Barbarian is a popular option for Baldur’s Gate 3 Players who create custom characters, in part because this is the default choice during character creation. But it also appeals to players with its high damage output and fun dialogue options. Despite the fact that the class focuses almost entirely on combat, and the features do not have to be in terms of exploration and communication, the developers have managed to make a barbarian protagonist interesting and exciting in all aspects of gameplay.
in level three, Barbarians choose between three subclass options, going down the path of the Wildheart, Berserker or Wild Magic Warrior. Each brings some powerful abilities to the table, sometimes enhancing the barbarian’s own damage, other times buffing their allies. But can any option be considered the strongest? By comparing the features each subclass offers, players can decide which best matches the barbarian’s existing strengths while offering exciting new choices.
Barbarian paths in Baldur’s Gate 3 improve the class’s Rage Ability
Three options for improving the main feature of the barbarian
Each of the three subclass paths provides a boost to the Barbarian’s Rage at level three. Rage is the most important feature of the Barbarian subclass Overall; This is what gives them their trademark high damage and durability. Two of the options here have defined ways to modify the Rage, while one offers a bit more choice to the player.
The Berserker is the most straightforward, changing Rage into a feature called Frenzy. Frenzy works the same as the traditional Barbarian Rage, with the added bonus of giving the character a bonus action attack. Berserkers can use their bonus action to attack with their equipped melee weapon or with an improvised or thrown weapon. A thrown attack is the better option here, since a hit can knock enemies prone, and Taking a melee attack inflicts a level of frenzied tensionGive the barbarian a -1 penalty to attack rolls for one turn.
While most of the Wild Magic effects are positive for the player, they can harm other party members, and their unpredictability makes this ability unreliable.
The Wild Magic Barbarian is a bit more complicated. It infuses the barbarian rage with Wild Magic, meaning that every time it is used, it triggers a surge similar to that of the Wild Magic Sorcerer subclass in BG3. A random magic effect occurs around the Barbarian, and while most of the Wild Magic effects are positive for the player, they can harm other party members, and their unpredictability makes this ability unreliable. The Wild Magic subclass also grants players Magic Awareness, allowing them to grant nearby creatures a bonus to saving throws against spells as an action.
The Wildheart Barbarian offers players more choice
This subclass provides greater freedom for modification
The Wildheart subclass gives players a wide range of choices at level three for how they want to modify their rage. Each is based on the abilities of a certain animal, such as a bear, eagle or wolf. This choice comes with a cosmetic change with certain piercing and bone jewelry available depending on the player’s choice, as well as an aesthetic change to their rage that makes it look as if the outline of the chosen animal is burning into the ground beneath the barbarian’s feet.
More importantly, the five animal options give mechanical improvements to the Rage, ranging from a movement speed increase to advantage on attacks against creatures close to its allies. Each choice has a passive feature like this and an active one, which can be used as an action while raging. These include a jump attack that knocks enemies prone and a howl that buffs allies. The standout choice here is the bearSince it provides resistance to all damage except psychic while raging.
But none of these options can be great, and the subclass is superior to the others at level three for the versatility it offers the barbarian. The Wildheart subclass also offers access to the spell 
Talk to animals
Make it the only feature of any of the options that can and should be used outside of combat. With this, the Wildheart Barbarian has an early lead on the Berserker and Wild Magic subclasses.
Level six barbarian subclass features Level the playing field
Good options for players all around
Every subclass gets some good powers here in the mid game. The Berserker gains immunity to the Charmed and Fear conditions while ragingAnd given how debilitating fear can be at Baldur’s Gate 3This is very useful. It’s a bit plain compared to the others, but the Berserker is undeniably good at being a party tank and damage dealer.
Notably, the abilities of the berserker overlap with those given by the monk, who also receives bonus action attacks and receives an ability to remove conditions such as fear. The Monk is a popular multiclass choice for Barbarians, as the Inn Brawler feat works in-game to their shared benefit, but the Berserker is not the ideal subclass to combine this way.
The Wild Magic subclass gets some more unique features here, with powerful magic. This feature allows barbarians to restore a spell slot of the first and second level To their allies or themselves, in a rare moment when the barbarian can act as a support character. This is nice, if a bit unnecessary given the ability to make potions Baldur’s Gate 3 That restores spell slots, but Wild Magic Barbarians can also use their powerful ability to give themselves or someone else a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls and ability checks for one minute, which can be quite good.
The Wildheart Barbarian again has more choices than other optionsAllowing players to choose between ten animal aspects that provide an additional buff. Some are fairly niche, like the Wolverine aspect, which lets barbarians shut down creatures if they attack them while they’re bleeding or poisoned. Others are more generally useful by providing a small movement buff to nearby creatures. This ability is perhaps difficult to optimize, but it’s fun how players can build their characters and equipment around triggering certain effects.
High-level subclass features range in quality
An enraging power imbalance between barbarian choosy
Here At higher levels, the berserker barbarian actually falls off the railsJust due to how small it gets. At 10th level, the berserker can use an action to force an enemy to make a saving throw or be frightened. Fear is a powerful condition, but the action cost of this ability means that the Barbarian won’t be countered as much. There is also conflict with a certain item, the Bonespike Helmet, which can be found in Act 3 and does the same thing, only better.
Related
In contrast, the Wild Magic Barbarian gets multiple fairly useful features. At level nine, it can restore a third-level spell slot in addition to a first and second. And at level 10, it can use a reaction when you take damage to activate another Wild Magic Surge. That’s fine, because it means that If the initial surge isn’t useful in a given situation, barbarians can choose to replace it with another. This gives a little more control to the powerful but unwieldy subclass.
Finally, at level 10, the Wildheart Barbarian gets to pick up another one of the initial rage-enhancing features it had at level three. This means that The Barbarians can combine powerful buffs in many different ways To create their own unique warriors. They also gain a feature at level eight that makes the barbarian unaffected by difficult terrain. This makes the class more mobile and overall more efficient.
Which barbarian is the strongest?
The subclass that beats the rest into submission
finally, The Wildheart Barbarian stands out as the strongest subclassFor several reasons. At any rate, it provides more options and versatility for the barbarian than the other subclasses do. And it just gives players more to do with their barbarian, with features that can be used more often, especially in the early game.
It is undeniable that Certain Berserker builds can be maxed out to deal more damage. Especially with weapons like 
Nyrulna
and fits like tavern brawlers who lean into their thrown weapon attacks. But outside of damage, the Berserker simply doesn’t have much to offer.
The Wild Magic Barbarian can use his abilities to help his allies at least. This gives it more support abilities than any of the other barbarian options in it Baldur’s Gate 3However The wild magic barbarian’s own features can also get in the party. Ultimately, the Wildheart Barbarian has the most utility and the highest consistent performance, and the fact that it can work well with Barbarian multiclass builds is the cherry on top of this superior subclass.
Source: Larian Studios/YouTube