How to Get Heavy Armor Proficiency in Baldur's Gate 3

In Baldur's Gate 3, a character's Armor Class (AC) is a crucial defensive stat. It represents the number an opponent must roll on their attack die to successfully hit and deal damage to your character. Consequently, a high AC is vital for survival, especially when facing increasingly difficult boss fights.One of the most effective ways to boost your AC is by equipping higher-tier armor. However, to benefit from a particular armor's bonuses, your character must have Armor Proficiency with that specific type. When it comes to achieving the highest AC values, Heavy Armor is almost always the best option, offering the greatest base AC in exchange for certain stealth-related drawbacks. This guide will provide all the necessary information on how to acquire Heavy Armor Proficiency in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3: Get Heavy Armor Proficiency

Heavy Armor Proficiency allows your characters to wear some of the best heavy armors in the game, such as Splint Armor, Plate Armor, Ring Mail, and Chain Mail, as well as powerful legendary sets. There are two primary ways to gain this proficiency.

1. Starting Class and Subclass

Several classes and subclasses grant Heavy Armor Proficiency as a starting Class Feature. This means these characters can wear heavy armor from the very beginning of the game. These classes are:

• Cleric:
  • Lv1 Life Domain Cleric
  • Lv1 Nature Domain Cleric
  • Lv1 Tempest Domain Cleric
  • Lv1 War Domain Cleric
• Fighter: Lv1 Fighter
• Paladin: Lv1 Paladin
• Ranger: Lv1 Ranger Knight (a Favored Enemy choice)

2. The Heavily Armored Feat

For any other class that doesn't start with Heavy Armor Proficiency, you can acquire it by selecting the Heavily Armored Feat during character level progression.

Feat	Description	Prerequisites
Heavily Armored	You gain Armor Proficiency with Heavy Armor. Your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.	Medium Armor Proficiency At least Lv. 4+

Important Considerations for Feats:

• Limited Feats: Characters have a limited number of Feats, so each choice is significant.
• Prerequisites: The Heavily Armored Feat has a prerequisite of Medium Armor Proficiency. This means a character who has neither proficiency will need to take the Moderately Armored Feat first, consuming two of their potential Feats (assuming they have neither).
• Trade-offs: If a character takes Moderately Armored at level 4 and then Heavily Armored at level 8, they will have used up two Feats. This may leave little room for other vital Feats or Ability Score Increases, potentially making the character less effective in other aspects of combat. However, you can always use a Respec with Withers to reallocate your choices.

Is Heavy Armor Viable For DEX-Based Characters?

It's crucial to understand that Heavy Armor Proficiency is generally not an ideal choice for heavily Dexterity-based characters. This is because almost all Heavy Armors impose Disadvantage on Stealth checks. For classes that rely on abilities like Sneaking, Hiding, and Sneak Attack, this penalty severely limits their core strengths.

For characters who use finesse weapons and rely on a high Dexterity scorefor damage, lockpicking, and disarming traps, wearing heavy armor wouldnegate many of their most valuable traits.

Instead of heavy armor, players looking to boost the AC of their Dexterity-based characters should focus on:

• Maximizing their Dexterity to take advantage of the AC bonus provided by Light and Medium armors.
• Hunting for the best Light or Medium armors in the game, many of which provide high base AC without imposing stealth penalties.
• Utilizing defensive utility spells such as Mirror Image, Shield, and Haste to gain additional defensive properties in combat.

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