Creating a custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most rewarding things you can do before your first session. Your choices here shape every conversation, every combat encounter, and every story beat that follows. This guide walks you through every step of the custom character creation process in BG3, from choosing your origin and race to locking in your ability scores and finishing your appearance.
Whether you are completely new to the game or jumping into a second playthrough with a different build in mind, this guide covers everything you need to make a character that fits exactly how you want to play.
How to Create Custom Characters in Baldur’s Gate 3: Step-by-Step
Creating a custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3 starts the moment you begin a new game. The game immediately presents you with the character creation screen, organized as a series of choices along the left side of the display. Each section can technically be completed in any order, but following them top to bottom is the most logical approach for new players.
Step 1: Choose Your Origin
The first decision in character creation is your Origin. This screen gives you two paths. You can select one of the pre-built origin characters such as Astarion, Shadowheart, Gale, Lae’zel, Wyll, Karlach, or The Dark Urge, or you can select the Customize option at the top of the list to build your own hero from scratch.
Choosing the Customize option is what creates a true custom character, often referred to by the community as “Tav” after the default character name. Unlike origin characters, a custom Tav gives you complete control over every aspect of your character’s identity, background, and build. Origin characters have fixed races, classes, and backstories that tie into the main narrative in specific ways.
For a first playthrough, a custom character is strongly recommended. You get a richer roleplaying experience because your character starts as a blank slate, meaning all the story revelations hit harder without any pre-loaded expectations.
Step 2: Select Your Race
Once you choose to build a custom character, the next step is selecting a race. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers eleven playable races with a total of 31 options when subraces, bloodlines, and heritages are included.
The available races include:
Human – Versatile and well-rounded, with no specific weakness.
Elf – High perception, Fey Ancestry resistance to charm effects.
Half-Elf – Combines human adaptability with elven traits and extra skill proficiencies.
Dwarf – High Constitution, Darkvision, and strong resistance to poison.
Halfling – Small size, Lucky ability to reroll ones on attack rolls and saving throws.
Gnome – Gnome Cunning gives advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Tiefling – Infernal heritage provides fire resistance and unique spell abilities.
Dragonborn – Draconic ancestry grants an elemental breath weapon and resistance.
Half-Orc – Relentless Endurance lets you survive a killing blow once per rest.
Githyanki – Psionic abilities and built-in proficiency with medium armor and martial weapons.
Drow – Superior Darkvision and access to unique racial spells not available to other elves.
Most races also have subraces that let you specialize further. Your race choice affects dialogue options, NPC reactions, and certain story moments throughout the entire game.
Step 3: Choose Your Class
Class selection is the single most important mechanical decision in BG3 character creation. Your class determines your combat role, available spells or abilities, equipment proficiencies, and how you approach most challenges in the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers twelve classes:
| Class | Role | Key Stat | Playstyle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Melee damage | Strength | Rage-fueled brawler |
| Bard | Support and magic | Charisma | Flexible jack-of-all-trades |
| Cleric | Healing and support | Wisdom | Divine spellcaster |
| Druid | Nature magic | Wisdom | Shapeshifter and summoner |
| Fighter | Melee and ranged | Strength or Dexterity | Reliable combat specialist |
| Monk | Unarmed combat | Dexterity and Wisdom | Fast, mobile striker |
| Paladin | Melee and healing | Strength and Charisma | Holy warrior |
| Ranger | Ranged and tracking | Dexterity and Wisdom | Hunter and explorer |
| Rogue | Stealth and damage | Dexterity | Sneak attack specialist |
| Sorcerer | Offensive magic | Charisma | Raw magical power |
| Warlock | Pact magic | Charisma | Dark patron spellcaster |
| Wizard | Versatile magic | Intelligence | Broadest spell selection |
Each class also has subclasses that unlock as you level up, adding another layer of specialization. From experience, new players tend to have the easiest time with Fighter or Paladin due to their straightforward mechanics. Wizards and Sorcerers reward players who understand the spell system but can feel overwhelming at first.
Step 4: Set Your Ability Scores
Ability scores define your character’s fundamental strengths and weaknesses. There are six core stats in BG3, each governing a different aspect of gameplay:
Strength – Melee attack rolls, carrying capacity, Athletics checks.
Dexterity – Ranged attacks, Armor Class with light armor, Stealth and Acrobatics.
Constitution – Maximum hit points and concentration spell checks.
Intelligence – Wizard spells, Arcana, History, and Investigation checks.
Wisdom – Cleric and Druid spells, Perception, Insight, and Animal Handling.
Charisma – Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation, Bard and Warlock spells.
The game uses a point buy system by default. You start with a base score of 8 in every stat and receive 27 points to distribute. Each increase costs one point up to a score of 13, and two points per increase from 14 to 15.
The key principle here is to focus your highest stats on what your class actually needs. A common mistake is spreading points too evenly across all six stats, which results in a character who is mediocre at everything instead of strong where it matters most.
[Suggested Visual: Recommended ability score distributions per class in a clean comparison table]
Step 5: Choose Your Background
Your background reflects your character’s history before the game’s events. It grants two skill proficiencies and affects roleplaying options throughout your playthrough.
Available backgrounds include Acolyte, Charlatan, Criminal, Entertainer, Folk Hero, Guild Artisan, Hermit, Noble, Outlander, Sage, and Soldier among others.
Choose a background that complements your class’s ability scores. A Rogue benefits from the Criminal background’s Deception and Stealth proficiencies. A Cleric pairs naturally with the Acolyte background and its Insight and Religion proficiencies. A Wizard fits well with the Sage background, which provides Arcana and History.
Step 6: Select Your Skills
After choosing your background, you select additional skill proficiencies based on your class. Skills are tied to ability scores and represent what your character is trained to do beyond raw stat numbers.
Each class offers a list of skills to choose from and you pick a set number. Skill choices should reflect how you want to engage with the non-combat parts of the game. A character built for social interactions should prioritize Persuasion, Deception, and Insight. A character focused on exploration benefits from Perception, Investigation, and Survival.
Bards and Rogues receive more skill proficiencies than any other class, making them excellent choices for players who want versatile characters outside of combat.
[Suggested Visual: Skills grouped by ability score with examples of when each skill triggers in actual gameplay]
Step 7: Customize Your Appearance
Once all the mechanical choices are locked in, the final step is customizing how your character looks. BG3 offers a detailed visual customization system that is entirely cosmetic and has no effect on gameplay stats.
Appearance options include body type and proportions, skin tone, face structure and features, eye color, hair style and color, tattoos and markings, scars, and voice type.
The game does not restrict appearance choices by race or class. You can create any combination of features you want within the available options. Character appearance can also be changed later in the game by speaking to Withers at your camp, so there is no pressure to get it perfect on the first attempt.
How to Create Custom Party Members in Baldur’s Gate 3
By default, BG3 does not let you create custom party members directly. When you recruit companions in the game, they come with fixed races, classes, and backstories. However, there is a workaround using the multiplayer system.
To create a full party of custom characters, start a multiplayer session and invite additional instances of the game or have friends join your lobby. Each person creates their own custom character. Once the session begins and all characters are created, you can save and continue the run in single player mode. If your co-op partners leave, you take direct control of all party members.
This method lets you build your ideal party combination without being limited to the preset companions the game provides.
How to Respec Your Character in Baldur’s Gate 3
If you reach the end of Act 1 and realize your build is not working the way you planned, BG3 allows full character respecs. To respec, you need to rescue Withers from Dank Crypt near the beginning of the game and bring him back to your camp. Once at camp, speak to Withers and select the option to change your class for a fee of 100 gold.
Respeccing lets you completely rebuild your ability scores, class, and skill selections. Your race and appearance cannot be changed through respec, but everything else is open for adjustment.
What actually happens is that experienced players often intentionally plan a respec at level 4 or 5 once they understand the game’s systems better. There is no shame in using this feature and it is one of the most useful tools in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions About BG3 Custom Characters
What is the best race for a custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3?
There is no single best race in BG3 since every race works well with the right class. Half-Elf is widely considered one of the most flexible options because it provides extra skill proficiencies and strong saving throw bonuses. Githyanki excels for martial builds due to built-in armour proficiency and psionic abilities.
Can you change your character’s appearance after creation?
Yes, you can change your character’s appearance after creation by speaking to Withers at your camp. He offers full visual customisation for a small gold fee. This applies to hair, skin tone, facial features, and similar options but does not allow you to change your race.
What is the difference between a custom character and an origin character?
An origin character comes with a fixed race, class, subclass, and backstory tied to the main narrative. A custom character gives you complete freedom over race, class, background, ability scores, and appearance. Custom characters have a more neutral narrative role while origin characters have unique dialogue and story moments specific to their preset identity.
How many skills can you choose during character creation?
The number of skills you can choose depends on your class. Most classes allow two to four skill choices from a fixed list. Bards and Rogues receive more skill proficiencies than average, making them excellent choices for players who want versatile, skill-heavy characters outside of combat.
Can you multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Yes, BG3 supports multiclassing, which allows you to take levels in more than one class as you level up. For example, you could combine three levels of Rogue with nine levels of Ranger for a hybrid build. Multiclassing has trade-offs since it delays access to higher-level class features, so it works best for players who already understand both classes well.
What happens if you skip character creation choices?
BG3 will not let you advance without making all required choices in character creation. However, you can use the game’s suggested defaults for ability scores and skills if you are unsure. These defaults are not always optimal for every build, so it is worth reviewing them before confirming.
Conclusion
Creating a custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a deep and genuinely rewarding process. Start by selecting the Customize option on the Origin screen, then work through race, class, ability scores, background, skills, and appearance in sequence. Every decision shapes how your character plays, speaks, and interacts with the world around them.
Focus your ability scores on what your class actually needs. Choose a background that complements your skill gaps. Take your time with appearance since you will be looking at this character for a long time. And if something does not work out, Withers is waiting at your camp to help you rebuild.
The best custom character is not the one with the theoretically perfect stats. It is the one that makes you excited to keep playing.
