Best Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue build
The best subclass, equipment, skills and spells for Rogue in BG3.
A Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue build is a must for every sneaky freak out there looking to stick to the shadows and stab their way through the brand new RPG from Larian. It's a super powerful class, but making the most out of those sneak attacks is key for any good Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue.
To help you do just that, we've written up this Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue build so you can take on the world one backstab at a time. We cover equipment, skills and spells, ability score priority, and the best race too, so you should be covered in character creation and the early game.
Baldur's Gate 3 best Rogue build
The Rogue is a combat class that is best used by going in and out of stealth during combat, cashing in huge damage with sneak attacks with advantage, picking off enemies one at a time. If you're playing the class correctly, you should be able to quick wipe out enemies in a blink of an eye, hopefully without taking much damage.
- Rogue best race
- Rogue ability score priority
- Rogue proficiencies and background
- Rogue best subclass
- Rogue best equipment
- Rogue best spells
Rogue best race
The best race for Rogue players in Baldur's Gate 3 is the Lightfoot Halfling. This is thanks to their Naturally Stealthy racial passive, which gives them proficiency with Stealth checks. A no brainer for Rogues, and allows you to slot in a proficiency into another skill, making you an alltogether a better character.
Alternatively, playing as a Wood Elf or Wood Half-Elf Rogue grants a different but broadly equivalent set of passive benefits. In particular, Wood Half-Elves get the Mask of the Wild passive, which grants a similar Stealth check advantage to Naturally Stealthy. And both elvish types get the Fleet of Foot passive, adding 1.5m to movement speed — a gift for those looking to retreat into the shadows.
Rogue best ability score spread
Your ability score priority should be Dexterity, Consitution, Wisdom, then everything else.
When first creating your character, we recommend the following initial stats:
- Strength - 8
- Dexterity - 17
- Constitution - 14
- Intelligence - 12
- Wisdom - 14
- Charisma - 10
As you level up, you'll gain ability score increases at level 4, 8, and 12.
You should invest your points into Dexterity up until 20, then Constitution. Rogues can handle being a bit more unbalanced than some other classes, so don't be afraid to invest heavily in your priority stats before turning to any other considerations.
Rogue proficiencies and background
The best background for a Rogue build in Baldur's Gate 3 is the Urchin, closely followed by the Charlatan.
Urchins get proficiency bonuses in Stealth and Sleight of Hand, which are the best proficiencies for this build, rendering it pretty much the perfect choice. Charlatans switch out Stealth for Deception, which is a bit riskier if you've neglected your physical abilities, but can make for an even better storytelling option for a Rogue.
Rogue best subclass
For the best Rogue build, we recommend taking the Thief subclass.
This mostly comes down to the Fast Hands passive, which grants an extra bonus action. This doesn't sound like a huge deal at first, however it allows you to enter stealth on your turn, do a sneak attack, then re-enter stealth all at once. As you can imagine, this is nuts when it comes to damage output, with any extra bonus attacks you have going towards off-hand melee attacks or item use.
The resistence to falling damage is also nice if you're aiming to sneak your Rogue up to high ground before combat, or to protect against the occasional shove off a high ledge.
Rogue best equipment
Rogues are proficient in light armour, which makes sense for a class based on sneaking around. As such, slap on any light armour you find, especially pieces that improve your Stealth or Sleight of Hand capabilities. In addition, anything that improves critical hits or sneak attacks are brilliant too.
As for weapons, equip two one-handed weapons on your thief. Finesse weapons (which are mostly short blades) work best, and as Rogues get an extra bonus action, being able to occasionally stab someone with an off-hand dagger is incredibly useful. Also, a powerful shortbow can't go amiss — while not technically a finesse weapon, it also rolls on your Dexterity, and having a stealthy Rogue who can launch a surprise attack from range is a great bonus.
Rogue best skills
It may go without saying, but if you're not using the Rogue's sneak melee and ranged attacks, you're doing something wrong. This deal incredible damage, and as they require advantage to use, hit more often than not. Use them whenever able.
As for other skills and spells, anything that grants invisibility is briliant for Rogues, as are spells that remove them from melee range without triggering attacks of opportunity (see misty step). However, Thief's don't get these as part of their regular levelling process, so you'll have to find scrolls or equippment thatprovides them.
If you're looking for more help sneaking and seducing your way through BG3, don't forget to check-out our guides for the best Bard build and best Ranger build.