Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3gives players the option of six playable Origins, each with their own unique backstory, motivations, and personalities. This is for players who don’t wish to put too much thought into roleplaying, or who want to experience the story from the perspective of one of the other companions. Unlike the Dark Urge, who is customizable but comes with a backstory, a fully Custom character is a blank slate. Affectionately called “Tav” by theBaldur’s Gate 3community, Custom characters are a popular choice for first-time players.
Creating a Custom Character in Baldur’s Gate 3
Roleplay is a Necessity
One of the benefits of playing aCustom character is the potential for roleplaying. Because of the blank slate a Custom character offers, it allows the player to create any kind of character with the imagination as the only limit. This room for roleplaying does come with drawbacks, however, as Custom characters can feel flat and disconnected if the player doesn’t create a compelling personality, background, and connections for them withinBaldur’s Gate 3. Deciding on the character’s motivations, personality, and life until the events ofBaldur’s Gate 3will do wonders for creating a compelling Custom character.
Pick a Race
While the Origins are limited in their selection of races, Custom characters can be any of the races and subraces on offer in character creation. Picking a race determines the culture of the character, many dialogue options, and how other characters perceive the Custom character.Races inBaldur’s Gate 3also have certain traits, such as movement speed, resistance to certain elements or poisons and diseases, or spells and abilities. Any race makes sense for a Custom character and they all fit seamlessly into the world ofBaldur’s Gate 3.
Integrating a Character Into the World of Baldur’s Gate 3
Pick a Background
Backgrounds inBaldur’s Gate 3serve to inform the character’s past and consistency in their actions throughout the story. Acting in character rewards the player with Inspiration Points, which gives the player the chance to reroll failed Ability checks. Backgrounds also have a more practical function and provide Proficiency Bonuses in certain skills, making certain Ability checks easier to pass. Picking a background also gives some guidance for creating an interesting character, especially if the player is stuck during the character creation process.
Create a Backstory
The Origin characters have the benefit of having their background reiterated throughoutBaldur’s Gate 3through dialogue and various characters. Anydialogue referencing a Custom characteris solely related to their class and race, while there aren’t any characters with links to them. All roleplaying and created backstory for a Custom character will exist solely in the player’s head for the duration ofBaldur’s Gate 3. It’s for this reason that it’s important that this backstory is thorough and compelling enough to thread through the entirety of the Custom character’s adventure inBaldur’s Gate 3.
Pick a Class
One of the most important choices to make when building a Custom character inBaldur’s Gate 3is deciding their class. A character’s class determines their role in the party, their spells and abilities, and dialogue choices over the course ofBaldur’s Gate 3. To create a consistent Custom character, their class should align with their backstory. Spellcasters such as Sorcerers and Wizards are typically more challenging to play thanks to the limitations of spell slots, preparing spells before combat, and leveling, while pure combat classes such as Rogue and Fighter are easier to play and level.
Playing a Custom Character in Baldur’s Gate 3
Custom Characters Learn More About The Origin Characters
Ironically, playing as a Custom character means watching the Origin characters' stories play out, rather than making their decisions for them. In this way, the player learns more about their personalities and their stories than they would when they control them, even if some extra information, such asadditional interactions with Gale’s tressym Tara, is only discovered through playing an Origin character.
Dig Deep and Keep Going
Being picked up by the nautiloid and dropped off with a tadpole is just the beginning of an adventure that lasts for dozens of hours. WhileBaldur’s Gate 3gives the player plenty of reason to keep going, it can be easy to run out of steam byAct 3 ofBaldur’s Gate 3, which still has content issues. This is especially a problem for Custom characters, who don’t have any personal ties to Baldur’s Gate in Act 3 through the narrative or other characters. How a Custom character responds to the events of Act 3 and their relationship with other characters could tie back to their Background, Class, Race, and how the player has roleplayed the character until that point.
Consider the Tadpole
The illithid mindflayer tadpole question lies at the heart of much ofBaldur’s Gate 3’s story. Curing it is of vital importance, but the option to absorb more to gain more power appears. This is so well integrated intoBaldur’s Gate 3that tadpole powers even have their own skill tree. Considering the person who encourages the party toabsorb the tadpoles' poweris the enigmatic Dream Visitor, many may not want to do so, but sometimes taking a risk pays off, and some of those tadpole powers are pretty beneficial.
Take Risks
Baldur’s Gate 3has many choices and decisionsfor the player to make, some of them with clear outcomes. Others are not as clear, and while they may seem to be bad or foolish decisions, they actually result in permanent buffs that are incredibly beneficial. Save often and make reckless decisions because sometimes they could result in some great rewards.
Baldur’s Gate 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCEChoose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPICForged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian’s next-generation RPG engine.
