Updated: December 6, 2023This build is current to patch 5.
When it comes to dealing damage in Baldur’s Gate 3, few can dish it out with more mayhem than the wizard. While definitely on the squishier side of potential playable classes, the wizard makes up for it with a fun and varied skill set that can often use the environment to its advantage.
But if you’re new to BG3, there are lots of tricky character creation decisions to make, such as which stats and subclass to choose, which is why I’ve put together this wizard build guide.
Best Wizard Build in Baldur’s Gate 3
Wizards such as Galerely on brains rather than brawn to get the job done, wielding powerful spells from the backline to both damage and hamper opponents. They’re also useful in conversation, where their high Intelligence can grant you extra knowledge, or help answer difficult questions in tricky situations.The best wizards have high Intelligence, big AOE spells, and a few tricks to get you out of trouble.
Related:How to Find Gale in Baldur’s Gate 3 (Location)
Best Stats and Race for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3
As mentioned above,your key ability is Intelligence, so make sure you give this your +2 bonus and get it up to 17. Doing so will give you +3 on your Intelligence checks, which will greatly improve your spell-casting abilities.Dexterity and Constitution are helpful for staying alive, and so should be your next priorities.
I’m not usually a fan of letting an ability score stat go below 10, as that incurs a minus to saving throws for that stat, butI make an exception with wizards and Strength. If your wizard is having to rely on a Strength saving throw, something has likely gone horribly wrong!
In terms of race choice, feel free to take whichever you feel comfortable with, but if you want to min-max, go witheither Elf or Half-Elf. Not only will you get night vision, you’ll benefit from an extraCantrip.
Best Subclass for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3
As a wizard, you’ll have a dizzying array of eight subclasses to choose from when you get to level 2. Each will offer similar spell choices as other subclasses, but you’ll gain specific features that make yours unique. Again, you may want to choose a different one than I suggest, so here’s a brief rundown of each option:
Related:Baldur’s Gate 3: Who are the Companions?
While I quite like the ability to Conjure Water at will, knowing you’re not going to take your companions out when you cast an AOE attack is worth its weight in gold, making theEvocation subclass the clear favorite for me. All wizards get a discount to learn their own subclass of spells from scrolls too, which is another bonus for Evocation Wizards, as their school has some of the most-used spells in the class.
Best Feats for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3
You’ll gain yourfirst feat at level four, from amassive list of 50 or so options. There is oneOP optionhere: theAbility Improvement feat, which gives you two extra ability points. A fantastic advantage at this level, it allows you to pushIntelligence up to 18 and Constitution to 16, giving you an extra +1 on spellcasting, HP, and saves on both stats for the rest of the game. You’ll get another feat point at level eight, which allows you to push your Intelligence to the maximum level (20).
Best Cantrips for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3
Fire Bolt and Ray of Frostare great starting cantrips. They give you a great range (both 18m), and either one or the other (usually both) is going to damage most enemies. Plus, they have extra utility in being able to affect surfaces such as water or oil, giving you options to deal extra damage or slow down enemies.Mage Hand can be useful, creating a magic hand to interact with objects, whileShocking Grasp is a handy defenseif an enemy gets within melee range.
Best Spells for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3
Spell choices are a very personal thing, and can be mitigated with scrolls, but these are the ones from the earlier levels I wouldn’t miss out on:
For more information on everything Baldur’s Gate 3, why not also check outBG3 Tempest Cleric Sorcerer Build Guide – Best Stats and SpellsorWhat to Expect From Doing The Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3here at Pro Game Guides!
