BG3 Half-Elf Race

Information on the Half-Elf race in Baldurs Gate 3. Best Classes, Basic Info, Comparison to 5e, etc.

Looking for information on the Half-Elf Race in BG3? Get in here! Here you'll find Basic info on the Half-Elf race, "best" classes for Half-Elf, differencec of Half-Elf in 5e vs BG3, and other info!

Note that all races in BG3 gain a +2 and +1 bonus to ANY two Ability Points ("stats") during character creation or while respeccing. And most, if not all racially tied stat bonuses are not present.

Half-Elf Race Basic Information

Here's a summary of the basic racial "traits" of Half-Elf in BG3.

Race Features:

Base Racial Speed: 9m per turn.

Civil Militia: Weapon Proficiency - Spears, Pikes, Halberds, Glaives. Armor Proficiency - Light Armor, Shields.

Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 12m.

Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Half-Elf has NO Race Actions.

Half-Elf has NO Subraces in BG3.

Half-Elf Subrace Modifications

High Half-Elf

Gain a Cantrip, chosen from a small group of choices. Notably, my favorites are Minor Illusion, True Strike, and Blade Ward.

Wood Half-Elf

Fleet of Foot: Gain an extra 1.5m of Movement. This is alot better than it sounds.

Drow Half-Elf

Gain the Dancing Lights Cantraip: Illuminates a small area. This is beyond useless IMO, haha. Especially for a race with Darkvision, and passing up on the Wood movement bonus.

Which Half-Elf Subrace is best?

Inevitably this question will always come up! The "best" Subrace for Half-Elf is is Wood Half-Elf. Why? The movement bonus is great for any type of character really. More importantly the cantrips of either Wood or Drow aren't great - which pushes this bonus to be the more obvious choice.

This depends on your goals, of course, but If I had to recommend one, this would be it.

Best Classes for Half-Elf in BG3?

Half-Elf, especially Wood, is a great for any class. Really, extra movement, Fey Ancestry, and Darkvision - these are all relevant bonuses.

But if I was to give a straight answer, the best classes for Half-Elf are any class that can utilize the extra movement? Kiting with ranged characters such as Rogues, Rangers, or Long-range Fighters.

Note that there's no right or wrong answer here, haha. There's always a crazy build out there, flavor or RP, or a plethora of other reasons to choose Half-Elf over another with any combination!

Half-Elf in BG3 vs. 5e: Differences

Wondering about the main differences of the Half-Elf race in Baldurs Gate 3 vs. DnD 5e?

In 5E Half Elves also gain a pair of Skill Proficiencies of your choice.

Since all classes get bonus stats, Half-Elf feels nerfed as they got a Free +2 CHA, and two other +1's. Even after saying this, the BG3 implementation of Half-Elf is still a powerful option!

See also: External link to Half-Elf in 5e.

Obviously one of the main blanket changes (I mentioned it above), all races in BG3 get a free +2 and +1 to any two stats of choice, as well as racial stat bonuses being removed.

Summary and Closing

That about wraps it up for BG3's Half-Elf race!