Baldur’s Gate 3: 6 D&D Spells That Need To Be Added To The Game

Highlights

• Baldur’s Gate 3 is heavily influenced by the Dungeons & Dragons universe, incorporating lore, abilities, and game mechanics from the tabletop game.
• Some spells, such as Green Flame Blade and Absorb Elements, are missing from the game but would be valuable additions to enhance gameplay.
• The lack of certain spells like Detect Magic and Shadow of Moil feels like a missed opportunity, as they are commonly used and would provide useful utility and defensive options in the game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is based in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, so most of what you find in the game when it comes to lore, abilities, and game mechanics comes from a monster manual or tabletop module.

The library of spells in D&D is long and detailed, filling whole volumes, so it’s not surprising that some of them are missing from Baldur’s Gate 3. However, some of those missing spells would ba great additions to an already great game.

6 Green Flame Blade

A Melee Spell For Eldritch Warriors

Green Flame Blade is a spell that’s included in the Artificer’s repertoire, and since that class is absent from Baldur’s Gate 3, so is this cantrip. However, this is also a melee spell for Eldritch Fighters, which is a class option in BG3, and some players have noted its absence.

The weapon infused with this spell’s power does a regular amount of damage to the primary target. It has the option of hitting another enemy within five feet with fire damage equal to the character’s spellcasting ability modifier.

The two D&D sources where players can find this spell, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, list the spell as an optional one for other casting classes. It should be added, even if it’s only available to Eldritch Fighters.

5 Absorb Elements

Use The Enemy’s Power Against Them

Absorb Elements does appear in Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s an ability that can only be granted through equipping certain special items or for characters of a specific race and subclass. In D&D, it’s also available as a regular spell, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to add this option to the video game.

Players could cast this spell on themselves and be able to absorb an element until their next turn when they can then throw it at their target. Until they cast, the player becomes resistant to whatever type of element they’ve absorbed, which is another nice fringe benefit.

4 Vortex Warp

Improved Telekinesis

Baldur’s Gate 3 players who want to throw objects, animals, or people can use Telekinesis, which has a lot in common with Vortex Warp. The overlap might be why the latter isn’t in the game, but it has some useful differences.

The range of Vortex Warp decreases each time the character reaches a level higher than Level 2, and continues from there. A drawback is that this spell can’t be used on objects, but only on living targets.

3 Detect Magic

A Common And Useful Ritual Spell

Considering the other useful Ritual Spells that are used extensively in Baldur’s Gate 3, such as Speak With Animals or Feather Fall, Detect Magic is nowhere to be found. Some other spells may not appear because of overlapping abilities or because they don’t fit into the game mechanics, but the lack of Detect Magic feels like a mistake.

Every spellcasting class in D&D has access to this handy spell, which is useful in a variety of situations, and like other spells in the same class, it lasts until their next long rest. It makes sense that it would also be available in BG3 as part of the Ritual Spell list.

2 Shadow Of Moil

Defensive Abilities That Change The Environment

This spell is like a combination of three other spells in one. If someone mixed Flame Shield and Darkness, the result would be a spell that’s similar to Shadow of Moil. That makes it slightly overpowered, which might be why it’s not included in the video game.

Players can use this spell to defend their character with an aura of flickering shadows that dimly light areas and give them resistance to Radiant damage, so it’s great against Light Clerics and Paladins. Shadow of Moil is one of the few AoE spells in the Necromancy school that doesn’t involve the undead in some sense, which is another reason it should be included in BG3.

1 Lightning Lure

A Targeted Spell That Hits Multiple Enemies

Lightning Lure is another Artificer spell, but the Eldritch Fighters that are in the game can’t use it, either. It’s an ideal spell for a combination caster and melee Fighter build, which is one of the most popular multi-class options in both D&D and BG3.

Cast this spell, and if the target fails a Strength saving throw, they are pulled towards the caster and take 1d8 Lightning damage. The range of this spell is 15 feet in every direction from where the caster is standing, so they can turn and cast this spell on a target behind them if needed.