All characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 feature specific armor and weapon Proficiencies based on the race and class chosen at character creation. These proficiencies can be restrictive, so it is important for the player to consider what type of armor they’d like to wear and the effect that proficiency will have on their character’s Armor Class.
Additionally, if the player has certain types of weapons they enjoy using more than others, they should take this into account when creating their character. It is possible for characters to gain proficiency in armor or weapons other than those available at character creation through use of the Feats, special abilities that can be selected during an Ability Improvement level up.
Related: Baldur's Gate 3: 15 Underrated Feats Players Should Get
However, there are numerous extremely beneficial Feats for players, specifically those which can increase their base stats, so players may want to consider whether they’d like to spend their points when presented on these additional armor proficiencies. Generally speaking, this isn’t recommended to do, as other Feats offer far better benefits. Here's everything players need to know about the importance of Weapon and Armor Proficiency in Baldur's Gate 3.
How Does Weapon and Armor Proficiency Work in BG3
For the most part, the proficiencies for the classes are fairly easy to determine for any players familiar with games in a traditional fantasy roleplaying setting. For example, Light Armor can be used by almost any of BG3’s 12 classes, except Wizard and Sorcerer. Heavy Armor, is restricted to only a few classes, including Paladin, Fighter, and Clerics with the Life Domain subclass. Shield Proficiency is its own ability, but there are no individual types of shields; a character can either use a shield, or they cannot. Classes which can equip heavier classes of armor will typically want to do so to benefit from the increase in Armor Class.
Related: Baldur's Gate 3: Best Light Armor (& How To Get Them)
Why Weapon and Armor Proficiency Matters
It is extremely important to ensure your character equips only armor or weapons with which they have proficiency. It’s surprisingly easy to overlook this when focusing solely on the buffs provided by an item, but equipping it on a character without proficiency has some serious negative effects.
If a character is equipped with armor but lacks the required proficiency, they will incur Disadvantage on all of their Ability Checks, Ability Checks, Saving Throws, and Attack Rolls and will be completely prevented from casting spells. If a character equips a weapon with which they are not proficient, they can still use the weapon, but they will lose both the weapon’s Proficiency Bonus, increasing their Attack Rolls, and also cannot use a Weapon Action if it has one.
If the player notices their character seems to be permanently at a Disadvantage, or is unable to cast spells, it’s crucial to check their equipped items. There is likely a piece of armor equipped with which that character lacks proficiency. Boots are the biggest offender here, as some have proficiency requirements where others may not.
All Race & Class Base Armor Proficiencies in BG3
Race-Specific Armor Proficiencies in Baldur's Gate 3 | |
|---|---|
Githyanki | Light Armor, Medium Armor |
Half-Elf | Light Armor, Shields |
Human | Light Armor, Shields |
Shield Dwarf | Light Armor, Medium Armor |
Class-Specific Armor Proficiencies in Baldur's Gate 3 | |
|---|---|
Barbarian, Druid, Ranger | Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields |
Bard, Rogue, Warlock | Light Armor |
Cleric, Fighter, Paladin | Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Shields |
Monk, Sorcerer, Wizard | None |
All Race & Class Base Weapon Proficiencies in BG3
Race-Specific Weapon Proficiencies in Baldur's Gate 3 | |
|---|---|
Drow | Hand Crossbows, Rapiers, Shortswords |
Dwarf | Battleaxes, Handaxes, Light Hammers, Warhammers |
Elf | Longbows, Longswords, Shortbows, Shortswords |
Githyanki | Greatswords, Longswords, Shortswords |
Class-Specific Weapon Proficiencies in Baldur's Gate 3 | |
|---|---|
Sorcerer, Wizard | Daggers, Light Crossbows, Quarterstaves |
Bard, Rogue | Hand Crossbows, Longswords, Rapiers, Shortswords, Simple Weapons |
Cleric, Warlock | Simple Weapons |
Druid | Clubs, Daggers, Javelins, Maces, Quarterstaves, Scimitars, Sickles, Spears |
Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons |
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC and PS5.
