Best Backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3

In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are a variety of Backgrounds to choose from when creating your character. With such a range available, it can often be tricky to identify the best choices among them, as well as which ones may work for a specific Race, alignment, or Class. If you’re looking for the best Backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3, we’ve got all the information you’ll need.

What Do Backgrounds Do in Baldur’s Gate 3?

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Backgrounds affect the starting Proficiencies that your character will gain, as well as the addition of two Background Features. Depending on the Background you choose, your character may have slightly different interactions with NPCs and will provide the addition of Quests that can be completed to gain EXP and Inspiration Points.

As Inspiration can be used to re-roll dice when you fail a check, knowing how to gain these points can be crucial for important moments or decisions you need to make along the way. For this reason, your Background is much more important than you may have originally anticipated and will influence the style in which you play your character.

Best Backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3, Explained

While Backgrounds are not restricted to certain Classes or Races in BG3, there are a number of Class + Background combinations that work exceptionally well together due to the Proficiency Bonuses added and the way in which that Background earns Inspiration Points. We’ve summarized the best choices below, listing the best combinations, and explained why they work together so well.

Acolyte + Cleric

Lore and storytelling-wise, the Acolyte Background fits with the Cleric Class exceptionally well, revolving around the character in question having grown up in a temple, earning sacred rites, and providing sacrifices to the Deities they worship. The Cleric Class will choose a Deity they will worship, which will alter the way you interact with the world and certain NPCs, which helps weave the Acolyte background seamlessly into your character from a storytelling perspective.

On top of this, the Acolyte Background receives Proficiency in the Religion Skill, which Clerics will already be strong in thanks to their WIS-focused stats, and Insight, which comes in handy for picking up on lies or predicting events from people and the world around your character.

Criminal or Urchin + Rogue

If you’re planning to do an evil playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3, then the Criminal or Urchin backgrounds can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to securing Inspiration points. Criminal gains Inspiration by getting up to no good, such as stealing, murder, and manipulation. Urchin will gain Inspiration Points by using street smarts, such as disarming traps or picking locks to loot items from inside a tempting chest.

Both of these Background options work perfectly with the Rogue Class thanks to the Skill Proficiencies they offer. Criminals will add Deception and Stealth Proficiency, which is perfect for manipulating and skulking around to steal or hit ambushes on unsuspecting victims. On the other hand, Urchin will add Sleight of Hand and Stealth Proficiency, which is a character’s bread and butter when it comes to everything lockpicking and theft-related.

Folk Hero + Cleric or Druid

Folk Hero is a brilliant choice if you’re planning to do a good, straight-and-narrow type of playthrough, not breaking any laws or causing disturbances in the locations or amongst the people you visit. This Background is also one of the easiest to proc in Baldur’s Gate 3, as it can be triggered simply by saving innocent folk who are in imminent danger. In other words, be a hero, and gain easy Inspiration points. 

Folk Hero pairs very nicely with Cleric or Druid builds due to the Skill Proficiencies it will add to the character in question. With Folk Hero, characters will gain Animal Handling and Survival Proficiency. 

At first, this selection may seem most suited to a Ranger, but these Proficiencies are often gained anyway within this Class. As Cleric and Druid both also prioritize the WIS stat, and Animal Handing + Survival are both WIS-based, the Folk Hero Background is the perfect way to buff these builds with additional Skill Proficiencies.

Soldier + Fighter or Paladin

In this case, perhaps Karlach’s “Hey, Soldier!” could ring true. Soldier is a Background that revolves around using various smart strategies and techniques to survive on the battlefield in favor of earning Inspiration points, which makes it a perfect fit for heavy-hitting Classes that thrive in combat, such as Fighter and Paladin. Both Paladin and Fighter use STR as their priority stat, which also adds to the appeal of a Soldier Background, as the Skill Proficiencies included present a nice little buff for these builds.

Selecting Soldier will enable your character to gain Athletics and Intimidation Proficiencies, which not only work well from a storytelling perspective, but Athletics Proficiency will come in very handy due to utilizing STR, and being the stat responsible for improving Shove, resistance to being shoved, and Jump distance.

Guild Artisan + Sorcerer

In BG3, Guild Artisan is a Background that depends on discovering and repairing rare crafts to gain points of Inspiration. Sorcerers are very powerful Spellcasters utilizing the CHA stat, which is why they pair so nicely with the Guild Artisan Background. In BG3, Gold can often be scarce, meaning you are on a budget with what you buy from Merchants.

However, you may not realize that the stronger your Persuasion Skill is, the more likely the Merchants of Faerun are to add a discount to their wares, making your shopping much cheaper. As Persuasion is a CHA stat, this is already a Sorcerer’s strength, so having Proficiency in this Skill will enable you to benefit even more so. On top of this, you’ll gain Insight Proficiency, which is crucial to identifying lies told by NPCs, or the true intentions of those around you, which is a very handy skill in BG3.

Outlander + Barbarian or Fighter

Characters with the Outlander Background will gain Inspiration points by surviving hazards of the wild, such as dangerous terrains or locations, traps, and more. This pairs perfectly with the likes of a Fighter or Barbarian, as these two Classes often have strong survivability, both inside and outside of combat. With an Outlander Background, you’ll gain Athletics and Survival Proficiency, enabling your character to be that much more reliable in combat and the wilderness alike, with increased Jump, Shove, and Shove resistance, and odds of being unaffected by natural threats.

Charlatan + Rogue or Bard

Similar to the Criminal and Urchin Backgrounds, Charlatan is another Background suited to any devious or evil character you’d like to run in BG3. Characters with a Charlatan background will secure Inspiration points from acts of manipulation, bending the truth, and turning allies against one another.

Charlatan will enable your character to gain Proficiency in both Sleight of Hand and Deception, both of which work perfectly with a thieving, sneaking Rogue. Sleight of Hand can be used to pickpocket foes, while Deception can be used to throw them off your trail in the case that you are caught in the act.

That’s everything you need to know about the best Backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3. For plenty of more guides to assist you on your adventures in Faerun, check out the rest of our content here at Twinfinite. We have a variety of topics to help you overcome the Mindflayer Tadpoles and take down the Absolute, such as 5 must-try Multiclass combinations for your playthrough.