Top 5 Best Wizard Races in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are some superb Wizard race choices that can get you defensive and offensive buffs that perfectly synergize with a caster playstyle. One racial choice can get you medium armor without multiclassing, and another one bonus spells. Here are my top 5 best Wizard races in Baldur’s Gate 3.

What Are the Top 5 Best Wizard Races in BG3?

Shield Dwarf

I strongly argue that Shield Dwarf and Githyanki are the best defensive Wizard races in the game. In terms of Dwarves, first, you get Medium Armor proficiency, which is essentially a better version of Mage Armor without a spell slot. This also means that you can equip better magical medium armor options later like Yuan Ti Scale and Armor of Agility.

Second, you get Resistance to Poison damage and Advantage against being Poisoned, which is a decently common damage type in BG3. Yes, your movement speed is five feet less than the other races, but you’ll be sticking in the backline anyway, which doesn’t require much movement. You can ignore the weapon proficiencies but that Darkvision sure is nice.

Githyanki

Githyanki also gives the Wizard the Medium Armor proficiency trait like Dwarves, albeit without the movement speed penalty, since Githyanki can move 30 feet per turn. Something that also makes Githyanki interesting for Wizards is the free repertoire of utility and mobility spells.

Once per day, you get a free casting of Misty Step to teleport as a Bonus Action and Enhanced Leap to jump and reach distant platforms. The Misty Step is a must-have for Wizards to escape difficult situations, and Enhance Leap helps with your low Strength score. Lastly, the Mage Hand is a neat exploration tool for maneuvering around some items with a temporary invisible companion.

Mephistopheles or Asmodeus Tiefling

On a more offensive side of things, these two Tiefling subraces can provide you with some extra damage options to expand your Wizard spells. Asmodeus gets you Hellish Rebuke to weaponize your reaction and Mephistopheles gets you Burning Hands for some early-game AOE damage. Furthermore, Asmodeus gives you Darkness which can be a decent crowd-control spell so I prefer this subrace.

The Tiefling suits Wizards not just for the added spells but because you can also cast them for free once per Long Rest. You even get Fire damage Resistance which is a common damage type. Overall, this is a great offensive-oriented alternative to the Shield Dwarf and Githyanki.

Drow

The Drow can provide your Wizard with some useful utility options in terms of bonus spells and skills. Their biggest advantage is the Faerie Fire spell you can use to support your allies and your own spell attack rolls, as it’ll give your entire team Advantage on affected enemies. Darkness is also a great crowd-control spell, and you can cast both for free once per Long Rest.

Furthermore, you also get some other goodies like Perception proficiency, Advantage against Charm, and double Darkvision range. Overall, they’re a great utility option that I prefer over Elves.

Dragonborn

Lastly, the Dragonborn is essentially a race that gives you a strong defensive option and a decent offensive option with the Breath. You can pick from the different colors, each of which gives you a different elemental Resistance and damage type for your Breath attack. The Breath deals decent close-range damage similar to Burning Hands which makes it an excellent option once you’re out of spell slots or in melee with enemies. You can drop a Breath attack and then Misty Step away.

That’s it for my top 5 best Wizard races in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more BG3 guides, check out the best Wizard gear and best Wizard feats.