Best Gale build in Baldur’s Gate 3

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Gale in Baldur’s Gate 3 may not be everyone’s first pick, but personally, I can’t enter a fight without him anymore. His amazing Wizard spells come in handy, and Counterspell is a must-have in your party. But do you find your Gale to be a little squishy, or just not as powerful as you want? Luckily, we’re here to help! Let’s dive into the best Gale build in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Evocation/Abjuration Wizard Gale build

Personally, when it comes to Wizard subclasses, Evocation and Abjuration are the best. If you choose Evocation, Gale’s AoE spells won’t damage his allies. And if you go for Abjuration (which I went with), you can create Arcane Wards for you and your party members to reduce attack damage. Both are great choices, so there’s really no winner here. Otherwise, here’s the best Gale build in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Screenshot via Larian Studios

Gale Abjuration Wizard leveling guide

• Level 1
  • Arcane Recovery: Replenish spell slots while out of combat.
• Level 2
  • Pick Abjuration subclass
    • Abjuration Savant: Learning Abjuration spell scrolls costs half (25 gold per level).
    • Arcane Ward: A ward forms around you. Each time you cast an Abjuration spell, ward intensity increases by amount equal to spell level. When you take damage, ward blocks amount of damage equal to its intensity, and intensity decreases by one.
• Level 4
  • Feat: Ability Score Improvement
• Level 6
  • Projected Ward: When a nearby ally takes damage and you have Arcane Ward active, you can sacrifice a ward to reduce their damage taken.
• Level 8
  • Feat: Spell Sniper
    • Learn a new Cantrip, and the number you need to hit a Critical lowers by one.
• Level 10
  • Improved Abjuration: Anytime you take a Short Rest, intensity of Arcane Ward increases by amount equal to your Wizard level.
• Level 12
  • Feat: War Caster
    • Advantage when rolling saving throws for keeping concentration on spells. Also, if an enemy leaves his melee range, he can cast Shocking Grasp as a reaction.

As an Abjuration Wizard, Gale will barely take any damage during fights. If you find that your Gale gets hit a lot, try this build. He also aids his teammates quite often with the Arcane Ward. I decided to give him War Caster, because many Abjuration spells (and other types) require concentration. That advantage on his roll is crucial for keeping spells going. Also, he can roll a Critical with a 19 roll with the Spell Sniper feat.

Gale Evocation Wizard leveling guide

• Level 1
  • Arcane Recovery: Replenish spell slots while out of combat.
• Level 2
  • Pick Evocation subclass
    • Evocation Savant: Learning Evocation spell scrolls costs half (25 gold per level).
    • Sculpt Spells: Create pockets of safety within Evocation spell. Allies take no damage from Gale’s Evocation spells.
• Level 4
  • Feat: Ability Score Improvement
• Level 6
  • Potent Cantrip: Your Cantrips become hard to evade. When a creature succeeds a saving throw on your Cantrip, they still take half damage, but suffer no other effects.
• Level 8
  • Feat: Spell Sniper
    • Learn a new Cantrip, and the number you need to hit a Critical lowers by one.
• Level 10
  • Empowered Evocation: Add your Intelligence modifier to damage rolls with any Evocation spell.
• Level 12
  • Feat: Ability Score Improvement
    • Increase INT score by +1
    • Increase DEX score by +1

The Evocation Wizard is a fan favorite, especially since Evocation spells do the most damage. Because of this, I kept the Spell Sniper feat, but I wanted his Intelligence maxed out for a +5 modifier. This means that with any Evocation spell, he can add a +5 to the damage roll. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can come in handy during those tough fights. I also added a bit to his Dexterity, since I want his AC increased.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Best spells for Gale

Sometimes the spells that you choose really depend on which subclass you’ve chosen. If you’re an Abjuration Wizard, you may favor spells that require concentration (especially with the War Caster feat). But as an Evocation Wizard, you’ll most often throw down a nasty Fireball any chance you can. Out of all these spells, my most commonly used ones are Shield, Counterspell, Fireball, Knock, and Fire Bolt.

• Cantrips
  • Fire Bolt
  • Shocking Grasp
  • Bone Chill
• Level 1 spells
  • Shield
  • Mage Armor
  • Magic Missile
  • Witch Bolt
• Level 2 spells
  • Shatter
  • Mirror Image
  • Knock
• Level 3 spells
  • Counterspell
  • Lightning Bolt
  • Fireball
• Level 4 spells
  • Dimension Door
  • Greater Invisibility
  • Blight
• Level 5 spells
  • Conjure Elemental
  • Cone of Cold
  • Telekinesis
• Level 6 spells
  • Chain Lightning
  • Disintegrate
  • Sunbeam

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Steam.