What is the Baldur’s Gate 3 Half-Orc race? It may seem unimaginable that a Half-Orc would exist in the Forgotten Realms. After all, Humans and Orcs have been at each other’s throats for a very, very long time. However, strange things do happen, and so long as you don’t think too hard about how a Half-Orc came to be, you can begin to appreciate the unique features this race can offer a melee-focused warrior.
As one of the more unorthodox Baldur’s Gate 3 races, the Half-Orc presents several challenges to those who choose it as their main character in the Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign. They are tough to kill in combat but only excel when fighting at melee range. Since this RPG game has a wide variety of classes, and the Baldur’s Gate 3 release date is looming, here’s everything you could ever want to know about the Half-Orc.
Half-Orc racial features
Here are the Half-Orc’s racial features:
- Base speed – 7.5 meters per turn
- Strength +2
- Constitution +1
- Darkvision – you can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
- Menacing – you gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
- Relentless Endurance – when you are reduced to zero health points, but not killed outright, you can drop to a single hit point instead. This feature can’t be used again until you finish a long rest.
- Savage Attacks – whenever you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, roll one of the weapon’s damage dice an additional time and add the score as extra damage to the critical hit.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Half-Orc subraces
There are no subraces for the Half-Orc.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Half-Orc spells and cantrips
There are no spells or cantrips for the Half-Orc as a racial bonus.
Best Class for Baldur’s Gate 3 Half-Orc
The best classes for Half-Orc are:
- Barbarian
- Fighter
- Paladin
A Half-Orc has both Orc and Human blood coursing through their veins. However, their green skin and tusks put the fear of the gods in other races, so they tend to live with their Orcish brethren. They have a natural bonus to strength and constitution, so the best Baldur’s Gate 3 classes for them excel in close-combat fighting, such as the Barbarian or Fighter. Barbarian suits this race’s unique features well, as it takes a lot to bring them down. A fighter also does well if the build leans toward the strength stat.
We highly recommend that you avoid dipping your toes into magic where you can, but if you improve your charisma on every level up, you can probably get away with building a Paladin Half-Orc. When coupled with the free Intimidation skill, this can be a viable strategy for avoiding conflict.
Best Baldur’s Gater 3 Half-Orc background
The best backgrounds for a Half-Orc are Soldier and Outlander. Both take advantage of the Half-Orc’s strength buffs, but if you are a Paladin, you should absolutely take the Soldier background as it also gives you an Intimidation bonus, which uses Charisma.
That’s everything you could want to know about the Baldur’s Gate 3 Half-Orc race. When creating the perfect party, ensure your BG3 companions complement your main character with different BG 3 skills and BG3 proficiencies. Of course, you can always change Baldur’s Gate 3 party members anytime you’re at the camp should the situation call for it.