Baldur’s Gate 3 follows the footsteps of the source game Dungeons&Dragons faithfully, transferring the tabletop spirit into the video game adaptation. Being a true-to-roots RPG it offers players 12 classes to choose from, and with the addition of a total of 46 subclasses to tweak the way they play, this game really brought my tabletop nostalgia back! But not all classes are the same as tabletop, and some have been changed significantly. If you’re wondering How classes rank compared to each other in Baldur’s Gate 3, we made a tier list comparing all of them.
Classes and Subclasses Tier List for Baldur’s Gate 3
| Tier | Class |
|---|---|
| S | Cleric, Paladin, Barbarian |
| A | Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard |
| B | Fighter, Ranger Warlock |
| C | Bard, Monk, Druid |
All Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and their best subclasses, ranked
We ranked all classes and their best belonging subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 according to their overall performance and in-game capabilities. We favored proficiency with skills like Perception and Insight since they tend to go much further than simple brute force in this game.
All S Tier Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and their best subclasses
Cleric
Clerics are the warrior monk class of Baldur’s Gate 3. They are one of the most diverse classes in the game, being able to hold their own in combat with Simple weapons, Light, and Medium Armour while using Shields to defend themselves. They also have a natural proficiency for Wisdom, which is their primary skill, and their Charisma levels are very high. This translates perfectly into the game, as they can take care of themselves through combat in case negotiations go awry, making them my favorite class.
The best subclass on a Cleric is Light Domain. This subclass gives your Cleric a shielding capability with Warding Flare and further boosting your allies in combat.
Paladin
Paladins are the good guys in all RPG titles, and it was Dungeons&Dragons that started it all. They are a good combination of martial prowess and offensive magic-using. Paladins are also an excellent choice for the main character due to their high Charisma stat.
The best subclass on a Paladin is Oath of Vengeance. This subclass gives Paladin Strength as the primary ability, making you the most well-rounded character in the game and enabling you to do literally everything well.
Barbarian
If you want to unleash the fury, Barbarian is the class to go for. They are true fighting machines, with Strength as their primary skill. They can still hold their own in a dialogue, using Intimidation to have their own way, to roar at the Faerûn’s non-cooperative denizens. I even managed to scare a fully-grown Owlbear away simply by passing an intimidation check, much to my amusement.
The best subclass for the Barbarian is Wild Magic. This subclass adds a magical effect to your Rage and is especially useful if you have a lot of casters in your party because it compliments them nicely.
Related: Trap Disarming Guide (Baldur’s Gate 3)
All A Tier Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and their best subclasses
Rogue
Rogues are excellent damage dealers with more fighting flexibility than any other Baldur’s Gate 3 class. Using hit-and-run tactics, they can dish out some serious single-target damage, letting your party’s Barbarian take the enemies head-on, or they can support from afar, dealing ranged damage. Dexterity is the name of their game, making it the primary focus in leveling up.
The best Rogue subclass is Storm Sorcery. It grants you proficiency with Daggers, Quarterstaves, and Light Crossbows while raising your Charisma stats.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers are one of two spellcasters in Baldur’s Gate 3. They are known for their ability to innately cast spells without the need to learn them beforehand, like the Wizard class. As a downside, they have a significantly lower number of spells available to them in the game. Their primary ability is Charisma, but I still wouldn’t recommend them playing them solo due to their heavy dependence on their company.
The best subclass for Sorcerers is Storm Sorcery, granting you access to the elemental powers.
Wizard
Wizards have seen significant buffs since the early days of D&D, and they are no slouch in Baldur’s Gate 3, either. Unlike Sorcerers, Wizards must prepare their spells before the battle and can’t switch up their spells on the fly. While this is a limiting feature for the class, you can effectively overcome it with timely preparation.
Wizard class has the most subclasses, and Divination is the best, allowing them to learn Divination spells for only 25g per spell level instead of 50.
All B Tier Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and their best subclasses
Fighter
Fighter is one of the best starting classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, thanks to its simplicity and ease of use. It’s a perfect class to learn the ropes of the game because of their universal abilities that always work and are straightforward. Combat proficiency is high in ranged and melee mode with this class. Unfortunately, this class falls short in every other aspect and is unremarkable in any game aspect rather than fighting.
The best subclass for Fighter is Champion. It further increases their proficiency with Simple weapons, Martial Weapons, Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor and Shields. Furthermore, it adds the Improved Critical Hit that gives their weapon attacks score a critical hit.
Ranger
Ranger is a very mediocre class, even after the buffs received during the game’s Early Launch period. Many of its skills are very situational and unreliable the moment things go sideways. Like with the Rogue class, Ranger’s primary ability is Dexterity, albeit with much less combat flexibility. For what it is worth, their beast taming is second to none, with Beast Tamer skill allowing you to manipulate certain forest denizens.
The best subclass for Ranger is Gloom Stalker, granting you Superior Darkvision and more abilities that make you stealthy if you prefer that play style.
Warlock
Warlocks haven’t had proper treatment while being ported to Baldur’s Gate 3, with Unearthed Arcana content being absent from the game. Its main fault lies in poor level scaling and the fact that they only work in lower levels, thanks to their spell limitations.
The best subclass for Warlocks is Archfey, granting you the ability to maneuver across the battlefield with Fey Presence efficiently and the ability to become invisible when taking damage with Misty Escape, which increases your survivability.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Finesse Weapons Guide
All C Tier Classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 and their best subclasses
Druid
Druid is another class that has suffered a bad porting adaptation along with Warlocks due to Baldur’s Gate 3’s incapacity to carry the complicated magic mechanic entirely over from the pen&paper RPG system. As a result, many of Druid’s staple abilities still need to be included, and the rest could be better in performance, especially compared to other, higher-tier characters.
The best subclass for Druid is Circle of the Moon, which gives you a much heavier focus on the Wild Shape Class Feature.
Monk
Monks need a better class translation from the old pen&paper Dungeons&Dragons combat system, leaving them somewhat lacking in combat capabilities compared to other classes. Their usability outside of combat is also fairly limited, leaving them only able to offer their companions occasional pearls of Wisdom.
The best subclass for Monks is Way of the Open Hand, which grants them proficiency in unarmed combat.
Bard
The Bard was notorious for being the most useless class, stemming from the early days of the old pen&paper Dungeons&Dragons. Larian Studios have decided to give the class an overhaul, making it a jack-of-all-trades class that can do a bit of everything in Baldur’s Gate 3, but they still need to catch up to most of the other class choices. They simply aren’t good enough to excel in any aspect of gameplay, as they are so incredibly mediocre in combat, and their unique Bardic Inspiration die hasn’t impressed me much.
The best subclass for Bard is College of Lore which gives them Cutting Words, a novelty Action that penalizes characters with the power of the spoken word.
Looking for more articles to help you on your advrentures across Faerûn in Baldur’s Gate 3? You’ve come to the right place! Check out Baldur’s Gate 3: Who are the Companions? and What are Wares in Baldur’s Gate 3?, here on MyFullGames!