Baldur’s Gate 3 character creator guide – tips for appearance, how to use BG3 Magic Mirror

Looking for a detailed Baldur’s Gate 3 character creator guide? With nearly a dozen races and almost 50 subclasses, this game makes creating your character a tall task. Each choice has a meaningful impact on how you interact with the Dungeons and Dragons title.

Don’t let that put you off Larian Studios’ PC and PlayStation 5 RPG, though. Baldur’s Gate 3 classes like Rogues and Fighters are great starting picks. Knowing all the stats will let you pick from Baldur’s Gate 3 races. Our detailed Baldur’s Gate 3 review will give you a good idea of what to expect. We’ve also got more tips on Baldur’s Gate 3 cheats. Here’s all the information in one place so that you can design the character of your dreams.

How to create your character in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Using the character creator in Baldur’s Gate 3 involves selecting your hero’s Origin, Background, Race, Class, Skills, and Abilities. This process happens on both PC and PS5. Each of these has an impact on how your character interacts with the world.

While some of these can be changed after you begin the D&D game, you can’t change your race or origin once you start a playthrough. Baldur’s Gate 3 shows off an incredible level of inclusivity and diversity with a range of visual and performance options. Read on to know more about customizing your character in the game.

How to use the Magic Mirror in Baldur’s Gate 3?

The Magic Mirror in your camp lets you change your character’s appearance at any time in Baldur’s Gate 3 for no cost. Note that this doesn’t change permanent body modifications like receiving an eye from Baldur’s Gate 3 Auntie Ethel.

Earlier, you couldn’t change your visual appearance after starting the game. Larian Studios has now resolved that issue. Michael Douse, director of publishing at Larian, stated that “things are being cooked.” Patch 3 brings the Magic Mirror right to your camp.

Tips on creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3

Here are some tips that will help with character creation in BG3:

• Pick the right class based on how you’d like to interact with the world. Fighters and Barbarians are great at direct melee combat but if you’d like to sneak past enemies or be a spellcaster, Baldur’s Gate 3 has those options. The Rogue’s sneak attack can make short work of enemies.
• Try picking backgrounds that compensate for the lack of proficiency in specific skills. For example, a Rogue could benefit from the Sage background as it offers History and Arcana proficiency.
• Assign ability scores based on how you’d like to shape the world of Faerun. While this mostly boils down to your class, you can tinker with modifiers until you’re satisfied with the outcome. And you can always stray from conventional builds by buffing up frail characters or making them even weaker in exchange for power.
• Remember that you can respec in Baldur’s Gate 3 to modify your class. You can even multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3 to take advantage of different class features.

And with that, here’s how to create your character in Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC and PS5.

BG3 character creator explained

Read on for detailed explanations on what each tab does in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Origin

The Origin tab lets you pick from a handful of Origin characters, letting you start the game as one of them instead of a custom character. Each character has its own unique backstory and dialogue choices. It’s a testament to how fleshed out the game’s side characters and companions are. Here are the Origin characters in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Astarion – High Half-Elf Rogue
• Lae’zel – Githyanki Fighter
• Gale – Human Wizard
• Shadowheart –
• Wyll – High Half-Elf Trickery Domain Cleric
• Karlach – Zariel Tielfling Barbarian
• The Dark Urge – custom character

Background

Backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3 let you characters have a past. It grants a Proficiency bonus to two skills. For example, an Acolyte has a bonus for Insight and Religion checks. Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 backgrounds for more on inspiration goals and how they factor into backgrounds. Here’s a list of all Baldur’s Gate 3 backgrounds:

• Acolyte – You have spent your life in service to a temple, learning sacred rites and providing sacrifices to the god or gods you worship. Gain proficiency in Insight and Religion.
• Charlatan – You’re an expert in manipulation, prone to exaggeration and more than happy to profit from it. Gain proficiency in Deception and Sleight of Hand.
• Criminal – You have a history of breaking the law and survive by leveraging less-than-legal connections. Gain proficiency in Deception and Stealth.
• Entertainer – You live to sway and subvert your audience, engaging common crowds and high society alike. Gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance.
• Folk Hero – You’re a champion of the common people, challenging tyrants and monsters to protect the helpless. Gain proficiency in Animal Handling and Survival.
• Guild Artisan – Your skill in a particular craft has earned you membership in a mercantile guild, offering privileges and protection while engaging in your art. Gain proficiency in Insight and Persuasion.
• Noble – You were raised in a family among the social elite, accustomed to power and privilege. Gain proficiency in History and Persuasion.
• Outlander – You grew up in the wilds, learning to survive far from the comforts of civilization. Gain proficiency in Athletics and Survival.
• Sage – You are curious and well-read, with an unending thirst for knowledge. Gain proficiency in Arcana and History.
• Soldier – You are trained in battlefield tactics and combat, having served in a militia, mercenary company, or officer corps. Gain proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation.
• Urchin – You are trained in battlefield tactics and combat, having served in a militia, mercenary company, or officer corps. Gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand and Stealth.

Race

Your race in Baldur’s Gate 3 impacts how you interact with the world and vice versa. Some characters might favour interactions with specific races while others might subject you to racist remarks. There’s no right or wrong answer.

Your race will also offer a few bonuses to abilities, spells, weapon proficiencies, and resistances. Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 races and subraces guide for an in-depth look at racial features, ability bonuses, and subrace features. For example, dwarves are resistant to poison damage. Here’s a list of all the Baldur’s Gate 3 races and subraces:

• Dragonborn – 10 subraces with unique attack and resistance
• Drow – Lolth Drow, Seldarine Drow
• Dwarf – Gold Dwarf, Shield Dwarf, Duergar
• Elf – High Elf, Wood Elf
• Githyanki
• Gnome – Deep Gnome, Forest Gnome, Rock Gnome
• Halfling – Lightfoot Halfling, Strongheart Halfling
• Half-elf – High Half-elf, Wood Half-elf, Drow Half-elf
• Half-orc
• Human
• Tiefling – Asmodeus Tiefling, Asmodeus Tiefling, Zariel Tiefling

Class

Classes determine your skill proficiencies, weapon, and armor proficiencies. Magic users can also pick which spells and cantrips they can use. Subclasses offer even more unique variants to customize your playstyle. Read our Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses guide to learn more about class features, spells, and weapon proficiencies. Some classes let you gain proficiency with weapons like the rapier, hand crossbow, and longsword.

Classes also determine spell slots for lightning spells or the occasional Mage Hand. It also offers unique options like the Druid’s Wild Shape and the Barbarian’s Rage option. Most classes can handle simple weapons but more melee-focused classes like Paladins will have access to far more than a dagger. Here’s a list of all of Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses:

• Cleric – Knowledge Domain, Life Domain, Light Domain, Nature Domain, Tempest Domain, Trickery Domain, War Domain
• Fighter – Battle Master, Eldritch Knight, Champion
• Ranger – Hunter, Beast Master, Gloom Stalker
• Rogue – Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Thief
• Warlock – Archfey, The Fiend, The Great One
• Wizard – Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy, Illusion, Transmutation
• Druid – Land, Moon, Spores
• Barbarian – Berserker, Wildheart, Wild Magic
• Bard – Lore, Valor, Swords
• Sorcerer – Wild Magic, Draconic Bloodline, Storm Sorcery
• Paladin – Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Devotion, Oath of Vengeance, Oathbreaker
• Monk – Open Hand, Shadow, Four Elements

Skills

Skills let you interact with Dungeons and Dragons’ Forgotten Realms setting and its inhabitants. They are largely dependent on your abilities. Skill checks are an essential part of navigating the world, speaking to people, or engaging in combat.

Check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 abilities guide to learn how they improve your skills in the game. You gain a +2 to a skill if you are proficient in it. Picking the right background, race, or class can have this effect. Here are the abilities in Baldur’s Gate 3 with the skills they influence:

• Strength – Athletics
• Dexterity – Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
• Constitution
• Intelligence – Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Religion
• Wisdom – Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Survival
• Charisma – Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion

Abilities

Ability scores are the final part of the character creator in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can add or subtract points to gain bonuses for skill checks and dice rolls. The character has a pre-allocated number of points to tinker with. Before you begin, you can opt for the recommended values or tinker to your heart’s content. There are six core abilities in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Strength – denotes a character’s raw power
• Dexterity – measures agility
• Constitution – showcases health
• Intelligence – shows off your character’s smarts
• Wisdom – considers intuition and common sense
• Charisma – general likeability, better dialogue options

And here’s how these values impact your Dungeons & Dragons dice rolls:

• A value of 8 grants a -1 modifier.
• A value of 10 grants a +0 modifier.
• A value of 12 grants a +1 modifier.
• A value of 14 grants a +2 modifier.
• A value of 16 grants a +3 modifier.
• A value of 18 grants a +4 modifier.
• A value of 20 grants a +5 modifier.

These modifiers help you perform actions in Faerun. These also help with important dialogue options and environmental interactions. During combat, spells require you to make saving throws to negate some of their effects. These dice rolls also depend on these stat modifiers.

That covers everything you need to know about the character creator in Baldur’s Gate 3. The game’s rich flexibility can be augmented with Baldur’s Gate 3 mods to unlock even more customization. And if you’re just entering the world of Faerun, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 multiplayer guide to bring some adventurers along. This best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build guide will come in handy if you’re looking to protect your friends with metamagic.

How many races will be in Baldur’s Gate 3?

There are 11 different races in Baldur’s Gate 3.

How many playable characters are in Baldur’s Gate 3?

There are seven playable origin characters in Baldur’s Gate 3.