Every Class In Baldur’s Gate 3, Ranked (Best BG3 Classes)

Baldur’s Gate 3 has promised 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 players have already decided which class they deem to be the best.

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. Therefore, this is every class in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Updated on February 29, 2024, by Megan Smith: Since Baldur’s Gate 3 was released in 2023, it has earned itself the title as being one of the greatest RPGs ever created, with the incredible title winning various awards from the Game Awards, the D.I.C.E awards, and also being nominated for many others too. Since December 2023, the game is now available on not only PlayStation 5 and PC, but also the Xbox Series X / S. With this in mind, Baldur’s Gate 3 and its fans are sure to have encouraged many other players to give this phenomenal RPG a go with a wide variety of classes to choose from. With so many available, a player may be wondering what the best class in BG3 is so that they can make the best build for their playthrough, including the best Baldur’s Gate 3 class for an honor mode run.

12 Ranger

Brilliant Dexterity Fighters That Favor Being Ranged

• Beast Master
• Hunter
• Gloom Stalker

Rangers in the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons have been 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 to the back, 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.

11 Barbarian

Frontline Fighters With Tanking Potential

• Berserker
• Wildheart
• Wild Magic

Although Barbarian finds itself almost at the bottom of the list for classes, it’s still a great class for players to experience for themselves, especially if 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.

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.

10 Rogue

Great Damage Dealers That Multiclass Well

• Arcane Trickster
• Thief
• Assassin

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 lock picking 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 on each character therefore, the best of the three has to be Arcane Trickster, which allows a player’s Rogue to also use spells.

9 Sorcerer

Powerful Magic Casters With Plenty Of AOE Spells

• Draconic Bloodline
• Wild Magic
• Storm Sorcery

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.

While they may be unable to stand on the front lines of the battle due to their low health, this doesn’t stop the class from being incredibly lethal with three exciting subclasses. Draconic Bloodline is arguably one of the most intriguing options, especially with how it can have a physical change to 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 Possible Tanks Depending On The Subclass

• Circle of the Moon
• Circle of the Land
• Circle of the Spores

Like Barbarians, Druids were added later into the early access process of Baldur’s Gate 3, so some players may have not 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.

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 nature 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.

7 Monk

Great Dexterity DPS With The Potential To Even Tank

• Way of the Open Hand
• Way of Shadow
• Way of the Four Elements

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

At late levels, the Monk in the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons players felt their Qi Points (the resource used by the Monk to use their abilities) were too few. Therefore, 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.

6 Cleric

Supporting Spells To Keep Control Or Even Protect The Party

• Life
• Light
• Trickery
• Nature
• Knowledge
• Tempest
• War

Cleric is an incredible class that works great not only on its own but also when it is multiclassed with the other various classes 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.

Not only does this allow a player to equip heavy armor for better defense, but it also allows the player to heal themselves and their party members while defending them from various foes. Players can essentially become the battle medic of their dreams, or something a lot more aggressive depending on their Domain of choice.

5 Bard

Supportive Spellcaster With Melee Potential

• College of Lore
• College of Valour
• College of Swords

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 its 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 quite the jack of all trades as it specializes in being proficient in different skills. This can arguably make a first run of the title much easier for some players while creating quite the charismatic character. Although College of Swords was mentioned as the best of the three goes to College of Valour. This is a great mix of deadly spells and brutal swords which is almost a happy middle of the two other subclasses.

4 Wizard

Spellcasters With The Potential To Control Or Deal Immense Damage

• Abjuration
• Conjuration
• Divination
• Enchantment
• Evocation
• Necromancy
• Illusion
• Transmutation

The Wizard class is another spellcaster that has piqued players’ interest in the RPG title. Wizards have the most subclasses out of all the main classes. This is because the Wizard can focus on a certain school of magic when deciding what sort of Wizard they are going to be.

Although Wizard is one of the most loved classes, it is also one of the squishiest. Therefore, players who wish to use the Wizard should either have plenty of healing potions or keep the character out of harm’s way. Like Cleric, 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 Evocation is by far the best for how powerful it becomes at later levels with it increasing the damage from those spells.

3 Fighter

Incredibly Versatile With Focus On Defending

• Battle Master
• Eldritch Knight
• Champion

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 an individual from also trying the class.

While it may appear 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 themselves. Champion may be the most straightforward of the subclasses available but it allows the player to adventure as the classic fighter of any adventure tale, with improved critical hit chance fighters are likely to hit their mark.

2 Warlock

Magic Catser With The Potential To Be A Great Melee Fighter

• The Fiend
• The Great Old One
• Archfey

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 becomes while 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 choice, even for those who wish to multiclass. Besides using a boon of the player’s 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 hitpoints with kills.

1 Paladin

Typical Heavy Armor Defender With Magic To Increase Damage

• Oath of Devotion
• Oath of the Ancients
• Oath of Vengeance
• Oathbreaker

Paladin is another class that wasn’t in the game at the start of early access but was added later into the testing. The Paladin’s abilities allow the player to become the tank for their group. However, what makes it even more interesting is the chance of becoming an Oathbreaker Paladin.

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 players that are trying to keep their Oath one of the best subclasses to choose is the Oath of the Ancients, players can go beyond their beliefs of good and evil to instead connect with nature which gives them a few Druid-like spells. Its versatility allows a player to fit multiple different roles.