In Baldur's Gate 3, the Soldier background is the most combat-focused background for you to assign your character. They have a strong focus on martial skills and achieving heroic feats in battle. The Baldur’s Gate 3 Soldier Quests and Inspirations Guide will make sure you don't miss a single point of Inspiration in Act One, turning you into a lean, mean, fighting machine.
Soldiers have proficiency in the Athletics and Intimidation skills. Having proficiency in Intimidation makes the Soldier background surprisingly useful for Charisma builds, if you don't mind going around the Sword Coast threatening everyone that you meet. Meanwhile, Athletics proficiency will help you succeed saving in throws in combat, alongside the occasional dialogue ability check.
For more on Baldur's Gate 3, see our Thorm Mausoleum guide. If you're trying to create the perfect build for your playthrough, check out our race tier list and class tier list.
How do you obtain Soldier Inspirations in Baldur's Gate 3?
The nature of most of the Soldier Inspiration goals would be considered to be of a 'neutral-good' alignment. A good soldier protects civilians and eliminates evil threats, so a character with this background should reflect these traits. To gain Inspiration, the game states that the player "shows smart tactics and bravery on the battlefield".
The table below highlights all of the Soldier Inspirations you can pick up during Act One. The majority of them are unsurprisingly combat oriented, so expect to pick a fight with every goblin, drow, and duergar you meet.
Inspiration Goal | Description | Hints |
|---|---|---|
One for the Ages | Survive a fight in which you kill ten or more enemies. | The easiest way to complete this goal is by wiping out the Goblin Camp without poisoning the drunk goblins, so that there are enough enemies for you to kill. |
Pentacrush | Kill 5 enemies in a single turn. | Managing the health of your enemies is crucial for this Inspiration. Using AoE spells such as 'Cloud of Daggers' or 'Spirit Guardians' can eliminate multiple enemies at once. |
Warrior of the Hells | Kill the cultist leader seeking Karlach. | Seek out Karlach as early as you can, as progressing the storyline at the Druid's Grove can lead to her refusing to join your party. The cultist leader can be found to the north-west of Karlach's starting position |
To Arms! | Help Guex learn how to fight. | One of the simplest Inspiration goals for the Soldier, only requires a low Ability Check. Guex can be found in the Druid's Grove, struggling to fight a practice dummy. |
Conqueror of Conquerors | Defeat the Githyanki raiding squad. | This fight can be exceptionally challenging, even at level 5 or 6. Don't be disheartened if it takes several attempts to succeed. |
Drowned in the Dark | Defeat the Duergar patrolling on the Ebonlake. | Initiate the fight by pushing the Duergar leader into the Ebonlake for an easy kill. |
No One Left Behind | Ensure all of the Grove's defenders survive the first goblin assault. | Focus on healing the humans at the gate when needed, as they will be taking the primary focus of the goblin assault. |
Strategist | Destroy a powerful foe in one strike. | The Spider Matriarch (found below the Blighted Village) can be knocked off a ledge and killed immediately, either by pushing or using a spell such as Thunderwave. |
Chain of Command | Follow Flaming Fist orders at the burning inn. | Simply saving Councillor Florrick at Waukeen's Rest will gain you this Inspiration. If you are unable to save Benryn, you will still gain the Inspiration. |
You are rewarded with an Inspiration Point and 25 Experience Points when you complete a background goal. These Inspiration Points are used to reroll a failed Ability Check. Additionally, you can hold up to four Inspiration Points at any given time. The inspiration you gain can be used to reroll an Ability Check for any member of your party, not just the character who obtained the inspiration.
What class should I play as a Soldier in Baldur's Gate 3?
The Soldier background is very versatile when paired with any class in Baldur's Gate 3 and its skill proficiencies can be beneficial for any build. Although it may seem that the Soldier background best suits a melee build, proficiency in Athletics can still be incredibly useful for magic users, as having good positioning is a necessity on tactician difficulty. Athletics proficiency will help them get to those higher ledges to get them an accuracy boost for their spells.
Proficiency in Athletics also means that you can exploit one of Baldur's Gate 3's more unique mechanics. Pushing characters requires an Athletics skill check, so proficiency in this skill comes in handy.
There are many opportunities to push enemies, or even some bosses, off of ledges for an instant, if slightly cheap victory. You will lose access to the enemy's loot if they are pushed into a chasm, so you should refrain from making this your go-to tactic.
At the end of the day, every build is viable when playing Baldur's Gate 3, so choose the background that best suits the type of character you want to play.
One of the 'Origin' characters, Lae'zel, has a Soldier background. If you have Lae'zel as an active member of your party, this guide may be vital in helping you pick up Inspiration Points as you progress through Act One.
That's it for our Soldier quests and Inspiration guide! The inspiration you collect throughout Act One should set you up well for the later acts of the Baldur's Gate 3. If you're looking for more Baldur's Gate 3 content, check out our guide on how to find the Harper Stash, our Criminal Inspirations guide, or whether you should get branded by Priestess Gut.