Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to select one of twelve classes at the start of character creation and then allows for further customization in the form of subclasses that differ in the way they play from the base class.
Larian Studios has done its best to ensure that there is an element of individuality to every subclass in the game, and every single one of them is a viable option in the right hands. That said, some options are still better than others, depending on what you value in your character.
Updated by Hamza Haq on August 23, 2023: BG3 offers tons of customization in character creation, allowing players to fully realize the class fantasies they have in their minds. Five new subclasses have been added to the list to give players more options when deciding on their builds.
15 Wild Magic - Barbarian
If you’re looking to wreak some havoc and breed some chaos, nothing comes close to the Wild Magic Barbarian. Cast random magic effects every turn at no cost to you, and watch the world burn.
The random effects that can be triggered by a Wild Magic Barbarian include being able to deal AoE necrotic damage, adding magic imbuements to your weapon, increasing your AC, or summoning a monster to fight beside you. It’s an incredibly fun experience to try to work around and benefit from what your Barbarian unleashes every turn.
14 War Domain - Cleric
Even if you’re not planning on playing a Cleric, the War Domain Cleric is perhaps the most useful class for multiclassing available in Baldur’s Gate 3. Clerics can choose their subclass at level 1, meaning you can gain access to the level perks of the War Domain Cleric by only putting one level into it. Most notably, Heavy Armor and Shield proficiency.
On their own, War Clerics are incredibly powerful tanks that get insane AC as they gain access to more and more equipment. Their melee nature makes them uniquely suited to make use of Spirit Guardians as long as they can maintain their concentration.
13 Way Of Shadow - Monk
The Way of Shadow Monk is defined by its signature ability, Shadow Step. Shadow Step not only allows you to teleport across the battlefield, but it doesn’t even break your stealth — so long as your Monk was hiding when you cast it.
The play style of Way of Shadow Monks is similar to that of the Assassins in that they want to weave in and out of sight, dealing devastating strikes when they appear, and then disappearing when they’re done.
12 Champion - Fighter
For those new to the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset that Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on, the Fighter’s Champions subclass is an easy way to get into the game without having to worry about ten different types of niche mechanics and spells.
A Champion stands in front and decapitates everyone who stands in his way with Critical Hits. Champions’ signature is their ability to land powerful critical hits much more frequently than other subclasses. Addicts of the large red CRITICAL HIT text will appreciate this subclass.
11 College Of Swords - Bard
If you’re hoping to enter the fray as a Bard and stay in the thick of it, the College of Swords Bard is going to be the class of choice for you. This subclass gains access to all the benefits that come with the regular Bard, like staggeringly high Charisma, musical instruments, and Bardic Inspiration, and takes it to another level.
College of Sword Bards gets Combat Inspiration as a bonus action, giving allies +1d6 on all their combat rolls. They also get Medium Armor proficiency and get access to Extra Attack to deal more damage per turn with their martial weapons.
10 Draconic Bloodline - Sorcerer
Sorcerers are spellcasters that focus on Meta Magic as their primary means of dealing magic, unlike Wizards. While Metamagic alone is an incredibly fun tool to play around with — double casts of Fireball never get old — Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers differentiate themselves from Wizards even more.
When you pick the Draconic Bloodline for your Sorcerer, not only do you get a higher constitution and Armor Class, but you can also attune yourself to deal increased damage with a specific variety of spell damage (Fire, Cold, Acid, etc.) by choosing your dragon ancestor. There are even visual markings that appear on your character when you choose your bloodline.
9 The Fiend - Warlock
Warlocks are already a combat-focused spellcasting class, and with The Fiend as their patron, they thrive in battle. The Fiend subclass gives Warlocks access to high-damage evocation spells like Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, and Fireball, as well as some useful utility spells like Command and Blindness.
And, of course, the cantrip Eldritch Blast remains their bread and butter. Just remember to choose Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast as your first two Eldritch Invocations to get the most use out of your Warlock early on in the game.
8 Gloom Stalker - Ranger
Gloom Stalker plays into the fantasy of the stealthy archer that strikes from the shadows and disappears. Your role in combat is to hide every chance you get, deal damage to the enemies with your ranged attacks, and then return to the shadows.
Dread Ambusher makes going into hiding a Bonus Action rather than a Standard Action, which allows you to hide every turn and still attack. Hunter’s Mark, when combined with Dread Ambusher, means that you’re always dealing bonus damage if you play correctly.
7 Berserker - Barbarian
If throwing people and objects around is something you’re interested in, the Berserker subclass of Barbarian is the way to go. What sets this class apart from other Barbarians is the unique form of rage they get access to, called Frenzy. It allows them to gain access to Frenzied Strike and Enraged Throw, both iconic Berserker abilities.
Berserkers can use Enraged Throw to pick up and throw increasingly heavier and heavier objects as they increase their strength. Throw a goblin at another goblin and watch both of them take massive damage and be knocked prone. Or throw a weapon and add your strength modifier to the base damage of the weapon, dealing massive damage.
6 Oath of Vengeance - Paladin
Baldur’s Gate 3 does an excellent job of immersing you into the game world by forcing you to interact with the environment as your character rather than as a player. This feeling of immersion is most apparent in the Paladin subclasses, especially in the Oath of Devotion and Oath of Vengeance Paladins, where if you don’t keep to your oath with your in-game decisions, you lose your Paladin powers.
And, while Oath of Devotion is a standard Paladin that does no harm and saves everyone, the Oath of Vengeance Paladin is our go-to choice as it allows you to lay down the law and play as a brutal, unforgiving character who doesn’t have a merciful bone in his body. The Judge Dredd of Faerun, so to speak.
5 Evocation School - Wizard
Wizards are the kings of versatility. They have the entire Wizard spell list at their fingertips, and with some extra gold, they can even transcribe spells from a scroll, adding it to their grimoire.
Wizards of the Evocation School not only get a boost to their highest damage spells like Fireball, but they also gain the attribute that essentially makes it impossible for their Evocation spells to hit their allies. This makes hurling AoE spells on groups of enemies focusing down your tank much less of a positioning issue than it would be otherwise.
4 Circle Of The Moon - Druid
Druids, by themselves, are excellent at two things: Spellcasting and Wild Shape. With the Circle of the Moon Druid, you lean into your animalistic nature even further, getting access to more powerful Wild Shapes.
Moon Druids get Wild Shape as a bonus action, which means they can cast a spell and transform into a Bear or Panther in the same turn. They also get Lunar Mend, which expends spell slots in exchange for HP recovery on their Wild Shapes.
3 Assassin - Rogue
Assassin Rogues are some of the most powerful damage dealers in all of Baldur’s Gate 3. They get access to unique subclass features in the form of Assassinate: Initiate and Assassinate: Ambush.
Combining these two together means that every time you manage to get the drop on an enemy, you will have an advantage on your attack roll and an automatically guaranteed critical hit if your attack lands. You can easily take out an enemy glass cannon with this before slinking back into the shadows.
2 Tempest Domain - Cleric
Tempest Clerics are one of the strongest subclasses for the Cleric if you’re building your character to be a front-liner and a tank while still dealing massive damage on the battlefield.
Tempest Clerics get access to Heavy Armor proficiency, making them incredibly suited as tanks and concentration casters. In addition, they learn unique lightning magic with spells like Call Lightning that can turn the battlefield upside down and are very efficient to cast.
1 Oathbreaker - Paladin
The Oathbreaker Paladin is a unique subclass that is only available to Paladins who have, well, broken their oath. It doesn’t matter which type of Paladin you were before you broke your oath; the only thing that matters is that you broke it.
Oathbreaker Paladin offers a unique playstyle and dialogue options that are just not available anywhere else. The role-playing aspect alone makes this an S-tier subclass, and the corrupted Paladin playstyle is just the cherry on top.