Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Build

This guide focuses on the key aspects of a Dark Urge build in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), and how to use those powers to your advantage.

This build page has been updated for thePatch 8 versionof Baldur’s Gate 3.

Best Dark Urge Build Guide

The Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 presents a distinctive origin character experience, inviting players into a narrative rich with complexity and moral ambiguity. The distinguishing feature of the Dark Urge build lies in its overarching narrative, guiding players into the most captivating aspects of Baldur’s Gate 3. We’ve adapted the build to focus on both combat performance, but also role-play and narrative enjoyment.

Throughout your campaign, you will be confronted with choices to resist or give into “the urge.” Additionally, the game’s story will unfold around you, as the Dark Urge, and unravel the mystery of your past. With these variables in mind, we’ve created a powerful Oathbreaker Paladin build for the Dark Urge. Our class, subclass, gear, and companion selections in this guide give you strength on the battlefield and a unique experience for Baldur’s Gate 3 defining origin story.

Dark Urge Build Features

The following list presents all the essential Dark Urge Build Mechanics and Features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Dark Urge Explained

To become the Dark Urge origin character, select “The Dark Urge” in the origin section of the character creator. The default for this character starts as a WhiteDragonborn Sorcerer. However, you can edit the class, subclass, race and appearance in any way you wish. The primary reason to play the Dark Urge origin character is to gain a deeper understanding of the overarching narrative of Baldur’s Gate 3 story. The Dark Urge character adds another lay of complexity and added story components, most of which unfold in BG3’s final Act 3.

As a Dark Urge origin character, you will gain access to additional dialogue options that influence the overall story narrative. These changes are nearly all story-driven with little if any impact on gameplay mechanics. In this guide, Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Build, we’ve handcrafted a unique and powerful Dark Urge character in build that you may enjoy on any difficulty.

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Once you create your Dark Urge origin character, you will unlock and progress “The Urge” quest. The focal point of this quest hinges on the answer to the question: do you yield to the Dark Urge or resist? Both paths have significant consequences later in the game, and we will not spoil those in this section of the build guide. However, understand this is the overarching storyline, and that will you have to make compelling decisions throughout your campaign. Thus, we recommend picking one path and sticking with it. For our guide, we will assume you are succumbing to the Dark Urge and seeing where that path takes you.

Achievements and Unique Gear

Class & Subclass Choice for Dark Urge BG3

The best class and subclass choice for the Dark Urge build is theOathbreaker Paladin. This selection gives you more raw power than the Sorcerer. Additionally, you’re able to add in specific roleplay elements by breaking your sacred Oath. You can use the leveling path below if you would like to play a Vengeance Paladin as well, with minor changes, mainly subclass-specific always prepared spells.

Below are choices for the Dark Urge build class and subclass selections:

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Becoming an Oathbreaker

To become an Oathbreaker, you must break your original Paladin Oath by lying, stealing, killing, or breaking a promise. Unlike the other Paladin subclasses, you do not choose to become an Oathbreaker Paladin during character creation. One of the easiest ways to do this early in the game at Level 2 is by by tricking the twoTieflingsholdingLae’zelhostage. Another way would be to kill an innocent NPC while they are sleeping. Lastly, you can sacrifice and kill Gale during his introduction with the unique dialogue option ripping his arm off.

Once you have committed an act that breaks your Paladin oath, you will receive a visit from the Oathbreaker Knight. You’ll find him waiting for you the next time you visit yourcamp, typically not too far from where Withers stands. You’ll need to speak with him directly to confirm your commitment to breaking your oath. When you have done so, access the new subclass.

Baldur’s Gate 3 What is Dark Urge Origin & Why You Should Play It

If at any point you change your mind and wish to take your old oath back up and return to your original subclass you can speak to the Oathbreaker Knight again at any time. However, be aware that it will cost you 1,000 gold to be able to do this. Additionally, you will no longer be able to use your channel oath charges.

Character Creation for Dark Urge Build

The Dark Urge’s default racial selection is the White Dragonborn. Our Best Dark Urge Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 uses this race with the Oathbreaker Paladin subclass to keep a similar archetype to the original design. Here are the bestracechoices for a Dark Urge build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Background

The Haunted OneBackgroundis a unique Dark Urge-only choice. This background grants skill proficiency inIntimidationandMedicine. Intimidation is a Charisma-based skill while Medicine is a Wisdom-based skill. Having high scores in these abilities influences how likely you are to pass a skill check.

Additionally, completing certain actions associated with your background will reward inspiration. Inspiration points are gathered up to a maximum of 4 and can be used for additional dice rolls in dialogue. In summary, the Dark Urge origin character, skills, and background reward you with inspiration for taking an evil approach to situations when available (mainly killing).

Ability Score

The BestAbility Scorefor a Dark Urge Build is 17 Strength, 16 Charisma, and 14 Constitution. Strength is your primary damage ability score, increasing it helps with landing melee attacks and damage. Charisma influences spells chance of landing and damage alongside dialogue options. Constitution is helpful because it increases your hit points and concentration saving throw chance. We recommend lower Dexterity with the Alert feat later in the game alongside heavy armor for Armour Class (AC).

Below is the best ability score for a Dark Urge build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Moreover, this Dark Urge build assumes you will be obtainingPermanent bonusesthroughout your campaign. Specifically, in Act 1 Auntie Authie can be bargained with to increase your strength to 18. Additionally, in Act 2, you can increase your Strength by another +2 via a drink, via an NPC in Moonrise Tower. Lastly, in Act 3, you can increase your strength by another +2 withMirror of Loss. These increases are helpful because they free up your feats for increased damage selections rather than ability scores.

The best skills for the Dark Urge build in Baldur’s Gate 3 arePersuasionandAthletics. Persuasion helps influence dialogue and works in conjunction with Intimidation. Athletics is helpful in combat preventing you from being shoved or moved. These are the best skills for the Dark Urge because they complement your build when exploring the environment.

Best Companions for Dark Urge Build in Baldur’s Gate 3

The bestcompanionsfor the Dark Urge Build, are Minthara, Atarion, and Lae’zel. Depending on your class selection, you may need to respec or reroll the companions with Withers at your camp. Ideally, your party composition will be balanced with an intelligence-based Wizard, Wisdom Cleric, and Dexterity Rogue. This will help your party outside of combat exploring, dialogue options, and quests. Additionally, evil-based characters will want to select companions that won’t abandon your party based on your decisions.

Below are the best companions for a Dark Urge build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Best Dark Urge Build – Level Progression in Baldur’s Gate 3

At level one, follow our character creator to pick the Dark Urge origin, Haunted One background, race, skills, and ability score focusing on Strength and Charisma. Pick the Vengeance subclass here. Unlike every other subclass in the game, Oathbreaker requires you to be level 2 or higher and break your Oath. This method is explained above, but simply lie, cheat, stealth, or kill an innocent NPC.

Moving on to the second level, you’ll gain the majority of your spells. Initially, focus on weapon damage in the early game. Your chosen subclass will grant “always prepared” spells that won’t occupy a slot in your spell book.

Next, acquire heavy armor and a two-handed weapon Greatsword. The first option is theEverburn Blade, theSword of Justice, andSilver Swordall in Act 1. You can grab medium armor from Lae’zel in the introduction and remove her from your party after the prologue. Then look to access the Hollow in the Druid Grove at the north of the starting spot post tutorial. There you will find Dammon and others will sell good armor.

Paladin Level 1

Here’s what you unlock as a level 1 Paladin:

Also Check:-BG3 Interactive Map

Paladin Gameplay

While this initial level may lack spellcasting abilities and might appear modest, it lays down the groundwork for a swift and significant increase in power. You’ll want to race to level 5 as quickly as possible. This is where the Paladin shines with increased spell slots, mobility, and Extra Attack. Our build will eventually use multiclassing after level 8, transitioning to the Rogue Thief combination. This allows for additional bonus action, making it easier to use theGreat Weapon Master feat, cunning dash, consumables, and more.

At level 1, your primary objective revolves around familiarizing yourself with various resources and skills. Channeled Oath Charges act as your main resource, predominantly used for subclass abilities. Lay on Hands emerges as a highly valuable tool for self-healing, accompanied by its associated charges. Your chosen Oath dictates your playstyle and subclass selection. Gameplay during this phase centers on engaging in combat with aHeavy Crossbowor Two-Handed Greatsword. You can use Lay on Hands for self-healing, and gain access to Divine Smite and spellcasting at level 2.

Your overall priority with the best Dark Urge Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 build is the following:

Following these steps ensures a strong foundation for her especially if you plan on playingsoloor onHonour Modedifficulty.

At level two you gain access to five prepared spells and you can unlock your Subclass. To unlock the Oathbreaker Subclass, you need to break your Oath. The fastest way is to betray the Tiefling holding Lae’zel hostage. Additionally, you can lie to goblins blocking the goblin camp and kill them immediately following. Above our character creator walks you through these steps. Therefore, if you don’t see the popup, that is why, you need to pursue it, unlike other subclasses in the leveling menu.

At this level, you gain a powerful crowd control skill Command. This is helpful when you need to disarm or stun an enemy. Thunderous Smite should be used as your go-to attack from stealth. attempt to start combat in stealth, with a melee attack via Thunderous Smite for huge damage and triggering the Surprise status effect.

Paladin Strategies

Next, Divine Smite is unlocked and you need to toggle “ask” in the reactions tab in the menu. This essentially does extra damage by consuming a spell slot when you land an attack or critically strike. Early on, don’t rely on this extra damage source because you have limited spell slots. Activate Divine Smite when another bit of damage will kill an enemy.

Cure Wounds is a useful self-heal. However, you should rely on Lay on Hands or potions early during your play session. You can pre-buff before combat with Divine Smite for extra damage. However, it’s recommended to rely on Divine Smite for your spell slot consumption and simply attack in melee when possible. Lastly, you will feel slow and lethargic at this stage so try to obtainAmulet of Misty StepandHaste Helm.

Level 2 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, and Cure Wounds.

Upon reaching Level three you will unlock another Level 1 spell slot, Divine Health, and subclass features. Below are your unlock skills and features at this level for the Dark Urge Build:

Gameplay for Level 3 Dark Urge Build

At this level, the focus is primarily on dealing damage through melee attacks and divine smite combinations. You’ll find yourself limited in spell slots, so it’s crucial to manage them wisely. Ensure to adjust your Reaction settings to “Ask” for Divine Smite to avoid consuming spell slots unnecessarily while still benefiting from its extra damage.

As you progress through levels, you’ll gain more spell slots, making it easier to manage and deal with damage efficiently. However, this also means you’ll find yourself relying on long rests frequently. Therefore, it’s essential to stock up on supplies to sustain yourself during your journey.

Use Thunderous and Searing Smite only on big enemies where you need to kill them in one turn only if you do not intend to use a bonus action.

Level 3 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, and Shield of Faith.

Reaching Level four gives you a very important decision between increasing your ability score like Strength or taking a feat.Featsgive you a big benefit but doing so will have you miss out on Ability Improvements. This build assumes you are completing thepermanent bonuses in BG3, specifically Auntie Ethel in Act 1 which will boost your Strength to 18. Therefore, we recommend taking Great Weapon Master feat.

Level 4 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith, and Protection from Good and Evil.

Great Weapon Master Explained

Great Weapon Master (GWM) significantly boosts our ability to defeat enemies and adds considerable value to your bonus action. Upon killing an enemy or landing a critical strike, you gain the opportunity to make a free GWM attack using a bonus action. The next level introduces Extra Attack, allowing two attacks with a single action, thereby increasing the likelihood of triggering this effect and providing a substantial boost to overall damage.

GWM has an additional aspect that enhances damage but makes your attacks more challenging to hit. You can turn this feature on or off, and depending on your initial Strength and other factors, it might be quite low. If that’s the case, toggle it off until you increase your Strength, Blessed Spell, or Elixir of Heroism. The consumable section below also includes potent items that can enhance your chances of landing attacks and overall damage.

For utility, Protection from Evil and Good is our chosen spell at this level. The Paladin’s spell choices become less impressive as you progress, and we typically rely more on Divine Smites than utility spells. This becomes especially apparent at the next level when you can attack twice per action, diminishing the effectiveness of casting spells and their power potential.

At level 5, the Oathbreaker Paladin unlocks Extra Attack, two level 2 spell slots, one new prepared spell, and two always prepared subclass spells.

Paladin Extra Attack Explained

Level 5 marks a significant power surge due to the acquisition of Extra Attack. With two attacks per action, coupled with the possibility of a third attack triggered by Great Weapon Master, you’ll have three opportunities to unleash Divine Smite, resulting in massive single-target damage. Additionally, you can pre-buff using Magic Weapon for more damage or Aid for additional HP. Conserve your spell slots and use Crown of Madness or Darkness when crowd control is critical.

Level 5 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon, and Aid.

At level 6 unlocks one new prepared spell and Aura of Protection. Aura’s are passive bonuses to your Paladin and potentially allies. You will need to activate them on your action bar to gain the benefits. Below are what we suggest at his level:

Level 6 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon, Aid, and Lesser Restoration.

At level 7, we suggest selecting the Compelled Duel spell in addition to passively unlocking the Aura of Haste.

Level 7 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon, Aid, Lesser Restoration, and Compelle Duel.

At level 8, you gain one new spell and another feat selection. Below are our recommendations:

Level 8 Dark Urge Prepared Spells: Command, Thunderous Smite, Searing Smite, Divine Favour, Cure Wounds, Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon, Aid, Lesser Restoration, Compelled Duel, and Branding Smite.

To further enhance your combat prowess, we’ll now multiclass into the Rogue class to acquire an additional bonus action with 3 levels of investment. Simply access the leveling panel located in the top right corner of your screen and choose the Rogue class.

Upon doing so, you’ll gain access to the Sneak Attack feature. Treat this as a passive source of additional damage that can be activated through the reactions menu. Moreover, for consistent damage output, it’s recommended to enable automatic Sneak Attack activation.

Additionally, the Rogue will gain access to skill proficiencies and expertise. We recommend taking Deception proficiency and expertise in Intimidation and Persuasion. This is helpful for a Paladin Dark Urge build with high Charisma.

With another level of investment into the Rogue, you unlock Cunning Actions. These are useful once you obtain the Thief subclass, granting one additional bonus action per round. Dash is used for mobility, hide to avoid detection, and disengage when you need to retreat. The main usage is Dash which grants massive mobility and is quite useful for the Dark Urge build.

With a third-level investment into Rogue, we unlock a subclass selection. The Thief is the best due to a bonus action. Below is what you unlock with this selection:

The Fast Hands passives ensure that bonus action potions, smite spells, and cunning dash don’t exhaust this resource. You can now use a bonus action to Great Weapon Master Attack and a second on a potion of Speed or Oil in the same turn. Additionally, you can hide and use a healing potion for survival which is critical for combat in BG3.

With an additional level in the Rogue class, you gain access to a feat.For this feat, we recommend choosing Savage Attacker. This powerful feat allows you to roll your damage dice twice and select the highest result, significantly enhancing your damage output. Additionally, this feat is particularly effective when you land critical strikes, amplifying the burst damage potential of your build.

Alternatively, you can opt to increase your Strength by 2. This choice depends on your preferred gear selection at the end of the game. Assuming you have the permanent bonuses unlocked, keep Savage Attacker your go-to choice.

Best Gear for Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Build

The best gear for the Dark Urge build requires you to side with a certain NPC in Act 3. Consequently, this choice will largely impact the story narrative, but unlock a powerful combination with a Trident and Piercing damage. Below is our suggestion, but does contain a spoiler.

There are three Acts in BG3, and Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Build Guide includes suggested sets and alternatives for Act 1 and Act 3.

Beginner: Starting the Game

Here’s the best beginner gear, items, and equipment for Dark Urge Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Advanced: Endgame

The following table presents the best gear, items, and equipment for the Dark Urge Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Below is the best Act 3 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for Dark Urge build in BG3:

Best Consumables, Potions, and Items

The following list is the bestconsumableitems that will aid in our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Build Guide:

Illithid Powers For Dark Urge Build

The best Illithid Powers for a Dark Urge build are Luck of the Farm Realms, Black Hole, and Cull of the Weak. Luck of the Farm helps with critical hits and burst damage and, combined with Cull of the Weak, can triggerAOE damagepassively. Black Hole requires you to take the Astral Tadpole in Act 2, but it sucks in 5 enemies, slows them, and can be recast for free. This is helpful in certain large-scale boss fights with many enemies. Below are the best Illithid Tadpole Powers for the xxx build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Permanent Bonuses for Dark Urge BG3

Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3, you will have the ability to gain permanent bonuses to your character. These can grant additional spells, ability scores, and other bonuses. Permanent Bonuses are not displayed throughout the campaign but are vital to increase overall combat performance. We have all permanent bonuses here in a guide, but the most important ones for you to collect are listed below.

Dark Urge Changes in Patch 7 for BG3

The Dark Urge Origin Character received changes to narration and dialogue as well as cut scenes. While this builds combat and gameplay elements remain unchanged, you can expect some new narration and dialogue for the Dark Urge. Below are the most important changes in Patch 7 for a Dark Urge Build:

Read More –Top 10 builds for Baldur’s Gate 3