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Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough by gamepressure.com

Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

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Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build Baldurs Gate 3 guide, walkthrough

Last update: 28 November 2023

This chapter of the Baldur's Gate 3 guide describes a ready Wizard build. We suggest which race works best as a Wizard, how to best spend ability points, what equipment and spells to choose, and what skills to select.

Wizard is one of the most powerful character classes available in Baldurs Gate 3. Wizards deal significant damage to one target and/or a larger group of opponents at a time at the cost of low armor class and few lifepoints. In the presented Wizard build, we focus on the Evocation specialization (subclass), which allows your hero to wield the energy of powerful elements.

When creating a new Wizard character, it can be assumed, of course, that the hero will use the rare item called Warped Headband of Intellect, which sets the character's Intelligence at 18 points. This item can be acquired after about a few hours of gameplay, however, it is still the early access (EA) version of Baldurs Gate 3 and it is not known if the properties of some items will be changed while others might be removed completely. In such a case, you wouldn't assign enough ability points to Intelligence, and your Wizard would become less efficient.

When choosing the right race for the Wizard class, it is definitely worth choosing the High Elf - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Race

When choosing the right race for the Wizard class, it is definitely worth choosing the High Elf. Below is a list of all the significant bonuses your character will receive.

  1. 1 to Intelligence: an ability allowing the Wizard to cast spells;
  2. 2 to Dexterity: a useful auxiliary ability;
  3. Keen Senses: the hero is proficient in Perception;
  4. Base race speed: the distance you can travel in each round is 9 metres;
  5. Fey Ancestry: the hero will have an advantage during saving throws against charms, and the magic can't put them to sleep;
  6. Darkvision: the hero can see in the dark within a radius of 12 meters. As a result, the character will not receive penalty when attacked in a dark room.

From all the High Elves' cantrips available, we suggest choosing Dancing Lights.

Dancing Lights - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Dancing Lights

Effect: create wisps of light that illuminate in a 12m radius.

Range: 18 meters.

Concentration: required

Additional information: characters who do not have the Darkvision skill receive penalty to attack when fighting in a dark room. With the Dancing Lights spell, you'll be able to light up the darkness, help your team, and affect their chances of hitting the target.

If for some reason you don't want to play as a High Elf you can also opt for the Half-Elf or a Tiefling race. It should be noted, however, that you will then have to additionally develop Charisma.

Background

When choosing the background for your Wizard, it is worth choosing between options that benefit from the developed Intelligence, and avoiding those that guarantee skills related to Charisma, which we won't develop in this build.

  1. Sage: proficiency in Arcana (Intelligence) and History (Intelligence);
  2. Hermit: Religion proficiency (Intelligence), Medicine proficiency (Wisdom).

Concentration

Some Wizard's spells are complicated enough to require concentration so that their effect is not interrupted. Unfortunately, concentration is not a lasting effect and can be interrupted in several ways.

  1. By casting another spell that requires concentration;
  2. After receiving damage while maintaining concentration, the Wizard must perform a defensive dice roll (Constitution) to ensure the effect is not interrupted.
As Wizards must maintain concentration when casting certain spells, we invest some points in the Constitution - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

As Wizards must maintain concentration when casting certain spells, we invest some points in the Constitution.

Skills

When choosing skills for your Wizard, pay particular attention to those that will benefit most from his most developed abilities, such as Intelligence and Dexterity.

Depending on the background you choose, opt for any of the following options - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Depending on the background you choose, opt for any of the following options:

  1. Investigation: a skill associated with Intelligence;
  2. Nature: a skill associated with Intelligence;
  3. History: a skill associated with Intelligence;
  4. Religion: a skill associated with Intelligence;
  5. Arcana: a skill associated with Intelligence;
  6. Acrobatics: a skill associated with Dexterity;
  7. Stealth: a skill associated with Dexterity;

For more information on all the skills available in Baldurs Gate 3, see the separate page of this guide revolving entirely around skills.

Abilities

When developing Wizard's abilities, one must first focus on Intelligence as the ability responsible for Spellcasting. Then it's worth assigning points to Constitution and Dexterity.

We propose to allocate the ability points for your Wizard as follows - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

We propose to allocate the ability points for your Wizard as follows:

  1. Intelligence: 16 points;
  2. Constitution: 15 points;
  3. Dexterity: 15 points;
  4. Strength: 10 points;
  5. Wisdom: 10 points;
  6. Charisma: 10 points;

Learning Spells from Scrolls

The Wizards gain their knowledge of spells from many sources, one of which is the scrolls you will find when exploring the vast world of Baldurs Gate 3. When you find a spell scroll that you don't know yet and you want to learn it, just click on it and choose the spell learning option which will cost 50 gold pieces.

By creating a Wizard-class character in Baldur's Gate 3, you will be able to choose 3 Cantrips that your character will be able to use - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Cantrips

By creating a Wizard-class character in Baldur's Gate 3, you will be able to choose 3 Cantrips that your character will be able to use. When looking at the list of available spells, we particularly recommend Ray of Frost, Fire Bolt, and Poison Spray.

Ray Of Frost - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Ray Of Frost

Effect: the hero summons an icy ray of pale blue light that causes 1d8 Cold damage and reduces the target's speed by 3 metres.

Range: 18 meters.

Fire Bolt - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Fire Bolt

Effect: you throw a fireball that causes 1d6 Fire damage and creates a flammable surface.

Range: 18 meters.

Poison Spray - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Poison Spray

Effect: project a puff of noxious gas that deals 1d12 Poison.

Range: 3 feet.

Additional information: in the later stages of the game, you will find the Poisoner's robe, which will have synergy with the Poison damage spells.

Due to the fact that Cantrips can be used in every round with no limitations, you should select ones that you will be definitely using. Attack spells are a good choice because you will be able to continually damage your opponents without losing your spell slots.

Level 1 spells

Wizards have the largest pool of spells of all the characters available in the game, and during character creation you can choose the ones that your character will have at the beginning of the game. We particularly recommend Magic Missile as an extremely useful attack spell, Mage Armor that will greatly enhance your hero's defense, and Sleep as a useful control tool.

Magic Missile - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Magic Missile

Effect: you create three magical arrows, each one dealing 1d4 1 Force damage.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: the opponent cannot protect himself from this spell, and your hero cannot miss so he will always hit the target. You can choose up to 3 targets that the Wizard will hit at the same time.

Mage Armour - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Mage Armour

Effect: surround the creature with magical energy to enhance its armor class by 3.

Range: 1.5 meters.

Requirements: no armor.

Additional information: after casting this spell, its effect lasts until a long rest in the camp.

Thunderwave - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Thunderwave

Effect: the hero unleashes a wave of deafening power that causes 2d8 Thunder damage and kickbacks creatures and objects.

Range: 5 meters.

Additional information: it is worth knowing that creatures thrown off from a high altitude receive a lot of damage from falling, so this is an ideal way to quickly eliminate stronger opponents.

Sleep - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Sleep

Effect: magically put the creatures with a total of 24 health points to sleep.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: an excellent control tool that does not require concentration. With this spell, you can completely disable an inconvenient opponent from the fight. Because in Baldurs Gate 3 you see how many health points your opponent has, you don't have to wonder if the spell will be effective. Sleeping creatures will wake up if injured.

Ray of Sickness - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Ray of Sickness

Effect: the hero summons a beam of toxic energy that inflicts 2d8 Poison damage and can cause the target to be poisoned.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: poisoning is a great way for dealing with Wizards, because every turn they will have to make a defensive dice roll to maintain concentration - provided they use such spells. In the later stages of the game, you will find the Poisoner's robe, which will have synergy with the Poison damage spells.

Witch Bolt - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Witch Bolt

Effect: the hero summons a beam of energy that causes 1d12 Lightning damage and connects to the target with an electric arc.

Range: 18 meters.

Concentration: required

Additional information: you can activate the arc of lightning in each round to automatically inflict 1d12 electrical injuries.

Unlike the previously described Cantrips, spells use a slot when being cast which means they cannot be used indefinitely. You renew your magic slots after a long rest in the camp.

Level 2 spells

After reaching experience Level 3 Wizards gain access to Level 2 spells and two spell slots for this type of spells. After reaching experience level 4, you will be able to select 2 additional Level 2 spells, so you will have 4 of them in total. We particularly recommend Misty Step, Scorching Flame, Melf's Acid Arrow and Shutter.

Misty Step - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Misty Step

Effect: your hero is surrounded by a black mist and teleported to a vacant spot in his field of vision.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: This spell is included as an additional action, so you can use it to quickly teleport your hero to a place, which will give you the High Ground advantage over your opponent.

Scorching Ray - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Scorching Ray

Effect: fire three streams of fire, and each one deals 2d6 Fire damage.

Range: 18 meters.

Melf' - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Melf's Acid Arrow

Effect: shoot a green arrow that sprays acid and deals 4d4 instant Acid damage and 2d4 additional Acid damage once the turn ends.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: after a successful defense test, the target receives only half of the initial damage.

Shatter - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Shatter

Effect: cause an intense, painful noise that deals 3d8 Thunder damage for creatures and items.

Range: 18 meters.

Additional information: after a successful defense test, the target receives only half of the initial damage. Inorganic creatures build from materials like rocks will have their defense throws harder.

If you are curious about what level 2 spells the Wizard has, you can check them all on a separate page of this guide.

Arcane Recovery - an important action

From the start, a Wizard has access to a special action that he can use once per day.

Due to the fact that Arcane Recovery is part of the action, try to use this ability before starting a fight so as not to lose a turn in which you can perform an attack to regain the spell slots.

Arcane Recovery - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Arcane Recovery

Effect: once a day, while not in combat, you can regenerate used spell slots.

Additional information: the hero can recover two Level 1 spell slots or one level 2 slot cell.

Equipment

A Wizard is a character class who relies on spells to deal damage to opponents in every possible situation. Wizard uses pole weapons (stick, staff), which often provides him with additional properties and bonuses. Your Wizard should wear Robes so you can still use the Mage Armor spell.

Poisoner's Robe, which causes additional Poison damage when the Wizard uses spells based on Poison damage, is found in the stomach of defeated Phase Spider Matriarch - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Poisoner's Robe, which causes additional Poison damage when the Wizard uses spells based on Poison damage, is found in the stomach of defeated Phase Spider Matriarch. If you do not know how to defeat this strong opponent, you will find a detailed description of the fight on a separate page of this guide.

Specialization (Subclass)

After reaching level 2, a Wizard will have to choose one of two specializations (subclasses). If you choose the Evocation School, your character will be able to use spells that focus the energy of powerful elementals. The Evocation School is a perfect choice for Wizards who prefer to focus on causing as much damage as possible. By choosing this path you will also get an additional passive ability.

  1. Sculpt Spells: Wizard creates a safety pocket for the Evocation School spells. Allied creatures will automatically pass defense tests successfully and they won't receive damage from these spells.
After reaching experience level 4, you will be able to improve your Ranger's abilities by spending additional 2 points on chosen abilities - Baldurs Gate 3: Wizard - best build - Wizard - Baldurs Gate 3 Guide, Walkthrough

Upgrading abilities

After reaching experience level 4, you will be able to improve your Ranger's abilities by spending additional 2 points on chosen abilities. This is the best time to increase the value of the Intelligence ability to 18 points.

General tips

Before you play as a Wizard in Baldurs Gate 3, you should know a few key tips that will bring you even closer to this class and significantly affect your hero's effectiveness during combat.

  1. High Ground advantage: if possible, always try to take a position above your opponent before starting a fight (on a hill, roof, stairs, balcony, etc.), to gain the High Ground advantage. If necessary, do not hesitate to use the Misty Step spell;
  2. Spell slots: some of the spell slots you use can be restored with Arcaner Recovery. All the spell slots used will be recovered after a long rest in the camp;
  3. Scrolls: Wizards can learn additional spells from scrolls you find as you wander through the game's vast world. If you come across a spell that your hero doesn't know, he can always learn it.;
  4. Mage armor: try to keep the effect of the mage armor spell on the hero to increase his defense.
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