Learn about the best subclasses, armories, skills, and spells for the Druid class in Baldur’s Gate 3.
In Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), Druids have Constitution and Wisdom as their main stats. This, in addition to their healing and defensive spells, gives them high survivability. Their tanking capabilities are further boosted by their Wild Shape transformations.
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Furthermore, Druids can use their healing and defensive spells to protect their party members as well. Additionally, Druids make for great utility casters with their area control capabilities and their summons.
In this build guide, we will talk about being the best Druid build that will be formidable against any kind of foe. We will also talk about the abilities in detail and where you can think of spending your AP more. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
Best Druid Build in BG3
Druid Class Overview
Druids in Baldur’s Gate 3 have the powerful ability to transform into different Wild Shape forms, which gives them great versatility. This versatility is furthered stressed by their ability to heal effectively, being a good melee fighter in their regular form, and having a good variety of spells.
Pros:
- Access to a variety of spells, ranging from debuffs and healing to crowd control and AOE.
- Can transform into a wide range of animals, allowing for great versatility.
- High survivability.
- Great single target and group healing.
- Great spellcaster in the mid-late game.
- Can manipulate the environment to control positioning.
Cons:
- Weak spells in the early game.
- Not a beginner-friendly class
- Lackluster ranged combat options. (This can be fixed by playing as certain races)
This build will emphasize the Druid’s ability to transform as well as their healing abilities through the Circle of the Moon subclass, thus focusing on maximizing their tanking capabilities.
Best Druid Race
Wood Elves are the recommended choice for druids due to their high movement speed, allowing them to gain a positional advantage quickly. Wood Elves also possess Darkvision and Fey Ancestry, giving them an advantage on saving throws. Furthermore, Wood Elves’ lack of Strength does not affect a Druid’s effectiveness, while their high Dexterity and Constitution are of great use.
Gold Dwarves are another good choice due to their Dwarven Resilience, Darkvision, and Toughness abilities. They have an advantage in saving throws against poison and resisting Poison Damage. Also, they get +1 HP per level. This works in great tandem with a Druid’s tanking and healing abilities.
Best Ability Points Assignment for Druid
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 14
- Constitution: 16
- Intelligence: 10
- Wisdom: 16
- Charisma: 8
Druids must have high Wisdom to enhance their spellcasting and high Constitution to enhance their concentration spells and health.
Dexterity is another crucial ability. Circle of the Moon Druids, with a heightened Dexterity, can take advantage of Medium Armor and Ranged Weapons in battles. They can augment with Shillelagh and equip a Shield to increase their Armor Class by +2 and 19 AC. Thus greatly boosting their survivability while untransformed.
Medium Armor, such as Lae’zel’s Githyanki Half Plate or Scale Mail +1, are crucial for Druids once they are no longer in Wild Shape. Accessories like the Absolute’s Talisman are recommended for their Wild Shape, allowing them to continue combat without taking breaks to heal.
Best Druid Subclass
The Circle of the Moon subclass emphasizes shapeshifting and melee combat. It gives you access to more additional forms, such as the Bear form, which is an excellent tank, further increasing your versatility. Also, it allows you to use Wild Shape in combat as a bonus action, essentially allowing you to transform twice a day.
It also boosts your hit points while in wild shape form. In addition to the fact that your transformations have separate hit points, this will make your Druid very hard to take down.
Pros of Circle of the Moon:
- More Wild Shape forms
- Wild Shape forms have higher HP.
- Wild Shape forms have stronger attacks that overcome Resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks, thanks to Primal Strike.
Best Druid Spells
Cantrips
- Level 1:
- Thorn Whip: Great for moving an enemy away from an advantageous position. It also deals some decent piercing damage.
- Shillelagh: Imbues your weapon with magical energy for 10 turns. This causes any melee weapon you equip to use Wisdom instead of Strength, thus increasing your melee combat effectiveness.
Spells
With 16 Wisdom, you can begin the game with 4 prepared spells. We recommend you get these spells at level 1 and the ones you should pick as you level up.
- Level 1:
- Entangle: Crowd Control spell. It can trap enemies if they do not pass a Strength check.
- Thunderwave: Crowd Control and AOE Damage Spell. It knocks back enemies to create space. You can also use it to knock enemies off ledges and cliffs to deal fall damage.
- Healing Word: Allows you to heal party members from long range. Furthermore, it is a bonus action. So, you can attack or use another cantrip or spell in the same turn.
- Faerie Fire: An AOE debuff spell that improves attack rolls against any enemy caught in its radius.
- Level 2:
- Goodberry: Conjures consumable berries, which heal for up to 16 hit points.
- Level 3:
- Moonbeam: Summons a beam that deals up to 20 damage to anyone caught in it. Also, you can move it at every turn to catch any enemy that relocates.
- Spike Growth: Does AOE damage to any enemy that walks through it and halves their movement speed.
- Level 4:
- Flaming Sphere: Long Range AOE spell that causes fire damage.
- Level 5:
- Sleet Storm: Calls forth a storm that requires all spellcasters to pass a Concentration check to maintain Concentration, douses fires, and creates an ice surface.
- Level 7:
- Blight: Deals 8-64 necrotic damage to a single target.
- Level 8 (if you leveled Wisdom to 20):
- Wall of Fire – Creates a wall of fire that 5-40 Damage to anyone close to it.
- Level 9:
- Mass Cure Wounds: Heals up to 6 creatures for 3-24 (+ wisdom modifier) HP.
- Insect Plague: Deals 4-40 AOE Piercing Damage, makes the area Difficult Terrain, and imposes a Disadvantage on Perception Checks.
- Level 11:
- Sunbeam: Casts a beam of light that deals 6-48 radiant damage to all creatures caught in it and blinds them.
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