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Having been in Early Access for nearly three years, Baldur's Gate 3 can't come soon enough. The current period allows you to indulge in Act 1 of the game, which funnily is still larger than many linear games these days. You also have the freedom to tinker around with the Class system. There are 12 Classes in this upcoming RPG adventure at launch.
As of Early Access, except Monk, all others can be utilized and experimented with by players. Let's break down each and see how all classes work in Baldur's Gate 3.
Exploring all classes in Baldur's Gate 3
Before we begin, let's take a look at all core stats in Baldur's Gate 3:
- Strength
- Dexterity
- Constitution
- Intelligence
- Wisdom
- Charisma
All classes in this ambitious Dungeons & Dragons RPG game benefit from certain stats more than others. So building them with those specific stats in mind should work out well in the long run. Each class has at least three subclasses that amount for a total of about 46 variants in total.
1) Barbarian
- Description: The strong embrace the wild that hides inside - keen instincts, primal physicality, and most of all, an unbridled, unquenchable rage.
- Sub-classes: Berserker, Wildheart, Wild Magic
Barbarians are all about power and strength. They specialize in the Strength stat with saving throw proficiencies for both Strength and Constitution. As such, they pair well with melee weapons like swords, shields, and martial weapons.
Berzerkers can learn Frenzy which turns their Rage into a frenzy for powerful attacks, including throwing enemies. Wildheart allows the user to speak with animals. Wild Magic meanwhile allows using magic to supplement attacks or buff allies.
2) Druid
- Description: Druids channel the elemental forces of nature and share a deep kinship with animals. Mastery of Wild Shape allows them to transform into beasts from all over the Realms.
- Sub-classes: Circle of the Moon, Circle of the Land, Circle of Spores
This class is one with nature. As such, with deep knowledge of nature's magic, they are able to harness the powers of the wild as needed. Their kit revolves around the Wisdom stat with saving throw proficiencies in Wisdom as well as Intelligence.
Circle of the Moon is the go-to subclass for battling foes in combat by transforming into wild animals. As for Circle of the Land, it is more focused on spellcasting. The newly announced Circle of the Spores involves using the power of fungi in battle.
3) Ranger
- Description: Rangers are unrivalled scouts and trackers, honing a deep connection with nature in order to hunt their favoured prey.
- Sub-classes: Beast Master, Gloom Stalker, Hunter
For those wanting a ranged unit specializing in taking down beasts, then the Ranger is their pick. They scale with Dexterity and have saving throw proficiencies in Strength and Dexterity.
The Beast Master subclass grants them a beast companion that follows them around and can fight in combat. The Gloom Stalker specializes in stealth and even gets dark vision. Hunters meanwhile are all about taking down massive monsters.
4) Sorcerer
- Description: Sorcerers are natural spellcasters, drawing on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline.
- Sub-classes: Draconic Bloodline, Wild Magic, Storm Sorcery
Sorcerers are powerful magic-wielders that can turn the tide of battle in the blink of an eye. As such, they are a fairly squishy class too. Furthermore, they are one of the only classes to be able to pick a subclass right away during character creation. Sorcerers deal in Charisma and have a saving throw proficiencies in Charisma and Constitution.
The Draconic Bloodline bestows dragon powers to the user, including different elements depending on skin color. Wild Magic allows power to surge within the user to enhance their capabilities in battle. The new Storm Sorcery allows harnessing storm and lightning magic
5) Fighter
- Description: Fighters have mastered the art of combat, wielding weapons with unmatched skill and wearing armour like a second skin.
- Sub-classes: Battle Master, Eldritch Knight, Champion
Fighters excel in surviving hits so they are ideal as Tank characters. They can wear all sorts of armor. Fighters can also pick between a handful of fighting styles, like dueling or two-handed. They are masters of Strength and have saving throws proficiencies in Strength and Constitution.
The Battle Master is a beefier fighter that can buff allies. The Eldritch Knight gains access to spells to supplement their playstyle. The newly announced Champion is a showcase of physical prowess and finesse with skills to reflect that.
6) Rogue
- Description: With stealth, skill, and uncanny reflexes, a rogue's versatility lets them get the upper hand in almost any situation.
- Sub-classes: Thief, Arcane Trickster, Assassin
The classic Rogue is accounted for in Baldur's Gate 3 as well. This class is a sneaky one, able to trick and ambush opponents to gain the upper hand. Rogues benefit from points in Dexterity and have saving throw proficiencies in Dexterity and Intelligence.
Thief makes users more versatile in and out of combat, especially when exploring. Arcane Trickster, as the name suggests, utilizes magic for all kinds of tricks. The new Assassin subclass allows buffing the user against marked foes and makes surprise attacks.
7) Warlock
- Description: Bound by a pact to an all-powerful patron, warlocks trade their loyalty for supernatural abilities and unique magic.
- Sub-classes: Fiends, The Great Ones, Archfey
Warlocks are magic users that are bound by servitude to a powerful supernatural entity. They benefit from Charisma and have saving throw proficiencies in Charisma as well as Wisdom.
Warlock's subclasses can be picked right off the bat. Fiends serve a chaotic entity, and their powerful dark spells reflect that alignment. The Great Ones look up to their Eldritch masters in the Far Realms and learn powerful magic in return. The new Archfey are bound to lords and ladies of the Fey, which grants them access to unique magic, like charming targets.
8) Monk
- Description: A master of martial arts, harnessing the power of the body in pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection.
- Sub-classes: Way of the Open Hand, Way of Shadow, Way of the Four Elements
The Monk is the 12th and final class confirmed for launch. As such, it is not available in the Early Access version. Monks are a martial arts class inspired by Eastern cultures. They are also able to use magic to further strengthen their combat abilities.
The Way of the Open Hand is all about vanilla hand-to-hand skirmish specialization. The Way of Shadow subclass sneaks in stealth capabilities using Shadow magic. The Way of the Four Elements allows harnessing the power of elements to dish out damage.
9) Paladin
- Description: Fuelled by the Oaths you swore to uphold justice and righteousness, you are a beacon of hope in dark times.
- Sub-classes: Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients
Paladins are proud holy knights who aim to uphold order and righteousness. Their primary attribute is the strength stat and they boast saving throw proficiencies in Wisdom and Charisma.
They have two subclasses and can be picked during character creation. Oath of Devotion is the standard go-to offensive Paladins build, whereas Oath of the Ancients has various support abilities to help out allies in battle. However, there is a third hidden subclass called Oathbreaker. This is only accessible by breaking the sworn Oath and turning the character into an evil Paladin, with access to unique skills including necromancy.
10) Bard
- Description: You know music is more than fancy - it is power. Through study and adventure, you have mastered song, speech, and the magic within.
- Sub-classes: College of Lore, College of Valor, College of Swords
The Bard is the fun, trickster class in Baldur's Gate 3. They have a bunch of support magic to help bolster allies' efficiency but are decent with melee weapons too. Bards have Charisma as their primary, with saving throw proficiencies in Dexterity and Charisma.
The College of Lore subclass is more about debuffing foes. College of Valor on the other hand is tankier and specializes in buffing allies. The new College of Swords subclass makes Bards more expert with blade weapons.
11) Wizard
- Description: Wizards master the arcane by specializing in individual schools of magic, combining ancient spells with modern research.
- Sub-classes: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy, Illusion, Transmutation
Baldur's Gate 3's Wizard class may not be as flamboyant as the Sorcerer but makes up for it with versatility. They have mastered various forms of magic with extensive efforts and study in the arts across different schools. They benefit from Intelligence and feature saving throw proficiencies in Intelligence and Wisdom.
They boast a whooping eight subclasses to choose from. Abjuration allows summoning Wards to protect allies and nullify enemy magic. Conjuration allows summoning objects and creatures and teleporting targets. Divination is one of the more intriguing subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3. It allows seeing future roll checks and gaining boosted perception, like seeing invisible creatures.
Enchantment is all about hypnotizing creatures to do your bidding. The fan-favorite Necromancy lets players drain live targets of their energy and raise the undead from corpses. Illusion features magic-centered conjuring of various illusions, including duplicating the user. The Transmutation subclass allows changing properties of non-magical objects and even grants Polymorph abilities.
12) Cleric
- Description: Clerics are representatives of the gods they worship, wielding potent divine magic for good or ill.
- Sub-classes: Life Domain, Light Domain, Trickery Domain, War Domain, Knowledge Domain, Nature Domain, Tempest Domain
The Cleric is another magic-proficient class in Baldur's Gate 3. They are a magic support class that worships various deities and draw power from them. There are over 20 deities to pick from for this class. The Cleric is about the Wisdom stat and has saving throw proficiencies in Wisdom and Charisma.
They have some of the highest numbers of subclasses to pick from in the game right from the start. Life Domain specializes in healing magic. Light Domain grants access to offensive Light and Fire magic. Trickery Domain uses illusion magic, like charming targets and utilizing a disguise. War Domain is for Baldur's Gate 3 players who want melee-oriented Clerics.
Knowledge Domain is for those who would rather talk than fight, granting skills like Read Thoughts. Nature Domain allows manipulating nature and its elements, including animals. And lastly, Tempest Domain grants storm magic access. Only Life, Light, and Trickery Domains are available in Early Access right now.
Baldur's Gate 3 is releasing on August 3, 2023, for PC and September 8, 2023, for PS5.
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