Best Druid build in Baldur’s Gate 3: Race, skills, subclass & more

❘ Updated: 2024-03-04T11:58:16

Larian Studios

Mastering the Druid’s spellcasting in Baldur’s Gate 3 may seem daunting, but worry not—we’ve got you covered with the ultimate build guide. Uncover the best race options and spell selections to harness the full potential of the best Druid build in BG3.

With many classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, selecting the right one can be overwhelming, particularly considering the diverse feats and spells available. This is especially true for the Druid class, which offers a wealth of possibilities for both seasoned D&D players and newcomers alike.

Unfortunately, due to their versatility, the Druid class only seems to heighten that confusion for many players. It’s often known that the Druid is one of the most powerful classes in Dungeons & Dragons, and that certainly extends to this game too, but they can also be one of the most complicated and the most powerful.

However, to reach this power, you’ll need to build your Druid with care and attention. So, here’s the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build out there.

Contents

Best race to choose for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3
Best Deity for Druid class in Baldur’s Gate 3
Best subclass for a Druid
Best Ability Score spread for a Druid
Best wild shapes in Baldur’s Gate 3
Best skills for a Druid
Best spells for a Druid
Best Illithid powers for a Druid
Best multiclass options for the Druid
Best build for a Druid

A screenshot of Baldur's Gate 3 from Steam

Best race to choose for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are two races you should pick when creating a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3. Each provides some ideal bonuses and fits perfectly for this class.

High Elf
High Half-Elf

However, we recommend using the High Elf since you’ll end up getting advantage on being put to sleep or being charmed, Darkvision, and most importantly – an extra cantrip of your choice. We suggest choosing Fire Bolt.

Best Deity for Druid class in Baldur’s Gate 3

Choosing a Deity in Baldur’s Gate 3 can greatly affect how the world interacts with your character and vice versa. The best option for a Druid Class would be Silvanus who is the god of nature and wilderness. Silvanus is also the patron god for Druids which can add a roleplaying element.

Best subclass for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are currently three subclasses for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3: Circle of the Land, Circle of the Moon, and Circle of the Spores. But the best subclass you can choose has to be the second one, Circle of the Moon.

While Circle of the Land focuses on spellcasting and Circle of the Spores is more of a support/damage role, Circle of the Moon grants players the ability to Wild Shape in melee combat as a bonus action while also granting you those helpful spells a Druid relies on.

What really sets this subclass apart from the Circle of the Land and Circle of the Spores is that Wild Shape. Sure, spells are useful, but Wild Shape as a bonus action is essentially two free sets of hitpoints a day as well as all the bonuses they grant you. Whether you’re low-level or high, Wild Shape is incredibly useful.

Best Ability Score spread for a Druid

Once you have decided on your subclass, the next step is to choose the right ability points. Here is an Ability Score spread to harness the full potential of your Druid build:

Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 16
Wisdom: 16
Intelligence: 10
Charisma: 10

Best wild shapes in Baldur’s Gate 3

Currently, there are more than 8 wild-shape options in Baldur’s Gate 3. We recommend using the Owlbear, Bear, and Dire Raven for a mixture between intense power from the Owlbear and Bear, and the ability to fly with the Dire Raven.

Best skills for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3

Since the Druid is a Wisdom-based class, you’ll want to prioritize gaining proficiency in Wisdom-based skills like:

Animal Handling
Insight
Medicine
Perception
Survival

Other than those, there are two key skills you should always strive to increase no matter your class

Acrobatics / Athletics
Stealth

We recommend picking a background that gives you proficiency in some of these skills, as that’ll make it easier down the line.

Best spells for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3

One of the best parts of a Druid is the fact that they can choose their spells every long rest. Due to this, we’ve listed our top selection of the best spells for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3 so you can pick and choose depending on your situation:

Cantrip: Guidance
Cantrip: Thorn Whip
1st Level: Thunderwave
1st Level: Healing Word
1st Level: Speak With Animals
1st Level: Cure Wounds
1st Level: Faerie Fire
2nd Level: Spike Growth
2nd Level: Moonbeam
2nd Level: Pass Without Trace
3rd Level: Call Lightning
3rd Level: Feign Death
3rd Level: Sleet Storm
4th Level: Polymorph
4th Level: Wall of Fire
5th Level: Mass Cure Wounds
5th Level: Greater Restoration
6th Level: Sunbeam
6th Level: Heroes’ Feast
6th Level: Heal

Best Illithid powers for a Druid

There’s a tonne of Ilithid powers to access if you don’t mind sticking tadpoles to your brain.

Repulsor

Whether you’re upfront or back behind the tanks, there’s always a need for a last-ditch attack, just in case you need it. That’s where Repulsor comes in. Essentially, it pushes back the enemy by 6m and will deal some ideal force damage. Perfect if you’re surrounded or if someone’s conveniently on a cliff edge.

Freecast

Druids are pretty spell-heavy, so having the ability to combine free cast with your class will create a pretty powerful combination. It’s guaranteed to help in multiple situations and is one of those abilities you’ll never want to be without.

Mind Sanctuary

You’ll need to get Psionic Backlash and Astral-Touched Tadpole for this ability, but given you can cast actions and bonus actions interchangeably, it’s well worth the pain. After all, with wildshape and spells at your disposal, manipulating them to work for you is just ideal.

Best multiclass options for the Druid

Druid / Cleric

The Druid is an extremely versatile class in Baldur’s Gate 3, providing some great support and damage spells, as well as a little tankiness from Wild Shape and the all-important healing. So, combine your Druid with the Cleric and you have yourself a fantastic healer and an even more impressive tank.

We suggest leveling up to level 10 with the Druid and 2 with the Cleric, but the order you choose to do that in is up to you. Doing so will grant you all the healing capabilities from both along with the high AC of a Cleric and the powerful spells of the Druid. It’s a match made in nature heaven.

Barbarian / Druid

If you want to let your Druid class take the backburner a little, then choosing the Barbarian and Druid multiclass is an ideal choice.

It will essentially let you stay enraged while in Wild Shape (so long as you rage before turning) which can be ideal for any battle situation. It essentially makes you an unkillable monster who can keep gaining HP whenever you wildshape, although with a Barbarians HP pool, it’s unlikely you’ll even need it.

Best build for a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3

Race: High Elf

Background: Folk Hero (Animal Handling & Survival)

Skills: Perception, Arcana

Ability order from highest to lowest: Wisdom, Constitution, Intelligence, Dexterity, Charisma, Strength

Build layout: It’s worth noting that the Druid can reselect their spells on a long rest so feel free to try different creations – but this is our recommendation for the best to choose:

Level	Feature
1	Spells: Thorn Whip, Guidance, Cure Wounds, Thunderwave, Speak with Animals, Faerie Fire
2	Subclass: Circle of the Moon — Spell: Healing Word — Wild Shape
3	Spell: Spike Growth
4	Ability Improvement: Wisdom+2 — Spell: Moonbeam
5	Spell: Call Lightning — Wild Strike
6	Wild Shape increase — Spell: Feign Death
7	Spell: Polymorph
8	Spell: Wall of Fire — Feat: Warcaster
9	Spell: Mass Cure Wounds
10	Improved Wild Strike — Wild Shape increase — Spell: Greater Restoration
11	Spell: Heroes’ Feast
12	Feat: Resilient

Check out some of our other Baldur’s Gate 3 guides: