This BG3 Skill Finally Introduces D&D Giants To Baldur's Gate 3 |

Giants might not show up in any official capacity in Baldur's Gate 3, but that doesn't mean there's no way to make a giant happen in game.

Summary

Giants are not included in the narrative of Baldur's Gate 3 , but players can still make their character into a giant using clever tactics.
This skill in BG3 differs from the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop version.
Being a giant in Baldur's Gate 3 has advantages, but some benefits have diminishing returns.

Giants are an iconic part of Dungeons & Dragons, but Baldur's Gate 3 steers clear of many tabletop campaigns by leaving the hulking creatures out of its narrative. It's no surprise that not every race from DnD could make it into the game, but the fact that giants are something of a household name makes them seem like one of the more notable omissions. One skill, however, can make it possible to get a giant in the game without any modding. Getting there requires a bit of cleverness, but it ultimately isn't hard to implement in practice.

One of the best features of Dungeons & Dragons is the possibility to experiment with mechanics in creative ways, a process that can be helped by having a dungeon master oversee things. Although DMs are there to enforce the rules as intended, they often share that prerogative with an interest in the so-called "rule of cool" that emphasizes fudging things a bit if it makes for a more memorable or fun experience. Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't have the "rule of cool" adaptability of a dungeon master, but it does occasionally circumvent the rules as written in its own ways.

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Enlarge Is The Key To Making Giants In Baldur's Gate 3

The trick to making a Baldur's Gate 3 character into a giant lies in the fact that the enlarge effect stacks in the game. This goes against its implementation in fifth edition DnD, as the system is explicit about spell effects not stacking under any general circumstances. Although there are still some possible combinations in DnD that can achieve a bit of extra size, Baldur's Gate 3 makes things simpler by ignoring the ban on stacking and allowing multiple instances of enlarge to keep making a character bigger and bigger.

The enlarge spell is obviously required to raise a character to the size of a giant, which is a level 2 Transmutation spell that can be acquired by Sorcerers and Wizards. An Elixir of the Colossus is also necessary, which carries the same overall effects as the enlarge spell but can be used in conjunction with it. Equipping an item that makes it possible to use enlarge is the other option on the table, with Bigboy's Chew Toy providing the perfect option with its Whossa Large Fellow? ability. This quarterstaff can be bought in Moonrise Towers from the Bugbear merchant Lann Tarv.

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DnD giants can come in a range of sizes, although all of them fall under the overarching size category of Huge in the tabletop game. This size is more relevant to a grid-based map than to actual height, blocking out a 15x15 foot area for them to occupy in battle. A relatively unassuming hill giant can come in at around 16 feet, while hulking storm giants clock in at a whopping 26 feet. A Baldur's Gate 3 character under the influence of stacking enlarge effects will end up much closer to the former than the latter, but it's still a height that would be considered respectable for a giant.

What Being A Giant Does In Baldur's Gate 3

Being this big in Baldur's Gate 3 can have some advantages, with serious reach and extra damage on weapons. It does, however, encounter some diminishing returns. Advantages granted on strength checks and saving throws become redundant after the first enlarge, and the bonus to carrying capacity that comes with enlarge likewise doesn't extend beyond its initial improvement. The best reason to employ this strategy might just be how fun it can be to watch on the battlefield, as even fearsome enemies can look weak next to an oversized party member.

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It's likely that this particular combination wasn't intended in Baldur's Gate 3, as it seems like more of a quirk of programming than any specifically designed effect. It's consequently possible that Larian Studios could patch it out in the future to get closer to DnD rules, although the threat of removal doesn't ultimately seem very likely. The lack of any ridiculous advantages in combat makes it a novelty that wouldn't be particularly worth addressing, and it's a nice bit of harmless fun to have in the game so long as it remains.

The Future Of Baldur's Gate Should Embrace Giants

At the moment, there's no official word on the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise, and developer Larian Studios is currently busy patching and improving Baldur's Gate 3. It's entirely possible that it could receive expansions or even a sequel, and properly including giants would be the perfect addition. Although they might not fit seamlessly into any content that Larian might pursue — it's unlikely that there's a giant enclave making waves in the Upper City, for example — there are plenty of avenues that could bring giants back to the series in a memorable manner.

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The recent DnD sourcebook Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants shows just how much interesting material there is to mine from giants, and it offers some new ideas that could be fun to explore in Baldur's Gate 3. One particularly interesting facet of giant lore is rune magic, which holds latent power that could make for unique environmental hazards or powerful magical items in-game. The Path of the Giant Barbarian subclass would offer a memorable way to achieve a similar effect to stacking enlarge through a more intentional mechanic, with Rage letting a creature transform in size.

Regardless of whether giants do end up making official appearances Baldur's Gate 3 or possible future titles, the current ability to get a character up to giant size by stacking effects is a fun gimmick for anyone with the requisite tools. This is only one of many interesting effect interactions in the game, and considering the vast span of possibilities in the scope of the experience, more will no doubt continue to be discovered in the coming months. For now, making a character into a giant is the perfect balance of simplicity and gratification that makes for a truly special Baldur's Gate 3 trick.

This BG3 Skill Finally Introduces D&D Giants To Baldur's Gate 3