Best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds (2024)

Whatis the best Baldur’s Gate 3 build? There are so many ways that you can shape your character in BG3 that it can be difficult to know where to start. There are countless combinations between races and backgrounds, classes and skills – and some are undoubtedly better than others. Thankfully, we’re here to help, with a collection of builds to create characters you love that can still pack a punch.

After extensive testing and research, we bring you our favorite builds forallBaldur’s Gate 3 classesin Larian Studios’RPG game, including their optimal subclass, BG3 race, and background.We also have dedicated guides for each build’s best skills and BG3 weaponsso you can get the most out of yourBaldur’s Gate 3character. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the choices presented to you in character creation,ourguide to the best BG3 builds is guaranteed to help you create the best character possible.

What are the best BG3 builds?

These are currently the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds:

Berserker Barbarian:for close-up power and leaving enemies prone
College of Valour Bard:for resistance to status effects and higher damage output than your typical Bard
Light Cleric:For regeneration and healing to the max
Moon Druid:For the most shapeshifting abilities and raw power
Eldritch Fighter:To add spell-slinging to your brawler
Way of Shadow Monk:For the time you want to talk your way out of combat
Oath of Vengeance Paladin:For huge healing, buffs, and damage output
Gloom Stalker Ranger: Forhigh one-turn damage
Thief Rogue:For effective stealth, stealing, and trickery
Draconic Sorcerer:For greater HP and hard-hitting sorcery
The Great Old One Warlock:For charismatic crowd control
Evocation Wizard:For the hardest-hitting spells in Faerun

Berserker Barbarian build

Subclass – Berserker
Race – Shield Dwarf
Background – Soldier
Skills – Athletics and Intimidation
Abilities – Strength, Constitution
Multi-class – Barbarian 9/Fighter 3 if desired
Pros – High melee damage and multi-action turns
Cons – No spellcasting and limited ranged options

If you’re looking to tap into the raw, frenzied power of a close-range brawler, it doesn’t get any better than our Baldur’s Gate 3 Barbarian build. The Berserker subclass harnesses the inner rage of your character and translates it into additional melee attacks and combat moves that can leave your opponent lying prone. While a Shield Dwarf might have restricted movement, this race more than makes up for it with its array of weapon proficiencies and bonuses to Strength and Constitution. However, the Half-Orc is another great option thanks to the Savage Attacks passive, which pairs well with two-handed weapons. The Soldier BG3 background is the final flourish.

Don’t want to play the Berserker as your main character? Worry not, as this build is also perfect for the rage-fueled Karlach.

Most of the Barbarian’s power comes from the unique Rage feature, which costs one Bonus Action to activate but then offers bonus damage, damage resistance, and Advantage on saving throws and Strength checks. Once you reach level 3 and select the Berserker, you’ll get access to Frenzy, an even stronger version of Rage with up to two Bonus Actions: Frenzied Strike and Enraged Throw. With incredible base damage and so many additional attacks, the Berserker Barbarian can dish out massive damage each turn, though it relies on you remaining at melee range to keep the effect active. It’s high risk, high reward.

The Everburn Blade will stay by your side for at least the entirety of Act 1, and thankfully, can be found aboard the Nautiloid before you even land in Faerun. You can find the Everburn Blade onCommander Zhalk’s body, should you dispatch him before the time runs out.

You’ll also want to keep your eyes out for the Cap of Wrath for increased damage when you inevitably take damage, the Adamantine Scale Mail, and the Boots of Genial Striding, which are great for closing the gap.

Though the Berserker Barbarian has some strong upgrades between levels 10 and 12, you can also multi-class with the Fighter at level 9 to get three levels of BG3’s other melee bruiser. This will give you access to Second Wind and Action Surge, which synergize well with the Barbarian’s playstyle.

College of Valour Bard build

Subclass – College of Valour
Race – Wood Half-Elf
Background – The Entertainer
Skills – Acrobatics, Performance, Stealth
Abilities – Charisma, Dexterity
Starting Spells – Healing Word, Heroism, Dissonant Whispers, Thunderwave
Starting Cantrips – Vicious Mockery, Light
Multi-class – Bard 6/Paladin 6 if desired
Pros – Varied buffs and debuffs, great in dialog
Cons – Requires multi-classing for more damage potential

The College of Valour imbues our Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard build with more capacity to dish out damage in combat, rather than be relegated to a support role. The Wood Half-Elf is an exceptional choice for the Bard thanks to a veritable hoard of utility – from additional movement and stealth proficiency, resistance to certain BG3 status effects, and of course, Darkvision. Of course, the ideal Bard comes complete with the Entertainer background; not only is it a perfect thematic choice, but it comes complete with all the Dexterity a budding Bard could ask for.

Since the Bard is generally a support character, especially the College of Valour subclass, this build works best when the rest of your party is focused on dealing damage, such as having Karlach as a Berserker. If you want to deal more damage yourself, then you’re better off with the College of Lore for spellcasting or the College of Swords for a more sword-swinging playstyle.

With this subclass, the iconic Bardic Inspiration ability becomes Combat Inspiration at level 3, which increases allies’ damage or Armor class. This is perfect when cast on a strong damage dealer, like a one-turn Gloom Stalker Ranger. As you level, you also get access to powerful spells: Song of Rest to resupply your party, Faerie Fire to grant advantage, Lesser Restoration to cure allies, and Glyph of Warding which can be used with various different effects depending on what the situation calls for. All in all, the College of Valour Bard is remarkably versatile in how it can support your team in combat, whether it’s buffing allies or debuffing the enemy.

However, if you’re finding this playstyle a little too passive for you, then you can multi-class with Paladin at level 6 since both use Charisma. This will give you access to even more supportive spells, including heals like Lay on Hands, as well as more damaging spells like Divine Smite. You will miss out on the many additional spell slots gained from later levels of the Bard, however, as well as improved Bardic Inspiration, and the handy Dimension Door spell.

Light Cleric build

Subclass – Light domain
Race – Human
Background – Acolyte
Skills – Medicine, Insight
Abilities – Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution
Multi-class – Cleric 9, Paladin 3 if desired
Pros – Versatile and resilient with strong damage, buffs, debuffs, and heals
Cons – Slow start

Choosing to become a Cleric doesn’t have to mean a life of staying on the sidelines and throwing out a heal or two, as you’ll soon discover with our Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build. The Light subclass allows you to branch out from those regenerative effects to smite your enemies right alongside your allies. A Human Acolyte is a great all-rounder for the Cleric class, bestowing you bonus points in every stat, as well as additional Insight and Religion to assist in social situations.

During character creation, Clerics will need to pick a diety. Keep in mind that this is only for roleplaying purposes, so you can choose whichever deity you’d like. On the other hand, you also need to choose three cantrips, with Guidance, Resistance, and Sacred Flame being the best options. You also need to prepare four spells, of which Guiding Bolt, Bless, Healing Word, and Inflict Wounds are by far the best choices. Bless, in particular, is one of the best buffs in BG3, though it is a Concentration spell.

As you level up, you’ll gain access to even more of the best spells, such as Aid, Mass Healing Word, Scorching Ray, and Fireball, which further the Light Cleric’s healing and remarkable damage output. Plus, when equipped with a one-handed weapon and shield, they can also be somewhat of a tank. Take to the frontline and sling devastating spells at your enemies as you buff and heal your allies.

Though the Cleric starts relatively weak, by the time you reach level 4, you’ll quickly begin to increase in power. This also means that you generally don’t want to multi-class with a Cleric, since most of its power is found in its later upgrades. However, if you really want to multi-class, it’s best to do so at level 9, picking up three levels of an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.

Moon Druid build

Subclass – Circle of the Moon
Race – Wood Elf
Background – Outlander
Skills – Animal Handling and Perception
Abilities – Wisdom, Dexterity
Multi-class – Druid 10/Fighter 2
Pros – Most versatile class and build
Cons – Complex playstyle with best upgrades unlocked later

Druids are an exceptionally flexible class thanks to their copious shapeshifting abilities, which we’ve prioritized in our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build.They can tank, crowd control, deal melee and ranged damage, and bring the widest variety of utility spells, and can therefore be used to fill any hole in your team comp. Plus, the ability to change form means that Druids can switch playstyle on the fly. However, they’ve changed perhaps the most out of all the classes over the numerous patches since launch, beginning as a rather weak and unpopular class.

Unsurprisingly, the Wood Elf is a fantastic race to pair with the Druid class given their increased movement and stealth, as well as a bonus to Wisdom, this build’s most important stat. Halflings and Githyanki are also good choices. However, many racial abilities don’t apply in Wild Shape form though, so your race choice isn’t as impactful. An Outlander background also boosts a Druid’s overall Athletics and Survival, so that you can traverse the land with ease no matter which animal form you take.

During character creation, you will need to pick two cantrips. While many of these are good, such as Thorn Whip and Shillelagh, we recommend picking Produce Flame and Guidance (unless you have a Cleric with access to Guidance).

Once you pick the Circle of the Moon subclass at level 2, the Druid’s versatility skyrockets with a shapeshifting hybrid setup. You will also be able to pick five spells here. Longstrider and Enhance Leap are strong mobility spells that can be cast on your party before combat. Healing Word is an excellent Bonus Action for healing. Then, you can pick up Ice Knife and Entangle which can be cast before activating Wild Shape.

Early on, you want to use Wild Shape to become (unfortunately) a spider, as this gives you high damage and defense, as well as the Enweb Bonus Action to easily crowd-control enemies from the start of a fight.

Once you level up more, the Druid benefits from more powerful spells and class features, such as the incredible Spike Growth and Moonbeam spells at level 3, the mobile Dire Raven Wild Shape at level 4, and much more. Level 10 is a particularly sweet upgrade thanks to the Improved Wild Strike passive and the versatile Myrmidon Wild Shapes, especially the Earth Myrmidon which synergizes with the Tavern Brawler feat unlocked at level 4.

Since level 10 is such a big upgrade for the Moon Druid, you likely don’t want to multi-class before this point. The final two Moon Druid levels can be sacrificed more easily for two levels of Fighter for Action Surge and other handy passives. Just remember to activate Action Surge before turning into an animal.

As for gear, the Druid doesn’t have the best early-game options. Nevertheless, keep an eye out for the Barkskin Armor and The Whispering Promise ring. Once you reach Act 3, you want the Armor of Moonbasking, which is sold by Voiceless Penitent Bareki in the Undercity Ruins of Lower City sewers, and the Shapeshifter Hat, sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee.

Eldritch Fighter build

Subclass – Eldritch Knight
Race – Githyanki
Background – Outlander
Skills – Acrobatics, History
Abilities – Strength, Intelligence, and Constitution
Multi-class – Fighter 8/Barbarian 4
Pros – Multiple attacks per turn for melee and magic damage
Cons – Weaker than the Berserker Barbarian

A bare-knuckle brawler may seem like one of the more straightforward classes, but we’ve given our Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter build some additional flavor with the Eldritch Knight subclass. Your spell-slinging will never be as proficient as a Wizard or Sorcerer, but you can harness your magical prowess to bolster your defenses while making the most of the Great Weapons fighting style. A BG3 Githyanki Outlander gives you more capacity to outmaneuver your foes and survive out in the wilds of the Forgotten Realms with the Athletics skill, letting you take Acrobatics and the Intelligence-scaling History skill alongside it.

The Fighter’s main strength is Action Surge, which grants you an additional Action, and the Extra Attack effects you gain as you progress. These let the Eldritch Knight dish out a great deal of damage with each turn, similar to the Berserker Barbarian. What sets the Eldritch Knight apart though is its access to magic, such as the Fire Bolt cantrip, the handy Magic Missle, Burning Hands, and Shatter. Plus, with the War Magic feature unlocked at level 7, you will be able to use a Bonus Action to perform a weapon attack after using a cantrip.

Though the Battle Master subclass has access to the powerful Superiority Dice, this playstyle suffers from a lack of ranged damage and strong competition from the Berserker Barbarian. On that note, you can multi-class the Fighter with the Barbarian for additional close-range damage. It’s best to do this after reaching Fighter level 8 so that you can then have four Barbarian levels, choosing the Berserker subclass. This will give you even more additional moves per turn thanks to Rage.

The Fighter starts off quite slow in terms of leveling, so it’s good news that there are strong armor options available early on to compensate. The Grymskull Helm dropped by Grym in the Adamantine Forge during Act 1 is a great way to increase the survivability of the Fighter, as is the Adamantine Splint Armor forged at the Adamantine Forge during Act One. Elsewhere, keep an eye out for the Amulet of Misty Step, Crusher’s Ring, and the Gloves of the Growling Underdog.

Way of Shadow Monkbuild

Subclass – Way of Shadows
Race – Wood Elf
Background – Urchin
Skills – Acrobatics, Insight
Abilities – Dexterity, Strength
Multi-class – Monk 8/Fighter 4 if desired
Pros – Very mobile with high damage per turn
Cons – Lack of ranged damage and complex playstyle

While the Monk has the power to explode a man by damaging them with perfectly timed attacks, they’re surprisingly Zen when you utilize our best BG3 Monk build. The Monk certainly has the power to deal close-range damage with their bare hands, but they can talk their way out of combat by calming the situation down. The Way of Shadows subclass allows you to jump from shadow to shadow in an instant – this is extremely useful outside of combat as you can complete difficult quests in a matter of moments with a Monk in your party.

The Monk is a tricky class to play and the Way of Shadows subclass certainly doesn’t make it any easier, though it does make it more powerful due to high mobility and stealthy damage. Since it is a melee class that requires high mobility, the Wood Elf is by far the best race to pick for this build, gaining an extra 1.5 meters among other bonuses.

The Shadow Monk keeps the class unique Ki feature, which lets you cast additional moves like Flurry of Blows. This is a great way to increase your damage output each turn, providing you manage this additional resource during combat.

What makes the Way of Shadows subclass so strong, however, is its ability to toy with enemies. Like the stealthy Rogue, you’re often reliant on shadows and sneaking to deal massive damage. The Monk has the advantage here as they can cast abilities like Pass Without Trace to give the party +10 to stealth checks, or Darkness to blind creatures. When paired with attacks like Stunning Strike, it’s easy to control the battlefield from the shadows with this Monk build. Remember, stunned enemies skip a turn.

Oath ofVengeance Paladin build

Subclass – Oath of Vengeance
Race – Half-Orc
Background – Soldier
Skills – Athletics, Intimidation, Persuasion
Abilities – Strength, Charisma
Multi-class – Paladin 5/Warlock 7 if desired
Pros – Great melee damage dealer, healer, buffer, and tank
Cons – Lack of ranged damage, many Concentration Spells

If you’re seeking to become the ultimate paladin to protect your allies from harm while devastating enemies with divine retribution, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build is the one for you. This is arguably still the best build in Baldur’s Gate 3 even following balance patches as it has incredible versatility and works with most party compositions. Be careful though, as many of its best moves are Concentration Spells, which can’t overlap and can be interrupted.

As you’d expect from any Paladin, you’ll have access to various healing and buffing effects, including Lay on Hands and Aid. Aid is a particularly strong spell as it heals your entire party and increases their max health until the next long rest.

What makes the Oath of Vengeance Paladin so strong is that it solves the Paladin’s greatest weakness – a lack of mobility. At level 5 you unlock Misty Step, which lets you teleport across the battlefield. Plus, this is considered a Bonus Action, so you can still follow up with a proper Action after. This is perfect for getting into melee range with the powerful Divine Smite or to save allies from near death.

In terms of gear, the Everburn Blade is a great choice and can be found on Commander Zhalk’s body if you’re able to defeat him before the time runs out on the Nautiloid. Other great early-game gear includes the Helmet of Smiting, Boots of Striding, Chain Mail +1, and the Blooded Greataxe.

If you don’t have a Cleric on the team and would rather have more healing, then the Paladin’s Oath of the Ancients subclass is more your style. The Healing Radiance courtesy of the Ancients subclass delivers powerful AoE healing to your party both inside and outside of combat, keeping all members hale and hearty. You can then pair this with the Zarial Tiefling to gain bonus attribute points to your Strength and Charisma, as well as improved Intimidation and Performance checks via the Thaumaturgy racial trait.

Because the Paladin scales with Charisma, you can also multi-class this build with a Warlock to more ranged damage and spells. If you’re planning on multi-classing to make a ‘Palock’, it’s best to do so at level 5 Paladin to unlock Misty Step before then putting seven levels in Warlock.

Gloom Stalker Ranger

Subclass – Gloom Stalker
Race – Wood Elf
Background – Urchin
Skills – Stealth, Sleight of Hand
Abilities – Dexterity, Wisdom
Multi-class – Ranger 5/Rogue 7
Pros – High damage per turn to eliminate high-threat enemies, mobile
Cons – Complex playstyle that largely relies on ranged damage and good positioning

Though bringing a faithful animal companion with you into the fray as the Beast Master is a fun and unique Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger build, it’s hard to beat the Gloom Stalker Ranger. Smashing together the best aspects of the Rogue and the Ranger, this build is the ultimate one-turn master, which can turn otherwise impossible fights in your favor from the first turn.

The Ranger has a handful of unique options during character creation and throughout leveling that fit with the tracker theme. The two most important are Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer, and we recommend Bounty Hunter and either Urban Tracker or Beast Tamer respectively. Urban Tracker will give you Sleight of Hand, which you should already have covered if you picked the Urchin background.

By taking five levels of the Ranger before multi-classing with seven levels of Thief Rogue, you benefit from the former’s Bonus Action and Misty Step, and the latter’s Extra Attack. Though you miss out on the higher levels of both classes, these later upgrades aren’t nearly as strong as the early bonuses of each. In fact, you can even take two levels of Fighter (meaning less Rogue levels) to also gain access to Action Surge for even more additional actions per turn.

Nevertheless, having all these possible moves each turn, alongside Misty Step and stealth proficiency, means the Gloom Stalker Ranger can hit hard each turn. If you have this character focus on the high-threat targets, then you can easily eliminate these enemies on the first turn, especially as the Ranger is likely to move first in combat.

Early game gear to keep an eye out for includes the Haste Helm, Disintegrating Night Walkers or the Amulet of Misty Step, Caustic Band, and The Joltshooter. These increase your damage and mobility for even more effective one-turn damage.

Thief Rogue build

Subclass – Thief
Race – Drow
Background – Urchin
Skills – Acrobatics, Insight
Abilities – Dexterity, Wisdom
Multi-class – Rogue 7/Ranger 5 if desired
Pros – High melee and ranged damage
Cons – Demands careful planning and positioning for maximum damage

The Rogue is a slippery class by nature, and our Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue build takes advantage of this with the Thief subclass, allowing you to sneak, dodge, and perform death-defying leaps to your heart’s content. With high dexterity and a lightning-fast dagger at your disposal, your enemies will never see you coming. A BG3 DrowUrchin is the perfect choice for a slippery pickpocket, allowing you even more success with sleight of hand and general penny-pinching.

What makes the Thief subclass click is its additional Bonus Action, which lets you cast moves like Cunning Action Dash without worry so you can get into range and still have resources for attacks. Building on this is the Sneak Attack Dice system, which results in the Rogue dealing massive bonus damage when attacking from stealth to (ideally) one-hit most enemies. Sure, it requires some set-up to get the ball rolling in each fight but these synergize very well to create the ultimate assassin.

Make sure to select the Dual Wielder feat as soon as you can to increase armor class when holding a melee weapon in both hands, even if they’re not light.

The Rogue also benefits from very strong armor options early on, including the Haste Helm and the Amulet of Misty Step, and the Spidersilk Armor for +1 on stealth checks. The Hunter’s Dagger and Shortsword of First Blood are superb weapons, bought from Roah Moonglow in the Shatter Sanctum and found on the corpse of a Deep Gnome in the Decrepit Village in the Underdark respectively.

Since the Thief Rogue unlocks so many strong upgrades later into its tree, from stat bumps to additional Sneak Attack Die, multi-classing isn’t necessary with this Rogue build. However, if you want to multi-class, then the best place to do this is upon reaching Rogue level seven and sacrificing later upgrades for five levels of Ranger. This will give you additional moves per turn and access to various spells that synergize well with this build’s playstyle.

Draconic Sorcerer build

Subclass – Draconic Bloodline
Race – High Half-Elf
Background – Charlatan
Skills – Persuasion, Insight
Starting Spells – Mage Armor, Witch Bolt
Starting Cantrips – Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, Mage Hand
Abilities – Charisma, Dexterity
Multi-class – Sorcerer 10/Warlock 2
Pros – Strong area-of-effect damage and elemental effects
Cons – Weak at close range

Imbued with the power of draconic magic, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer buildgrants you bonus resilience thanks to additional Hit Points and an increased Armour class. We’ve paired this subclass with a Wood Half-Elf Charlatan to boost your Sorcerer’s natural Charisma even further, as well as some additional stealth to keep you alive.

After selecting the Draconic Bloodline subclass, you can then choose a bloodline. The best one to start with is red, which gives you burning hands and bonus fire damage, though this buff only comes into effect as you level up, but with so many strong fire spells at your disposal as a Draconic Sorcerer, you’re spoilt for choice.

You must also choose four cantrips and two spells to start. We recommend Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, and Mage Hand for your cantrips, and Mage Armor and Witch Bolt for your starter spells. As you level up, you will want to add Magic Missile, Scorching Ray, Cloud of Daggers, Fireball, Haste, Insect Plague, and Chain Lightning to your collection of spells and cantrips.

The defining feature of the Sorcerer is the Metamagic system, unlocked at level 2, which lets you spend Sorcery Points to enhance spells. Additionally, you can also select upgrades at certain level intervals, such as the great Distant Spell and Twinned Spell upgrades at level 2. When combined with the Draconic Bloodline’s elemental affinity buffs, you can deal massive damage, especially AoE and status effects.

By multi-classing with a Warlock at level 10, you will miss out on some final Sorcerer spells but you will gain access to Warlock’s cantrips, including the beloved Eldritch Blast. Given the ranged playstyle of the Sorcerer, it doesn’t synergize well with any of the other classes.

Since you’re likely to only have one ranged caster on your team, the good news is that you won’t have to juggle gear between party members all too often. Early on, find the Marksmanship Hat for +1 to ranged attack rolls and the Bracers of Defence for additional armor class.

The Great Old One Warlock build

Subclass – The Great Old One
Race – Tiefling
Background – Charlatan
Skills – Arcana, History
Abilities – Charisma, Dexterity
Multi-class – Warlock 7/Paladin 5 for player character
Pros – Varied melee and ranged damage thanks to wide spell/cantrip selection
Cons – Slow start which relies heavily on Eldritch Blast

Sporting high Charisma both inside and outside of combat, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock buildgives you plenty of opportunities to manipulate everyone around you to suit your needs. The Great Old One is a master of crowd control, causing enemies in their immediate vicinity to flee whenever they inflict a critical hit. We’ve also opted for the Mephistopheles Tiefling to bolster your Warlock’s Charisma even further, paired with the Sage background for bonus BG3 proficiency in Arcana, History, and other Intelligence-based BG3 skills.

The Warlock starts off strong, unlocking the incredible Eldritch Blast and Blade Ward cantrips from the beginning. Upon reaching level 2, you can even upgrade Eldritch Blast with Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast, making it almost all you ever need.

Then, at level 3, Warlocks can choose a boon from a patron. Though they’re all relatively strong choices, the Pact of the Chain gives you amped-up imps and quasit summons that can help out in combat. Level up more and you’ll find even more upgrades to your Eldritch Incantations like Eldritch Blast and more spell slots for handy actions like Fly, Counterspell, Blight, and Hellish Rebuke.

Though The Great Old One Warlocks unlock a handful of great upgrades later on in their tree, from spells to spell slots, the Warlock is a good match for a Paladin multi-class. By pairing these classes together and taking seven levels in Warlock and the remaining five in Paladin, you’ll benefit from greater close-range damage and buffs. However, keep in mind that this is best used if you don’t have a Paladin on your team already. So, if you’re a Paladin and you’re looking for a build for Wyll, you’re best sticking with Warlock entirely.

For gear, there’s nothing that sticks out explicitly for Warlocks, which means there is overlap with other party members. For example, the Haste Helm, Gloves of Power, and Spiderstep Boots are always helpful to have until you can get your hands on late-game gear.

Evocation Wizard build

Subclass – Evocation School
Race – High-Elf
Background – Sage
Skills – Investigation, Religion
Starting Cantrips – Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Acid Splash
Starting Spells – Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Chromatic Orb
Abilities – Intelligence, Dexterity
Multi-class – None
Pros – Widest spell selection, great AoE damage without the risk of damaging allies
Cons – Weak in close range

We’ve opted for raw spell power over support in our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizard build, allowing you to go on the offensive with a barrage of magic. Don’t worry about friendly fire though, as the Evocation School makes this potent magic safe for unsuspecting allies. The bulk of this build’s damage output stems from the Evocation School subclass, while a Guild Artisan background offers the Insight and Persuasion vital for navigating conversational battles. A Half-Elf is the perfect race to round this build off, providing resistance to status effects cast by enemy spellcasters.

Having access to the widest selection of spells and being able to learn them from scrolls makes the Wizard the premier spellcaster. While you can learn all these spells though, you can only prepare a few to bring into each fight, so knowing your enemy ahead of time does come in handy.

As you level up your Wizard, you gain access to additional spell slots which serve you well with spells like Misty Step and Scorching Ray at level 3, Cloud of Daggers and Shatter at level 4, Fireball at level 5, and Counterspell at level 6. These are very strong and help round out the Wizard both a single-target and AoE caster. It’s even better, then, that Gale is such a lovable companion, as you can always have a Wizard in your party whether you’re playing as one or not. Just make sure to position your Wizard well away from danger, and preferably above the enemy for height advantage.

As for Wizard multi-classing, you won’t really gain much by choosing another caster class so it’s not worth doing. However, if you really would like to multi-class, then taking nine levels of Wizard and three levels of Sorcerer to gain access to Metamagic and a Bonus Action can be helpful.

With it being unlikely you’ll have two ranged casters in your team at once, such as a Wizard and a Sorcerer, there’s less overlap in terms of gear, especially as you progress into the later Acts. During Act 1, get your hands on the Bracers of Defense for additional protection and the Boots of Genial Striding to be unimpeded by difficult terrain. As you reach Act 3, gear like the Hood and Robe of the Weave are perfect choices for spellcasters, as are the Helldusk items.

That wraps up the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds you can craft in one of thebest PC games of this year – if you need to respec, now’s the time. Of course, an adventuring hero needs a strong party to lead to victory, so brush up on all the Baldur’s Gate 3 companions you can recruit on your travels. It’s also worth revising the many BG3 feats that your character can pick up along the way, as well as how the Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge origin can impact the choices you make.