Each choice you make matters inBaldur’s Gate 3, even the ones you may change later. Even when you can talk to Withers and change your class for cheap, most players will keep that class and use it to defeat all their enemies, especially when it comes to their very first playthrough.
And even when you commit to a certain playstyle, many classes have an additional choice at certain levels, particularly when you hit level 3. This is the moment when you have to choose your Subclass, with some of them changing how the class is fundamentally played from that point on.
12Battle Master Fighter
Be In Control Of The Battlefield
A Battle Master Fighter learns additional abilities known as maneuvers to influence the battlefieldwith their expertise, being able to push enemies around, heal allies, or use both their action and bonus action in a single powerful attack. The maneuvers are so varied that you can have multiple Battle Master Fighters, and they will all be doing their own thing.
With all those features alone, the Battle Master Subclass is already a strong choice for Fighters, but it is even more so when you look at the other options. Champions are just too boring, while Eldritch Knights give you access to spells that, while they can be impactful, are abilities that your party will already have access to.
11Beast Master Ranger
Animals That Evolve With You
When going for a deep build that goes into multiclassing and having the best gear, you’ll usually find guides recommending Rangers picking Gloom Stalker at level 3. But Rangers are already powerful enough on their own, and if you choose Beast Master you’ll have anequally mighty companionthat can decimate your enemies with ease.
Most people who see Rangers as a weak class are thinking about how they work in traditional Dungeons & Dragons, but Baldur’s Gate 3 has buffed not only Rangers but the companions they gain from being Beast Masters as well. At max level, all pets gain flashy armor, the bear can summon an additional bear, and the wolf has an attack where it uses a sword with its jaw.
10Thief Rogue
Simple Is Best
Rogues are all about positioning, sneak attacks, and gaining the upper hand from their opponents. To aid them in achieving this, they have access to 3 Subclasses that give them different abilities: Assassins are great ambushers, Arcane Tricksters can use a limited pool of spells, and Thieves simply make Rogues better at what they do.
In general terms, Thief is the best way to go for most Rogues, since it just gives them a bonus action, one they can use to dash, sneak, or make an offhand attack. At level 9, they also gain Supreme Sneak, letting you turn invisible and start all combat encounters with advantage, or just skip them altogether.
9Way Of The Open Hand Monk
Let Your Hands Do The Talking
When compared to the other Subclasses Monks have access to, Way of the Open Hand might seem like the boring one. Way of Shadow lets you channel your inner ninja, while Way of the Elements can turn you into the Avatar, bending the elements to your will.
But when putting these Subclasses into practice, the Way of the Open Hand is the one that shines the most. It adds plenty of options as you level up, letting you deal radiant damage with your fists while also using Ki to hit multiple opponents; compared to that, Shadow and Elements just get left behind, unless you build specifically into them.
8The Fiend Warlock
The best part of the different patrons available for Warlocks in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the flavor they add to your character. Making a pact with a Great Old One that might not even know you exist, has a very different vibe than making a pact with a Fey creature that is closely related to nature.
Yet when it comes to more practical terms, The Fiend is the one that ends up being the most fun and useful, no matter how you look at it. The abilities the other Patrons give you hardly justify choosing them over The Fiend, and they are hardly ever mentioned in the game for the choice to be worth it outside of combat.
7War Domain Cleric
You Have Nothing To Envy From A Paladin
There are two things you’ll be doing a lot of in Baldur’s Gate 3: fighting enemies and looting a lot of equipment. A lot of the rarer pieces of armor you’re able to find are rather heavy, and Lae’zel can only wear so much, so why not have a Priest that can make use of that, while still having access to all of their signature spells that make them so powerful.
There are so many Domains for Clerics that, of course, more than one will be good. Most people love Light Domain because it has access to Fireball, but it depends on what you want your Cleric to do: deal AoE damage that plenty of other classes can also do, or be a support that can also heal while everyone else does the damage?
6Evocation School Wizard
Safer Fireballs
Wizards are masters of the arcane, letting them interact with the world in their unique way, and being able to permanently learn any Spell Scroll you find. This makes them a very interesting class to play baseline, so if you want to choose a Magic School just because the name sounded cool, go ahead; you can’t go wrong with them in Baldur’s Gate 3.
If you want the best overall choice, it has to be the Evocation School, since it lets you cast Evocation spells without harming your allies. The most popular Evocation spell is Fireball, so you’re able to see how this can be useful, but beware: only your party members are protected, so any temporal or neutral units on the battlefield will still get hit for the full fiery might of the spell.
5Circle Of The Spores Druid
The Last Of Them
There is nothing quite like having an army of undead fighting at your side, swarming your enemies, and letting you raise even more minions. The problem with that is often the moral implications of being a Necromancer, but thanks to the Circle of the Spores, you can have your own undead squad while sitting on the moral high ground most Druids dwell on.
The best part about this Circle is the fungal zombies, sure, but mechanically it also lets you use all of your Druid features. Much like Moon Druids use spell slots to heal themselves, you’re able to use your Wild Shape charges to gain additional hitpoints and deal a little bit more damage, making use of that resource while still letting you cast all the spells you want.
4Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
Fashionable And Deadly
Sorcerers are already a source of overwhelming damage, being able to use their Metamagic ability to circumvent a difficult situation, or simply to make an advantageous one even better. With their base kit already a mighty one, the choice of a magical source is clear: Dragons are just better at fighting than anything else.
When it comes to choosing the “best” Subclass for Sorcerers, clearly, Wild Magic is out from the get-go; the other Subclasses don’t come with potentially harmful effects. But between Storm Sorcery and Draconic Bloodline, the Bloodline wins due to it giving much-needed defensive abilities to a class that is often oneof the most vulnerable.
3Oath Of Vengeance Paladin
Sworn To Defeat Their Foes
From the initial choices available to Paladins, Oath of Vengeance is the most combat-focused, and therefore the best one to have during your time in Baldur’s Gate 3. This Oath still lets you heal allies as much as needed while letting you smite enemies even harder than any of the other Oaths can.
You might be tempted to go down a darker route, becoming an Oathbreaker Paladin and making undead creatures obey you. Now, unless you are planning a party with a Necromancer Wizard and a Circle of Spores Druid, this isn’t recommended, much less in a first playthrough where most players will try and be heroic more often than not.
