Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally heading to early access on Oct. 6. On Friday, developer Larian Studios detailed the classes and races that will be available at launch.
According to a post from Larian, the early access version of the game will come with 16 playable races and subraces. That’s quite a few, actually. When you compare it to the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Player’s Handbook, which only includes nine races. Additionally, character building appears to hew toward the original implementation of race and class, and not the optional revised systems available in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything — due out on Nov. 17.
Races like the drow and the githyanki, the developer explains, are more alien to Faerûn’s Sword Coast — where the game is set — which means you’ll have very different interactions with non-player characters. There’s also an in-depth character customizer to make sure that you’re character looks exactly the way you want them to in the game’s elaborate cutscenes.
Here’s the full list of races and subraces, and a little bit about them from Larian Studios:
The most common face to see in Faerûn, humans are known for their tenacity, creativity and endless capacity for growth. They live fully in the present — making them well-suited to the adventuring life — but also plan for the future, striving to leave a lasting legacy.
Githyanki are peerless warriors from the Astral Plane, known for their legendary silver blades and red dragon mounts. They seek the total destruction of mind flayers, whose ancient empire enslaved the githyanki for millennia.
High Elf: Heirs of the mystical Feywild, high elves value magic in all its forms. Even those who do not study spellcraft can manipulate the Weave.
Wood Elf: Wood elves spend their reclusive lives in Faerûn’s forests. Decades of training in archery and camouflage are enhanced by an otherworldly swiftness.
Seldarine Drow: Drow are the result of an ancient schism between the elven deities Corellon Larethian and Lolth. The latter’s treachery drove the drow into the Underdark, where they splintered into warring factions. Seldarine drow can be found seeking allies from all over Faerûn, aiming to settle their conflict with Lolth — and each other — by any means necessary.
Lolth-Sworn Drow: Raised by Lolth’s cult in the city of Menzoberranzan, these drow extol the virtues of their corrupt and merciless goddess. Lolth marks her followers with bright red eyes so the Underdark will learn to fear drow on sight.
High Half-Elf: A touch of the Feywild remains in half-elves with this bloodline. Even those untrained in magic possess a hint of wild power.
Wood Half-Elf: Like their wood elf parents, these half-elves have a quickened stride and eye for stealth. Yet many break away from isolation in Faerûn’s forests to explore the rest of the Realms.
Drow Half-Elf: Most half-drow result from liaisons between Seldarine drow and surfacers. While half-drow inherit a few magical gifts, they aren’t usually raised in the Underdark.
Gold: Gold dwarves are known for their confidence and keen intuition. The culture of their Deep Kingdom values family, ritual and fine craftsmanship.
Shield: Shield dwarves survived a long fall from grace, surrendering many of their ancient kingdoms in wars with goblins and orcs. These losses have led to a cynical mindset, yet shield dwarves will endure anything to restore their ancestral homelands.
Lightfoot Halfling: Lightfoot halflings are stealthy but social, travelling all over Faeûn to make names for themselves.
Strongheart Halfling: Legends say dwarven blood gave stronghearts their hardiness. Resistant to poison and wellsprings of endurance, these halflings easily hold their own.
Asmodeus Tiefling: Bound to Nessus, the deepest layer of the Hells, these tieflings inherit the ability to wield fire and darkness from the archdevil Asmodeus’ infernal bloodline.
Mephistopheles Tiefling: Descended from the archdevil Mephistopheles, these tieflings are gifted with a particular affinity for arcane magic.
Zariel Tiefling: Tieflings from Zariel’s bloodline are empowered with martial strength and can channel searing flame to punish their enemies.
As for classes, early access will have plenty of options on that front as well. There will be six classes that players can choose from, each with at least two subclasses available as well. By mixing and matching both races and classes, there will be dozens of combinations that fans can play around with before the game’s full release.
Here are all the classes coming to Baldur’s Gate 3 early access:
- Cleric
- Fighter
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Warlock
- Wizard
Along with all these customization options, Baldur’s Gate 3 early access will also include plenty of actual gameplay content from the game’s first act. According to Larian this means somewhere around 25 hours of content, and nearly 600 NPCs to be talked to scattered across the game world. Players will be able to explore the world alone in single player, or as a party of up to four in multiplayer.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch on Stadia, Steam, and GOG for $59.99. Players can buy the game when early access begins to start playing immediately, or they can wait and buy the game for the same price when it’s fully released sometime in the future.
