[GameSpot] - Baldur's Gate 3 - Wizard Class Guide

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The Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard has access to myriad magic spells, allowing you to burn, blast, and break apart foes with ease. This spellcaster tends to be one of the top options for beginners, too, owing to ease of use. Our Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard class guide discusses what you can expect if you choose this for your campaign.

Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard class guide overview

Our Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard class guide acts as an overview of its viability. We also take note of ideal options during character creation. Once you're finished with our overview, we suggest visiting our best build guide for this class.

Wizard Class Summary

Class Features

• Spells - Wizards have the largest pool of magic available to any spellcasting class. You do need to select new spells upon leveling up, and you must also prepare them via the spellbook menu.
• Spell Learning - Wizards can learn a variety of spells by choosing the appropriate option when using scrolls.
• Spell Slots - You have a number of spell slots pertaining to a particular tier. These are all refreshed when you do a long rest.
• Arcane Recovery - Choose this action to replenish a particular spell slot while out of combat, except for those above rank 5.
• Cantrips - These spells can be used at any given time without expending a spell slot.

Proficiencies

For the sake of clarity, Wizards should only use cloth armor in order to cast spells effectively. The weapons themselves aren't particularly important in terms of damage, since you'll never attack an enemy in melee. At best, you should look at simple weapons, daggers, quarterstaves, and light crossbows, either for any effects they might provide, or as a last resort.

The Dragonborn race offers extra elemental resistance based on your Draconic Ancestry pick.

Wizard Subclasses

The Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard subclasses aren't available by default. Instead, your character must reach level 2 first. Fortunately, the game is quite lenient, as you can respec and change classes. Likewise, while each School of Magic has its own perks, they also let you learn spells from that particular school at half the cost (i.e., 25 gold instead of 50 gold).

School of Abjuration

Focuses on wards, banishment, and magic nullification. Has the Arcane Ward, which creates a defensive barrier to protect you from harm.

School of Evocation

Has the Sculpt Spells feature for all Evocation-type spells. This means all allies caught within the blast radius automatically succeed in their saving throws, taking no damage in return.

School of Necromancy

This subclass has the Grim Harvest perk. Each turn, if you kill a creature with a spell, you restore HP equal to twice the level of the spell slot that was used, and three times the HP if it's a Necromancy-type spell. Sadly, undead and constructs are not affected.

School of Conjuration

This type of subclass favors summoning creatures and spawning objects, as well as displacing them from space. Choosing this immediately grants you Minor Conjuration: Create Water, which calls forth rain to extinguish fires and create a wet surface.

School of Enchantment

This school uses magic to influence and distract your targets. You automatically have access to Hypnotic Gaze, which can charm and incapacitate a creature, preventing it from attacking or taking any actions.

School of Divination

The School of Divination peers through the folds of time so you can learn future probabilities. It has the Portent perk, which grants two Portent Die that can be used every long rest. Portent Dice can be substituted for any attack roll or saving throw made near you, ensuring even more success.

School of Illusion

This subclass is all about deception and tricking your opponents. You gain the Improved Minor Illusion cantrip, a means of creating a fake target to distract foes.

School of Transmutation

Finally, this Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard class option is for those who like to brew potions and concoctions. The Experimental Alchemy perk allows you to craft two alchemical compounds instead of one when you combine reagents, as long as you pass a Medicine 15 check.

Wizards get to choose their subclass or School of Magic at level 2.

Character Creation Picks

Best Race and Sub-race

There are several decent options for races and sub-races. First, there's the Dragonborn:

• Base Racial Speed - Nine meters.
• Sub-race - Red, Brass, or Gold; this is primarily for the Draconic Ancestry perk, which makes you more resistant to fire damage.

There's also the High Elf, which has notable perks, and a free cantrip that you can use often:

• Base Racial Speed - Nine meters.
• Elven Weapon Training - Proficiency with longswords, shortswords, shortbows, and longbows.
• Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
• Fey Ancestry - Advantage on saving throws against being charmed; magic cannot put you to sleep.
• High Elf Cantrip - While you already gain a bunch of cantrips as a baseline Wizard, we recommend also getting Blade Ward. This halves the damage you take from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks.

Alternative, you can go with an Asmodeus Tiefling:

• Base Racial Speed - Nine meters.
• Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
• Hellish Resistance - Resistance to fire damage; take only half damage.
• Sub-race Perk: Produce Flame cantrip - Create a flame in your hand to light the area around you; can be thrown to deal fire damage.

Lastly, there's the Deep Gnome:

• Base Racial Speed - 7.5 meters.
• Gnome Cunning - Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
• Superior Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 24 meters.
• Stone Camouflage - Advantage on Stealth checks.

Best Background and Skills

Wizards are, naturally, masters of the arcane arts, with a focus on Intelligence as an ability. As such, your top choices are those that rely on this, such as Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion. Among backgrounds, the Sage option already has Arcana and History, so you should be good to go with that.

Best Abilities

As noted above, Wizards use Intelligence as a primary stat for spellcasting. However, you still need Dexterity for initiative and armor class (AC), as well as Constitution for your HP. Your stat allocation should look like this:

• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 16
• Intelligence: 17 - You can earn +2 points via the Ability Improvement feat, as well as an extra point by defeating Auntie Ethel.
• Wisdom: 8 or 10
• Charisma: 8 or 10

And that does it for our Baldur's Gate 3 Wizard class guide. Next up, we talk about the best build for the campaign, while using Gale as our template.

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You'll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

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