There are a whopping 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, and whilst all of them have a place, they are most certainly not all created equally. Like in any game, some classes rise to the top, and others languish in the bowels of underused irrelevance. It is simply how these things go, especially when classes start to overlap.
This list is going to rank classes whilst giving you a breakdown of why. No classes are bad by any means, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily good. This should help you form the perfect party and prevent characters from falling behind on the power curve.
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Ranger
We kick things off with the bottom of the barrel – the underwhelming takeaway of the Baldur’s Gate Universe, the Ranger. This class likes to fight from a distance using bows, it can learn a very niche selection of spells, and depending on what path you take when levelling up, you can even get an animal companion.
The thing is, none of this stands out or makes an impact. Rangers tend to languish at the back of your formation doing gimmick-based nonsense and generally underwhelming every time they fire off a shot. You can pick any other class and instantly improve your party composition.
Druids
Not to kick the nature-based classes in the teeth, but Druids also fall flat on their face when compared to most other classes. They have their place (unlike Rangers) which is why they aren’t at the bottom. Druids are all about bringing a mixture of magic and combat to your party, but they don’t quite hit the balance.
Sure, Wild Shape is very powerful and allows the Druid to gain a second pool of HP, but whilst transformed, they lose their entire kit. Other hybrids can fight and cast at the same time – without sacrifice. Not only that, but the Druid’s available spells are a bit on the meh side of average.
Fighter
Every party lies to itself and says it needs a solid Fighter to lead the charge. Whilst there is certainly some logic to that, it’s not actually true. Fighters fall into the trap of being a class that is outclassed by most melee characters. That’s not to say they are bad, just that they are a bit vanilla.
Fighters can wear any armour and wield any weapon, they can also learn powerful skills like Battle Master and Action Surge to do work in combat. Unfortunately, they don’t do much else. They are a single-trick pony whose trick doesn’t extend beyond the reach of their sword.
Barbarian
Barbarians are the more angry, less armoured cousin of the Fighter. They are also superior, in our opinion at least. Barbarians are a whirlwind of rage, and they have a bunch of buffs and abilities that elevate their combat ability beyond just about every other character…in melee at least.
They also have buckets of HP, making them hard to kill. If you want a tank, then Barbarians fit that bill perfectly. Like the Fighter, however, they only do this one thing – they only hit things. They have very little utility outside of that, and that limits their effectiveness as team players.
Monk
Now we move onto classes that break the “this class is very focused on doing one thing” mould – now we move onto the Monk. We love the Monk because they are super easy to use and do great work across the board. Monks don’t wear armour and they don’t wield weapons. They run up to people and then punch things. It’s a great time, and it does great damage.
Where Monks elevate themselves above the competition is their ability to learn some ranged spells if you go down the ‘Four Elements’ route. Now you have a character who is deceptively difficult to kill, can handle themselves in a fight, and has access to some pretty useful ranged attacks. Very solid character.
Paladin
Paladins are (almost) the last class that can be described as a “dude in armour”. Paladins are one of our favourite classes because they can do everything, and they do it very well. We are talking about being able to lead the charge, tank hits for the team, devastate in melee, use ranged magic, and even heal.
They favour Charisma as a stat, so outside of combat, they are excellent at interacting with the denizens of the world, making them the ideal candidate for party leader. Paladins are great, and don’t let their position on the list convince you otherwise. Everything from this point onwards is top-tier.
Sorcerer
Of all the robed spell-slingers we have access to in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Sorcers is, if only by a hair, the worst. That doesn’t mean they are bad – in fact, they are easily the most fun – but we find most other mage classes perform better. Sorcerers have a lot of freedom when it comes to casting and morphing their magic, but they have a very limited spell pool compared to, say, Wizards.
Not only that, they are just as squishy as Wizards. This is an issue because they can’t easily slot in defensive magic due to their limited pool. You are a dude in a robe, and you are going to get stabbed from time to time. On the plus side, like the Paladin, Sorcerers thrive on Charisma. This makes them ideal leaders if nothing else.
Side note, Wild Magic is bonkers and you should absolutely mess around with it.
Wizard
Wizards are very much like Sorcerers, only they are more restricted in how they cast their magic. The trade-off is that Wizards can cast a ridiculous number of spells, they just have to prepare them in advance. There is no other class in Baldur’s Gate 3 that can match the Wizard’s ability to tackle any situation.
Because of their vast selection of spells, they are more than capable of buffing their defences, protecting the party, dealing massive amounts of AOE, or just messing with your enemy. Throw in powerful progression options that allow you to not deal AOE damage to your party, and you have a powerful caster on your hands.
Rogue
We have put the Rogue here for a very good reason – we are old school. Every party needs a Rogue, and as a result, the Rogue gets a good position at the proverbial table. They aren’t the best in combat and are often outclassed by other melee fighters, but they have great burst damage, can learn spells, and can do a lot in combat depending on how you build them.
Their real strength comes out of combat of course. These guys are masters of opening locked doors and disarming chests. They are one of the original archetypes for all RPGs, and they have a place in your party, if not your heart.
Warlock
Warlocks are awesome. Despite looking like your standard run-of-the-mill caster, these guys can use all manner of weapons, don armour effectively, fight in close combat, and cast all kinds of powerful and unique magic. Warlocks are your battle-casters, and they do a lot of work in a scrap.
Their biggest draw is their access to Eldritch Bolt, which might seem like a basic Cantrip, but it scales very well throughout the game, looks cool when you use it and can be buffed in various ways. Throw in Charisma as a primary stat AND the ability to replenish your Spell Charges on SHORT Rest, and you have the best wizard-like character in the game.
Bard
That is if you ignore the Bard. Bards are very much like Warlocks as they too can operate as a versatile battle mage. What makes the Bard superior, in our opinion, is their unique Bardy powers. They thrive on disabling the enemy and buffing your party to the high heavens.
Being Charisma focused they can lead your party out of combat, and having access to some of the best spells in the game (albeit mostly single target) makes them very handy in any fight. As they progress you can tailor them more towards combat or magic, and they work well in both cases. You can’t go wrong with a Bard.
Cleric
Then we have the Cleric. Clerics are the best class in the game. They are like Paladins, only they are a bit less resilient, but in exchange, gain access to some of the best spells in the game – whether that is in terms of damage, or terms of utility. They are also the best Healers, allowing you to keep your party alive and kicking.
Thanks to their access to Medium Armour and a ludicrous number of buffs, they can also fight in close combat. Finally, they have Guidance as a Cantrip, and Guidance is the best out-of-combat spell in the game. It lets you, for free and at any time, gain 1D4 to any Ability Check. There is never a reason to not use Guidance.
That’s all we have for Baldur’s Gate 3 for now. Be sure to check out our other guides and lists for more Baldur’s Gate content.
