Mastering Faerûn: The Ultimate Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds Guide

Ever wondered what the ultimate Baldur’s Gate 3 build is? With an overwhelming array of choices in races, backgrounds, classes, and skills, crafting your ideal adventurer can feel daunting. Some combinations, naturally, shine brighter than others. Fear not, intrepid explorer! We’ve meticulously compiled a collection of powerful and engaging builds designed to help you create characters you’ll not only love but who can also dominate the challenges of Faerûn.

To help you navigate, here’s a quick overview of the powerful builds we’ll be covering:

• Berserker Barbarian
• College of Valour Bard
• Light Cleric
• Moon Druid
• Eldritch Fighter
• Way of Shadow Monk
• Oath of Vengeance Paladin
• Gloom Stalker Ranger
• Thief Rogue
• Draconic Sorcerer
• The Great Old One Warlock
• Evocation Wizard

Here’s a breakdown of what makes each of these top-tier:

• Berserker Barbarian: Unleash devastating close-quarters attacks and leave foes helpless.
• College of Valour Bard: Boost your allies, resist debilitating effects, and pack a surprising punch in combat.
• Light Cleric: Become a beacon of regeneration and healing, maximizing your party’s survivability.
• Moon Druid: Embrace the wild with unparalleled shapeshifting power and raw combat prowess.
• Eldritch Fighter: Blend brute strength with arcane might, adding potent spells to your martial repertoire.
• Way of Shadow Monk: Master the art of stealth and deception, navigating encounters with cunning and precision.
• Oath of Vengeance Paladin: Deliver massive damage, provide powerful buffs, and heal your team with divine fury.
• Gloom Stalker Ranger: Excel at burst damage, eliminating high-priority targets in a single turn.
• Thief Rogue: Master stealth, pickpocketing, and cunning tricks to outwit any obstacle.
• Draconic Sorcerer: Command elemental magic with enhanced durability and hard-hitting spells.
• The Great Old One Warlock: Control the battlefield with charismatic charm and potent crowd-control abilities.
• Evocation Wizard: Wield the most destructive spells in Faerûn, unleashing area-of-effect damage safely around your allies.

Berserker Barbarian

• 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 crave the raw, untamed power of a furious brawler, the Berserker Barbarian is your ultimate calling. This build harnesses your character’s primal rage, transforming it into ferocious melee assaults and combat maneuvers that can leave your adversaries vulnerable and prone. While Shield Dwarves might experience slightly reduced movement, their extensive weapon proficiencies and robust bonuses to Strength and Constitution more than compensate. Alternatively, the Half-Orc stands out with its Savage Attacks passive, which perfectly complements two-handed weapons. Completing this formidable character is the Soldier background, adding the finishing touch. And if you’re not playing a Barbarian yourself, this build is also ideal for the fiery companion, Karlach.

The Barbarian’s core strength lies in its unique Rage feature. Activated with a single Bonus Action, Rage grants bonus damage, damage resistance, and Advantage on saving throws and Strength checks. Upon reaching level 3 and selecting the Berserker subclass, you unlock Frenzy – an even more potent version of Rage that provides up to two additional Bonus Actions: Frenzied Strike and Enraged Throw. With incredible base damage and multiple extra attacks, the Berserker Barbarian can unleash devastating harm each turn, though it demands staying in melee range to maintain the effect. It’s a high-stakes, high-reward playstyle.

You’ll find the Everburn Blade invaluable throughout Act 1; fortunately, it can be acquired directly from Commander Zhalk’s body aboard the Nautiloid, provided you defeat him before time runs out. Also, keep an eye out for the Cap of Wrath, which boosts your damage when you take hits, the sturdy Adamantine Scale Mail, and the Boots of Genial Striding, perfect for closing distances quickly.

While the Berserker Barbarian offers powerful upgrades between levels 10 and 12, you might consider multi-classing with a Fighter at level 9. Taking three levels in Fighter grants you Second Wind and Action Surge, abilities that synergize exceptionally well with the Barbarian’s aggressive combat style.

College of Valour Bard

• 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 Bard build with an enhanced capacity to deal damage in combat, moving beyond a purely supportive role. The Wood Half-Elf is an excellent choice for a Bard, offering a wealth of utility, including increased movement, stealth proficiency, resistance to certain status effects, and Darkvision. Naturally, the ideal Bard is complemented by the Entertainer background, which is not only thematically perfect but also provides all the Dexterity a burgeoning Bard could desire.

Since the Bard typically functions as a support character, especially with the College of Valour subclass, this build excels when the rest of your party is focused on dealing damage, such as having Karlach as a Berserker. If you prefer to deal more damage yourself, the College of Lore (for spellcasting) or the College of Swords (for a more martial playstyle) might be better suited for you.

With this subclass, the iconic Bardic Inspiration ability evolves into Combat Inspiration at level 3, boosting allies’ damage or Armor Class. This is incredibly effective when used on a strong damage dealer, like a Gloom Stalker Ranger capable of burst turns. As you advance, you also gain access to powerful spells: Song of Rest for party replenishment, Faerie Fire for advantage, Lesser Restoration to cure allies, and Glyph of Warding, which can be adapted to various situations. Overall, the College of Valour Bard offers remarkable versatility in supporting your team, whether through buffing allies or debuffing enemies.

However, if this playstyle feels a bit too passive, you can multi-class with a Paladin at level 6, as both classes rely on Charisma. This grants you access to even more supportive spells, including heals like Lay on Hands, as well as damaging spells such as Divine Smite. Be aware that you will forgo the many additional spell slots gained from later Bard levels, as well as improved Bardic Inspiration and the convenient Dimension Door spell.

Light Cleric

• 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 mean you’re confined to the sidelines, merely casting a heal or two. Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build, particularly the Light subclass, allows you to expand beyond regenerative effects and smite your enemies alongside your allies. A Human Acolyte provides a great all-around foundation for the Cleric class, bestowing bonus points in every stat, as well as additional Insight and Religion skills to aid in social encounters.

During character creation, Clerics must choose a deity. Remember, this choice is purely for roleplaying purposes, so feel free to pick whichever deity resonates with you. You’ll also need to select three cantrips; Guidance, Resistance, and Sacred Flame are highly recommended. Additionally, prepare four spells, with Guiding Bolt, Bless, Healing Word, and Inflict Wounds being excellent initial choices. Bless, in particular, stands out as one of the game’s best buffs, though it does require Concentration.

As you level up, you’ll gain access to even more powerful spells, such as Aid, Mass Healing Word, Scorching Ray, and Fireball, further enhancing the Light Cleric’s healing and impressive damage output. Equipped with a one-handed weapon and shield, they can also function as a somewhat tanky character. Step onto the frontline, unleashing devastating spells on your enemies while simultaneously buffing and healing your allies.

Although the Cleric starts relatively weak, you’ll experience a significant power spike around level 4. This typically means that multi-classing with a Cleric isn’t ideal, as much of its power is found in its later upgrades. However, if you wish to multi-class, it’s best to do so at level 9, taking three levels of an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.

This Cleric build benefits from some powerful early-game gear, including Wapira’s Crown (found in the Goblin Camp), which heals the wearer when healing allies, the durable Adamantine Scale Mail, and the Hellrider’s Pride gloves, which grant various resistances to healed allies.

Moon Druid

• 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, largely thanks to their extensive shapeshifting abilities, which we’ve prioritized in our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build. They can fulfill multiple roles: tank, crowd control, melee damage, ranged damage, and offer the widest variety of utility spells, allowing them to fill almost any gap in your party composition. Furthermore, the ability to change forms means Druids can adapt their playstyle on the fly. However, they have undergone significant changes since launch, evolving from a less popular class to a powerful and versatile option.

It’s no surprise that the Wood Elf is a fantastic race to pair with the Druid class, given their increased movement, stealth capabilities, and a bonus to Wisdom. Halflings and Githyanki are also strong contenders. However, many racial abilities do not apply in Wild Shape form, making your race choice slightly less impactful overall. An Outlander background further boosts a Druid’s Athletics and Survival skills, enabling effortless traversal of the Forgotten Realms, regardless of their animal form.

During character creation, you’ll need to select two cantrips. While many are good, such as Thorn Whip and Shillelagh, we highly recommend Produce Flame and Guidance (unless you already have a Cleric providing Guidance).

Once you select the Circle of the Moon subclass at level 2, the Druid’s versatility dramatically increases with a shapeshifting hybrid setup. You will also be able to choose five spells at this point. Longstrider and Enhance Leap are potent mobility spells that can be pre-cast on your party before combat. Healing Word serves as an excellent Bonus Action for urgent healing. For offensive options, consider Ice Knife and Entangle, both effective before activating Wild Shape.

Early in the game, utilize Wild Shape to transform into a spider. This grants you high damage and defense, along with the Enweb Bonus Action to easily crowd-control enemies right from the start of a fight.

As you level up, the Druid gains access to even 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 brings a particularly sweet upgrade with the Improved Wild Strike passive and the versatile Myrmidon Wild Shapes, especially the Earth Myrmidon, which synergizes perfectly with the Tavern Brawler feat unlocked at level 4.

Since level 10 provides such a significant upgrade for the Moon Druid, you generally won’t want to multi-class before this point. The final two Moon Druid levels can be more easily swapped for two levels of Fighter, granting you Action Surge and other useful passives. Just remember to activate Action Surge before shifting into an animal form.

Regarding 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, prioritize the Armor of Moonbasking, 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

• 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 might seem like a straightforward choice, but we’ve added a unique twist to our Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter build with the Eldritch Knight subclass. While your spell-slinging won’t rival a dedicated Wizard or Sorcerer, you can harness your magical prowess to bolster your defenses while maximizing the potential of the Great Weapons fighting style. A Githyanki Outlander enhances your ability to outmaneuver foes and survive the Forgotten Realms’ wilds, with the Athletics skill allowing you to also take Acrobatics and the Intelligence-scaling History skill.

The Fighter’s primary strength lies in Action Surge, which grants you an additional Action, and the Extra Attack effects that improve as you level. These abilities allow the Eldritch Knight to deal substantial damage each turn, similar to the Berserker Barbarian. What truly distinguishes the Eldritch Knight, however, is its access to magic, including the Fire Bolt cantrip, the incredibly useful Magic Missile, Burning Hands, and Shatter. Furthermore, with the War Magic feature unlocked at level 7, you can use a Bonus Action to perform a weapon attack after casting a cantrip, combining martial and magical might.

While the Battle Master subclass offers access to powerful Superiority Dice, that playstyle often suffers from a lack of ranged damage and faces strong competition from the Berserker Barbarian. Speaking of which, you can multi-class the Fighter with the Barbarian for even more close-range damage. The optimal time to do this is after reaching Fighter level 8, allowing you to then take four Barbarian levels, opting for the Berserker subclass. This combination grants additional combat moves each turn, thanks to Rage.

The Fighter starts somewhat slowly in terms of leveling, so it’s good news that potent armor options are available early on to compensate. The Grymskull Helm, dropped by Grym in the Adamantine Forge during Act 1, significantly increases the Fighter’s survivability, as does the Adamantine Splint Armor, also forged at the Adamantine Forge in Act One. Beyond these, keep an eye out for the Amulet of Misty Step, Crusher’s Ring, and the Gloves of the Growling Underdog.

Way of Shadow Monk

• 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 a Monk possesses the raw power to literally burst a man with perfectly timed attacks, they adopt a surprisingly Zen approach when utilizing our best BG3 Monk build. This Monk certainly has the capability to inflict devastating close-range damage with their bare hands, but they can also master the art of diplomacy, talking their way out of combat by de-escalating tense situations. The Way of Shadows subclass empowers you to seamlessly flit from shadow to shadow – an incredibly useful ability outside of combat, enabling you to swiftly complete difficult quests with a Monk in your party.

The Monk is a nuanced class to master, and the Way of Shadows subclass, while increasing its power through high mobility and stealthy damage, adds to that complexity. As a melee class demanding exceptional mobility, the Wood Elf stands out as the premier race for this build, benefiting from an additional 1.5 meters of movement among other bonuses.

The Shadow Monk retains the class-exclusive Ki feature, which allows for additional moves like Flurry of Blows. This is an excellent method to boost your damage output each turn, provided you effectively manage this extra resource during combat.

What truly elevates the Way of Shadows subclass is its ability to manipulate enemies. Like the elusive Rogue, you often rely on shadows and stealth to deliver massive damage. Here, the Monk gains an advantage, able to cast abilities such as Pass Without Trace to grant the party a +10 bonus to stealth checks, or Darkness to blind creatures. When combined with attacks like Stunning Strike, this Monk build makes it easy to control the battlefield from the shadows. Remember, stunned enemies lose their turn, offering critical tactical advantages.

Don’t overlook the Monk’s Ki-Empowered Strikes, unlocked at level 6. This passive causes unarmed attacks to be treated as magical damage, which is crucial for bypassing troublesome enemy resistances, especially given the build’s otherwise heavy martial focus.

Since the Monk eschews traditional armor and weapons in favor of their fists, selecting gear can be challenging. However, this unique playstyle also means you’re unlikely to compete with other party members for items. Early on, aim for the Bracers of Defence, found in a chest within the Necromancer’s Lair in the Blighted Village, the Haste Helm, located near the Blighted Village fast-travel point, and the Amulet of Misty Step, available from Omeluum in the Myconid Colony.

Multi-classing for the Monk can be quite intricate, with several powerful upgrades locked behind later levels. With this in mind, multi-classing isn’t strictly necessary, though some fun combinations exist. If you desire additional attacks per turn, you could take eight levels of Monk and four in Fighter to benefit from Action Surge and an extra feat. Similarly, an alternative would be to take four levels of Thief Rogue for an additional Bonus Action and another feat.

Oath of Vengeance Paladin

• 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 your ambition is to become the ultimate paladin, protecting allies from harm while devastating enemies with divine retribution, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build is your perfect choice. This remains arguably the strongest build in Baldur’s Gate 3, even after various balance patches, due to its incredible versatility and compatibility with most party compositions. Exercise caution, however, as many of its most effective moves are Concentration Spells, meaning they cannot overlap and can be interrupted.

As expected from any Paladin, you’ll have access to a variety of healing and buffing effects, including Lay on Hands and Aid. Aid is a particularly potent spell, healing your entire party and increasing their maximum health until the next long rest.

What makes the Oath of Vengeance Paladin so formidable is its ability to address the Paladin’s primary weakness: a lack of mobility. At level 5, you unlock Misty Step, allowing you to teleport across the battlefield. Crucially, this is a Bonus Action, enabling you to follow up with a full Action afterward. This is perfect for quickly closing the distance for a powerful Divine Smite or for rushing to save allies from impending doom.

In terms of gear, the Everburn Blade is an excellent early-game choice, obtainable from Commander Zhalk’s body if you can defeat him aboard the Nautiloid before time expires. Other superb early-game items include the Helmet of Smiting, Boots of Striding, Chain Mail +1, and the Blooded Greataxe.

If your team lacks a Cleric and you prioritize healing, the Paladin’s Oath of the Ancients subclass might suit your style more. The Healing Radiance granted by the Ancients subclass provides powerful Area-of-Effect healing to your party both in and out of combat, keeping everyone hale and hearty. You can pair this with the Zarial Tiefling race to gain bonus attribute points to your Strength and Charisma, alongside 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 deal more ranged damage using spells. If you’re planning to create a ‘Palock’ (Paladin/Warlock hybrid), the best approach is to take five levels in Paladin to unlock Misty Step, then allocate the remaining seven levels into 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

While bringing a loyal animal companion into battle as a Beast Master is a fun and unique Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger build, it’s challenging to surpass the sheer power of the Gloom Stalker Ranger. This build combines the best aspects of both the Rogue and Ranger classes, becoming the ultimate master of burst damage, capable of turning seemingly impossible fights in your favor from the very first turn.

The Ranger offers several unique options during character creation and throughout leveling that complement its tracker theme. The two most important are Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer; we recommend Bounty Hunter and either Urban Tracker or Beast Tamer, respectively. Urban Tracker will grant you Sleight of Hand, which you should already possess if you chose the Urchin background.

By taking five levels in Ranger before multi-classing with seven levels of Thief Rogue, you benefit from the Ranger’s bonus action utility and Misty Step, and the Rogue’s Extra Attack. Although you forgo the higher levels of both classes, these later upgrades are often not as impactful as the early bonuses from each. In fact, you could even take two levels of Fighter (resulting in fewer Rogue levels) to also gain access to Action Surge for even more actions per turn.

Nevertheless, having all these potential moves each turn, combined with Misty Step and stealth proficiency, means the Gloom Stalker Ranger can strike with incredible force. If you focus this character on high-threat targets, you can easily eliminate key enemies on the first turn, especially since Rangers are often positioned to act early in combat initiative.

Early game gear to prioritize includes the Haste Helm, Disintegrating Night Walkers or the Amulet of Misty Step, Caustic Band, and The Joltshooter. These items enhance your damage and mobility, contributing to even more effective burst damage.

Thief Rogue

• 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 an inherently elusive class, and our Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue build fully leverages this with the Thief subclass, allowing you to sneak, dodge, and execute death-defying leaps to your heart’s content. With high dexterity and a lightning-fast dagger at your command, your enemies will rarely see you coming. A Drow Urchin is the perfect pairing for a nimble pickpocket, granting even greater success with sleight of hand and general resourcefulness.

What makes the Thief subclass truly shine is its additional Bonus Action, which enables you to utilize moves like Cunning Action Dash without sacrificing your main action, ensuring you can get into optimal range while still having resources for attacks. Building on this is the Sneak Attack Dice system, which allows the Rogue to inflict massive bonus damage when attacking from stealth, ideally allowing you to one-hit most enemies. Certainly, it requires some strategic setup to get the ball rolling in each fight, but these abilities synergize exceptionally well to create the ultimate assassin.

Be sure to select the Dual Wielder feat as early as possible to increase your armor class when wielding a melee weapon in both hands, even if they are not typically considered light weapons.

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

Since the Thief Rogue unlocks numerous powerful upgrades later in its progression, from stat increases to additional Sneak Attack Die, multi-classing isn’t strictly necessary with this build. However, if you do wish to multi-class, the ideal point is upon reaching Rogue level seven, sacrificing later upgrades for five levels of Ranger. This grants you additional moves per turn and access to various spells that complement this build’s stealthy playstyle.

Draconic Sorcerer

• 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 build grants you increased resilience thanks to additional Hit Points and an improved Armour Class. We’ve paired this subclass with a Wood Half-Elf Charlatan to further boost your Sorcerer’s natural Charisma, alongside some extra stealth to aid in survival.

After choosing the Draconic Bloodline subclass, you can then select a specific bloodline. The red bloodline is an excellent starting choice, providing burning hands and bonus fire damage, though this buff becomes more pronounced as you level up. With so many powerful fire spells at your disposal as a Draconic Sorcerer, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

You must also select four cantrips and two spells to begin. We recommend Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, and Mage Hand for your cantrips, and Mage Armor and Witch Bolt for your initial spells. As you progress, you’ll want to add Magic Missile, Scorching Ray, Cloud of Daggers, Fireball, Haste, Insect Plague, and Chain Lightning to your growing arsenal of spells and cantrips.

The defining feature of the Sorcerer is the Metamagic system, unlocked at level 2, which allows you to expend Sorcery Points to enhance your spells. Additionally, you can select powerful upgrades at specific level intervals, such as the invaluable Distant Spell and Twinned Spell options at level 2. When combined with the Draconic Bloodline’s elemental affinity buffs, you can deal immense damage, particularly with Area-of-Effect spells and status effects.

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

Since you’re likely to have only one primary ranged caster on your team, the good news is you won’t frequently need to juggle gear between party members. Early on, seek out the Marksmanship Hat for a +1 bonus to ranged attack rolls and the Bracers of Defence for additional armor class.

The Great Old One Warlock

• 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

Boasting high Charisma both in and out of combat, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build provides ample opportunities to manipulate those around you to achieve your objectives. The Great Old One patron grants mastery over crowd control, causing enemies in their immediate vicinity to flee in terror whenever you inflict a critical hit. We’ve also opted for the Mephistopheles Tiefling to further enhance your Warlock’s Charisma, paired with the Sage background for bonus proficiency in Arcana, History, and other Intelligence-based skills.

The Warlock begins with a strong foundation, unlocking the incredible Eldritch Blast and Blade Ward cantrips right from the start. Upon reaching level 2, you can even upgrade Eldritch Blast with Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast, making it almost the only cantrip you’ll ever truly need.

Then, at level 3, Warlocks can choose a boon from their patron. While all choices are relatively strong, the Pact of the Chain grants you enhanced imp and quasit summons that can significantly assist in combat. As you level up further, you’ll discover even more upgrades for your Eldritch Invocations, like Eldritch Blast, and gain more spell slots for incredibly useful actions such as Fly, Counterspell, Blight, and Hellish Rebuke.

Although The Great Old One Warlocks unlock a handful of excellent upgrades later in their progression, from new spells to additional spell slots, the Warlock is a strong candidate for a Paladin multi-class. By combining these classes and taking seven levels in Warlock and the remaining five in Paladin, you’ll benefit from greater close-range damage and powerful buffs. However, keep in mind that this combination is best utilized if you don’t already have a Paladin in your party. So, if you’re playing as a Paladin and seeking a build for Wyll, you’re generally better off sticking with Warlock entirely for him.

For gear, nothing explicitly stands out solely for Warlocks, which means there might be some overlap with other party members. For example, the Haste Helm, Gloves of Power, and Spiderstep Boots are always helpful to have until you can acquire late-game items.

Evocation Wizard

• 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 prioritized raw spell power over support in our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizard build, enabling you to launch an offensive with a relentless barrage of magic. Don’t worry about friendly fire, though, as the Evocation School ensures this potent magic remains safe for your unsuspecting allies. The bulk of this build’s damage output originates from the Evocation School subclass, while a Guild Artisan background provides the Insight and Persuasion skills vital for navigating conversational challenges. A Half-Elf perfectly rounds off this build, offering resistance to status effects cast by enemy spellcasters.

With access to the broadest selection of spells and the ability to learn them from scrolls, the Wizard stands as the premier spellcaster. While you can learn all these spells, you can only prepare a limited few for each fight, so knowing your enemy beforehand proves incredibly useful.

As you advance your Wizard, you gain access to additional spell slots that prove invaluable 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 immensely powerful and help round out the Wizard as both a single-target and Area-of-Effect caster. It’s even better that Gale is such a beloved companion, ensuring you can always have a Wizard in your party, whether you choose to play as one or not. Just ensure you position your Wizard well away from danger, ideally above the enemy for a height advantage.

Regarding Wizard multi-classing, you won’t gain significant benefits by combining with another caster class, so it’s generally not worth doing. However, if you genuinely wish to multi-class, taking nine levels of Wizard and three levels of Sorcerer can be helpful, granting access to Metamagic and an additional Bonus Action.

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

That concludes our guide to the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds you can create in this incredible RPG. If you ever feel the need to respec, now you know where to start. Of course, a true adventuring hero requires a strong party to lead to victory, so make sure to familiarize yourself with all the companions you can recruit on your journeys. It’s also wise to review the many feats your character can acquire along the way, as well as how the Dark Urge origin might impact your narrative choices.