In Baldur’s Gate 3, we believe that the best roleplaying experiences are those that give you the freedom to embody whoever you want to be – whether that’s a Githyanki Fighter from the Astral Plane, a Tiefling Barbarian recently escaped from Hell, or even just a version of yourself.
Giving players the tools to express themselves in the game has been an important goal for us throughout development. Over the last six years, we’ve added new visual options for you to personalise your character, giving you the freedom to unleash your imagination and create a hero you really resonate with.
But character creation in Baldur’s Gate 3 is more than skin deep. Let’s take a closer look at how your choices made during character creation are reflected in the game and can impact the entire course of your journey throughout the Forgotten Realms.
Next-gen roleplaying
In Baldur’s Gate 3, your experience is shaped not just by what you do in the game but by who you choose to be. And it begins at the character creation screen.
A Wayward Halfling Paladin whose Charlatan ways ensure they struggle to stay true to their oath. An Acolyte Half-Orc Bard with a penchant for lutes and an even bigger one for Blood Sacrifices. In BG3, each playthrough is impacted by the class, race, subclass, and background you’ve chosen during character creation, ensuring that your character’s journey is as unique as they are.
Characters you meet on the road can react differently to you based on these factors. Some may welcome you in as kin, a Tiefling among Tieflings, and offer special insights that will benefit you later on. Others may immediately have you in their targets, like a follower of Selune in a temple of Shar, and seek only to take you down–unless you can convince them otherwise.
Background goals are a series of hidden goals to be unlocked by leaning in to your roleplayed character. An Entertainer yearns for an audience, and might want to try performing a play with an automaton or become the muse of the Bard Alfira. A Folk Hero wants their legend to grow, and is rewarded for good deeds and grand rescues.
Your character’s class build and ancestry are also reflected in the ways they can interact with the world around them, through situational dialogue, reactions to particular environments, and insights pulled from their backgrounds. A Githyanki Cleric may have the knowledge needed to sow peace between long-warring clans. A Tiefling Barbarian may only know how to stoke the fires of their ancient tension.
So exactly how much does your character’s reactivity add to your experience? Well, to put it into perspective, in BG3, players have a choice of 12 classes, 11 races, and 46 subclasses, as well as 12 character backgrounds to give context to their character and heighten certain skills. And there are over 200 dialogue responses tailored specifically for the Duergar subclass alone. While the level of reactivity will vary between each race and class, each combination will greatly impact how you experience Faerûn.
Every adventure needs a hero, every hero needs an identity
What does a hero look like? In Baldur’s Gate 3, we’ve given players the power to customise everything from freckle patterns and scars to the colour of each individual eye.
With the dynamic vitiligo slider, players can finely adjust their character’s appearance to reflect this unique skin condition.
The greying hair slider & ageing slider ensures that age is not limited to presets but can be customised precisely to each player’s liking.
Players can also customise the size of their character, with strong body types available for most of the playable races–a feature that can turn a conventionally lanky Elf into an imposing figure.
Craft your own style
You’ll also find a rich variety of hair options at the customisation screen, letting you colour your mane any hue from neon pink to an Oppenheimer shade of existential-dread black, and even add a secondary highlight colour throughout.
With 66 hairstyles at the ready, there’s a lot to experiment with on the follicle side of fantasy. Hair is available for every race and body type across the board, and isn’t restricted by body type. A hulking Half-Orc can sport the adorable braids of a milkmaid. A Halfling can have the hair of a Viking warrior. An ethereal Half-Elf can wear the sharp angular bob of someone who wants to speak to your manager. The choice is in your hands.
You’ll also spot options to choose your body type, gender, appearance, voice and pronouns all independently from each other, allowing you the freedom to create a character that best represents you or the character you want to roleplay, without constraints.
Character creation is just the beginning of the epic roleplaying journey you’re about to join. There are no limits to your adventure, and we’re excited to see the incredible stories you’ll create–each one as unique as the characters you’ve crafted.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is out now on PlayStation 5.
