Highlights
- War Domain – Cleric subclass offers strong melee combat abilities and heavy armor proficiency. It’s a simple and forgiving class for newcomers.
- Beast Master – Ranger subclass allows players to summon and strengthen beasts as companions, adding versatility to combat and gameplay.
- Divination School – Wizard subclass has underrated game-altering abilities with Portent Dice, allowing players to change important rolls and improve spells and attacks.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game with infinite replayability, and one of the many ways in which this has been achieved is by offering players 12 classes to choose from, all of which have a variety of subclasses. Naturally, some subclasses are more powerful and popular than others, but with 46 subclasses in total, there are also some severely underrated options just waiting for players to stumble on.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Most Underrated Classes, Ranked
Each class in Baldur’s Gate 3 is unique in one way or another. However, some great classes are often overlooked in favor of other, more obvious ones.
The most underrated subclasses in BG3 often don’t sound flashy or appealing at first, but as players discover their unique features, they will see just how strong, and more importantly, how fun these more niche builds can be. It is also worth remembering that players can alter the classes or subclasses of their party members.
5 War Domain – Cleric Subclass
Fight In The Front Lines
Early game features:
- Heavy Armor & Martial Weapon Proficiency (Lvl 1): Wear the best armor and use the best heavy weapons.
- War Priest (Lvl 1): Spend charges to make bonus attacks.
- Domain Spells (Lvl 1, 3, 5): Divine Favor & Shield of Faith, Magic Weapon & Spiritual Weapon, Spirit Guardian & Crusader’s Mantle.
- Guided Strike (Lvl 2): Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to an Attack Roll.
The Fighter class is often seen as the easiest to pilot for newcomers to DnD and BG3, but the War Domain subclass for Clerics is in many ways even simpler and more forgiving. As a Cleric with a focus on melee combat, players will have lots of health and can equip the best heavy armor, shields, and weapons and fight away.
With bonus weapon attacks available, players will do plenty of damage and can eventually summon spiritual weapons or guardians to fight alongside them in simple ways.
4 Beast Master – Ranger Subclass
Fight Alongside Beasts
Early game Features:
- Ranger’s Companion (Lvl 3): Summon a beast to fight alongside.
- Companion’s Bond (Lvl 5): Add a Proficiency Bonus to one’s companion, increasing their Armor Class and Damage Rolls.
While the Ranger Class is fairly popular in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Beast Master subclass is not, despite players having the ability to fight with wolves, bears, ravens, and the like. As players level up, their furry or feathery companions will also get stronger, and in later levels, they can even be used to help downed characters.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Every Character That Can Join Your Camp
Players have the opportunity to recruit several characters to their camp in Baldur’s Gate 3.
As many rangers will often head into combat with a bow, having a beast to thwart the enemy in melee positions is always good for versatility, and adds a new dynamic to gameplay.
3 Divination School – Wizard Subclass
Change Dice Rolls
Early game features:
- Divination Savant (Lvl 2): Learning Divination spells from scrolls costs half.
- Portent (Lvl 2): Use Portent Dice to change Attack Rolls and Saving Throws.
- Expert Divination (Lvl 6): Gain another Portent Die and regain used ones by completing Prophecies.
There are 8 subclasses for Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3, making it the most diverse class, and the most underrated out of these is quite possibly the Divination School. Perhaps since it is not flashy with a unique form of magic, the dice and game-altering ability of Divination Wizards is often overlooked.
By Level 5, players will have 3 Portent Dice per Short Rest, allowing them to make sure they or their allies score big on important spells or attacks. Players looking to beat BG3 on the new hardest difficulty, Honor Mode, might find they need a Divination Wizard in their party.
2 Eldritch Knight – Fighter Subclass
Combine Magic And Martial Prowess
Early game features:
- Eldritch Knight Spellcasting (Lvl 3): Learn spells.
- Weapon Bond (Lvl 3): By binding a weapon, it cannot be dropped and will be returned immediately when thrown.
For players who want to experience a sword and sorcery playthrough in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Eldritch Knight subclass is one of the best options, and when utilized properly with the right weapons, players will deal incredible damage and have fun while doing so.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Class Combinations For Co-Op
When choosing adventuring companions in the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s important that their skills complement each other.
Other than the fact that Eldritch Knights have access to plenty of great spells, the main feature of the class revolves around the Weapon Bond which allows players to throw their weapon and have it return immediately. There are also a few weapons in the game, such as one of the best Warhammers, the Charge-Bound Warhammer, which only have their magical effects unlocked when bound. Taking the Tavern Brawler Feat will make thrown weapons deal even more damage.
1 Way Of The Four Elements – Monk Subclass
Harness The Elements As An Extension Of The Body
Early game features:
- Harmony of Fire and Water (Lvl 3): When not in combat regain half Ki Points.
- Disciple of the Elements (Lvl 3 & 6): Learn unique Elemental spells.
One of the lesser-appreciated subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Way of the Four Elements subclass for monks, despite being one of the most fun ways to play the game. This subclass is perfect for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender, with players practically taking on the role of Aang and controlling the four elements in unique ways.
The list of Elemental spells is positively mouth-watering, and cannot be found elsewhere in the game. Of course, as with any Monk build, players will need to get used to how Ki Points work, but it is fairly intuitive and quite distinct from other resources in the game.
