Baldur's Gate 3 All Playable Races

There are many races in Baldur's Gate 3 to be more specific: 11 races with a total of 31 subraces. That offers a vast variety to choose from and sheer endless possibilities to play your game, considering that there will be 12 classes with 46 subclasses there's a big potential of replaying the game. Of course, you could play as a human like yourself, but it's a role playing game – so why not be something different?

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Faerûn inhabits many races. Some are more common than others, and some are more liked than others. Each race has their individual perks and deficiencies, and not all of them have a subrace. While the early access is already available, not all of the listed races are. Some of them, like the Dragonborns and Half-Orcs, will be added at launch on August 3.

All Races In Baldur's Gate 3

The race of your character doesn't just set your basic stats, but also determines how you'll be perceived by different people, groups and civilizations. So, choosing your race will be the first of many impactful decisions on your journey in Baldur's Gate 3. It will also influence the dialogue options available for you later on in the game and how the NPCs react to you.

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We'll start with the races with the lowest number of subraces.

Humans

Your own race (I assume) is the most common race in Faerûn. They are a jack of all trades, with a +1 on all of their skills and a basic move speed of 9 meters per turn. Humans are said to be creative, adaptable and tenacious. Since they aren't as long-lived as other races, their memory of history is pretty different. Events that elves and dwarves have lived through and remember it from their own perspective are just stories to humans, if they remember them at all.

In an interview, the devs said that humans would get their own specific features with launch to make them more interesting.

Githyanki

Their origin lies on the Astral plane, where the proud martial Githyanki were once enslaved by mind flayers (those tentacle guys). Now they're the mortal enemies and known for their silver weapons and dragon riders. While there are two races in D&D, in Baldur's Gate 3 there are only the githyanki represented, mostly through Lae'zel, one of the origin characters. Like humans, they have a basic move speed of 9 meters per turn.

In difference to humans, they already have specific features:

• Martial Prodigy: They're trained with light and medium armor, short-, long-, and greatswords
• Mage Hand, Psionics Cantrip: Available since level 1. You can create a spectral, invisible hand that can interact and manipulate objects.
• Jump, Psionics Spell: Available with level 3. By touching a creature, you can triple its jumping distance one time per long rest.
• Misty step, Psionics Spell: Available with level 5. Surround yourself with silver mists and teleport to an unoccupied space where you can see within range one time per long rest.

Half-Orcs

Half-Orcs are, well, half human and half orc, as their tusks indicate. Thanks to their orcish heritage, they're known to act before they think, which can show as acts of protection, selflessness and loyalty but probably will either way lead to battle. They're the most resilient race and can do the highest weapon damage in the game, since they triple the dice for crits.

Their specific features are:

• Relentless Endurance, Trait: Once per long rest if you're reduced to 0 hit points but not outright killed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
• Savage Attacks, Trait: Should you score a critical hit with a melee weapon, you can re-roll one of the damage dices and add it as extra damage.

These are the known features but probably they'll also have:

• Menacing, Trait: You get proficiency at Intimidation.
• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.

Elves

Like humans, elves are one of the more common races in Faerûn. Other than humans, they're long-lived and even though you can't determine the age of your character, as an elf you'll be more far-sighted than a human. There are two subraces of elves, and they are among the most picked races during early access. On the one hand we've got the High Elves, who are very affine to magic, even those who do not practice. Wood Elves on the other hand are at home in the forests of Faerûn and said to be swift, wise and stealthy.

All elves have some features in common:

• Keen Senses, Trait: You're skilled in Perception.
• Fey Ancestry, Trait: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being charmed and can't be put to sleep through magic.
• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.
• Elven Weapon Training: You're skilled with long- and shortswords and long- and shortbows.

In addition to that, High Elves can choose one of 13 Cantrips to begin the game with, whereas Woold Elves get the Mask of the Wild, a trait, which grants proficiency in Stealth they have also a higher movement speed with 11 meters.

Drow

Drow are outsiders in Faerûn and mostly despised which will affect how NPCs react to you (spoiler, they don't like you). There are two subraces, the Lolth Drow, marked with red eyes through their sworn goddess Lolth and the Seldarine Drow who fight against Lolth's corruption, worshiping the goddess Eilistraee who seeks balance between the races. Technically they're elves but due to the reactivity towards drows Larian Studios decided to make them their own race.

Their elvish ancestry is visible in their features:

• Keen Senses, Trait: You're skilled in Perception.
• Fey Ancestry, Trait: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being charmed and can't be put to sleep through magic.
• Superior Darkvision, Trait: Your Darkvision is twice as far as the normal (24 meters instead of 12)
• Dancing Lights, Evocation Cantrip: Available since level 1. You can create a wisp of light that illuminates a 12-meter radius.
• Faerie Fire, Evocation Spell: Available with level 3. Once a long rest, you can make multiple targets visible and Attack Rolls against the target have Advantage.
• Darkness, Evocation Spell: Available with level 5. Once per long rest, you can create a cloud of magical darkness to heavily obscure and blind creatures within. Creatures can't make ranged attacks out of this darkness, nor can they make ranged attacks into it.

As you see, there are no differences between features and abilities of Lolth and Seldarine Drows, but there will be special dialogue options based on their identities.

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Halflings

You'll probably think of Lord of the Rings when you hear about halflings. The ones in Baldur's Gate 3 aren't as cozy as the ones from Tolkien. Because they're small and often overlooked, they make good thieves. There are two subraces of the halflings, one being the Lightfoot Halflings who are great at socializing and as the name suggests great at being lightfooded and the Strongheart Halflings which are more resilient, legends say due to dwarven blood.

They all share the following features:

• Lucky, Trait: If you roll a 1 for an Attack Roll, Ability Check or a Saving Throw you can reroll but have to take the new roll.
• Brave, Trait: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Frightened.

In addition to that, Lightfoot Halflings have the Naturally Stealthy trait, which makes them skilled in Stealth and the Strongheart Halflings have the Strongheart Resilience trait, which grants them Advantage on Saving Throws against poison and resistance to poison damage. Since they're small, they only have a basic movement speed of 7.5 meters.

Dwarves

Dwarves are very compact and make a good tank. They're exactly what you'd expect from dwarves in a high fantasy setting. While they're also smaller than humans, they aren't as throwable as halflings. The dwarves come with three subraces which all have a movement speed of 7.5 meters.

The Gold Dwarves, also called Hill Dwarves sometimes, are wiser than the others and hardened. Then there are the Shield or Mountain Dwarves who suffered many defeats to goblins and orcs and want to restore their old homelands. Last but not least, we've got the Duergar who were once enslaved by the mind flayers they lived in the Underdark for centuries and have taken a different appearance.

All dwarves share the features:

• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.
• Dwarven Resilience, Trait: You have resistance to poison damage and Advantage on Saving Throws against poison.

The Gold Dwarves have the additional trait Dwarven Toughness which increases the hit point maximum by 1 every time you gain a level and the Duergar get the Psionic Fortitude trait which grants Advantage on Saving Throws to avoid/end the condition "charmed" or "stunned." Also, the Duergar have the ability to increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1 or increase three different scores by 1 when determining your character's ability scores.

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Tieflings

Due to their demonic ancestry and connections to Asmodeus, the overlord of the Nine Hells, Tieflings are usually outcasts. This and their frightening appearance makes them often the victims of prejudice. They also come with three subraces. The Asmodeus Tieflings are bound to the deepest level of Hells, while Mephistopheles Tieflings possess an affinity for the arcane arts. Zariel Tieflings are more skilled in martial strength than the other two but maintain an affinity for fire magic. Tieflings are like Elves among the Top 3 most picked races during early access.

They all share two features:

• Hellish Resistance, Trait: You're resistant to fire damage, abyssal or otherwise.
• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.

Special features of Asmodeus Tieflings:

• Thaumaturgy, Transmutation Cantrip: Available since level 1. You can manifest a sign of supernatural power to get Advantage on Intimidation and Performance.
• Hellish Rebuke, Evocation Spell: Available with level 3. The next time you take damage you can use your reaction to surround your attacker in hellish flames that deal (obviously) fire damage. The enemy still takes half damage with a successfull save. You can use this once per long rest.
• Darkness, Evocation Spell: Available with level 5. Once per long rest, you can create a cloud of magical darkness to heavily obscure and blind creatures within. Creatures can't make ranged attacks out of this darkness, nor can they make ranged attacks into it.

Special features of Mephisopheles Tieflings:

• Mage Hand, Conjuration Cantrip: Available since level 1. Create a spectral hand to manipulate objects.
• Burning Hands, Evocation Spell: Available with level 3. You shoot fire from your fingers, once per long rest. The target enemy still takes half damage with a successfull saving throw.
• Flame Blade, Evocation Spell: Available with level 5. You can conjur a flaming scimitar that sheds a bright light in a 3 meter radius and a dim light in a 6 meter radius. It deals fire damage and stays until your next long rest, can be equipped and unequipped as long as it stays on the spellcaster.

Special features of Zariel Tieflings:

• Thaumaturgy, Transmutation Cantrip: Available since level 1. You can manifest a sign of supernatural power to get Advantage on Intimidation and Performance.
• Searing Smite, Evocation Spell: Available with level 3. It marks a target once a long rest with Searing Smite, while dealing extra fire damage. The target with Searing Smite takes fire damage every turn until it gets a successfull saving throw.
• Branding Smite, Evocation Spell: Available with level 5. Unlike other Smite Spells this one works once per long rest with ranged weapons too. You mark your target with light, preventing it from turning invisible.

Half-Elves

Half-Elves are also among the most picked races during the early access. Due to their split heritage they're pretty relatable for players with their human side, but half elves often struggle to fit into human society – or elven society. The just don't fit anywhere properly. As there are three elven races (yes, the Drow count as elves, don't tell them) there are three half-elven subraces.

All Half-Elves share the following features:

• Ability Improvement: You can select two ability scores were you gain a +1 bonus.
• Fey Ancestry, Trait: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being charmed and can't be put to sleep through magic.
• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.

As their elven counterparts, High Half-Elves get to choose a Cantrip and Wood Half-Elves have the Mask of the Wild and greater movement speed. Drow Half-Elves get Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire and Darkness.

Gnomes

Gnomes are known for their inventiveness and talent in tinkering. They're distant cousins of the Dwarves and despite that very throwable, being just slightly taller than halflings. As all small creatures, their movement speed is only 7.5 meters and they come in three subraces, the Deep Gnomes, who live in the Underdark and are obviously very stealthy, the Forest Gnomes, with a strong affinity for magic and the Rock Gnomes, the most common variant.

They all share this feature:

• Gnome Cunning, Trait: You have Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma Saving Throws.

The Deep Gnomes have additionally:

• Superior Darkvision, Trait: Your Darkvision is twice as far as the normal (24 meters instead of 12)
• Stone Camuflage, Trait: You have Advantage on Stealth checks.

The Forest Gnomes got:

• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.
• Speak with Animals, Divination Spell: Available since level 1. You can verbally communicate with beasts and understand them.

And last but not least, the Rock Gnomes:

• Darkvision, Transmutation Spell: Available at level 2. You can grant a creature Darkvision once per long rest.
• Artificer's Lore, Trait: You can add twice your Proficiency Bonus to History checks.

Dragonborn

The biggest part of the 31 subraces belongs to Dragonborns alone. It is said that they're descendants from real dragons, so their color determines different abilities and traits. They come from another world in the Forgotten Realms and are often perceived as strangers in Faerûn.

They all share the same features:

• Draconic Ancestry, Trait: You can chose your type of dragon which determines the damage and area of your breath weapon as well as the type of resistance you gain.
• Brath Weapon: You can use your action to exhale. This deals damage according to your Ancestry. All creatures in the affected area must make a saving throw, while the DC for this saving throw is 8 + you custom modifier + your Proficiency bonus. With a successful save the creature still takes half the damage. You can use it again after a rest (short or long).

These were all races and subraces available in Baldur's Gate 3 with launch on August 3.