Baldur's Gate 3: Best Races For A Rogue (2024)

Rogues excel at a quite unique way of playing Baldur's Gate 3 — one that consists of sneaking up on enemies and attacking them rather than talking to them like a normal person. They're also famous for being proficient at many different skills, even experts at some of them, giving you an easier time when lock picking, deceiving people, or whatever other skills suit your character.

Though you may have a specific race in mind for your character, you may be wondering which of them best fits the class from a mechanical standpoint; after all, each race has unique features. Thus, let us talk about which of them makes the sneakiest Rogue.

Updated on April 24, 2024: We've added our video version to this article, so if you want to hear all about the best choices if you're thinking of starting a rogue playthrough, you'll have what you need!

Halflings are one of the most versatile races in the game, and it's all thanks to their Lucky feature. Essentially, every time you roll a natural one with your d20 rolls (Ability Checks, Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws), you get to roll the die again, avoiding said one — unless you roll it twice in a row, which is very unlucky of you.

Though all classes will thrive with such a feature, you can still choose between two more features. Halflings are separated into two Subraces: Strongheart and Lightfoot. Lightfoot gives you an advantage during Stealth rolls, and between this advantage and Lucky, it'll be pretty hard for people to find you. There's also the benefit of being small, meaning you can squeeze through places most races can't.

6 Deep Gnome

Deep Gnomes also get an advantage on Stealth rolls, and they're also small, but those are the only similarities they share with Halflings. Any Gnome will give you 12m of Darkvision and an advantage on saving throws that involve your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, meaning you'll have an easier time avoiding mind control, Mind Blasts, and others. It's pretty helpful, especially later on in the game.

Still, of all Gnomes, we recommend the Deep Gnome. Not only do they get the aforementioned advantage on Stealth, but they also have Superior Darkvision, which is twice the range. If you want to build a Rogue that focuses on ranged weapons, this won't let darkness temper with your advantages when attacking, which means you'll be able to trigger your Sneak Attacks normally.

5 Wood Elf

Elves, in general, are a good choice here, too. They get Darkvision and resistance against being charmed; they can't be forced to sleep through magic, and you get the Perception skill, free of charge. That alone is already a good deal. You also get Longbow proficiency, something your class doesn't provide you, making Elves a good ranged option, too.

Between their Subraces, we recommend the Wood Elf. They get a bit more movement — 10.5m compared to the 9m default — and they get proficiency for the Stealth skill. It's not as good as the advantage, but you get two skills for free here, allowing you to get even more proficiencies, as Rogues can already choose more options than most classes.

4 Human

Humans get a few weapon proficiencies, but none are worth mentioning as they don't work well on Rogues. What is worth mentioning is that they get medium armor proficiency as well as shield proficiency, meaning you can get a potent defense for this character. It's always nice to avoid damage.

You also get a skill proficiency for free, and you can choose any of them with zero restraints. It's yet another option to get more skill proficiencies than your standard four from the Rogue class, making you quite versatile.

3 Wood Half-Elf

Now we have a Half-Elf, Half-Human, who mixes some of the features mentioned above. From their Human side, they get the weapons, armor, and shield proficiencies, meaning you can beef up your defense here as well.

From the Elvish side, you get Darkvision, resistance against being charmed or put to sleep, and the extra movement plus the free Stealth proficiency if you're still going for Wood Elves. We highly recommend this one for being a fantastic mix of the previous options, being the best of both worlds. Still, the other two will be efficient Rogues as well.

2 Drow

We're not done with Elves just yet, as the Drow are also an exciting option for Rogues. Sadly, they won't be helpful with weapon proficiencies, but they'll still be resistant against charm and sleep spells and give you free Perception proficiency. Aside from that, they have Superior Darkvision, allowing you to hit enemies from afar without worrying about the dark, and they get a few spells as they level up.

You'll get Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire at level three, and Darkness at level five. Of those, Faerie Fire is a beautiful choice, as it can give you an advantage against everyone you affect — and it'll also offer advantages to your companions. You also get unique roleplaying options, as most people tend to believe Drows are evil, and that affects the way they see you. Perfect for an edgy character.

1 Duergar

Invisibility. That's it. If your goal is not being seen, this is as good as it gets. From the basic Dwarf features, the only one worth mentioning is resistance against being poisoned and its damage in case you do get poisoned, which is pretty good but not as relevant.

As for the under-dwarves specifically, you get Superior Darkvision, resistance against being charmed or paralyzed (which can come in handy in certain fights), then you'll get Enlarge at level three and Invisibility at level five. Enlarge can occasionally help, but the best part here is Invisibility.

You can use it once per fight and whenever you want to when not fighting, without worrying about spell slots or the need to rest. You can sneak in wherever you want to and start any fight on your terms with this, and it doesn't take that long to get to level five — relatively speaking.

NEXT: Baldur's Gate 3: Best Endings, Ranked