Best Gale build guide in Baldur's Gate 3

Customizing your Gale build in Baldur's Gate 3 offers various powerful possibilities, making your companion a great asset in combat. Gale was revealed to be the most popular companion during the game's first week, and it is not hard to see why. Not only is this Human Wizard a DPS (Damage Per Second) powerhouse and a great spellcaster, but he is also an interesting character with a complex backstory.

In Baldur's Gate 3, there are a lot of customization options for wizards with their eight subclasses. Choosing among these subclasses and synergizing them with other customizable features may seem overwhelming, especially for beginners. In this guide, we will discuss the best Gale build for BG3 that can maximize everything he has to offer as a companion.

Baldur's Gate 3 Gale build guide

School of Evocation is the best subclass for Gale (Image via Larian Studios)

There are several viable Gale builds in BG3, but we found this combination to be the most effective:

Class: Wizard
Subclass: School of Evocation
Race: Human
Ability Points: 8 Strength, 16 Dexterity, 14 Constitution, 16 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, 10 Charisma
Skills: Arcana, History
Cantrips: Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, Fire Bolt
Spells: Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Grease, Sleep, Chromatic Orb

School of Evocation is the best subclass for Wizards in Baldur's Gate 3. It excels in delivering significant area-of-effect damage, aligning perfectly with the capabilities of a Wizard build.

The Sculpt Spells feature of this subclass creates safe zones within your area spells, ensuring that allied creatures succeed in their saving throws and remain unharmed. With this setup, you can focus on dealing substantial area damage while safeguarding both yourself and your allies from unintended harm.

While the Human race may not be the most optimal choice for Wizards, you can't change this aspect in this Gale build since you have limited customization options for companions when it comes to race choices.

Because Gale is an Intelligence-based character, choosing Arcana and History skills is the way to go. You proceed to enhance these skills by allotting extra points toward core stats like Dexterity and Intelligence.

At level 1, you gain access to three cantrips, six spells, and four prepared spells. Below are the suggested cantrips and spells to pick at Level 1.

Cantrips

Ray of Frost -Reduces enemy movement speed
Acid Splash - Reduces your opponents' armor within an area
Fire Bolt - Deals high damage, ignites grease

Spells

Mage Armor - Casts a magical barrier around an allied unit
Magic Missile - Send missiles that are sure to land—great for finishing off enemies
Thunderwave - Knocks back to create distance from enemies
Grease - Cover the ground with grease to slow enemies
Sleep - A crowd control spell that puts enemies to sleep
Chromatic Orb - Unleashs a powerful elemental sphere

When you gain spell slots at Level 3, you can pick Misty Step to increase your mobility during combat, and Scorching Ray to add to your offensive prowess. Continue stacking up on your spells as you gain more spell slots. Your final spell list should look something like this:

Mage Armour
Magic Missile
Thunderwave
Grease
Chromatic Orb
Scorching Ray
Flaming Sphere
Fireball, Haste
Counterspell
Ice Storm
Banishment
Conjure Elemental
Cloudkill
Disintegrate
Globe of Invulnerability

That is all for our best companion Gale build guide for BG3. If you want to use Gale as your main character, you can simply swap your race from Human to High Elf or Deep Gnome for the extra range.

Check out our other Baldur's Gate 3 articles:

FAQs on best Gale build in BG3

How old is Gale in Baldur's Gate 3?

While players may have assumed that Gale is amongst the oldest characters due to his mature demeanor and appearance, in fact, he is only 35 years old in the title's narrative.

What is the best subclass for Gale?

Although players can opt for the subclass of their choosing, it is recommended to go for the Evocation as it has many useful spells for Gale in Baldur's Gate 3.

How to make Gale more powerful in the game?

In order to make your Gale build more powerful in BG3, it is suggested that players invest in High Constituion and Intelligence for this character. Both of these are essential to bring out his maximum potential.