In a world of mighty wizards and cunning rogues, Baldur’s Gate 3 hides its most explosive secret in plain sight: the “barrelmancer,” a fan-made “class” dedicated to hoarding every flammable barrel in sight, then unleashing chaos with a single, well-timed spark. Why settle for swords and spells when you can turn the battlefield into a chain-reaction fireworks show-and leave your foes wondering how they lost to a walking pile of junk?
Baldur’s Gate 3 has already dazzled fans with its scope, and the degree to which it supports player creativity. You can improvise melee weapons – throwing rotten food, shoes, and even companion characters. You can also fill your pockets with just about anything you’re strong enough to carry, and make some outrageous plays by placing those items strategically. One of my personal favorite aspects of the game’s freeform item aesthetic is the made-up class fans call a “barrelmancer,” someone who collects flammable barrels, then sets them off to create a daisy chain of explosions.
The barrelmancer strategy went viral on Reddit and Twitter last week. In the clip, content creator Okoii scrolls through an inventory stocked with nearly 40 incendiary barrels. Their Halfling character – who is extremely yoked – then places those barrels in a domino-like configuration all through the Goblin Camp in the game’s first act, scrambles onto a perch, and tosses an Alchemist’s Fire grenade to set them off.
It apparently took even more barrels than I could have possibly imagined. Via email, Okoii told me just how many: “I used about 70 barrels but i didn’t count the exact amount, there were limited explosive barrels so i clustered them around the important targets and used mostly Oil and wine barrels for the rest with the occasional throwable items placed in between spots where i was running out.”
A full minute of the rest of the video’s run time is dedicated to documenting the chain of explosions that absolutely ravage the Goblin Camp. This includes, of course, every enemy dying dramatically, whether they failed or passed their savings throw. It took about eight hours in total to place the barrels and film the various camera angles. “The most satisfying part was throwing the very first firepot setting off the barrels outside the camp,” Okoii said.
Okoii also posted a full-length YouTube video edit of his crew of Halfling barbarians – a crew that very much reads like a group of buff hobbits – causing chaos throughout The Sword Coast. (The footage posted to Reddit and X is just the last minute of the full YouTube video.)
“4 Halfing Barbarians are no joke, barbarians in general especially early game are extremely strong so we had absolutely no trouble with any fights even without barrels,” Okoii said.
Why is ‘barrelmancer’ considered the top class in Baldur’s Gate 3
The “barrelmancer” is considered the top class in Baldur’s Gate 3 not because it’s an official class, but because it leverages the game’s physics and environmental systems to devastating effect. Barrelmancers collect and strategically place explosive barrels-such as oil and smokepowder-around enemies or key locations, then detonate them for massive area-of-effect damage, often ending tough encounters in a single, spectacular turn. This approach bypasses the uncertainty of dice rolls and spell saves, making it both reliable and highly effective, especially in challenging modes like Honour Mode where every advantage counts.
The playstyle is especially potent when combined with high-Strength characters (like Barbarians), who can throw barrels for extra impact, and with races like Githyanki for their mobility and utility abilities. The abundance of barrels in the game, especially early on, ensures that players can frequently employ this tactic. Ultimately, barrelmancy turns improvisation and environmental manipulation into an art form, allowing players to outsmart the toughest foes with explosive creativity rather than brute force or magic.
What specific exploits make barrelmancy so effective in Baldur’s Gate 3
Several specific exploits make barrelmancy highly effective in Baldur’s Gate 3:
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Massive Area Damage via Explosive Barrels: By collecting and placing explosive barrels-such as Smokepowder, Runepowder, Oil, and Firewine-around enemies or bosses, players can ignite them for a chain reaction of explosions that deal enormous area-of-effect damage, often enough to instantly defeat even the toughest foes.
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Stealthy Setup: Barrelmancers use stealth or invisibility to position barrels around key targets before combat begins, avoiding detection and dialogue triggers. This allows them to set up the battlefield for maximum impact without alerting enemies.
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Bypassing Traditional Combat Mechanics: Instead of relying on dice rolls, spell saves, or weapon attacks, barrelmancy uses environmental manipulation, making it more reliable and less dependent on character stats or luck.
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Abusing Inventory and Physics: Characters with high Strength can carry and throw barrels, crates, or even “loaded” barrels filled with heavy junk for devastating thrown attacks. The game’s physics allow for creative combinations, such as stacking crates or using the Throw command for unexpected results.
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NPC Indifference: NPCs in Baldur’s Gate 3 generally do not react to players moving or placing barrels near them, which lets players set up explosive traps in plain sight without interference.
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Resource Abundance: Explosive barrels are plentiful, especially in early acts, allowing frequent use of this strategy in key encounters.
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Potential for One-Shot Kills: With careful placement and timing, barrelmancy can wipe out entire groups or bosses in a single turn, sometimes skipping entire phases of difficult fights.
While powerful, barrelmancy carries risks, such as friendly fire and limited barrel supplies, but its ability to trivialize hard encounters through creative exploitation of game systems is what makes it so effective.
