When starting a game of Baldur's Gate 3, players are able to choose from twelve different classes to create their character (along with seven special origins to pick from if desired.) Since each of these classes has different abilities and capabilities, it can be a bit tricky to decide which is the best class to choose.
Baldur's Gate 3's available classes are the twelve base classes of D&D 5e: Fighter, Barbarian, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, Warlock, Druid, Cleric, Paladin, and Monk. Each offers different utility throughout the game, so this guide will cover how to pick a class for a first playthrough.
Best Class to Play As in Baldur's Gate 3
Easy First-Time Player Picks
For a well-rounded first experience that offers decent survivability and a good variety of abilities, players might consider a Paladin with the Oath of the Ancients subclass. This results in a character with the ability to wear heavy armor, wield a variety of weapons and cast a limited but useful array of divine spells. The Oath of Ancients allows the Paladin to learn "Speak with Animals," which opens up a ton of extra interactions and pairs well with the Charisma stat (which is also the stat used for Paladin Spellcasting.)
Players who aren't enthused by the Paladin Oaths but still want a class with high survivability should consider the Fighter and the Barbarian. Barbarians have the highest HP per level in BG3 and gain even more defensive and offensive capability via their rage, while Fighters can wield any weapon and equip any kind of armor, allowing plenty of room for experimentation with different fighting styles.
Fighters also have a decent health pool to handle combat encounters. The recruitable allies in the game can easily fill any gaps in the player's skillset, like disarming traps or casting spells, allowing players to safely choose most classes without missing out on useful or essential skillsets.
Players wanting to play a spellcaster have plenty of options too, but the Wizard, Cleric, and Druid are fantastic first-time caster choices. The Wizard can scribe spells from scrolls into their spellbook, allowing them to learn a huge amount of spells that they can swap around after a long rest, while the Cleric has access to all Cleric spells by default and can change which ones are prepared after a long rest. The Druid functions similarly to the Cleric, but with the Druid spell list, and can also use Wildshape to take on various animal forms for direct combat and exploration benefits.
Players might also consider the Ranger and the Monk, which can both be very capable classes even in inexperienced hands. The Ranger can utilize a wide range of weapons while also having limited access to nature-themed magic, while the Monk can fight capably bare-handed and gain excellent AC without wearing any armor.
The Warlock can be fun as a utility spellcaster and a magic blaster class. Using Eldritch Blast and the variety of abilities granted by their pact, they can dish out great damage and also make use of their limited spell slots (which are always of the highest spell level they are capable of) to unleash some very potent spells.
All-Rounder Characters
Players looking for a character that can handle a wide range of situations and utilize a bunch of different skills should look into the Bard class. Bards are the Jack of All Trades class, able to choose their proficiencies from every skill in the game and cast a selection of useful spells for debuffing foes, buffing allies, healing, and dealing damage.
They can also wear light armor and wield a selection of melee and ranged weapons, mostly finesse weapons that can use the Dexterity stat for attack rolls and damage rolls. They can also use their Bardic Inspiration and Song of Rest to boost an ally's next dice roll and revitalize the party on the fly.
They also get the "Jack of All Trades" ability, which allows them to add half their proficiency bonus to any dice roll for a skill they aren't proficient in.
For a weapon master with spellcasting ability, players can grab the Eldritch Knight subclass for the Fighter to gain access to some Evocation and Abjuration magic, allowing the Fighter to mix some magic into their moveset, buffing themselves and their allies while striking down their foes with elemental attacks.
Players wanting to make a character with stealth capabilities, spellcasting, and excellent burst damage might consider making a Rogue and grabbing the Arcane Trickster subclass. This allows them access to spells from the Wizard spell list while retaining all the Rogue's trap disabling, lockpicking, and sneak attacking capabilities.
This Writer's Personal Choice
This writer will play the full release as a Druid with the Circle of the Moon subclass and use the multiclassing mechanic to dip into Monk for some unarmed combat and the massive unarmored AC boost it provides. This should result in a fairly powerful spellcaster who can Wildshape as a bonus action and deal excellent damage in melee.
Baldur's Gate 3 launches on August 3 for PC and Mac and on September 6 for PS5.