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Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Magic Classes Tier List

Here's our tier list guide of the best magic classes in Baldur's Gate 3, including their best spells and abilities.

There are 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, including magic, physical, and hybrid subtypes. All three are important, but magic users are the most dominant type in the game, and for good reason. It would be incredibly hard to make it through Larian’s CRPG without spells, and that’s why we’ve created a tier list of the best magic classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Magic Classes Tier List

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the best magic classes in Baldur’s Gate 3:

S-Tier Magic Classes

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Cleric

  • Ability: Wisdom
  • Proficiencies: Wisdom, Charisma

The Cleric is a big deal in Baldur’s Gate 3, and tops of best magic classes tier list. Its spell-casting abilities are some of the most useful in the game. The two most important magic spells for this class are Bless and Aid, which boost team accuracy and saving throws, as well as increase maximum hit points. You can also heal your allies at a distance using the Healing Word spell or stop enemies on the spot using Hold Person. There’s a lot more to the Cleric class, especially if you delve into its Light Domain subclass with its fantastic augments.

Wizard

  • Ability: Intelligence
  • Proficiencies: Wisdom, Intelligence

The Wizard magic class has access to a tremendous amount of spells due to its unique ability to learn spells via scrolls that you find all across Baldur’s Gate 3. Of course, it has a huge pool of its own spells, the best of which are Sleep, an excellent crowd control magic, and Armour of Agathys, a counterattack that deals Cold Damage. But it’s only a fraction of the spells that you can learn and use as a Wizard, gaining powerful abilities that previously were available only to their exclusive classes.

A-Tier Magic Classes

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Sorcerer

  • Ability: Charisma
  • Proficiencies: Constitution, Charisma

Sorcerer is very similar in design to Wizard, but as a Sorcerer, you can’t learn new spells, which is a shame. Also, as a Sorcerer, you must choose which kinds of spells you can use, which are determined by your level of Metamagic. It’s a mechanic that allows you to select the types of spells you wish to use according to your level of progression. The two best spells I’d recommend going for in the Metamagic pool are Extend and Twinned Spell, which extend all your summons and conditions and double the number of targets you can hit with them.

Warlock

  • Ability: Charisma
  • Proficiencies: Wisdom, Charisma

Baldur’s Gate 3 players should never underestimate the power of Charisma, as it allows Warlock to cast spells more frequently than others in this best magic classes tier list. Its spell slots refresh a lot faster, which allows you to always keep up with the action. The Warlock class mainly uses Eldritch Invocations that function like cantrips but with more flexibility. I particularly like the Warlock’s Hex spell, which adds some extra necrotic damage to the mix. But the best one for ranged builds would be Agonizing Blast, for sure.

B-Tier Magic

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Bard

  • Ability: Charisma
  • Proficiencies: Dexterity, Charisma

Bard is a weird magic class that combines the elements of a Sorcerer’s Metamagic and a Warlock’s Charisma modifier. You can choose a couple of cantrips depending on your level of progression, which in this case are combined into different features and actions. These include Bardic Inspiration, Song of Rest, Bard College, and many others. It really complicates spell-casting as a mechanic, and the damage isn’t that high either. But if you’re a D&D fan, then it could simply be a choice of affection.

Ranger

  • Ability: Dexterity
  • Proficiencies: Dexterity, Strength

Ranger isn’t primarily a magic class, but it does give you the ability to cast spells with further progression once you reach Level 3. At that point, you gain access to a pool of unique Ranger spells and features that could be of interest to certain players. For example, Hunter’s Mark adds some damage to your attacks, and Ensnaring Strike restrains an affected enemy, blocking their saving throws. So think of this class as a ranged combatant with magic buffs that can be quite useful.

Druid

  • Ability: Wisdom
  • Proficiencies: Intelligence, Wisdom

Although Druid is considered a magic class, its pool of spells is terribly underwhelming, placing it at the very bottom of our best magic classes tier list. The only saving grace of this class is the Wild Shape ability, which allows you to transform into wild beasts. Such forms as Spider and Wolf can be quite useful for the entire team. But the best forms can be obtained with the Circle of the Moon subclass, which includes Polar Bear and Dire Raven. Polar Bear hits like a truck and has lots of HP, so it’s definitely worth considering.

That’s it for the best magic classes tier list in Baldur’s Gate 3. Stay tuned for more BG3 tips and tricks articles right here.


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Serhii Patskan
Serhii is the Writer at GameSkinny. He's been writing for GameSkinny since 2015. Before that, he's been writing for various outlets and playing video games, which eventually turned into a passion. The video games that have contributed the most to his enthusiasm for writing about this industry are Magic: The Gathering, Dark Souls, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.