The Real Breakdown of Our BG3 Class Tier List
You’re staring at the character creation screen. Again. The music is swelling, the background is shifting, and you have been sitting there for forty-five minutes. I get it. I’ve been there. Picking a class in Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t just about stats; it’s about deciding who you want to be for the next hundred hours. And let’s be honest, nobody wants to pick a dud and realize it twenty hours in. That is why you may need our ultimate BG3 class tier list.
That’s why I put together this guide. But this isn’t just about raw damage numbers. While damage matters, we also have to talk about utility, survivability, and how much fun a class is to actually play. Some classes sound great on paper but feel clunky in practice. Others seem weak until you pick up that one specific feat that breaks the game wide open.
So, how do we rank them? We are looking at Honor Mode viability, ease of use, and versatility. If a class requires three specific items from Act 3 to be good, it’s not going straight to the top. We want classes that feel good from the moment you wake up on the Nautiloid.
Here is the thing about this game, though. Even a “bad” class can beat the game. Larian Studios did a great job balancing things. But some classes just have an easier time doing it.
S-Tier: The Absolute Powerhouses
These are the classes that make the game feel almost unfair. If you want to breeze through combat or talk your way out of literally anything, these are your picks.
The College of Swords Bard
Honestly, if you have played the game recently, you knew this was coming. The Swords Bard is ridiculous. It’s the face of the party, the skill monkey, and the highest damage dealer all wrapped into one charismatic package.
Here’s why it works. You get full spellcasting progression, meaning you have all the crowd control and healing of a support class. But then you get Slashing Flourish. This ability lets you attack two enemies at once, or the same enemy twice. With a pair of hand crossbows, you are essentially an automatic machine gun.
You know what makes it even better? You are a Charisma caster. This means you can handle every dialogue check yourself. You don’t need to swap characters to buy things or convince a guard to look the other way. You just do it. It is the main character energy we all want.
Open Hand Monk
I used to think Monks were underwhelming in Dungeons & Dragons. I was wrong. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Open Hand Monk is a monster. This largely comes down to one specific feat: Tavern Brawler.
When you take this feat, your Strength modifier gets added twice to your damage and attack rolls with unarmed strikes. It doesn’t sound like much until you see a Monk punch a dragon for half its health in one turn.
They are also incredibly mobile. You can run across the entire battlefield, stun a boss, knock two archers prone, and still have movement left to run away. It feels fantastic. You don’t need weapons, you don’t need armor. You just need your fists and a bad attitude.
Storm Sorcerer / Draconic Sorcerer
Wizards are cool, but Sorcerers break the rules. The ability to use Metamagic – specifically Quickened Spell and Twinned Spell – changes the action economy entirely. Why cast Haste on one person when you can cast it on two?
The Storm Sorcerer specifically gets to fly as a bonus action after casting a spell. This solves the biggest issue casters face: getting pinned down by melee enemies. You cast a spell, you fly away without provoking opportunity attacks. It’s simple, effective, and keeps you safe.
Damage output is just silly. You can dump all your resources in one turn to nuke a boss before they even get to move. It’s not about sustainability; it’s about ending the fight now.
Is the Paladin top of the BG3 class tier list?
It is certainly close. The Paladin sits comfortably in S-Tier for a very simple reason: Divine Smite. There is nothing quite as satisfying as watching a critical hit turn into a bucket of dice being rolled for damage. Paladins are durable. They wear heavy armor, they have high health, and they have Aura of Protection. This aura adds your Charisma modifier to all saving throws for you and nearby allies. In Honor Mode, where one failed save can end your run, this is invaluable.
The Oathbreaker subclass is particularly strong if you want to lean into damage, while Ancients is incredible for healing. The only downside? You have to stick to your oath. Breaking it can be annoying if you’re trying to roleplay a specific way, but the power trade-off is worth it. Plus, breaking your oath gives you access to a whole new, powerful subclass anyway.
A-Tier: Incredible and Reliable
These classes are fantastic. They might lack the absolute game-breaking gimmicks of the S-Tier, but you will never regret having one in your party.
Light Domain Cleric
Shadowheart starts as a Trickery Cleric, which is… okay. But if you respec her to Light Domain, she becomes a walking nuclear reactor. The Light Cleric gets Fireball. That alone is a huge deal for a support class. But they also get Warding Flare, which imposes disadvantage on enemies attacking you or your team. It makes your party surprisingly tanky.
And then there are Spirit Guardians. You cast this spell, run around the battlefield, and watch enemies melt just by standing near you. Combine this with items that apply “Radiating Orb” on radiant damage, and enemies won’t be able to hit you at all. It is arguably the best debuff build in the game.
Battle Master Fighter
Sometimes, you just want to hit things. The Fighter does this better than anyone. They get Action Surge, which lets them take a whole extra action once per short rest. At level 11, they get three attacks per action.
Do the math. Action Surge gives you six attacks in one turn. If you are Hasted? That’s nine attacks. With a Greatsword and Great Weapon Master feat, almost nothing survives that.
The Battle Master subclass adds maneuvers like Trip Attack and Disarming Attack. Knocking an enemy prone gives all your melee allies advantage. Disarming a boss makes them useless. It’s tactical, it’s strong, and it’s very easy to play.
Gloom Stalker Ranger
Rangers get a bad rap in classic D&D, but Larian buffed them significantly. The Gloom Stalker is the ultimate alpha-strike class. On the very first turn of combat, you get extra movement, an extra attack, and a boost to initiative.
The goal here is to kill the most dangerous enemy before they even take a turn. They are sneaky, they have great utility spells like Longstrider (which you should cast on everyone, every day), and they work amazingly with multiclassing.
Mixing Gloom Stalker with Rogue (Assassin) is a classic for a reason. You guarantee critical hits on surprised enemies. It’s nasty stuff.
B-Tier: Good, But With Caveats
These classes are solid. They can beat the game easily, but they might have some quirks or rely a bit more on specific team compositions to shine.
Where does the Wizard land on the BG3 class tier list?
This might be controversial. Wizards are powerful. They can learn every spell in the game from scrolls. That versatility is unmatched. So why are they B-Tier?
Because Sorcerers exist. In a video game format, doing more things in one turn (Metamagic) is usually better than having a wider selection of spells you aren’t using. Wizards also lack the Charisma needed to be the party face.
That said, the Divination Wizard is S-Tier material if you know what you are doing. Their “Portent” ability lets you replace dice rolls. You can force a boss to fail a saving throw or ensure your ally hits a critical attack. It is the ultimate control tool. But generally, the class feels a bit more passive than the heavy hitters above.
Barbarian
Barbarians are amazing in Act 1. They are tanky, they hit hard, and throwing enemies at other enemies never gets old. The Berserker subclass specifically is great for a throwing build, which is very strong.
However, pure Barbarians fall off a little bit in the late game compared to Fighters. They don’t get that third attack at level 11. Their “Rage” mechanic is great for survival, but in the late game, killing enemies faster is usually better than tanking hits.
They are still very fun. If you want a simple, angry character who solves problems with an axe, this is it. Just expect to multiclass into Fighter or Rogue later on to keep the damage scaling up.
Moon Druid
Druids are weird. The Circle of the Moon lets you shape-shift into a bear, a wolf, or even a dinosaur as a bonus action. This gives you a massive pool of extra health. When your animal form dies, you just turn back into a human with full HP.
The problem is the gear. When you are a bear, you aren’t using your cool magic sword or your enchanted armor. A lot of the progression in BG3 comes from finding cool loot, and Moon Druids largely ignore that system while shapeshifted.
Spore Druids are an interesting alternative. They use their Wild Shape charges to give themselves temporary health and extra necrotic damage. They are surprisingly good tanks and summoners, clogging the battlefield with zombies. It’s messy, but effective.
C-Tier: Needs a Little Help
Let’s be clear: C-Tier doesn’t mean “unplayable.” It just means these classes often work better as a “dip” for multiclassing rather than a pure level 1-12 build.
Rogue
I love Rogues. Astarion is a fan favorite for a reason. But purely mechanically, Rogues struggle in extended fights. Their damage comes from Sneak Attack, which scales linearly. It doesn’t keep up with the exponential power spikes of Fighters or Paladins.
Rogues are masters of the out-of-combat game. Lockpicking, disarming traps, and sneaking are vital. But you can do most of that with a Bard or a Ranger who also brings more to the fight.
The Thief subclass gives you a bonus action, which is incredible. But usually, you take three levels of Thief and then put the rest into Ranger or Monk. As a main class, it feels a bit light.
Warlock
This one hurts to write because Warlocks are such a cool concept. Eldritch Blast is the best cantrip in the game. It scales with your total character level, not just your class level, which is why everyone dips two levels into Warlock.
But a pure Warlock suffers from having very few spell slots. You get two (eventually three) slots per short rest. If you miss your big spell, you are just an Eldritch Blast turret for the rest of the fight.
The Pact of the Blade lets you use Charisma for melee attacks, which is great. It makes them decent spell-swords. But again, a Paladin/Warlock multiclass does this better than a pure Warlock. They are the ultimate “ingredient” class, but on their own, they can feel restrictive.
BG3 Class Tier List – Factors Deciding the Rankings
Here is a quick look at what I was thinking when dragging these classes into their spots:
- Action Economy: Can the class do more than one thing a turn? (Fighters, Sorcerers, Thieves).
- Resource Dependency: Can they keep fighting without a Long Rest? (Bards, Fighters).
- Gear Synergy: Do they get huge boosts from easy-to-find items? (Clerics with Radiant Orb gear, Monks with Tavern Brawler).
| Tier | Classes | Key Strength |
| S | Bard, Monk, Sorcerer, Paladin | Game-breaking damage or utility. |
| A | Cleric, Fighter, Ranger | Reliable, strong, fits any team. |
| B | Wizard, Barbarian, Druid | Good, but slightly outclassed or niche. |
| C | Rogue, Warlock | Better for multiclassing than pure builds. |
The Multiclass Factor
You can’t really talk about a BG3 class tier list without mentioning multiclassing. It changes everything. A pure Rogue is C-Tier. A Gloom Stalker Ranger mixed with an Assassin Rogue? That is S-Tier. A pure Warlock is okay. A Sorcerer/Warlock (Sorlock) is a machine gun of magic.
The game encourages you to mix and match. You can respec at any time for a measly 100 gold. So don’t feel trapped. If your Barbarian feels weak at level 8, take two levels of Fighter for Action Surge. Suddenly, you are strong again.
Here are some of the most potent dips you should consider:
- 2 Levels of Fighter: Gets you Action Surge. Good on literally everyone.
- 3 Levels of Thief Rogue: Gets you an extra Bonus Action. Essential for Monks and dual-wielders.
- 1 Level of War Cleric: Gets you heavy armor proficiency and extra attacks as a bonus action. Great for Rangers or Druids.
Best Races to Pair in BG3 Class Tier List
While your race doesn’t matter as much as your class, some combos just work better.
| Class | Best Race | Why? |
| Bard | Halfling | “Halfling Luck” prevents rolling 1s on critical checks. |
| Monk | Wood Elf | Extra movement speed is king for melee. |
| Paladin | Half-Orc | “Savage Attacks” makes critical hits hit harder. |
| Cleric | Human/Half-Elf | Shield proficiency (if your subclass doesn’t have it). |
| Fighter | Githyanki | Free Misty Step and Astral Knowledge are amazing utilities. |
Why Itemization Matters More?
Here is a secret: Your build is only half the equation. The gear in BG3 is incredibly powerful. Some gloves set your Dexterity to 18. Some robes add your Charisma modifier to cantrip damage.
You need to build around these items. If you find the “Gloves of Dexterity,” you can dump your Dexterity stat to 8 and put those points into Constitution or Wisdom. Suddenly, your character is way stronger than they should be.
This is why I ranked the Monk so high. There is so much gear in Act 1 and Act 2 specifically designed to make punching things stronger. You don’t have to wait until the end of the game to feel powerful.
On the flip side, classes like the Moon Druid struggle because most gear doesn’t work when you are a wolf. You find a cool flaming sword, and you have to put it away to use your main class feature. It feels bad.
Making Your Choice
Look, at the end of the day, the best class is the one you enjoy roleplaying. If you want to be a sneaky Rogue who steals everything that isn’t nailed down, do it. You will still beat the game. You will still have fun.
But if you are playing on Tactician or Honor Mode, sticking to the S and A tiers will save you a lot of headaches. The ability to end fights quickly or control the battlefield is worth its weight in gold.
And don’t forget your companions. You can respec them too. There is no rule saying Astarion has to stay a Rogue or Gale has to stay a Wizard. Make Gale a Barbarian. It’s hilarious.
FAQ
Can I change my class later?
Yes, you can talk to Withers in your camp to respec completely for just 100 gold.
Is multiclassing necessary to beat the game?
No, pure classes are perfectly capable of beating even the hardest difficulties.
Which class is best for a complete beginner?
Fighter is the easiest to learn; you hit things, and they fall down.
Do I need a healer in my party?
Not really; potions are plentiful, and killing enemies faster is the best damage mitigation.
What is the best class for dialogue?
Bard is unmatched for dialogue options, followed closely by Paladin and Sorcerer.
Does race affect my combat stats?
Minimally, races mostly offer utility perks like darkvision or movement speed now.
Can I beat Honor Mode with C-Tier classes?
Absolutely, it just requires more tactical planning and careful item usage.
So, there you have it. The classes are ranked, the strategies are laid out, and now it’s up to you. Whether you want to sing songs while shooting crossbows or just smash things with a big hammer, there is a build for you. Now go roll some dice.
