Baldur’s Gate 3 – YEETing Throwbarian Build Guide

How to Build a Throwbarian

By Fogno.

YEET your enemies into each other and into chasms, laughing hysterically as a raging Throwbarian! You will be throwing your weapon for every attack, never using it “properly” as your main damage comes from Tavern Brawler.

This build genuinely brings me so much joy to play.

The build dishes out BIG damage early, scales surprisingly well, and is generally hilarious to play. Throw a low HP enemy into another enemy to take them both out at once. The Returning Pike will be your best friend all the way through act 2 and remain surprisingly effective.

Disclaimer: Changes to DRS (Damage Riders as Source) in Honor Mode make this build slightly less powerful in that gamemode but is still viable. As of Patch 5, those changes are not present in Tactician and lower, making it considerably stronger.

Level Order

For levels 4-7, this build requires Elixirs of Hill Giant Strength to be used every morning to maintain 21 STR.

A minimum of 20 STR is required to pick up creatures that weigh 150lbs / 75kg, which is most medium sized creatures. At level 8, we get 20 STR permanently and Cloud Giant Elixirs can be used to boost before large fights instead.

9 Berserker Barbarian + 3 Champion Fighter

• Level 1: Barbarian
• Level 2: Barbarian
• Level 3: Barbarian, Berserker subclass
• Level 4: Barbarian, Tavern Brawler Feat adding +1 to STR
• Level 5: Barbarian
• Level 6: Barbarian
• Level 7: Barbarian
• Level 8: Barbarian, Ability Score Improvement to 20 STR. You no longer require Hill Giant Elixirs.
• Level 9: Fighter, Defense Fighting Style
• Level 10: Fighter
• Level 11: Fighter, Champion subclass
• Level 12: Barbarian (for Brutal Critical) OR Fighter for a feat of your choice (whatever looks fun)

Respecs Required

No.

Subclass(es)

• Berserker Barbarian: Grants Enraged Throw as a bonus action so you can make an additional throw attack on subsequent turns.
• Champion Fighter: We dip into fighter for Action Surge and take it to level 3 because Intimidating Presence from 10 Barbarian doesn’t do anything for our build. Your action is more effective being used to throw more things! The increased crit chance from Champion is more generally useful and synergizes with Brutal Critical.

We don’t go Battlemaster because we’re throwing something at every opportunity, and never using our weapon “properly” to make use of the maneuvers.

Starting Stats

• 17 / 14 / 14 / 8 / 10 / 8

For a Tav build, you can move some points from CON to CHA. You are going to be at ranged and raging most of the time, rarely taking damage.

Feats

• Tavern Brawler: Adds your STR modifier twice to the damage when throwing objects and using improvised weapons. So, at 20 STR, you are doing a minimum of 10 damage per throw attack. Equivalent to Great Weapon Master, but without the accuracy penalty.

Gear

The following is the only gear required for the entire game:

• (Act 1) Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo
• (Act 1) Ring of Flinging
• (Act 1) Returning Pike
• (Act 3) Dwarven Thrower & Nyrulna

Keep all 3 returning weapons in your inventory and decide which one you want to throw on the fly. Nyrulna will deal additional thunder damage in an AOE, so toss Dwarven Thrower instead when friendlies are too close.

Do not start fights with a returning weapon, or it may not return. Instead, throw a mundane javelin to begin a fight out of initiative.

For all other gear, you can just kinda wing it. Use the best AC medium armor you have (I like Adamantine Scale Mail) and any shield. Prioritize the other builds in your party for gear and give the Throwbarian whatever sounds useful at the time.

Race

Anything works!

Gameplay Tips

Enemy is too far? You can move enemies into throwing range by using Improvised Weapon Attack. Pick them up, click the target location, and RIGHT CLICK to cancel the move and drop them safely. This won’t use your action, and you can then throw them wherever you like!

• Where do I get Hill Giant Elixirs in Act 1?
• Auntie Ethel sells 3 in her shop at the Grove. In order to keep her here as long as possible:
• Delay dealing with the grove situation, as she leaves when it is resolved
• DO NOT steal from her, or she will leave
• Avoid rendering her and Mayrina’s brothers south of Blighted Village. If you render them, she is no longer at the grove.
• Edit: Avoid making her hostile in her Teahouse if you want to continue trading with her there

Derryth in the Mychonid Colony also stocks 1-2 elixirs every day.