Baldur's Gate 3 BG3 Best Classes Ranking Tier List

Baldur's Gate 3 Best Class

The best Baldur's Gate classes have traditionally been Sorcerers, Wizards or Mages. In Baldur's Gate 3, Warlocks are the best class at the low levels: Eldritch Blast (force damage) + Agonizing Blast (Cha mod) = King.

The six classes available in Early Access of Baldur's Gate 3 are as follows: Wizard, Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock. 

There is no multi-classing in BG3 EA, which means builds are limited for the time being (and would be anyway, with the max level in EA being 5). 

The twelve Core Classes in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are as follows:

Barbarian BG3

• Primary Ability: Strength
• Hit Dice: d12
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield, Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
• Saving Throws: Strength & Constitution
• Skills (any 2): Animal Handling, Athletics, Intimidation, Nature, Perception, Survival
• Primal Paths: Path of the Berserker, Path of the Totem Warrior
• Best race: Dwarf, Half-Orc, Dragonborn

Wrecks house in melee. Rages hard. Moves fast. Hard to kill. Nothing changes.

Bard BG3

Bard class was added to Baldur's Gate 3 in patch 8.

• Primary Ability: Charisma
• Hit Dice: d8
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Simple Weapons, Hand Crossbow, Longsword, Rapier, Shortsword
• Saving Throws: Dexterity & Charisma
• Skills (any 3): Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Arcana, Athletics, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival
• Colleges: College of Lore, College of Valor
• Best race: Human, Half-Elf
• Added in patch 8.

Jack of all trades. Versatile arcane repertoire. Skillmonkey. Solid attack rate.

Cleric BG3

• Primary Ability: Wisdom
• Hit Dice: d8
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield, Simple Weapons
• Saving Throws: Wisdom & Charisma
• Skills (any 2): History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, Religion
• Domains: Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, War
• Best race: Hill Dwarf
• Shadowheart is a Cleric

Their buffing ability has been nerfed but the Domains are strong and interesting. Wizards beat Clerics in spellcasting repertoire, as per usual.

Druid BG3

• Primary Ability: Wisdom
• Hit Dice: d8
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield, Club, Dagger, Club, Javelin, Mace, Quarterstaff, Scimitar, Sickle, Sling, Spear
• Saving Throws: Intelligence & Wisdom
• Skills (any 2): Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, Survival
• Circles: Circle of the Land, Circle of the Moon
• Best race: Forest Gnome

No animal companion and wildshaping has been nerfed (though it's still powerful). The circle spells are solid, too.

Fighter BG3

• Primary Ability: Strength or Dexterity
• Hit Dice: d10
• Proficiencies: All armor, shields, and simple and martial weapons 
• Saving Throws: Strength & Constitution
• Skills (any 2): Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Survival
• Martial Archetypes: Champion, Battle Master, Eldritch Knight
• Best race: Human, Dwarf, Half-Orc, Dragonborn

Insane attack rate. Feat-heavy.

Monk BG3

• Primary Ability: Dexterity & Wisdom
• Hit Dice: d8
• Proficiencies: Simple weapons, Shortsword
• Saving Throws: Strength & Dexterity
• Skills (any 2): Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Religion, Stealth
• Monastic Traditions: Way of the Open Hand, Way of Shadow, Way of the Four Elements
• Best race: Elf

Dexterity governs both accuracy and damage.

Paladin BG3

Paladin class was added to Baldur's Gate 3 in patch 9.

• Primary Ability: Strength & Charisma
• Hit Dice: d10
• Proficiencies: All armor, shields, and simple and martial weapons 
• Saving Throws: Wisdom & Charisma
• Skills (any 2): Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, Religion
• Sacred Oaths: Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Vengeance
• Best race: Drow

Smites. Doesn't have to be Lawful Good.

Ranger BG3

• Primary Ability: Dexterity & Wisdom
• Hit Dice: d10
• Proficiencies:
• Saving Throws: Strength & Dexterity
• Skills (any 3): Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival
• Ranger Archetypes: Hunter, Beast Master
• Best race: Wood Elf

Trackers, stealthmasters and explorers. Druidic spellcasting. The Favored Enemy class feature is not a combat feature in D&D 5th Edition. Instead, bonuses are given in relation to tracking and communicating with such enemies. In addition, the Natural Explorer class feature of the Ranger is not combat-oriented: it is basically "Favored Terrain". Thus, Larian may feel the need to modify the class in order to ensure its viability in a computer game.

Rogue BG3

• Primary Ability: Dexterity
• Hit Dice: d8
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shield, Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
• Saving Throws: Dexterity & Intelligence
• Skills (any 4): Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
• Roguish Archetypes: Thief, Assassin, Arcane Trickster
• Best race: Elf, Halfling
• Astarion is a Rogue

Super sneak-attackers. Hit-and-run masters. Skillpool is not as deep as Bard, but can select +1 skill over Bard.

Sorcerer BG3

• Primary Ability: Charisma
• Hit Dice: d6
• Proficiencies: Dagger, Dart, Sling, Quarterstaff, Light Crossbow
• Saving Throws: Constiution & Charisma
• Skills (any 2): Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Religion
• Sorcerer Origins: Draconic Bloodline, Wild Magic
• Best race: Half-Elf

Lacks the spellcasting versatility of the Wizard, and a build is easily made suboptimal. Only Sorcerers have access to metamagic. This is not just a blaster class either.

Warlock BG3

• Primary Ability: Charisma
• Hit Dice: d6
• Proficiencies: Light Armor, Simple Weapons
• Saving Throws: Wisdom & Charisma
• Skills (any 2): Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, Religion
• Otherwordly Patrons: The Archfey, The Fiend, The Great Old One
• Best race: Tiefling, Aasimar, Human
• Wyll is a Warlock

Can cast up to 5th circle spells at-will. Offers great utility spellcasting. A solid dungeon-crawling class, and the best class for a level range of 1-10.

Eldritch Blast (force damage) + Agonizing Blast (Cha mod) = King.

Wizard BG3

• Primary Ability: Intelligence
• Hit Dice: d6
• Proficiencies: Dagger, Dart, Sling, Quarterstaff, Light Crossbow
• Saving Throws: Intelligence & Wisdom
• Skills (any 2): Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Religion
• Arcane Traditions: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation.
• Best race: Gnome
• Gale is a Wizard

There are no opposition schools and there are no Generalists, per se. Most extensive spellcasting repertoire of all casters. More flexible generally than Warlock and Sorcerer as well. Also has access to Ritual Magic.

***

All but the Warlock are playable Classes in Baldur's Gate 2. Neverwinter Nights 2 is the only D&D-based RPG that officially features Warlocks. Also, "Rogues" are known as "Thieves" in AD&D 2nd Edition.

Ranger tracking was implemented in Throne of Bhaal, but it was a flavor-based High Level Ability only (utterly useless).

All Core classes will be playable classes in Baldur's Gate 3. I suspect that certain non-Core classes will be added as well; if not initially, then by means of patches, DLC and expansions.

Baldur's Gate 3	BG3 Best Weapons	BG3 Best Companions
BG3 Best Classes	BG3 Best Armor	BG3 Best Races