Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves.

Half-elves are humanoids born through the union of an elf and a human, living between the line of distinction between elven and humanoid. Whether a half-elf was raised by their human parent or their elven parent, they often felt isolated and alone because they often felt as though they never fit in with either their human kin or their elven ones. To elves, half-elves look too human and may often face judgement and bigotry whilst humans think half-elves look too elven to be classed as a normal human. As such, this leaves a lot of half-elves feeling like outsiders to most culture and societies.

Half-elves have an unusual blend of abilities inherited from their two heritages. More durable and more innately charming than either humans or elves, half-elves weren’t quite as graceful or wise as their elven parents, though they did have some of the versatility of their human ancestors. Half-elves had a natural ability to learn outside of their specialty, giving them a strength in adaptability. Inparticular, Half-Elves needed to adapt and be social beings, they relied on those around them and thus were naturally more charismatic than others, to work well with other and create new friends or allies.

As long as humans and elves have existed and interacted, there have been a number of cases of half-elves being born between the two races. Despite this, the race typically remained rare enough that, except in rare circumstances, half-elves had not congregated together in large enough numbers to form true communities. As such, leading to the sense of divide they might have felt towards either human or elven communities.

Like their elven parents, half-elves were typically immune to the effects of the enchantment magic. Likewise, half-elves also inherited the ability to see keenly in low-light conditions, with little or no ill effect, and had enhanced senses of sight and hearing compared to their human brethren. Whilst they inherited the natural versatility of their human parents, being quite skilled in a number of areas.

But what does all of this mean for us players? Well it means that Half-Elves are some of the most versatile races out there, having arguably the best ability score improvements – a total +4 – as well as darkvision which humans don’t have as well as fey ancestry which leads them to resisting a lot of enchantment spells. All in all, half-elves are some of the best races in the game. And thankfully they also have a lot of variety, having a total of three subraces to choose from to help create the best and strongest character in the game.

Half Elf Traits

Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart companion guide | PCGamesN

Ability Score Increase

Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of the player’s choice each increase by 1.

Age

Half-elves age at much the same rate as humans, reaching adulthood at the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Size

Half-elves are more or less the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

The Half Elf’s base walking speed is 9m.

Darkvision

Thanks to their elven heritage, half elves have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim light within 12m of them as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Skill Versatility

You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Languages

You can read, speak, and write Common, Elven, and one language of your choice.

Half Elf Subraces

High Half-Elf

Base Racial Speed: Movement is 9m.
The Half Elf knows one cantrip of their choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is theirspellcasting ability for it.

Wood Half-Elf

Fleet of Foot: Movement is 10.5m.
Mask of the Wild: The Half Elf was raised to blend into their natural surroundings. They gain proficiency in Stealth.

Drow Half-Elf

Base Racial Speed: Movement is 9m.
Dancing Lights: Create wisps of light that illuminate a 12m radius.

Half Elves in Baldur’s Gate 3

Half-elves generally like to be around others, the more diverse the better. This is likely due to the circumstances of their birth, or to a simple drive towards diversity, half-elves are often found in large population centers where other races mingle freely amongst each other. Half-elves naturally gathered others around them, forming a large network of contacts that is both pleasing to their psyche and practical for other purposes. In spite of this love for forming connections, or perhaps because of it, half-elves rarely settle down for any length of time and possessed a genuine sense of wanderlust – much like the nomadic and exploring nature of their human parents -, moving from place to place in a way that made them very natural adventurers. However, whenever a half-elf return to a place where they had already been, they hunt down old friends and renewed relations.

Half-elves have little to no culture to call their own. Generally speaking, half-elves represented the culture into which they were born, though many half-elves wandered from their homes, becoming truly unique individuals. As a result, many half-elves lacked a “true” accent or even a consistent cultural outlook, and a common name for their accent or language in Faerûn is “the tongue of a half-elf.”

Best Class for Half Elves in BG3

Thanks to the brilliant +4 to the stats of a Half-Elf, they are highly versatile when it comes to a number of classes. However, they are particularly useful in Charisma focused-classes. Thanks to their +2 in Charisma then a +1 in two other stats, players can really take advtange of a class’s secondary stat. But as for which class is the best for Half Elves in BG3? Well here’s our pick:

Sorcerer

Sorcerers are a Charisma-based spellcasting class. They have access to a number of highly damaging spells which can devastate a group of foes. With your +2 in Charisma, you’ll be able to boost your spellcasting stat up, but then you can also increase your Dexterity – for saving throws and initiative – as well as Consitituion – for your concentration saving throws and health. Leading to a powerful spellcaster who can truly aid a battle.

Warlock

Warlocks are also a Charisma-based spellcasting class. Though the Warlock gimmick is simple, you have fewer spell slots but you instead get them back after a short rest as opposed to a long one. Warlocks also get a lot of creative freedom with their Eldritch Invocations which can be very situational but beneficial. You could use your additional two stat increases in whatever stat you want, whether you want to be a more combat orientated warlock, you can increase your Dex and Con or if you want to be more socially useful, increase your Intelligence and Wisdom.

Rogue

Rogues are among the best dps class when facing a single target, and although they don’t necessarily use Charisma as much as they use Dexterity, Rogues are also one of the social classes. Being sneaky and trying to get information out of people whilst being either deceitful or manipulative, as such Rogues are always a good choice no matter the situation.

Final Thoughts

So what’s the best class for Half Elves in Baldur’s Gate 3? Well because of the Charisma, we would certainly lean towards the spellcasting classes. Although when the final game is released and Paladins and Bards are implimented, they too will be a viable option. But for the time being, we suggest either Sorcerer or Warlocks!

Best Classes for Half Elf – Baldur’s Gate 3

Share this article...