Best Wizard spells and cantrips in Baldur’s Gate 3

Wizards have the most spells and cantrips in Baldur’s Gate 3, more than any other class. Because of that, ensuring you pick the best spells and cantrips for your Wizard can be difficult. But don’t worry — in this guide, I’ll break down what the best Wizard spells and cantrips in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Note: If you want to learn the best subclass and race for Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3, then visit our full class tier list breakdown for more information on Wizards.

What are the Best Wizard Wpells in BG3?

• Best Wizard subclasses
  1. Evocation
  2. Conjuration
  3. Necromancy
  4. Abjuration
  5. Enchantment
  6. Divination
  7. Illusion
  8. Transmutation
• Best Wizard race
  • High Elf
• Best Wizard background
  • Sage
• Best Wizard abilities
  1. Intelligence
  2. Wisdom
  3. Constitution
  4. Dexterity
  5. Charisma
  6. Strength

Unlike Warlocks and Sorcerers who have their own special class options, Wizards get spells, spells, and then more spells. What makes Wizards unique is their eight different subclasses. These schools of magic make every Wizard build extremely different and fun.

Note: When deciding your Wizard race, background, and subclass, pick whatever is fun. While you can min/max everything to make a try-hard Wizard that is optimally crafted, you can also pick whatever you want — go with what you think is fun.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizard Subclasses Explained

Evocation is the best subclass for Wizards because it’s the “destruction” school of magic. With Evocation, you’ll get access to the most powerful spells and be able to dish out major damage from the back of the pack. Conjuration is my second recommended Wizard subclass because, while I haven’t played Wizard yet, I’ve played classes that can summon allies, and summons are extremely powerful in BG3. Necromancy is like Conjuration, but it focuses on the dead which can be fun and powerful.

Abjuration is a school of magic that focuses on support with shields, wards, and other damage-reduction buffs which is good if you want to play support. Divination is in the same boat, but it focuses more on holy damage and healing your allies. Enchantment is a nice subclass for controlling the battlefield with charms. Illusion grants you spells that play tricks on your enemies, which can be very fun and useful in combat. Transmutation is a fascinating subclass that grants you the ability to transform weapons and manipulate matter.

Best Wizard Race and Background in BG3

As for the best Wizard race, High Elf is the way to go. With High Elf, you automatically get another cantrip, which is always a good thing for Wizards, and you gain Fey Ancestry and Darkvision. Gnomes are also popular Wizard choices, and Mephistopheles Tieflings make great Wizards.

Sage is arguably the best Wizard background because it specializes in Intelligence skills, namely Arcana and History. For the Wizard abilities you need to focus on, Intelligence is number one because that is your spellcasting modifier. The higher that number, the more likely it is for you to land spells on enemies. Wisdom is good to keep high because that and Intelligence are what you’ll use for Saving Throws. Constitution shouldn’t be ignored because you do need some help with health.

Best Early Wizard Spells and Cantrips in BG3

Spells

• Sleep
• Grease
• Magic Missile
• Fog Cloud
• Disguise Self
• Cloud of Daggers

Cantrips

• Ray of Frost
• Fire Bolt
• Guidance
• Friends

The best early spells you can get as a Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3 are Sleep, Grease, Magic Missile, Fog Cloud, and Ray of Frost. Sleep is one of the most underrated spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 because it incapacitates enemies completely for a few rounds and gives your allies advantage on attacks against them. Sleep is only used on enemies with low hit points which makes it the best early spell.

Grease is the best AoE spell for Wizards early in Baldur’s Gate 3 because enemies will slip and fall prone on Grease which negates their turns and, if you cast it with fire around or use Fire Bolt, a useful cantrip, on it, the entire area blows up and takes fire damage. Grease also reacts with other elements like ice, so experiment to discover useful combinations! It’s also useful to cast Grease before a fight breaks out so enemies will slip as they approach you!

Another great AoE spell is Cloud of Daggers. This creates a floating circle of knives that is guaranteed to hit any enemies within it. Because of its 100% cast rate, it’s the most reliable AoE damage spell for lower-level Wizards. As long as you don’t break Concentration, it’ll remain on the field too.

Disguise Self is one of the most underrated early-game spells in Baldur’s Gate 3. Most people only think of stealth and trickery when they think of this spell, but it’s actually more useful for social interactions. You can relate better to Tieflings if you disguise yourself as one of them, for example. The Drow of the Goblin Camp in Act 1 won’t think twice about you coming and going if you’re disguised as one of them, too.

Magic Missile is your straight-damage dealer. You can target multiple enemies or stick to hitting one with three shots that can never miss—except if the target has the Shield spell. Fog Cloud is a great spell to have in your back pocket to eliminate pesky ranged fighters because it blocks their sight entirely. Lastly, Ray of Frost is amazing, as it deals damage but can also freeze the ground if there’s water or blood around. This causes enemies to slip and fall like they will with grease. Just be careful to not trip your allies.

Guidance is also a great cantrip to have because it can be used to increase basically any roll in Baldur’s Gate 3. At least one person in your party should always have Guidance, so if your Wizard is the only one with it, make sure you prepare it. Guidance is free and has unlimited uses. You should never not use it. Speaking of cantrips that enhance rolls, Friends is another solid option for a Wizard who wants to support their party. It’ll grant you Advantage on any Charisma checks, so you get to roll two dice.

Best endgame Wizard spells and cantrips in BG3

Spells

• Dimension Door
• Greater Invisibility
• Greater Invisibility
• Counterspell
• Polymorph

Cantrips

• Shocking Grasp
• Fire Bolt

When approaching the endgame, some of the best Wizard spells are Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Fireball, and Counterspell. Dimension Door came in clutch when an ally was stunned or in a tough spot, and I could teleport the Wizard and them far away. Dimension Door’s really useful outside of combat, too. It lets you reach places that you cannot access normally, and you get to transport other people to boot.

Greater Invisibility is really powerful to use on yourself or an ally if you want to stay undetected. Some of the later quests in the game, particularly in Act 3, are a nightmare without access to invisibility. A Wizard makes these quests much easier.

Fireball is an incredible AoE spell that deals 8d6 Fire damage, and it’s only a Level 3 spell. However, Fireball is notorious among Dungeons and Dragons players for killing allies accidentally. Be careful when casting it, especially if you have a melee-centric party composition.

A Wizard’s spell list wouldn’t be complete without Polymorph. This classic spell turns any creature into a harmless sheep. The only limit to this spell is your imagination. You can completely skip entire boss fights with it if you’re clever enough.

Finally, you cannot have a Wizard without Counterspell. In Baldur’s Gate 3’s endgame, you’ll be facing off against a ton of tough mages. Use Counterspell as a reaction to completely stop their best spells. This will save you much more often than you think, so it’s definitely worth missing out on an additional damage spell.

Two of the best endgame cantrips are Shocking Grasp and Fire Bolt. Shocking Grasp can take away an enemy’s reaction, and you can use it as a reaction if you have the War Caster feat, and an enemy is leaving your melee range. Fire Bolt is still extremely useful in the endgame since it deals even more damage with a Level 12 character, and it’s only a cantrip. At this stage in the game, you should know how important cantrips are to your typical combat rotation.

As you continue to level up, you’ll unlock even more spells and cantrips that make your Wizard even more powerful. You might even consider multiclassing with another class to become even more overpowered.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on Steam.