Best starter class in Baldur’s Gate 3, tier list

Baldur’s Gate 3 has 12 classes and 46 subclasses to choose from, and if you are a beginner, you may need some guidance as to what the best class is for you. These classes aren’t the easiest or the least powerful — they are simply the most beginner friendly. To help you get your feet wet in Baldur’s Gate 3, and ultimately D&D, here are the best starter classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Note: If you’re looking up what the best beginner classes are in Baldur’s Gate 3, you probably would benefit from learning what all the skills are and what they do.

Best Baldur’s Gate 3 class for beginners

• Fighter
• Ranger
• Warlock
• Paladin

The best classes for beginners in Baldur’s Gate 3 are Fighter, Ranger, Warlock, and Paladin.

Fighter

Fighter is a blank-slate melee class that allows you to focus on understanding the game. Fighters should not be underestimated — they make really great party members and even have Second Wind which helps them regain HP. I think the best beginner Fighter subclass is Battle Master or Champion as they are both straightforward but unique.

Ranger

Rangers are the equivalent of Fighters, but they focus more on ranged attacks. While Fighters do have ranged capabilities and Rangers do have melee capabilities, Rangers specialize in ranged combat and strike the personality of a Druid mixed with a Rogue. The subclass I recommend for beginner Rangers is Beast Master because you get a pet that’ll help out in battle, and the pets are really cute.

Note: Don’t worry if you feel like you picked the wrong class. You can always multiclass later on and ever respec your character into something else.

Warlock

Besides Clerics and Bards, there are three main magic wielders in Baldur’s Gate 3 — Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks. Sorcerers receive magic from a bloodline, Wizards earn their magical abilities through training, and Warlocks gain their magic through a pact made with powerful patrons.

If you want to play a ranged magic-wielder, Warlocks are the way to go as a beginner. Wizards have access to too many spells which can get overwhelming fast and Sorcerers can be hard to play since they have powerful spells, but can’t access them as often as Warlocks. Warlocks can short rest to get their spells back which makes Warlocks the best start for getting into a magic class. There are really interesting Warlock subclasses, but the one I recommend for beginners is The Fiend as you’ll heal when you kill enemies.

Paladin

If you want to stretch yourself a bit, Paladins are an excellent starter option. Paladins are cool because their subclass has baked-in lore with Oaths — they are almost the exact opposite of Warlocks. The class itself is very similar to Fighter, but you get a few spells. Paladins make for a great beginner class because they hit hard and are hard to take down.

The best starter Paladin subclass in my opinion is Oath of the Ancients because you’ll heal yourself and your allies when you use Healing Radiance. Strike the balance between healer and melee DPS with Paladin.

Worst starter class in Baldur’s Gate 3

• Wizard
• Cleric
• Rogue
• Bard

In general, I think the worst Baldur’s Gate 3 classes for beginners are Wizard, Cleric, Rogue, and Bard. Rogues can be hard to use because Stealth isn’t an easy skill to master. Wizards, as mentioned earlier, have too many spells which makes them challenging for new players to master. Clerics are good, but they can be a bit boring as they are mainly a support class. Bards are in the same boat — the spells and skills Bards have are mainly for support which can be less fun and challenging when you’re starting out.