Familiars are a staple of Dungeons and Dragons and play a huge role in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you don’t know, Familiars are animal companions that players can conjure to help them fight off enemies. All Familiars come with different abilities, which will help you in your way. Let’s see which one of the eight is the best familiar available in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Players need the “Find Familiar” spell, a level 1 spell from the Conjuration magic school, to summon a Familiar. You can summon different spells; each type summons a single and particular Familiar for you. There are eight spells to Find Familiar, allowing players to conjure eight Familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Of course, not all familiars are equal. Let’s look at the best Familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Imp
A familiar that is only available for Warlocks and Wizards but is one of the best familiar players can choose. Imps have the most powerful attacks out of any familiar and the biggest HP of any familiar. Along with this, Imps also can cast invisibility on themselves.
Imps have Devil’s sight and can see their opponents’ combo potential. They can also fly and be used for scouting, like Ravens. Since Imps can use invisibility, they are arguably better than any other scout in BG3.
Players can also practically abuse the fly-by advantage all flying familiars get. Regarding attacks, Imps can also deal 1d4 + Charisma damage on their attacks. If the enemy’s constitution saving throw fails, the Imp’s attack will deal 1d4 poison damage.
Raven Familiar
Raven is the flying familiar that is available to all classes. It can fly up to 18m from your position and easily scout and unlock maps without exposing you to danger.
Raven has two attacks. The Beak attack can deal three damage per attack, but we focus more on the Rend Vision ability. Although this attack deals only one damage, it also blinds the attacked enemy for one turn.
Blind ailment, other than putting the enemy at a disadvantage, also gives your teammates an additional advantage when attacking. Like Imp, it also enjoys the fly-by advantage of flying units.
Quasit
In general, the best Familiar player can get in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Quasit. Quasit can cast invisibility on itself and stay safe from enemy attacks. Quast can inflict Fear on your enemies through its attacks for two turns. All frightened enemies are disadvantaged on attack rolls, which can help you turn the tides of difficult battles. Quasit attacks also deal 1d4 + Charisma damage.
Another unique quality only available to Quasit Familiar is that it can interact with the world. Other familiars cannot interact with the world, but Quasit can, allowing it to do basic things for you, like opening doors. This is important when you suspect a door is trapped. The only downside is that Quasit is another familiar in BG3 that is only available to Warlocks and Wizards and cannot be used by any other class.
Frog
A frog can attack using Bufotoxin, which disadvantages the inflicted enemy’s Dexterity saving throws. These throws are almost required to use the most powerful spells in BG3, such as Burning Hands.
Frog’s toxin attacks paired with other spells such as Web, Hunger of Hadar, and Grease can further limit your enemy’s dexterity and allow you to use stronger attacks that generally have a low chance of landing.
Cat
Cat’s only ability is distracting enemies. The cat can use the meow ability to distract all enemies towards itself. This allows your character and party members to attack without fearing retaliation.
When the Cat is killed, it drops an AoE spell that hits all enemies. You can select what spell your Cat drops when it dies, such as Web or Fireballs. Of course, you will see your cat die, but players can resummon their familiarity and repeat it.
The Cat familiar is best for glass cannon characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 or players who need breathing room to heal and regroup. It is also best for players opting for stealth, as distracting enemies will allow them to pass through areas unnoticed. The cat also takes reduced damage from falls.
Spider
Spider familiar deals one damage per attack and 1d4 poison if your enemy fails a save. A successful attack will poison your enemy, dealing additional and continuous damage. Spiders can also Web walk, meaning that Spider won’t be slowed down like other familiars if you use Web spell, and Night Vision saves Spider from suffering disadvantages in darkness.
The best ability for Spider familiar is the Arachnid Jump. This ability allows your familiar to jump over 18m, and you can reach high areas and secret paths. You can also enhance the jump distance by using the jump spell, making it perfect for exploring the world of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Crab
Crab’s attacks deal both direct and status damage. Its pinch attacks deal with one damage and 1d4 slashing damage, inflicting a pinched condition. Any enemy inflicted with a pinched condition takes two additional damage from all piercing attacks.
Furthermore, it also reduces the enemy’s movement speed by 3m. Other than these, Crab familiar has no outstanding abilities or powers that may redeem the familiar. Crab is best used against melee enemies who need movement speed to attack you and works best when your character or party members deal with pierce attacks. If not, you won’t enjoy many benefits from crab’s abilities.
Rat familiar
The Rat familiar is the last familiar on our ranking for the best familiars. The Rat familiar can cause one damage per attack, and if your enemy loses Constitution Saving Throw, the attack will also infect the target. When infected, enemies will have their constitution reduced by 1 for ten turns. This leaves all your enemies open for more attacks.
Owing to its small size, the Rat familiar allows Rat to access many inaccessible, hidden areas without the Wild Shape spell.
