useful for any character. It also getsproficiency in history, which gets a ton of passive checks during dialogue to fill in story blanks.
The noble outshines the guild artisan mainly in its inspiration triggers, which revolve aroundspecific interactions in dialogue,as well as gold. It’s much more likely players will stumble upon noble inspirations than those of the guild artisan.
4The Criminal Is A Good Choice For Morally Gray Playthroughs
Inspiration Triggers Based On Immoral Actions
The criminal plays very much into its namesake, benefiting characters who live outside the law.It provides deception and stealth proficiencies,both of which are incredibly useful throughout the entire game.
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Its inspiration triggers tend to involveacting selfishly, violently, or through guile and discretion.Characters that already have those traits should have no problem making use of the background.
3Soldier Provides Useful Skills And A Combat Focus
Making Players Work For Their Inspiration
Soldiers get athletics and intimidation proficiency. The former is niche, but useful on the right character; the latter, much like deception and persuasion, is among the best skills in the game.Any dialogue-based charisma skill is worth having,and for tougher, less silver-tongued player characters, intimidation is a great option.
The soldier’s main drawback is that some ofits inspiration triggersrequirespecific or difficult actions in combat, such as killing many enemies in one round. However, many of the other triggers for them are fairly easy to unlock, and like the revivification inspiration for acolytes, players may be able to save these combat-based triggers for when they are needed.
2Urchin Is Great For Non-Charismatic Characters
Some Of The Best Skills Outside Of Dialogue
The urchin gets proficiency in both stealth and sleight of hand, two dexterity-based skills that are absolutely essential in any party. The charisma skills may shine in dialogue, but outside it, these two skills are supreme in how they can benefit the party.Sleight of hand is for unlocking locks and disarming traps, and stealth is important for ambushes.
Unlike inD&D, where a separate check might exist for thieves' tools,BG3consolidates many thief-based actions into the sleight of hand skill.
The urchin’s inspiration triggers mainly involve thestory of the tiefling refugee children and other such downtrodden scamps, so they aren’t anything special overall. Its skill selection, however, is near perfect.
