Highlights
- Wizards in Baldur's Gate 3 are premier damage dealers, with access to a wide range of offensive spells and cantrips that deal solid damage and bring additional effects.
- Wizards have a wide array of specializations, called subclasses, which define the School of magic their character specializes in, such as Conjuration or Necromancy.
- The Wizard class is a great choice for both beginners and veteran players, as it is a familiar class in RPGs and allows for maximum damage potential in the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest game from a legendary role-playing game franchise that’s heavily inspired by the tabletop franchise Dungeons and Dragons. It has the same 12 classes that DnD’s latest edition has, along with their corresponding subclasses. For players jumping into the franchise, choosing a class in Baldur's Gate 3 may be daunting. For those who want to role-play as a fledgling Gandalf or Merlin or just want to use a character that can deal a ton of damage from the back line, the Wizard is a great choice.
According to the game’s official flavor text during early access, Wizards master their arcane abilities by specializing in a school of magic through their subclass. They also harness the power of ancient spells and combine them with modern research to make them more effective and powerful. Wizards are more focused on offense, so they need to have their weak defenses covered by tankier classes like barbarians in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Wizards are Baldur’s Gate 3's Premier Damage Dealers
This class is known for having access to an extensive library of spells and cantrips, which they can pick up by leveling up. Unlike classes like Druids in Baldur's Gate 3, Wizards keep spellbooks that contain a ton of potential spells. Wizard players often prioritize offensive spells and cantrips like Fire Bolt, Magic Missile and Ray of Frost. These not only deal solid damage but often bring additional effects. For example, the Fire Bolt cantrip can do 1d10 damage, but it can also be used to ignite flammable surfaces or create explosions.
Wizards in Baldur's Gate 3 also have some of the best spells and cantrips for support and utility, like the ever-popular Mage Hand that lets them interact with objects and living things from afar. There’s also the Sleep spell, which lets one’s teammates do a guaranteed critical melee strike on the enemy it affects. If the player wants some more survivability, they can also pick up Mage Armor at level 1.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Wizard Class Offers a Wide Range of Specializations
Wizards have access to a wide array of subclasses, which define the School that their character specializes in. For example, the Enchantment School is perfect for those who want to use cunning and deception to get their way, while the Conjuration School is perfect for those who want to wreak havoc in battle. There are eight subclasses to choose from so far in Baldur's Gate 3's early access version.
- Abjuration School: This is a defensive subclass that uses spells to create wards that absorb damage, nullify enemy abilities, and banish opponents
- Conjuration School: Conjurers are all about creating great and powerful things out of seemingly nothing, from loyal creatures to caustic bubbles of acid
- Divination School: This subclass uses spells to get glimpses of the future to gain an advantage in battle and enhance their perception to be able to see even invisible creatures
- Enchantment School: Enchanters are experts at entrancing opponents, making them lay down their arms or even attack their allies in combat
- Evocation School: This is an offensive-focused subclass that uses elemental energy to deal massive damage and wipe out enemies
- Necromancy School: Necromancers sap life forces from creatures and use their body as a vessel for powerful magic
- Illusion School: This class is great for tricksters who want to deceive their foes using fake but believable images. This leaves the opponent vulnerable to powerful attacks from the wizard’s allies
- Transmutation School: Wizards who specialize in transmutation bend matter and energy to their will, turning ordinary objects and substances into more useful and valuable ones, or imbuing weapons with magic to make them more powerful.
The Wizard is one of the best classes for beginners and veteran players of Baldur’s Gate 3 alike. Wizards and spellcasters are staples of almost every RPG, like Dungeons and Dragons 5e, making them a familiar class for those starting out. On the other hand, long-time players may enjoy becoming an all-powerful Wizard by maximizing their damage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will release on August 3, 2023, for PC and September 6, 2023, for PS5.