A seasoned wizard who infects her foes with the irresistible urge to dance. A high-level sorcerer who sows the seeds of chaos in battle with strategically placed portals. A bard that wields the psionic powers of a mindflayer (a.k.a illithid). Who will you become at the pinnacle of your power in Baldur’s Gate 3? That’s completely up to you.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, your late-game build can be as varied as you want it to be and can be changed at any time, giving you an opportunity to experiment with different spells and discover the class that complements your playstyle best.
Introducing illithid powers
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you and your companions each carry the burden of a parasite that dwells within you, a tadpole placed deep inside your brain that poses a constant looming threat of illithid transformation.
But as dangerous as these creatures may be, they are also a source of great power. For those who wish to experience their power, you need only to surrender to the tadpole within you and consume the parasites you find in jars and skulls throughout the Forgotten Realms.
Each consumed tadpole unlocks a new tadpole power in a skill tree of 25 powerful illithid abilities. These powers are split into five branches. Some can be used to manipulate and control those around you, pushing them to say things in dialogue they otherwise would not. Others endow you with psionic abilities to push and pull enemies like ragdolls in battle. You can even become a displacer beast, the iconic and monstrous tentacled feline from the D&D bestiary. The deeper you go through the illithid skill tree, the more powers you’ll discover.
Yet, while a tadpole can provide you with powerful benefits, it also requires sacrifice. Give in to the parasite within you and become half-illithid to gain the most potent mindflayer abilities at higher levels. In turn, you may lose a part of yourself. And remember, not everyone in your party will agree with your decisions to explore your psionic side, and your companions’ perception of you can undergo a significant shift based on your approach.
Respect your destiny
Whether you only want to make a few tweaks to your existing character build or you’re looking to experiment with completely new playstyles and class combinations, respecting your characters can be done at any time.
A simple trade of gold with a mysterious campmate is all that is needed to restart your build with new starting proficiencies, attributes, spells, and cantrips. This will affect your playstyle and abilities and alter your roleplaying experience as the world around you responds differently in dialogues to reflect your new class.
Respeccing isn’t limited to your customized protagonist either. Companions and pre-authored Origin characters can also be given completely new specializations. Already want to play a Rogue, but love the idea of Astarion by your side from here to Baldur’s Gate? You can respec Astarion into a Wizard, a Fighter, or whatever else you think suits him best. A suggestion? A Raging Barbarian Astarion is something everyone should see before they die.
However, this comes with some warnings and caveats, as some of our Origins stories are heavily tied to their classes. A non-cleric Shadowheart or a Wyll without his Warlock Pact will impact the roleplay options in dialogue and story. And while nothing will break, and their stories can still be told, it won’t be the exact story we intend for you to experience.
The freedom to craft your own build
Late-game builds in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be extremely varied if you want them to be. With Multiclassing, players have the freedom to apply points into any class when they level to forge class hybrids of their own making: warriors who wield arcane spells, rogues who are masters of divine magic, or spellcasters who dabble in martial arts.
Given the full range of possible combinations, having some background as a D&D player is recommended to make the most of this feature. But should you wake up and choose chaos, deciding to instead just evenly spread all your points into every class for no strategic reason whatsoever, the choice is yours – and obviously, there’s an achievement for doing that.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PlayStation 5 on September 6.
