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? Here’s our pick of the best Dark Urge (Durge) classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.
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 synergizes 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
- Fighter
- Barbarian
To put it simply, the Durge 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 Durge, 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.
There are plenty of reasons to play as the Durge, but one you might not be aware of is a completely unique NPC that you cannot meet unless you’re playing as the Dark Urge. Sceleritas Fel is his name, and urging you to continue giving in to the Dark Urge’s violent behaviors is his game. If you want to meet him, you’ll have to do some Dark Urge killing.
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. Baldur’s Gate 3
While the Durge definitely provides ample opportunities for evil deeds, Baldur’s Gate 3 has some completely unique endings if you play as the Dark Urge and successfully resist all manner of evil temptations throughout your playthrough. It won’t be easy, but it could give you your new favorite ending!
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 Durge 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 Durge, 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.
Best Durge build in BG3
If you ask me, the best Durge build is Assassination Rogue, as this subclass promotes solitary gameplay heavily focused on combat. Since your Durge is all about cold-blooded murder, The Deathstalker Mantle works perfectly with this sub-class. Rogues typically have amazing Dexterity, meaning you’ll roll high initiative and you’ll take out one high-priority target early. Another way to approach combat as Assassination Rogue is to stay out of combat entirely: Hide and then slowly take out enemies. It’s important you one-shot your enemies. If you fail to do so, you’ll start the regular combat with initiative.
For this build, you want to max out your Dexterity and use items like The Graceful Cloth that increase this ability by two (up to 20). I recommend you stick to your regular Rogue feats like Alert that increase your initiative, Lucky for rerolls, and, of course, Ability Improvement.
Again, this build is focused on unlocking your power as a murderous assassin who likes to play alone. In this case, I leaned really into Durge fantasy, and trust me, you’ll love this combination.
