The Barbarian Rogue multiclass in Baldur's Gate 3 offers a potent blend of raw power, survivability, and tactical flexibility. It leverages the Barbarian's Rage for damage and resistance, combined with the Rogue's Sneak Attack and Cunning Actions for burst damage and utility.
Core Synergies
- Reckless Attack & Sneak Attack: Barbarian's Reckless Attack grants advantage on melee weapon attacks, which in turn enables the Rogue's Sneak Attack (provided a finesse or ranged weapon is used for the Sneak Attack, or the attack otherwise qualifies). This is a foundational synergy for consistent high damage.
- Damage Resistance & Evasion: While Raging, Barbarians gain resistance to physical damage (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing). Higher-level Rogues gain Evasion, allowing them to take half damage from many area-of-effect spells on a failed Dexterity save, and no damage on a successful one. This combination significantly boosts survivability.
- Enhanced Mobility: Barbarians gain increased movement speed, and Rogues can use Cunning Action: Dash as a bonus action. This pairing creates a highly mobile character capable of quickly positioning for attacks or escaping danger.
- Skill Utility: Rogues bring a wealth of skill proficiencies and Expertise, complementing the Barbarian's combat focus with out-of-combat utility.
Subclass Recommendations
Certain subclass combinations excel for this multiclass:
Barbarian Subclasses:
- Wildheart (Bear Heart): Offers resistance to all damage types except psychic while Raging, making the character exceptionally durable. This is a very popular and effective choice for survivability.
- Berserker: Grants Frenzy, allowing an additional melee attack as a bonus action. While powerful, this competes with the Rogue's Cunning Actions and incurs a stack of Frenzied Strain.
- Wild Magic: Adds an element of randomness with Wild Surge effects. Can be fun, but less predictable for optimized builds.
Rogue Subclasses:
- Thief: The Fast Hands feature grants an additional bonus action. This is incredibly strong, allowing for an off-hand attack, Cunning Action, or item use in addition to a main action attack. This is often considered the optimal Rogue subclass for this multiclass.
- Assassin: Excels at initiating combat, gaining advantage against creatures that haven't taken a turn yet, and automatically critting surprised enemies. This synergizes well with a high initiative.
- Arcane Trickster: Provides some spellcasting utility. This can stretch ability scores thin and may be less synergistic than other options unless focusing on utility spells that don't require high spellcasting modifiers.
Ability Score Priorities
Prioritize stats based on your chosen playstyle and weapon focus:
- Strength: Essential for melee attack and damage rolls if using Strength-based weapons, and benefits Rage damage bonus.
- Dexterity: Crucial for Armor Class (if unarmored or wearing light armor), Finesse weapon attacks (for Sneak Attack), initiative, and many Rogue skills.
- Constitution: Increases hit points and contributes to Unarmored Defense (if Barbarian is the source).
A common approach is high Strength, followed by good Dexterity and Constitution. If focusing on Finesse weapons for all attacks, Dexterity might take precedence over Strength, though you'd lose the Rage damage bonus on non-Strength attacks (Patch 5 clarified Rage damage bonus applies to Str-based attacks or Dex-based if Str is not higher). Typically, Strength is still preferred for the main damage output.
Example Level Splits
Optimal splits depend on the desired balance of features:
- Barbarian 5 / Rogue 7: A common and balanced split. Barbarian 5 provides Extra Attack and increased movement. Rogue 7 offers more Sneak Attack dice, Evasion, and potentially a subclass feature. (e.g., Bear Heart Barbarian 5 / Thief Rogue 7).
- Barbarian (Berserker or Wildheart) 3-4 / Rogue (Thief) 8-9: Leans more into Rogue features for higher Sneak Attack damage and more skill utility, while still gaining core Rage benefits and subclass features. Barbarian 3 is key for the subclass. Rogue 9 provides another Sneak Attack die.
- Rogue (Thief) 3-4 / Barbarian (Wildheart - Bear) 8-9: Prioritizes Barbarian features for more Rage charges and improved defensive capabilities, while Thief 3/4 provides Fast Hands and an ASI/Feat.
Gameplay & Combat
The general combat flow involves:
- Initiate Rage as a bonus action (or action for Berserker's Frenzy).
- Use your main action to attack, preferably with Reckless Attack to gain advantage.
- This advantage helps trigger Sneak Attack if all other conditions are met (e.g., using a Finesse weapon, or having an ally within 5ft of the target).
- Utilize your bonus action(s) (especially as a Thief) for off-hand attacks, Cunning Action: Dash/Disengage/Hide, or item usage.
Weapon Considerations: While Barbarians traditionally use Strength-based two-handed weapons, this multiclass can effectively dual-wield Finesse weapons (like shortswords or scimitars) to ensure Sneak Attack compatibility, especially if paired with the Thief subclass. If using a Strength-based primary weapon, ensure you have a Finesse weapon available for situations where Sneak Attack is crucial and your main attack misses or is not optimal.
Feats: Consider feats like Savage Attacker, Great Weapon Master (if using two-handed Strength weapons), Athlete (for increased jump distance and mobility), Alert (for initiative, especially for Assassins), or Dual Wielder (if dual-wielding non-light weapons). Ability Score Increases (ASIs) to boost key stats are also very valuable.
