Baldur's Gate 3 races & subraces: All ability bonuses & racial features
Baldur's Gate 3 has a huge amount of different races and subraces to choose from when creating your adventurer, with each having its own ability bonus and features that synergies well with certain classes.
Having spent the last three years in early access, the legendary CRPG franchise has now finally made its grand return. While many players have already experienced a lot of what the early game has to offer due to early access, there's still a lot to get through when it comes to classes in Baldur's Gate 3.
So whether you're new to Baldur's Gate 3 or just want a refresher on the character creation process, keep reading for a breakdown of all the available races and subraces you can explore Faerûn as, including their ability bonuses and racial features.
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How many races are there in Baldur's Gate 3?
Click to enlargeBaldur's Gate 3 contains 11 unique races, and a further 27 subraces, all of which come with unique ability bonuses and racial features that affect what actions they can perform in the game.
Here are all of the races in BG3, alongside their subraces where applicable:
| Race | Subraces |
| Dwarf | Gold Dwarf, Shield Dwarf, Duergar |
| Dragonborn | Black Dragonborn, Blue Dragonborn, Brass Dragonborn, Bronze Dragonborn, Copper Dragonborn, Gold Dragonborn, Green Dragonborn, Red Dragonborn, Silver Dragonborn, White Dragonborn |
| Drow | Lolth-Sworn Drow, Seldarine Drow |
| Elf | High Elf, Wood Elf |
| Half-Elf | Half Drow Elf, Half Wood Elf, Half High Elf |
| Half-Orc | N/A |
| Halfling | Lightfoot Halfling, Strongfoot Halfling |
| Human | N/A |
| Githyanki | N/A |
| Race | Subraces |
| Gnome | Deep Gnome, Forest Gnome, Rock Gnome |
| Tiefling | Asmodeus Tiefling, Mephistopheles Tiefling, Zariel Tiefling |
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All Baldur's Gate 3 races & subraces
Now that you know all of the different races that can be picked from, before creating your character, it's worth knowing exactly what sets apart each of the game's races in Baldur's Gate 3 and why you'll want to pick one over the other.
Below, we've listed each race alongside their abilities and racial bonuses:
Dragonborn
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +1 to Charisma and Strength |
| Racial Features |
Breath Weapon: Exhale destructive energy, with the damage type and area of effect determined by your Dragonborn subrace |
Dragonborn subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
|
Black |
Class Action: Acid Breath Draconic Ancestry: Resistant to acid damage |
| Blue |
Class Action: Lighting Breath Draconic Ancestry: Resistant to lightning damage |
| Brass |
Class Action: Fire Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to fire damage |
| Bronze |
Class Action: Lighting Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to lightning damage |
| Copper |
Class Action: Acid Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to acid damage |
| Gold |
Class Action: Fire Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to fire damage |
| Green |
Class Action: Poison Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to poison damage |
| Red |
Class Action: Fire Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to fire damage |
| Silver |
Class Action: Frost Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to cold damage |
| White |
Class Features: Frost Breath Subrace Features: Resistant to cold damage |
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Drow
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +1 to Charisma and Dexterity |
| Racial Features |
Fey Ancestry - Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep Weapon Proficiencies - Rapier, Shortsword, and Hand Crossbow proficiency Superior Darkvision - Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 24 metres |
Drow subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Lotlh-Sworn Drow |
Darkness - Create a cloud of magical darkness that Heavily Obscures and Blinds creatures within |
| Seldarine Drow |
Darkness - Create a cloud of magical darkness that Heavily Obscures and Blinds creatures within |
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Dwarf
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +2 Constitution |
| Racial Features |
Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Dwarven Resilience: Advantage on saving throws against Poison, and resistance against Poison damage Weapon Proficiencies: Battleaxe, Handaxe, Light Hammer, and Warhammer proficiency |
Dwarf subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Duergar |
Duergar Resilience: Gain Advantage on Savings Throws against Illusions and being Charmed or Paralysed Superior Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 24m |
| Gold Dwarf |
+1 Wisdom Dwarven Toughness: Hit Point maximum increases by one, and increases by one every new level |
| Shield Dwarf |
+2 Strength Armour Proficiencies: Light Armour and Medium Armour proficiency |
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Elf
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | + Dexterity |
| Racial Features |
Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Keen Senses: Proficiency in the Perception skill Fey Ancestry: Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep Weapon Provision: Longsword, Shortsword, Longbow, and Shortbow proficiency |
Elf subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| High Elf | +1 Intelligence High Elf Cantrip: Select from one of 13 Cantrips |
| Wood Elf | +1 Wisdom Fleet of Foot: Base walking speed is 10.5 metres Mask of the Wild: Proficiency in the Stealth skill |
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Githyanki
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +1 to Intelligence, Strength |
| Racial Features |
Armour Proficiencies: Light Armour and Medium Armour Githyanki Psionics:
Skill Proficiencies: Choose a Skill proficiency Weapon Proficiencies: Shortsword, Longsword, Greatsword |
Gnome
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +2 Intelligence |
| Racial Features | Gnome Cunning: Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws |
Gnome subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Deep Gnome | +1 Dexterity Superior Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 24 metres Stone Camouflage: Advantage on Stealth checks |
| Forest Gnome |
+1 Dexterity Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Speak with Animals: Gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with animals |
| Rock Gnome |
+1 Constitution Artificer's Lore: Add twice the proficiency bonus to History checks Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres |
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Half-Elf
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus |
+2 Charisma +2 additional Ability points |
| Racial Features |
Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Fey Ancestry: Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep |
Half-Elf subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Drow Half-Elf | Dancing Lights: Create wisps of light that illuminate a 12-metre radius |
| High Half-Elf | High Elf Cantrip: Select one from a list of 13 Cantrips |
| Wood Half-Elf | Fleet of Foot: Base walking speed is 10.5 metres Mask of the Wild: Proficiency in the Stealth skill |
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Halfling
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +2 Dexterity |
| Racial Features | Lucky: Reroll the die when you roll a one for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw |
Halfling subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Lightfoot Halfling | +1 Charisma Naturally Stealthy: Proficiency in the Stealth Skill |
| Strongheart Halfling | + Constitution Strongheart Resilience: Gain Advantage on saving throws against Poison and resistance against Poision damage |
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Half-Orc
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | +1 to Constitution & Strength |
| Racial Features |
Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Relentless Endurance: When reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can drop to one Hit Point instead Menacing: Proficiency in the Intimidating skill Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon, roll one of the weapon's dice damage one additional time and add the extra damage |
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Human
Click to enlarge| Human Bonuses | |
| Ability Bonus | +1 to Charisma, Constituion, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom |
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Tiefling
Click to enlarge| Bonus Type | Description |
| Ability Bonus | Subrace dependant |
| Racial Features | Darkvision: Grants the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12 metres Hellish Resistance: Resistance to Fire, and only take half damage from it |
Tiefling subraces
| Subrace | Bonus Description |
| Asmodeus Tiefling | +1 to Charisma and Intelligence Darkness - Create a cloud of magical darkness that Heavily Obscures and Blinds creatures within Hellish Rebuke - The next time you take damage, you use your reaction to surround your attacker n hellish flames that deal 2d10 Fire Thaumaturgy - Manifest a sign of supernatural power that grants you an advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks |
| Mephistopheles Tiefling |
+1 to Charisma and Intelligence Burning Hands - Shoot fire from your outstretched fingers and ignite anything flammable Cania: Flame Blade - Conjure a flaming scimitar in your hand that deals 3d6 Fire damage, and sheds Bright Light in a 3-metre radius and Dim Light in a 6-metre radius Mage Hand - Create an invisible spectral hand that can manipulate and interact with objects |
| Zariel Tiefling |
+1 to Charisma and Strength Searing Smite - Your weapon flares with heat and deals an extra 1d6 Fire damage and marks the target with Searing Smite, causing them to take 1d6 Fire damage every turn Thaumaturgy - Manifest a sign of supernatural power that grants you an advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks |
That's our full breakdown of the Baldur's Gate 3 races and subraces, and now you know what sets them all apart with their different ability bonuses and racial features.
For more guides, check out our Baldur's Gate 3 homepage, or check out our explainer of the Strange Ox in BG3.