Best Karlach Build In Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of the biggest games of 2023, with its popularity still maintaining a solid player base, and it wasn’t just the gameplay and graphics that got it so much love. The characters were also incredibly memorable, with one of the most popular being Karlach, the Barbarian demon-slayer with a heart of gold.

Karlach has her own storyline and related quests to follow should the protagonist decide to pursue them, and she’s also an Origin character, so the player can also experience her plot as the game’s main protagonist. There are a variety of different builds that players can use to make Karlach even better, which is not easy because she already starts out as one of the game’s best characters.

Updated November 20, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Baldur’s Gate 3 retains most of its fan base more than a year after its initial release, and that is partly due to how much love the game’s characters have received from the fanbase. Karlach was one of many Companions, friends, and lovers from the player’s adventures across the Sword Coast that made it such a memorable experience. According to the numbers on Steam, the player base remains consistent, and although sales have peaked, they still keep coming. For newcomers and experts looking to discover what the best build for Karlach is, this guide provides the answer.

Who Is Karlach?

Tiefling, Barbarian, And Devil’s Advocate

• Meet her in Act I either by chance in the wilderness or through Wyll’s Companion quest

Karlach is one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s origin characters, meaning the player has the option to play as her if desired. However, the player can also simply recruit her during the playthrough of the game. She can be found during Act 1 of the game. To find her, the player must head to the Risen Road, which is located after the Broken Bridge in the Blighted Village.

She’ll specifically be found in the forest at the end of the road. To recruit her, if the player has Wyll, they will have to talk him out of attacking her, as he believes she’s a devil serving Zariel, one of the rulers of the Nine Hells.

Default Karlach

Created As A Companion Or Origin Character

• Karlach is a Barbarian who has yet to choose her subclass when she first meets Tav

“Karlach has escaped ten years of services in the Hells with nothing but the axe on her back – and the infernal blazing furiously where her heart used to be.”

Karlach is part of the Tiefling race, being a Zariel Tiefling, to be specific. Her class is the Barbarian, fitting her fiery nature well and also working well with her high strength. Her class also gives her saving throws in Strength as well as Constitution. The Barbarian class gives her access to Unarmored Defense and Rage from the start, which is extremely useful throughout the game.

Karlach also has the Outlander background, which gives her proficiencies in Athletics and Survival. She also possesses proficiencies in Perception and Intimidation, the latter being extremely useful in some dialogues.

When it comes to her starting statistics, Karlach’s Strength is the highest ability score, followed by Constitution and Dexterity, which is the basic Barbarian blueprint.

Best Karlach Build

Includes Stats And Levels

• When it comes to the best build for Karlach, the player should definitely keep her as a Barbarian, as this class brings Karlach’s power out the most.

When the player first encounters Karlach, she has yet to choose her subclass and is using basic weapons. As soon as she’s recruited into the party, the player can start making changes or follow the basic build that’s already started.

• Level 1 of the Barbarian class will give her Unarmored Defense and Rage.
• At Level 2, Karlach will unlock Dark Sense, which will help her pass dexterity saving throws against traps, spells, and surfaces. She also gets Reckless Attack, which gives both her and her enemies Advantage on attack rolls.
• Level 3 is where things get really interesting, as players will have to pick Karlach’s Barbarian subclass. The player has the option between Wildheart, Berserker, and Wild Magic.

Wildheart allows Karlach to choose a Bestial heart, which is an interesting class subfeature and gives the player a lot to experiment with. Berserker, on the other hand, is more limited but possesses some powerful actions and class subfeatures, such as Frenzy and Mindless Rage. Wild Magic would allow Karlach to access Rage: Wild Magic, and later on, Bolstering Magic. The other two subclasses are powerful in their own regards; however, nothing comes close to the power the Berserker showcases.

• At Levels 4, 8, and 12, the player will pick Feats to help build the character.
• At Level 5, Karlach will unlock Extra Attack. She will also get Fast Movement, which increases the distance she can walk each turn by 3 meters.
• At Level 6, she will be able to use Mindless Rage as a subclass feature, making her Rage unaffected by charming, frightening, or calm emotions. She also receives an additional Rage charge at this level.
• At Level 8, she picks a Feat once again.
• At Level 9, Karlach will have the Brutal Critical feature, allowing her to roll a damage dice after landing a critical hit.
• At Level 10, she will get Intimidating presence as a subclass action, which will cause her target to become fearful.
• At Level 11, she receives Relentless Rage. This will allow her to gain 1 HP instead of downing when her HP reaches 0 while she is enraged.
• At Level 12, she will receive her final additional Rage charge and pick her last feat.

Some good options for her when it comes to feats include
Athlete
, which increases her strength or dexterity, both very useful abilities to her. She will also make great use of
Durable
, as it will increase her constitution, which is essential for a frontline fighter. It also makes her regain all her HP after a short rest. One other feat that can be extremely useful is the
Martial Adept
, which would allow her to learn 2 maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass. Some of the best to learn include Disarming Attack, Goading Attack, and Sweeping Attack.

The Best Multiclass Options For Karlach

Strength And Constitution Are Her Best Abilities

• Consider classes that use light or no armor and melee weapons.

As long as Withers is in camp, Karlach is able to combine her Barbarian ways with another class or change it completely, and some classes are better than others:

• Monk: Karlach has decent Wisdom and Dexterity scores, so she would be a decent Monk, plus both classes use very little in the way of armor. She’s great with weapons but hits hard with unarmed attacks thanks to her high Strength ability score.
• Fighter: Give Karlach more options when it comes to gear by multiclassing her with a Fighter. Now, she can be an effective defender in addition to fighting in melee combat and use almost any weapon she finds.
• Druid: For a more spellcasting-based Karlach build, she has a decent enough Wisdom and Constitution to be a healer or deal more spell-based damage. Many Druid spells are based on Nature or Lightning damage, which are useful for both ranged and melee fighting.
• Ranger: A versatile class that can fill almost any role, the Ranger gives Karlach some basic support spells and better armor and weapon options. A Barbarian-Ranger combination could be savage in melee range given the weapon options.

Best Items For Karlach

Rage Generation, Strength Bonuses, And More Critical Hits

To elevate Karlach’s build to the max, Baldur’s Gate 3 players should definitely equip her well. Some good items include:

• The Everburn Blade: This blade can be acquired during the game’s prologue if the player chooses to fight against Commander Zhalk. Killing him won’t be easy, but the reward is worth it. The uncommon greatsword deals 2d6 slashing damage with an extra 1d4 fire damage. This sword also grants Pommel Strike, Lacerate, and Cleave.
• Reason’s Grasp: These uncommon gloves will be very useful for Karlach, as they grant Ever Vigilant, which rewards the player for ending their Rage earlier with 15 extra temporary HP. They can be found very early on at the Risen Road, which makes them more worth it.
• Crusher’s Ring: This rare ring will increase Karlach’s movement speed by 3 meters, which will be extremely useful and allow her to cover a larger area. This ring will be found in the Goblin Camp and is worth looking for.
• Killer’s Sweetheart: This very rare ring will allow Karlach to land a critical hit on her next attack after killing an enemy. This effect is usable once per long rest.
• Haste Helm: This rare helmet will allow Karlach to start each combat with momentum for the duration of 3 turns. It can also be found early on, not far from the Waypoint next to the Blighted Village.
• Balduran’s Giantslayer: Perhaps the best endgame weapon for Karlach, this legendary greatsword offers 2d6 + 3 slashing damage, and it allows for double the damage when using the strength modifier of Karlach. It also grants an advantage against larger creatures when it comes to attack rolls. With it, Karlach will also have Pommel Strike, Lacerate, Cleave, as well as Topple the Big Folk.