Of all Baldur’s Gate 3 character backgrounds available, Dark Urge is undoubtedly the “high risk, high reward” option, but which class supports this murderous Origin character the best? Well, it depends on how you want to play BG3.
Best class for Dark Urge in BG3, explained
The best class for the Dark Urge in BG3 depends on whether you’re playing to become a damage-dealing powerhouse or for roleplaying, or if you want to try something that synergises with the Dark Urges’, well, dark urges.
These are the six best classes for the Dark Urge:
- Rogue (Best Dark Urge class if you’re playing for power).
- Warlock (Best Dark Urge class if you’re roleplaying).
- Sorcerer (One of the best general Dark Urge classes).
- Monk (One of the best general Dark Urge classes).
- Figher (One of the best general Dark Urge classes).
- Barbarian (One of the best general Dark Urge classes).
To put it simply, the Dark Urge is “A wicked moment, person, or thing that cannot be slain by sword or spell haunts your mind and flickers in your peripheral vision. You carry it wherever your adventure takes you—or perhaps it carries you.” Although this message is cryptic, it means the Dark Urge is obsessed with murder. These classes will help you do just that.
Best Dark Urge class in BG3 for power
If you’re trying to synergize class and background to be the most effective little demented murderer you can be with Dark Urge, there’s a pretty clear class choice: Rogue.
When you select this background, you will receive a magic cloak, The Deathstalker Mantle, as a reward for committing a vomit-inducing spoiler. It grants the following:
- The Shadow Itself: “Once per turn when you kill an enemy, shroud yourself in primaeval darkness to become Invisible for two turns.”
Can you think of any class that benefits from being hidden? The Rogue is the strongest class for the Dark Urge background in Baldur’s Gate 3. This ability granted from the cape has no cooldown or roll associated with it—you turn invisible every time you kill a foe.
Being invisible means Advantage on attacks, which for a Rogue means automatic Sneak Attacks. A rogue’s Sneak Attack is a contender for the highest single-target damage in Baldur’s Gate 3, meaning it is VERY likely to kill its target. A rogue with a Deathstalker Mantle can spend an entire encounter invisible, appearing only to one-shot an enemy.
Best Dark Urge class in BG3 for roleplay
This is subjective, but I believe Warlock is an obvious frontrunner for the most fun Dark Urge class for roleplaying for one specific reason—patrons. Wyll, a Warlock Origin Character, has his Patron (a demon, devil, archfey, or other otherworldly beings that grant a Warlock their powers) show up several times throughout the game, and his pact plays a considerable role in his story.
I think we’re meant to feel bad for Wyll and glad it’s not us, but being that I was playing a Warlock myself, I felt jealous. Where was my Patron?
The Dark Urge background causes you to have all sorts of nefarious nighttime visitors, moral dilemmas, and rewards for behaving monstrously. Sometimes, you’re forced to do bad things, which isn’t too much of a stretch for the Dark Urge.
In BG3, the custom character Warlocks doesn’t have a patron. They select one during character creation, but that’s the end—they never appear as Wyll’s does. Selecting the Dark Urge background as a Warlock fills this void and scratches that itch that can only be scratched by being forced to commit atrocious evils or risk everything in defiance. It makes your Warlock feel like an actual Warlock.
Other recommended classes for a Dark Urge playthrough
If you want to play the Dark Urge in a team with Gale and Astarion, or if you don’t like the Rogue or Warlock playstyle, four other classes are great for any Dark Urge playthrough:
- Sorcerer makes the most sense for other fun roleplay-style runs and appears to be the default option. So, if you don’t like the Warlock class or Wyll has soured your perception of them, the Sorcerers are a great and robust alternative.
- Monks can also be fun in that they have to fight their dark urges through meditation, and it’s almost like watching a battle between good and evil. What’s excellent about Monks is that they have decent damage and can even endure the solo boss fight against Orin the Red with ease.
- Barbarians may be the best fit outside of a Rogue, thanks to the brutality one can muster with this class. If you’re new or want to play more of a tank Dark Urge, then this is the class I’d pick because Barbarians are tough to kill and deal pretty decent damage. So, it’s the best of both worlds.
- Fighters are one class you should play if you don’t want to play as the Rogue or Warlock. You have better Saving Throws, more attacks per turn thanks to Action Surge, and healing spells. They’re tanky, and it’s one of the more high damage-dealing classes. All of this and more are why Lae’Zel is a popular choice in team compositions. But why have Lae’Zel when you can be a Dark Urge Fighter?
However, if you can’t decide on just one class, you can multiclass your Dark Urge, which means you can get the best of two classes and mitigate their downsides. For the Dark Urge, the best multiclass options include:
- Barbarian and Fighter
- Barbarian and Rogue
- Warlock and Sorcerer.
The Dark Urge is one of those characters that offers such a unique gameplay experience and storyline that even if you’ve completed BG3, you should do another playthrough as the Dark Urge. And if the Dark Urge is your first character, you’re in for a dark and murderous ride.
