Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3has plenty of elements that make role-playing in this RPG an incredible time for players. Incharacter customization, the player gets to design their character by not only choosing its race and class but also by selecting a background.
This background will have its moments in the dialogueBaldur’s Gate 3(BG3), where players can use their character’s experience to deal with a situation or relate to an individual. This background can also be used to gain proficients in certain skills or garner inspiration through completing acts that relate to the player’s background.
Updated July 13, 2025, by Megan Smith:Baldur’s Gate 3 was finally released onto the Xbox Series X/S in December 2023. This has meant that players have had over a month already on the console to create their characters and explore the world of BG3. However, with many likely starting a new run, they may be interested in learning what makes the BG3 Backgrounds so different and which is thebest BG3 background. With this in mind, this article hopes to present every possible background a player can select and which companions already have these backgrounds, so they not only don’t double up on backgrounds but also so players can finally see which is the best background in BG3 to go for.
12Charlatan
Skills: Deception & Sleight of Hand
Players who are hoping to play a master manipulator will find the Charlatan background most beneficial to their play style. No matter what class the player decides on, characters with the Charlatan background will beproficient in both Deception and Sleight of Hand.
Deception can be used to get information from NPCs without them even realizing they are giving it or simply lying to guards to help out the player’s party that may or may not have been stealing things. Sleight of Hand, meanwhile, can be used to pick vulnerable pockets or get into the various locked chests ofBaldur’s Gate 3. This is one of the manyBG3backgrounds that are best suited for a morally grey or even evil playthrough. While it’s a solid background for this type of roleplay, it’s not as useful as most of the others the game has to offer.
11Soldier
Skills: Athletics & Intimidation
Players who wish for their character to have a military background should choose Soldier for their character.Lae’Zel is the only companionother companion that has this background. Therefore, when completing certain activities, a player who also has this background will share these inspiration moments with her.
Soldiers areproficient in both Athletics and Intimidation. This means that players are more likely to shove enemies away from them in battle when using this bonus action or resist being pushed by others. Intimidation, on the other hand, will help a player get their own way during certain moments of dialogue.
10Folk Hero
Skills: Animal Handling & Survival
For those who are looking to play the good guy for the entire game, Folk Hero is the bestBaldur’s Gate 3background for them. As the name suggests, the player’s character has done something noble in their past that has led them to be respected by many — they’re sort of the moral opposite of the Charlatan.
This has made them proficient inAnimal Handling and Survival.Like any valiant character, the player should have an easier time soothing the animals they meet on their adventures, even if they can’t directly speak to them. As for survival, if the player has a shovel on them, they are likely to have an easier time finding mounds of dirt to dig.
9Outlander
Skills: Athletics & Survival
As the name suggests, the Outlander has never lived in a city. They have been known to survive in the forests, living off the land where no one else would dare step foot. This will give the player far more experience than most when it comes toSurvival, as well as Athletics.
This background would go perfectly with a player who has decided tochoose the classDruid or Ranger due to their nature connection, though a player is free to choose the others if they believe it would fit their character’s story better.
8Acolyte
Skills: Insight & Religion
Spending their life inside the temple, close to the gods, an Acolyte will rely heavily on religion and their connection to holy things through their adventure ofBaldur’s Gate 3.Players who have aninterest in the religionsin games likeDungeons and Dragonsor justBG3will find this background to be of great use to them.
Players who have selected the class of Paladin or Cleric may find this background to suit their character nicely, though any class can be religious if they so wish. With this background, players will beproficient in both Religion and Insight, the latter of which allows them to look within people to find their motives.
7Entertainer
Skills: Acrobatics & Performance
In a land with little technology but heaps of magic, it’s no surprise to see that many leave their old lives behind to become entertainers. These folk travel to different towns and cities in the hope of putting on a show.
The Entertainer lived a glamorous life before getting caught by Mind Flayers, though their past will still help them on their adventure. Naturally, those who are Entertainers gainproficiency in Acrobatics and Performance. Acrobatics is a Dexterity skill that some players may lack when playing melee-based classes such as Fighter.
6Urchin
Skills: Sleight of Hand & Stealth
Many of the backgrounds inBaldur’s Gate 3seem as if the player has had it easy in the past. However, a background that many enjoy in bothBG3andDungeons & Dragonsis the Urchin. Growing up with hardly anything, the player’s character has likely had it tough in the past, being forced to beg and steal if they hope to survive on the streets.
This tragic beginning may have caused the character to grow intoan even darker adultor perhaps take the opposite direction of helping others. Nevertheless, a player with the Urchin background is incredibly streetwise, as they have lived in the shoes of a beggar. This will give playersproficiency in Sleight of Hand and Stealth, which players may find themselves using to get the upper hand.
5Sage
Skills: Arcana & History
Many players start their journey into an RPG likeBaldur’s Gate 3with a thirst for knowledge as they hope to learn everything they possibly can. The Sage also has this passion for knowledge as they have spent their entire life finding out more from history.
A character with the Sage background will become inspired when they learn new things, and they even have the proficiencies to help with this as they are highlyskilled in Arcana and History.
4Criminal
Skills: Deception & Stealth
While an Urchin could possibly have a criminal childhood, those with an actual Criminal background have continued their unlawful ways, with perhaps even a love for it. Players who choose the Criminal background are most likely hoping tocontinue their villainous wayswhile exploring inBG3.Therefore, every time they do something that is deemed unlawful, they will be rewarded for it.
Any class can be a criminal, and characters with this background will find themselvesproficient in Deception and Stealth. Being able to deceive will help the player stay in the good books of many NPCs while also pulling the wool over their eyes.
3Noble
Skills: History & Persuasion
Players are free to play this background as they see fit, as itpossesses a lot of potential. A character can roleplay as a pompous noble with no care for others or a noble that has high respect for those who have less than them. Either option can lead to some interesting moments.
As an individual who has survived the noble courts, a player will gain a lot of benefits from gaining power or loyalty from others. Withproficiency in History and Persuasion, a player will know their family history while also convincing others to join them.
