Baldur’s Gate 3 has six different classes in early access, each having their own subclassing, abilities, spells, skills, etc. When creating a build for a class in Baldur’s Gate 3, things can get pretty confusing as there’s so much to choose from and so much technicality to it.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds
To help you create the best build for each Baldur’s Gate III class, we’ve prepared this guide to walk you through the character creation process for the best builds in the game.
Warlock Build
Warlocks are very powerful spellcasters in Baldur’s Gate 3 that have some amazing spells that can deal a lot of damage with DPS builds.
This Baldur’s Gate 3 build will help take your Warlock to its maximum potential so it can deal the most damage and be very efficient with its spells.
Background
When choosing your background, do not choose any background that gives you Intimidation, Deception, or Persuasion.
This is because you’ll get all three of those through skills and passives anyway, so choosing a background that gives you one of those features is completely redundant.
So, aside from those, you can pick any background you want.
Race
The best races to choose for your Warlock are:
- Half-Elf
- Asmodeus Tiefling
- Drow
If you choose Asmodeus Tiefling or Half-Elf, you’ll be able to create your character with 17 Charisma. Though, it’s better to keep the Charisma at 16, so your Ability Modifiers are improved, as they don’t get improved at odd numbers.
Half-Elves and Asmodeus Tieflings both intrinsically have Dark Vision. This means you’ll have much better vision in dark and gloomy areas, which will improve your accuracy.
Another benefit of Asmodeus Tiefling is that you’ll have Thaumaturgy Cantrip.
Using it before you intimate anyone’ll provide you with an Advantage on Intimidation checks.
On the other hand, Drow has Superior Dark Vision, a much-improved version of the normal Dark Vision that enhances your vision twice as much as its counterpart.
Sub-Class
The two sub-classes available for the Warlock are The Fiend and The Great Old One.
The difference between these two is that one gives you Dark One’s Blessing and the other gives you Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Dissonant Whispers.
The benefit of choosing Dark One’s Blessing is that you’ll regenerate HP equivalent to the sum of your Charisma Modifier and your level when you kill an enemy.
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Dissonant Whispers’ benefit is that they debilitate the enemy and stop the target from making their turn.
These are both extremely helpful abilities, so we can’t objectively say which ones better. It all comes down to personal preference.
Skills
The only skill you absolutely need to have for the Warlock is Intimidation. Other than that, pick whatever one you think will work best for you.
Spells
The two best spells for the Warlock in Baldur’s Gate III are Eldritch Blast and Hex. The former is the Warlock’s hardest-hitting Cantrip and the latter is an excellent defensive spell.
Abilities
Get your Charisma up to 16 or more to get the +3 Ability Modifier. Then, spend the rest of your stats on Dexterity, Intelligence and Constitution.
Each of these abilities should be at even numbers.
Equipment
Your weapon choice doesn’t really matter when it comes to the Warlock, as this character mostly relies on their spells.
You’ll only be using your weapons when you’re up close at melee range, so don’t think too much about what weapon you need to pick.
You’ll be wearing Light Armor with the Warlock, so try to get Leather Armor +1 or Studded Leather Armor. This will give you 14 AC.
Feats
When you reach level 4, you’ll gain a Feat. Select the Ability Improvement Option and spend both of the points on Charisma if it was at 16 before.
If it was at an odd number, add 1 point to make it even and add the remaining point on any of the three aforementioned abilities.
You’ll also get to choose another spell: Hold Person or Invisibility.
The former will allow you to get rid of an annoying enemy from the battlefield, while the latter is a great ability for maneuvering out of combat.
Level 2
When you reach level 2 and acquire access to the new BG3 Eldritch Invocations, get Agonizing Blast.
This will increase the damage of your Eldritch Blast Cantrip by adding your Charisma Modifier to it.
The second invocation to take is Beguiling Influence. This will provide you with Proficiency in Deception and Persuasion.
With this invocation, you’ll get +5 to your rolls when you attempt to Deceive, Persuade or Intimate in dialogues in Baldur’s Gate III.
Level 3
When you reach level 3, you’ll acquire Pact of the Chain. With this spell, you’ll be able to spawn a Familiar that will help you in your battle.
You’ll also get to pick a level 2 spell. The best spell to pick is Misty Step which allows you to teleport to any unoccupied space that you can see within a 18m range.
Rogue Build
This Rogue build is focused on increasing your stealth as much as possible, which will allow you to sneak attack enemies outside of combat.
And even when you are in combat, you’ll have high mobility which will allow you to maneuver around the battlefield and dish out some serious damage by attacking several times each turn.
Race
All of the following races increase your Dexterity by +2 in Baldur’s Gate 3, which is what you want for this build. Choose any one of them:
- High-Elf
- Elf
- Drow
- Halfling
Class
The Thief subclass is the key element of this build. This will give you a second bonus action each turn and some fall damage reduction, which will allow you to move around the battlefield more freely.
Abilities
The ability you want to put the most points in is Dexterity. You want to max it out as much as you can.
After that, put some points in Constitution as you’ll mostly be fighting melee with this build. Follow that with Strength and Wisdom.
Intelligence will be your dump stat for this build as you won’t be casting any spells because it’s focused on melee.
Spells
Color Spray and Thunderwave are the two best spells for the Rogue.
Color Spray is a great melee-damage spell to use and Thunderwave is a very helpful defensive spell that allows you to knock the enemies back when you’re stuck in a rough situation.
Feat
When you’re choosing a feat at level 4, you’ll want to take the Ability Improvement option for the bonus 2 points that you can use to get your Dexterity to 18 which gives you +4 on all of your dex-based dice rolls.
Equipment
For the weapon of this build, you’ll want to focus on weapons that are dual-wielding and have Finesse.
Finesse weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3 work really well with this build, as they enable you to use your dex modifier instead of your Strength one.
For the armor, use the standard leather armor until you find better leather light armor.
Level 2
At level 2, you’ll obtain the Cunning Action Dash, which enables you to Dash as a bonus action instead of a normal action.
This will increase your movement speed by 200% and will allow you to get up close with any target you want.
Cleric Build
When creating a Cleric, you have the option to select a unique Domain for them. For this build, the Light Domain is the one you want to choose.
This will make your Cleric able to pump out some impressive damage while also being able to use support spells.
Background
Selecting a background with high wisdom is the best way to go with this build. So, choose any one of the following backgrounds:
- Insight
- Medicine
- Animal Handling
- Survival
- Perception
Race
The Wood Elf race will give you Dexterity, Wisdom and Longbow Proficiency.
If you don’t choose the Wood Elf, your long-range damage will be very weak, so you’ll have to get a bit up close to the enemies, which is not what you want when playing with the Cleric.
Class
As mentioned above, your sub-class or ‘Domain’ will be the Light Domain.
Skills
The skills you can choose from are Acrobats, Stealth and Sleight of Hand because all three of these fall under Dexterity.
Spells
At level 1, the spells you want to get are Guiding Bolt and Healing Word. Guiding Bolt deals a really high amount of damage (4-24) and Healing Word regenerates 1-4 HP + your level as a bonus action.
Bless is also a good choice as it makes your party members’ attack rolls stronger and Command (Halt) isn’t that bad either, but its more useful in the late-game than early on.
Abilities
The three crucial abilities for this build are Constitution, Dexterity and Wisdom.
Constitution will increase your HP and will aid with Concentration.
Dexterity is needed as your Bow will be your main source of damage when you’re not casting spells.
Wisdom will allow you to use your offensive spells more efficiently.
Put 10 points in STR, 16 in DEX, 14 in CON, 8 in INT, 16 in WIS and 10 in CHA.
Feat
When you get a Feat at level 4, chose the Ability Improvement option and give both of the points to wisdom.
Equipment
The Longbow is the perfect weapon for this build, so try to get your hands on it as soon as you can.
In your melee slot, put a Shortsword and a Studded Shield.
The armor you’ll be using for this build is the Medium Armor.
Another piece of equipment that you want to get with this build is the Herbalist’s Gloves. These gloves get rid of poison when you heal poisoned teammates.
Fighter Build
Fighters are very powerful in melee, but this build will make them work in ranged battles as well by making the build an Eldritch Knight which comes with some really powerful ranged spells.
The Fighter will turn into an Eldritch Knight at level 3.
Background
For the background, It’s best to choose one that increases Intelligence Skills. So, choose any one of the following:
- Religion
- Arcane
- History
- Nature
- Investigation
Race
Shield Dwarf and Githyanki are the best races for the Eldritch Knight.
If you choose Shield Dwarf, you’ll be able to get 17 Strength and Constitution, meaning that you’ll be able to get both of these up to 18 at level 4.
If you choose Githyanki, you’ll be able to get Strength at 17 and Intelligence to 16. The upside of choosing Githyanki is that you’ll have a lot more skill options.
Skills
When choosing skills, try to pick the ones that work best with your abilities. So, pick mostly Intelligence or Dexterity based skills.
Abilities
You need high Strength for you attack and damage rolls with melee weapons, Intelligence to increase the chance of your spells landing and Constitution to increase your HP pool.
Put 17 points in STR, 14 in DEX, 17 in CON, 8 in INT, 10 in WIS, and 8 in CHA.
Feat
When you’re choosing a feat at level 4, you’ll want to take the Ability Improvement option for the bonus 2 points.
Put one point each in Strength and Constitution to bring them both up to 18.
Along with your feat, you’ll get a bonus spell. Choose either Burning Hands or Thunderwave.
Equipment
Contrary to the other classes, you’re pretty much free to pick whatever weapon you want to play with for this build.
The armor you’ll be using for this build is the Medium Armor.
The accessory that works really well with this build is the Warped Headband of Intellect.
Level 2
When you reach level 2 you’ll get to pick 1 passive. There will be 6 options but the only one you don’t want to pick is Archery as this build is focused on melee.
Level 3
When you reach level 3, you’ll finally become an Eldritch Knight, which is what this build is all about.
You’ll have the option to pick 2 Cantrips. Try to pick one long range Cantrip for those times when you can’t take on the enemies up close.
For the other one, choose either Chill Touch, Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost or Acid Splash.
Ranger
Rangers perform really well in ranged battle and are very proficient at dual-weapon fighting.
Since ranged weapons seem to be much more powerful and useful in Baldur’s Gate 3 than melee weapons, the Ranger class becomes a really strong one.
This build revolves around the Hunter, which your Ranger will become once they reach level 3.
Background
Pick any one of the following backgrounds:
- Insight
- Medicine
- Survival
- Perception
- Animal Handling
These will affect your Wisdom Skills, so they work best with this build as it as a lot of wisdom.
Race
The best race to pick for the Ranger is Wood Elf. This is because of the following reasons:
- They can get 17 Dexterity
- They have Dark Vision
- They can gain proficiency with Perception and Stealth
- They gain +1 Wisdom
Class
There are two subclasses for the Ranger: Beast master and Hunter. Beast Masters have the ability to spawn monster allies to aid in battle while the Hunters have the ability to give themselves useful passive boosts during combat.
Beast Master is the way to go as it works better for ranged combat. You can ever spawn a raven to sneak around the enemies.
Skills
Since you have high Wisdom and Dexterity, pick the skills which work best with these stats.
Spells
Hunter’s Mark is the most effective spell as it doesn’t lose its usefulness in any point of the battle.
Abilities
Dexterity, Constitution and Wisdom are the main abilities of this build.
You’ll want to put 10 points in STR, 16 in DEX, 14 in CON, 8 in INT, 16 in WIS and 10 in CHA.
Feats
When you’re choosing a feat at level 4, you’ll want to take the Ability Improvement option for the bonus 2 points. Put these points into Dexterity to get it up to 18.
Equipment
The best weapon for this build is the Longbow and the melee weapon that works best are the Shortswords.
For the armor, you can wear the Studded Leather Armor. This will work together with your Dex Modifier and grant you a total AC of 16.
The accessory you want to get is the Amulet of Misty Step. This will give you the ability to teleport to any location that’s within your vision.
Level 2
When you reach level 2, you’ll get 2 spell slots and 2 spells. Pick Speak with Animals and Ensnaring Strike.
Ensnaring Strike is an extremely powerful spell as it gives you the ability to freeze a target in place and deal damage each turn if they are unable to make a Saving Throw.
Wizard
Wizards are the main spellcasters in Baldur’s Gate 3. This build will help make your Wizard’s spells as powerful and efficient as possible.
Race
High-Elves, Asmodeus Tieflings, Githyanki and Mephistopheles Tieflings are the best races to choose as they all get additional Intelligence.
Class
The Arcane Ward is the better subclass to choose out of the two as its ability is much harder to evade.
Spells
Sleep is easily the best spell for the Wizard. It makes several targets go unconscious for multiple rounds, allowing your part members to deal with them while they’re asleep.
Magic Missile is another super powerful spell as it has a 100% chance to hit the target.
On the defensive side, some great spells are Mirror Image and Darkness.
Feats
Lightly Armored is a great feat to choose because armor doesn’t stop the Wizard’s spellcasting abilities.
Another good feat Is ‘Tough’ which increases your health pool.
