There is no wrong answer when choosing what class to pick from, but which one is right for you?
Main image courtesy of the AU Review.
The full release of Baldur’s Gate 3 in August 2023 was met with a wide reception, garnering an average of 430,982.3 players on steam in its first month. The Dungeons and Dragons RPG set in the Forgotten Realms, one of the many D&D campaign settings, was the eleventh installment of the Baldur’s Gate series.
The objective of the game is to stop a parasitic illithid tadpole from fully controlling its host's body through a process called ceremorphosis, but there is plenty more to do. With about 159 hours until 100% completion, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers more than a gamer can help themselves with.
One of the most appealing features of Baldur's Gate 3 is their variety of character classes. There are 12 classes and 46 subclasses to choose from. Origin characters are assigned a specific class, but players can change this early on in the game.
As you play the game, you will gain more experience to whatever class you are assigned to, and with enough experience, your class levels up. As you progress through levels, players can start adding subclasses and can eventually multiclass. Each starting class is then maxed out at level 12.
Each class has its own pros and cons, but will grant different abilities, powers, and interactions with the rest of the game. This forms the question that will be answered today:
When I begin to play Baldur’s Gate 3 what character class is best for me?
If you are new to the Baldur’s Gate series or Dungeons and Dragons, or have not played for a while and simply forgot, Baldur’s Gate 3 uses most of the same classes as the classic game it is based on:
Don’t judge a book by its cover? Not really the case here as the Barbarian character class is centered around an unbridled rage and unarmored melee combat. The subclasses for the Barbarian are Wildheart, Berserker, and Wild Magic.
If you are interested in Barbarian then you are in luck because it is one of the easier classes to learn and players are more likely to have critical strikes in combat. Who would not want to rage out and hit monsters when playing video games?
The downside to this class, however, is spellcasting. Although the Wild Magic subclass will grant you more abilities, there is still not as wide of a range for wizardry with Barbarians. So if you are looking for a focus more relating to the elements of fantasy in Baldur’s Gate 3, this class may not be for you.
If storytelling, performing, and the arts are more up your alley, then you may want to look into becoming a Bard. These are areas where the Bard excels as it is a far more gentle class, but do not let its charisma fool you. There are plenty of advantages to this character class in BG3. The subclasses are College of Lore, College of Valour, and College of Swords.
Unlike the Barbarian, the Bard has more access to spellcasting and are far more versatile. For example, they serve as expert healers and support characters. The College of Lore subclass also gives an ability to obtain a book called Magical Secrets, one of the best spell books in the Realms, at level 6 compared to level 10 like the rest of the subclasses.
The Bard also has its disadvantages. There is limited armor and weapons which can make your protagonist more vulnerable to frontline conflict. Due to their lack of weapons, Bards can also inflict consistently low damage depending on a player’s choice of spell selection and character build.
Hone the power of your character’s deity with the Cleric. Their faith to whatever god they worship draws magical powers and spells to your character and they use Wisdom as their primary ability score. Unlike other classes, the Cleric has domains instead of subclasses and are as follows:
The pros of a Cleric are that they can cause great damage over a long range. The domains of a Cleric are also available at level one. When compared, every other character’s subclasses are not granted until reaching level three.
Clerics do, however, have weak mobility and unless you attach certain spells to enhance this ability, they can remain more stagnant than other classes. Another drawback is that Clerics are support casters, and not everyone wants to be a support caster in the D&D universe.
The fourth class to choose from is a Druid, a character class with a strong connection to animals and nature. They cast spells through the power of nature and have the ability to shapeshift into animals. Circle of the Land, Circle of the Moon, and Circle of the Spores are its subclasses.
A pro to being a Druid is the array of animals it can transform into. From bears and badgers, to saber tooth tigers and fire myrmidons, players can shapeshift to whatever animal fits best in whatever conflict is presented.
Although the action involved in shapeshift is one of the most interesting features in the RPG, it has its drawbacks. Wild Shapes have a poor armor class and are typically attacked first in battle.
A Fighter’s subclasses are Battle Master, Eldritch Knight, and Champion. This class is known for specializing in weapons and armor and inflicting a great deal of physical damage. They are straight forward, but effective and enjoyable for a player who wants a strong melee presence in their front line.
Because of their mastery of weapons, a benefit of utilizing a Fighter is their self-sufficiency in battle. If you want your Fighter to resemble more strength, then the Champion subclass is very effective. If you want your Fighter to be more mystical, then the Eldritch Knight can combine both magic and martial skill when battling.
Where a Fighter has issues on the battlefield is with their mobility. Combat, of course, is not the entire game and this class struggles in this aspect of BG3. Fighters are not as sociable compared to other classes and have poor Charisma scores.
They may be unarmed, but Monks can still heavily influence your experience in Baldur’s Gate 3. While monks in real life are traditionally associated with peace and pacifism, the Monk character class loves to punch their way out of problems. Their subclasses are Way of the Four Elements, Way of the Open Hand, and Way of Shadow.
The Monk’s martial arts abilities rival the Fighters, but have far better mobility. What is special about Monks as well is that they channel their power through ki, the energy that flows through all living beings.
Similar to the Fighters, the Monk class has even worse charisma. This class does not really represent rocket scientists with very low intelligence points, thus their interactions with NPCs may not be the most attractive aspect of the Monk.
Love crusades and the medieval times? Then become a knight that fights in the name of what is good and holy as the Paladin with subclasses like Oath of the Ancients, Oath of the Devotion, and Oath of Vengeance.
Don’t like fighting for the good? Then use the Oathbreaker subclass and unlock a whole new set of abilities as you feed into the dark side.
Paladins really put the roleplay in RPGs and offer a blend of righteous conviction and moral complexity. They have great crowd control and are firm defensively with heavy armor.
The cons of becoming a Paladin is that there are fewer spell slots. Additionally, if you tend to behave poorly in action video games, but don’t quite like the abilities granted through the Oathbreaker subclass, you will have to regain your honor to change back.
Rock the bow and arrow as you travel the Realms with the Ranger character class. Its subclasses are Hunter, Beast Master, and Gloom Stalker. Rangers are expert hunters and thrive through the worst climates imaginable.
Some of the benefits to this class is their ability to pluck out each of your enemies with your arrows. It is 1 of 4 classes that can use Spike Growth, a spell that slows your enemies down by half while they take damage with each step.
Spellcasting as a whole, however, is one of the downsides to the class. Rangers will only gain spell slots at half the rate of a full spellcaster because they are primarily a martial fighter.
Arcane Trickster, Thief, and Assassin are the subclasses of a Rogue, but they are also known as thieves in the D&D universe. They are masters of stealth and of resourcefulness.
The Rogue is the only class able to learn Sneak Attack, which can be one of the damage inflicting abilities in the game. Because of their stealth, this class is also useful for scouting and accessing locked doors.
Because of Sneak Attack, Rogues are unfortunately limited to finesse weapons. They also will almost always need a friendly presence as their Sneak Attack works best with an ally flanking from behind.
The Sorcerer class has an inherent connection to magic and therefore is an excellent spellcaster. Its subclasses have, in my opinion, the coolest names: Wild Magic, Draconic Bloodline, and Storm Sorcery. They also use Charisma as their spellcasting ability.
A strength of Sorcerers is obviously their spellcasting is among the most powerful of the game. Additionally, Storm Sorcery gives your character the ability to manipulate the power of the weather and to unleash it upon your enemies. This subclass also allows the character to fly after each spell, making them very mobile.
A weakness is their low armor. Despite their strength in spellcasting, Sorcerers have to prepare what spells they will use before each encounter, and therefore they will know fewer spells than other magical creatures in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Warlocks pledge their allegiance to a more powerful patron, granting them their supernatural and magical abilities. Their subclasses are The Fiend, The Great Old One, and The Archfrey.
An advantage to the Warlock is that they require little rest to recharge their spell slots. This character class also has high Charisma and can serve respectfully as the face of your party.
Although they do have a short rest, Warlocks also have fewer spell slots in their arsenal. They will have more spells to use throughout the day, but less than other magical classes per battle.
Using Intelligence as their ability score, the Wizard class is very knowledgeable and uses this to channel magic. The classic fantasy trope is different from the other character classes, similar to the Cleric, its subclasses are known as Schools of magic:
A strength to the Wizard is their versatility– unlike the Sorcerer, you can swap your spells out at any time out of combat. Because of their intelligence, you will be able to learn far more spells as a Wizard compared to other magical classes. If you start as a Wizard, change your class, and wish to switch back, the spells you learned originally will remain memorized.
Some cons to being a Wizard is that they are not as powerful as Sorcerers and can not recharge their spell slots in short rest like the Warlock. Furthermore, you have to learn your spells as they are not given by a patron or inherent to you, so Wizards can be very weak to begin the game.
It is safe to say that each of the 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 have their own strengths and weaknesses that will vary from situation to situation. When you choose a martial fighter you will sacrifice some magical abilities, and vice versa. Either way, there are not many limitations when maxing your class’s build and there is no wrong answer, just a preference for how you want to play a very entertaining RPG.
