Baldur's Gate 3: Most Underrated Classes, Ranked

Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken the gaming community by storm, allowing players to experience the thrill and magic of Dungeons and Dragons on screen. In accordance with the fifth edition rule set of the tabletop game, Baldur’s Gate 3 features 12 playable classes, all with their own subclasses.

While some classes in BG3 are clearly better than others, some remain underutilized and underrated. This can be for a number of reasons, from a lack of interest in the power fantasy that these classes provide to a preconceived weakness in Baldur’s Gate itself, D&D, or other similar games.

Compared with the other magical classes such as Warlock and Sorcerer, the latter of which is one of the most popular classes in the game, Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3 are vastly underrated. Two things that Wizards are known for are being extremely squishy and damaging their allies with chaotic AOE spells; however, these downsides should not discourage players from testing out the arcane knowledge of Wizards.

Wizards have eight subclasses to choose from in Baldur’s Gate 3, with these being different schools of magic, but they are only selected at level 2 instead of during the initial character creation. They also have the most spells available in the game and the most spell slots to match. With so many subclasses and spells, players can have radically different experiences when playing as a Wizard, while also dealing some of the highest damage in the game.

Despite allowing players to take on the form of animals, the Druid class in BG3 is fairly underrated, perhaps as it is a class that excels at nothing in particular while performing well across the board. As a Druid, players can take on the role of a tank by becoming a bear, or they can focus more on supporting their allies or even dealing decent damage.

There are three Druid subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3, known as Druid Circles, and these allow players to focus on different aspects of nature, wielding power in various ways. One of the most fun subclasses is the Circle of the Moon which is all about animals and shape-shifting into them. Ironically, the other two subclasses are just as underrated as the Druid class as a whole.

The word ‘Barbarian’ itself carries negative connotations, and thus, when creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3, players tend to overlook this class in favor of those that provide a more impressive power fantasy. However, Barbarians are actually underrated, as the ability to throw things and creatures plays a surprisingly big part in the game, and this is one thing that they excel at.

If enemies are standing near a cliff or a pool of lava, Barbarians are going to have an easy time shoving or throwing them to their deaths with their high Strength. The highlight of playing as a Barbarian and their greatest strength is their ability to become enraged, gaining significant combat buffs for a duration. Players might also enjoy the Barbarian’s simplistic but humorous approach to certain dilemmas outside of combat, as showcased at the start of the game.

One class that is often forgotten about in both Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Monk class, and it is certainly not considered strong either. Monks mostly rely on Dexterity and Wisdom and work best with simple weapons and armor which may not be appealing to players who want to make use of the best gear in BG3. Monks also have a unique action mechanic where they consume Ki points, and this is something that may not appeal to new players.

There are three Monk subclasses: Way of the Open Hand, Way of Shadow, and Way of the Four Elements, the last of these pretty much allowing players to role-play as Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. To get the most out of the Monk class and create a game-beating build, heading into combat unarmed is strangely the best option.

In the first major patch for Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios stated that Cleric is the least popular class to play as, and so, at least in some ways, it must be underrated by the community. While this can be down to players being more than happy to take the Cleric companion, Shadowheart, with them and not feeling like they need another Cleric, this can’t be the only reason for these tanky healers being the most underrated class in Baldur’s Gate 3.

The main reason for a lack of interest in Clerics is likely the fact that they are perceived as weak and boring in combat, with many players seeing them as glorified healers who don’t do much else. However, by delving into the various Cleric subclasses, players will discover more martial and deceptive play styles.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is out now available for PC and is set to release on September 6th, 2023, for PlayStation 5.