Baldur’s Gate 3: Every Class, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• A Ranger with the Beast Master subclass gets an extra companion for better gameplay.
• A Barbarian is a frontline fighter with tanking potential for players new to the game.
• The Fighter class is incredibly versatile, allowing players to multi-attack for more effective combat.

Baldur’s Gate 3 proved to be one of the most phenomenal RPGs of 2023. With an incredible Early Access phase that allowed players to experience plenty of the classes before its full release on August 3, many quickly decided on what they believed was the best class.

Larian Studios took heavy inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons for their classes, all twelve of which are directly linked to their tabletop counterparts. With so many interesting choices — and countless subclasses for them — players may wonder what class the best is to play.

Updated on October 16, 2024, by Megan Smith: The best class in BG3 is forever changing, especially with mod support now being possible on both PC and console. Players have been given an assortment of new subclasses to experiment with, which has made the best BG3 classes even more diverse, with some classes that were originally considered the underdogs being given a new chance to prove themselves. Even with the abundance of mods available, the original classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 still show potential even without mods, as classes like Cleric are a great option for those that are jumping into BG3 anew or all over again.

12 Ranger

Brilliant Dexterity Fighters That Favor Long Range

• Beast Master is perfect for players who want an extra companion.
• Hunter focuses on dealing high damage to targets from afar.
• Gloom Stalker is a great stealth archer option.

Rangers in the Fifth Edition of Dungeons and Dragons are seen as one of the least-used, least-loved classes out of the many available. Larian took this into consideration when designing the classes for Baldur’s Gate 3 to make sure that every class chosen by the player can be enjoyable. This makes the ranger in this CRPG a lot more fun to play than its tabletop counterpart.

However, it still ranks quite low out of all the classes available. Rangers are known for staying in the back ranks, though players can plan some interesting ambushes of foes when needed. Out of the three subclasses available for the Ranger, by far the best to select is Beast Master. This gives the player not only a familiar, but also a much larger animal companion to use in battle. Alongside being the Beast Master subclass, Ranger also has access to spells such as Hunter’s Mark, which allows them to do even more damage to an enemy if they hit them during their next attack or area of effect spells, like Spike Growth, which can slow down enemies and keep them away.

11 Barbarian

A Frontline Fighters With Tanking Potential

• Berserker is a straightforward melee subclass.
• Wildheart adds an animal twist to the player’s rage.
• Wild Magic Barbarians use magic to boost their rage abilities.

Although the Barbarian finds itself almost at the bottom of the list of classes, it’s still a great class for players to experience for themselves, especially if they’re new to Baldur’s Gate. As a prominent melee class, players will be on the front lines dealing with various enemies they face head-on. Rage is what makes the Barbarian a great option for any player. This ability can only be used by Barbarians and makes them a lot harder to kill.

Being proficient in a wide range of weaponry also means that players can experiment with the various swords, maces, and axes they find while exploring in Baldur’s Gate 3. With their extremely high constitution, players can also be thankful they are likely to survive many encounters, too. Although Berserker is great for beginners, the Wildheart subclass is one of the greatest for its various options that allow players to fight with animalistic intent, while also unlocking Speak with Animals for a class that usually can’t do spells.

10 Rogue

Great Damage Dealers Who Multiclass Well

• Arcane Tricksters use their intelligence to cast spells.
• The Thief subclass gains an extra bonus action.
• Assassin deals the most damage out of the three.

Unsurprisingly, the Rogue is another tempting choice for many players in Baldur’s Gate 3. Not only does it have its uses outside of combat, such as being the best when it comes to lockpicking or pickpocketing, but it also has the chance of landing plenty of critical hits to quickly deal with opponents. Like in many other RPGs, Rogues are seen as incredibly overpowered when put in the hands of a player who knows what they’re doing.

With the subclass Arcane Trickster, players can make this predominantly melee class more versatile through the use of magic. All three of the Rogues subclasses are great, though a player can only choose one for each character. Therefore, the best of the three has to be the Arcane Trickster, which allows a player’s Rogue to also use spells. Combine stealth attacks that make Rogues so lethal and useful magic such as Blur, and the rogue becomes near impossible to hit.

9 Sorcerer

Powerful Magic Casters With Plenty Of AOE Spells

• Draconic Bloodline gain elemental resistance due to their blood.
• Wild Magic Sorcerers bring magical chaos with random effects with each spell.
• Storm Sorcery is the most mobile, boasting the ability to fly after using a spell.

Although melee classes are interesting and easy to use, the spellcasters of Baldur’s Gate 3 are some of the best classes a player can decide from. A Sorcerer’s magic comes from their bloodline, allowing them to harness power to defeat their foes. The sorcerer points that every Sorcerer gets, no matter their subclass, also mean abilities like Quickened Spell allow players to use two cantrips during their turn as both an action and a bonus action. This, therefore, allows the player to make the most of the spells, such as Magic Missile or protective abilities like Mirror Image.

While they may be unable to stand on the front lines of a battle due to their low health, this doesn’t stop the class from being incredibly lethal, with three exciting subclasses to work with. Draconic Bloodline is arguably one of the most intriguing options, especially with how it can cause a physical change for the player’s character. All three subclass options for Sorcerer are incredible, but by far the most exciting that players should try out for themselves has to be Wild Magic.

8 Druid

Great Magic Casters Or Potential Tanks Depending On The Subclass

• Circle of the Moon Druids focus on their Wild Shape forms.
• Circle of the Land Druids have more spells in their roster.
• Circle of the Spores make the most of decay and necrotic damage.

Like Barbarians, Druids were added later into the Early Access process of Baldur’s Gate 3, so some players may not have experienced the class until the full version of the game was released. Druids are a versatile class, as players can either support from the back or become the tank for their party setup. Spells like Lighting Bolt will continue to be valuable no matter the type of build the player is going for, as it’s arguably one of the best available to them.

Taking a subclass like the Circle of the Moon will allow the player to become a bear like Halsin. This allows them to tank many hits due to how much health the bear Wild Shape form has. Other subclasses will instead allow the player to look deeper into their natural magic. As mentioned, Circle of the Moon is one of the best subclasses, but if players are looking for more interesting powers, then they should instead consider Circle of the Spores, where they can raise the dead through mushrooms.

7 Monk

Great Dexterity DPS With The Potential To Tank

• Way of the Open Hand focuses on melee combat predominantly.
• Way of Shadow makes for a great stealth Monk.
• Way of the Four Elements adds spell-like abilities to the Monk.

Players were unable to play the Monk during Early Access, due to the class only being added with the full release of the game. While many players may not have had a chance to try out the martial class yet, the Monk is an intriguing choice.

At late levels, players using the Monk in the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons felt their Ki Points (the resource used by the Monk to use their abilities) were too few. Thankfully, Larian Studios took it upon themselves to balance this, making Monks a far more enjoyable melee class. Yet again, all three Monk subclasses have exciting elements that make them fun to play; the Way of the Open Hand is one of the greatest, as it adds more power to the various actions a Monk can use during their turn. At later levels, this includes a Ki Resonation: Blast, which has the possibility of causing enemies to explode.

6 Bard

A Support Spellcaster With Melee Potential

• College of Lore gives the Bard even more proficiencies for out of combat.
• College of Valour gains an extra attack as well as combat inspiration.
• College of Swords turns the Bard into an incredible melee class.

Players looking for a class that can mix both magic and melee should look no further than the Bard. This class can be a brilliant support for any team due to their musical gifts, which can inspire the party to do better. Besides, creating various tunes through the subclass of College of Swords will allow a player to be far more aggressive in combat.

The Bard can be a jack of all trades, as they specialize in different skills. This can arguably make a first run of the game much easier for some players while creating quite a charismatic character at the same time. Although College of Swords was mentioned, the best of the three subclasses goes to College of Valour. It is a great mix of deadly spells and brutal swords, which is almost a happy middle of the two other subclasses. Though Vicious Mockery will always be one of the best cantrips for any Bard to use, as well as many of the usual magic options, such as Hold Person.

5 Wizard

Spellcasters With The Potential To Control Or Deal Immense Damage

• Abjuration passively protects the Wizard that uses this school of magic.
• Conjuration allows the player to swap places with allies at later levels.
• Divination can replace the dice rolled with other scores.
• Enchantment allows players to hypnotize enemies
• Evocation stops allies taking damage from the player’s spells.
• Necromancy allows the player to gain health from killing with spells.
• Illusion Wizards can use Minor Illusion as a bonus action.
• Transmutation Wizards can make two potions with only the ingredients for one.

The Wizard class is another spellcaster that has piqued many players’ interest in Baldur’s Gate 3. Wizards have the most subclasses out of all the main classes. This is because a Wizard can focus on a certain school of magic when deciding what sort of build they are going to use, with some giving the player features to use outside of combat, such as Transmutation Wizards being able to craft two potions instead of one depending on their roll.

Although Wizard is one of the most beloved classes, it is also one of the squishiest. Therefore, players who wish to use a Wizard should either have plenty of healing potions or keep their character out of harm’s way. The Wizard class has multiple subclasses for the player to choose from. This is because there is a subclass for each school of magic in the game. While Necromancy is interesting to use for those that favor False Life or Create Undead, Evocation is by far the best for how powerful it becomes at later levels, with it increasing the damage to spells such as Fireball.

4 Cleric

Support Spells To Keep Control Or Even Protect The Party

• The Life domain healing spells are stronger.
• Light Clerics can cause an enemy to attack with disadvantage.
• Trickery Clerics can improve their stealth checks
• Nature Clerics have access to some Druid spells.
• The Knowledge domain increases the Cleric proficiency.
• Tempest Clerics may retaliate with thunder or lighting damage when hit.
• The War domain allows a Cleric to attack more.

Cleric is an incredible class that works great not only on its own, but also when it is multiclassed with the other various choices in Baldur’s Gate 3. There is a large assortment of subclasses for the player to pick from when deciding on their Cleric. Out of the seven subclasses, the Life Domain subclass is by far the best, with players healing their allies for more with Cure Wounds or Prayer of Healing.

Not only does this allow a player to equip heavy armor for better defense, but it also permits the user to heal themselves and their party members while defending them from foes. Players can essentially become the battle medic of their dreams or something a lot more aggressive, depending on their Domain of choice, with each subclass having its own interesting quirk to make each and every one of them different.

3 Fighter

Incredibly Versatile With A Focus On Defending

• Battle Masters learn extra moves to disarm enemies.
• Eldritch Knight has access to an assortment of spells.
• Champion Fighters do more damage to singular foes.

Returning to predominantly melee classes, the Fighter is a great option for any player who wishes to be at the center of combat. Lae’zel will likely take this role for many players in Baldur’s Gate 3, but that doesn’t stop them from also trying the class in their own build. While it may appear to be one of the most basic choices, Fighters can multi-attack.

By being able to attack twice during a turn, players are more likely to defeat an enemy before any serious damage can be done to them in return. Action Surge is another Fighter ability that then allows them to hit another two times during their turn. Champion may be the most straightforward of the subclasses available, but it allows the player to adventure as the classic Fighter in any adventure tale. With improved critical hit chances, Fighters are likely to hit their mark. Although some players may find interest in Eldritch Knight due to having access to basic spells and cantrips like Fire Bolt.

2 Warlock

A Magic Caster With The Potential To Be A Great Melee Fighter

• The Fiend gains temporary hit points with every kill.
• The Great Old One is great for a melee attacking Warlock.
• Archfey gives the player a better Warlock for a distance.

Warlocks are similar in Charisma to Bards and almost as versatile. Although the class has limited spell slots, players will become quickly acquainted with the cantrip Eldritch Blast due to how powerful it gets after leveling up.

The Pact of the Blade will help the Warlock strive to become one of the greatest DPS characters in the party. This has been heavily tweaked for Baldur’s Gate 3 to make Warlocks an incredible class choice, even for those who wish to multiclass. Besides using a boon from their chosen pact, players must first decide on their subclass. Although all three are great options, nothing beats The Fiend due to its incredible passive feats that allow the player to gain extra hit points from kills and an expanded spell list that includes Fireball.

1 Paladin

A Typical Heavy-Armor Defender With Magic To Increase Damage

• Oath of Devotion makes for a great tank.
• Oath of the Ancients allows the player to be a healer as well as a protector.
• Oath of Vengeance makes the Paladin better at dealing damage.
• Oathbreaker puts a darker twist on the Paladin class.

Paladin is another class that wasn’t in the game at the start of Early Access, but it was added later in development. The Paladin’s abilities allow the player to become the tank of their group, with various lethal abilities like Divine Smite, which is known to easily defeat enemies. However, what makes Paladin even more interesting is the chance of becoming an Oathbreaker.

Paladins must take an Oath, which becomes their subclass. If a player does something that is out of character for that Oath, they risk breaking it, which turns them into a different sort of Paladin. This would be fascinating to experiment with in-game for some players. For those who are trying to keep their Oath, one of the best Paladin subclasses to choose is the Oath of the Ancients. It allows players go beyond their beliefs of good and evil to instead connect with nature, which gives them a few Druid-like spells such as Ensnaring Strike. Its versatility allows players to fill multiple different roles.