Baldur's Gate 3: Best Classes to Pick First

Looking for a list of the best classes to pick first in Baldur's Gate 3? A character's Class determines what actions they can make and what role they serve in your party, both on and off the battlefield. If the Baldur's Gate series is new to you, or you just need a solid start to plan your party's composition, we've put together a list of the classes we think are most forgiving to those just starting out. On this page, as part of our Baldur's Gate 3 guide, we'll walk you through the best classes to pick first to get you started on your adventure.

Baldur's Gate 3: Best Classes to Pick First

Parties in Baldur's Gate 3 are comprised of up to four characters, and advanced players will use off-the-wall and broken compositions to crack the game's more sadistic difficulty modes. But when starting out, it's hard to beat the classics.

Being based directly on (and officially licensed by) the classic pen-and-paper roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, the same concepts that worked in candle-lit basements apply here. The flexibility of the legendary RPG holy trinity of Fighter, Mage, and Thief contains all the tools required to overcome anything Baldur's Gate 3 can throw at you.

But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to play those classes, and we still have a slot free. There are numerous Companions available to fill a role you don't want to play yourself, leaving you free to create any kind of party you can possibly imagine. Across the 12 base classes and 46 subclasses, there are more than 150,000 truly unique party compositions possible, which starts to explain why the series is such an enduring classic.

Below, we'll take you through our recommendations for which Class you should play as, which is to say, your POV (point of view) character. As developer Larian Studios employs a fairly revolutionary method of storytelling with its Origin Characters, this actually gives you quite a few options.

Origin Characters are named characters with their own existing backgrounds and motivations within the world of Faerûn. This means bespoke voice acting and motion capture, as well as extensive game content that can only be experienced when playing "as them". Conversely, if you want to play as a Custom Character you've built from scratch, you actually see an additional perspective on the events of the game: that of a stranger or outsider. All of this means a monstrous amount of replay value.

In keeping with the purview of this guide, if you want to play as an Origin Character, we'd recommend the Githyanki Fighter, Lae'zel, or the Human Cleric, Shadowheart. If you want to play as a Custom Character, we'd recommend either a Fighter, Paladin, or Cleric, with specific details below.

Classic descriptions for each class, as they were described in Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, were sourced from the Museum of Adventure Game History.

Fighter

"The Fighter is a champion, swordsman, swordswoman, soldier, and brawler who lives or dies by their knowledge of weapons and tactics. Fighters can be found at the front of any battle, contesting toe-to-toe with monsters and villains. A good Fighter needs to be strong and healthy if they hope to survive."

The Fighter is the foundation of any good adventuring party, serving as both shield and sword, defending vulnerable comrades and utilising the widest variety of weapons of any class in the game. Further, as they Level Up, they gain increased mastery in their chosen fighting style, those being Archery, Defence, Duelling, Great Weapon Fighting, Protection, and Two-Weapon Fighting.

The best thing about playing a Fighter is they're powerful and straightforward to use right from the start. Able to equip nearly anything and a natural leader for the party to rally around, they're the perfect fit for a playthrough on any difficulty level. Invest a few points into Charisma, and you'll even be able to talk your way out of the fights you can't win head-on.

Paladin

"A Paladin is a warrior bold and pure, the exemplar of everything good and true. Like the Fighter, the Paladin is a person of action and combat. However, the Paladins live for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry and strive to be a living example of these virtues so that others may learn from them as well as gain by their actions."

While the Fighter makes for a natural leader, the Paladin is a knight expertly trained from birth for the task. As such, Charisma is important to the class, perfect for those who want to play more diplomatically. Still capable of leading from the front (and of wearing the heaviest plate-mail), they offer more utility in the form of healing and buffs, with various powers granted to them by their chosen deity. Each is tailored to a different order and will grant Paladins that maintain their Oaths various bonuses.

Playing as a Paladin offers more complexity but still serves the same basic role as the Fighter. Further, it offers an even richer, more unique roleplaying experience for those who want it; Paladins who break their Oaths become Fallen Paladins, who must either undertake a quest to earn redemption... or walk the path of the Oathbreaker, gaining new and darker powers.

Cleric

"The Cleric is a generic priest (of any mythos) who tends to the spiritual needs of a community. Though Clerics are both protectors and healers, they are not purely defensive - when evil threatens, the Clerics are well suited to seek it out on its own ground and destroy it. The opposite is true of evil Clerics as well, and there are also many variations in between."

The Cleric is a dedicated support caster, focusing on keeping the party whole and cohesive through powerful healing and battle-shifting buffs. Dedicating themselves to a specific Domain (and associated deity), Clerics can be tailored to a wide variety of playstyles, able to choose from Light, Life, Knowledge, Trickery, Tempest, Nature, and War.

Rather than being the spear-point, the Cleric is the armoured heart of the party, able to single-handedly turn the tides of battle or hold on long enough for help to arrive. Again, there is plenty of roleplaying potential on offer here for those wanting to play a tanky caster with a melee option. Considering the role gods and divinity play in the Baldur's Gate series, it's a particularly thematic option, as well.

Did you find this page on the best classes to pick first in Baldur's Gate 3 useful? Be sure to check out the rest of our Baldur's Gate 3 guide coverage for more helpful hints.