As you progress through Baldur’s Gate 3, you can select cantrips and spells depending on your class and subclass. Cantrips are low-level spells that do not need spell slots. In comparison, spells are magical effects that require spell slots to be cast.
They are one of the best resources in the game. Spells let you do wondrous things like damaging enemies, healing your party, applying buffs and debuffs, and so on. With so many spells available to players, it is hard to choose which are the best ones.
BG3 Spells Ranked
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you will unlock a lot of spells when you level up or via subclasses. Not all spells are equal; some help you better than others. In contrast, others have only situational uses. They can help you out as well but in very specific circumstances. A lot of spells in the game are universally top-tier, no matter which class or subclass you are using. Similarly, some spells just don’t make any sense and can only be used for role-playing and nothing else.
As such, it is crucial to know which ones are the best so you do not miss out. To help you decide which are the best, we have ranked spells that perfectly fit in their respective tiers.
S-Tier
Spells in this tier are the best ones. They are amazing no matter the class using them, and they help you with combat, support, and exploration. Not all high-level spells are a part of the S-tier. In fact, the level of any spell has nothing to do with its in-game performance, as this drawback can be eliminated with upcasting.
| Spell Name | Description |
| Eldritch Blast | This cantrip hits enemies with a beam of energy, dealing 1-10 force damage. |
| Bone Chill | This cantrip deals 1-8 necrotic damage and stops the enemy from healing until your next turn. |
| Guidance | This cantrip grants a 1-4 bonus to all ability checks of the receiver for the next 10 turns. |
| Friends | This spell makes you more charming to the creatures it has been cast on for the next 10 turns. |
| Sleep | Puts any creature to sleep for two turns. |
| Healing Word | Can heal any creature in sight for 1-4HP. |
| Bless | Any creature blessed gain a bonus to their attack rolls and saving throws (1-4). |
| Tasha’s Hideous Laughter | Leaves an intelligent creature (5 or more) laughing uncontrollably for the next 10 turns. |
| Hex | You can decide a disadvantage for any skill of the affected enemy while they also receive an additional 1-8 necrotic damage. |
| Armour of Agathys | You gain 5HP while the enemy receives 5 cold damage. |
| Dissonant Whispers | Frighten a creature for the next two turns and deals 3-18 psychic damage. |
| Create/Destroy Water | Can summon a waterfall or remove a body of water. |
| Light | Can use on any object to make it glow. However, you can use it once per long rest. |
| Faerie Fire | Makes invisible creatures visible you get an advantage in your attack rolls against them. |
| Magic Missile | Shoots homing darts that deal 6-15 force damage (total) to the enemies. |
A-Tier
These spells are almost as good as the S-Tier ones but usually lack in one area or another. We can’t discount this list as they make up the bulk of the spells you will be using throughout your adventure in Baldur’s Gate 3.
| Spell Name | Description |
| Misty Step | This spell allows you to teleport to any free location within 18m. |
| Invisibility | Turn any creature invisible. They get an advantage on attack rolls. |
| Mirror image | Creates three clones. Each clone increases your AC by 3, a total of up to 9. |
| Spike Growth | Creates spikes on the terrain that cause 2-8 piercing damage to anyone traversing it. |
| Shillelagh | This cantrip turns your staff or club into a magical weapon dealing 1-8 + Wisdom modifier damage. |
| Aid | This spell not only heals your allies but also grants them an additional 5HP. |
| Moonbeam | Deals 2-20 radiant damage with a beam of light. Enemies still take half damage in case of a successful saving throw. |
| Shocking Grasp | It deals 1-8 lightning damage to enemies and makes them unable to use reactions. |
| Fireball | Arguably the best spell in BG3, Fireball deals 8-48 fire damage to all the enemies that come in contact with its blast radius. |
| Hellish Rebuke | Deals 2-20 fire damage to the attacker as a reaction. |
| Thorn Whip | Allows you to pull a creature 3m closer to you. |
| Chromatic Orb | Deals 3-24 thunder damage or 2-16 other elemental damage via a sphere and creates a surface. |
| Dancing Lights | Creates light spheres that illuminate up to a 9m radius for the next 10 turns. |
| Shield of Faith | Increases the Armour Class of any creature by 2. |
| Jump | Increases the jumping distance by 3x. |
| Inflict Wounds | Deals 3-30 necrotic damage to enemies and petrify them. |
| Web | Creates webs on the ground and traps the enemies. You can set them on fire. |
| Mage Hand | You can manipulate and change objects with an astral hand. |
| Prayer of Healing | You can heal all your allies with a 2-16 + Wisdom modifier. |
| Ray of Frost | Deals 1-8 cold damage and reduces the speed of enemies by 3m. |
| Bane | Delivers 1-4 attack rolls and saving throws penalty upon 3 enemies at once. |
| Minor Illusion | Creates a distraction in the form of an astral projection. |
B-Tier
This is where the selection starts going downhill a bit. The spells in B-Tier are good but not amazing. They will help you survive an onslaught but are practically ineffective against major bosses.
| Spell Name | Description |
| Fire Bolt | This cantrip allows you to deal 1-10 fire damage on enemies. |
| Cure Wounds | Heals any creature that you touch with 1-8HP. |
| False Life | Grants you temporary 7HP. |
| Heat Metal | Makes your metallic armor red hot, forcing anyone holding it to let it go. If the enemies refuse to let go, you get a chance to deal 2-16 fire damage via bonus action. |
| Protection from Evil and Good | Protects your allies from elementals, fey, and undead. |
| Lesser Restoration | Allows you to cure anyone from disease, poison, paralysis, or blindness. |
| Silence | Make everyone silent inside a dome and immune to thunder damage. |
| Guiding Bolt | Deals 4-24 radiant damage to a single enemy. You have an advantage against the same enemy on the next attack roll. |
| Longstrider | It increases your movement speed by up to 3m. |
| Ray of Enfeeblement | This necromancy spell decreases the attack power of enemies by half. |
| Burning Hands | Deals 3-18 fire damage to enemies. Half on successful saving throws. |
| Blade Ward | Reduces the damage by bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks by up to half. |
| Thaumaturgy | This cantrip improves your intimidation and performance checks. |
| Darkvision | You can see in the dark up to 12m. |
| Find Familiar | Conjures a fey that transforms into an animal form of your choosing. |
| Command | Allows you to manipulate the movement of any creature. |
| Mage Armor | Your Armour Class increases to 13 + Dex modifier. |
| Blur | Decreases the accuracy of attack rolls of your enemies. |
| Shatter | It deals 3-24 thunder damage and puts inorganic objects at a disadvantage. |
| Melf’s Acid Arrow | Deals 4-16 immediate acid damage and 2-8 delayed acid damage to enemies. |
| Grease | Allows you to make the ground slippery, making enemies fall. |
| Ensnaring Strike | Summons thorny vines that hold your enemies and make them immobile. |
| Resistance | Make your enemies more vulnerable to spell conditions and effects. |
| Sacred Flame | This cantrip deals 1-8 radiant damage to a single target. |
C-Tier
The spells in this Tier are mostly throwaway in Baldur’s Gate 3 and only come into play when you haven’t found a proper substitute for them.
| Spell Name | Description |
| Expeditious Retreat | Grants you Dash as a bonus action per turn. |
| Colour Spray | Makes your enemy blind for up to 33HP. |
| Enhance ability | Grants bonus to a chosen ability of your ally. |
| Poison Spray | Deals 1-12 poison damage via poison gas. |
| Hail of Thorns | Deals weapon damage + 1-10 piercing damage to the enemies. |
| True Strike | Grants you an advantage for your next attack roll. |
| Feather Fall | Reduces the fall damage of your party members. |
| Searing Smite | Deals 1-6 additional fire damage to enemies and put enemies on fire. They take an extra 1-6 fire damage per turn. |
D-Tier
Spells in the D-Tier list are only for role-play or interacting with the environment. These spells have zero utility during combat but are required if you want to interrogate the dead or speak with the animals.
| Spell Name | Description |
| Blindness | Blinds an enemy. You get an advantage on the attack roll, and your enemies get a disadvantage. |
| Detect Thoughts | Allows you to read the thoughts of various creatures in the game. |
| Speak with Animals | It allows you to speak with the animals. |
| Enlarge/Reduce | Makes any creature small or large. It also affects their attack power. |
| Disguise Self | Change the appearance of your apparel and character to avoid detection. |
| True Strike | This cantrip grants you an advantage on your attack rolls for two turns. |
| Ray of Sickness | Deals 2-16 poison damage to enemies for 2 turns. |
| Animal Friendship | Allows you to calm any beast. |
| Crown of Madness | Inflicts madness and makes the enemies attack any creature next to them. |
| Charm Person | This spell allows you to stop any creature from attacking you in BG3. |
| Witch Bolt | Deal 1-12 thunder damage each turn. |
| Arms of Hadar | Deals 2-12 necrotic damage to enemies and stops them from using reactions. |
| Goodberry | Allows you to summon 4 berries. Each berry restores 1-4HP. |
| Speak with the Dead | Allows you to communicate with the dead telepathically. |
