Baldur’s Gate 3 throws you into the Forgotten Realms with a parasite in your skull and a party full of people who all think their trauma is the main plotline. Choosing the right class is not just a mechanical decision. It shapes how you survive fights, how NPCs treat you, and how many times you can get away with casting Fireball indoors before your companions start glaring at you.
Some classes feel like power fantasies. Others are an uphill battle where you spend more time reloading than roleplaying. Let’s rank them properly: from the heavy hitters who can solo bosses to the ones you pick only if you love pain.
S Tier – The Powerhouses
Paladin
Paladins are walking cheat codes. They smash through enemies with Divine Smite like it’s going out of fashion and get bonus points for being tanks that can heal. If you want to roleplay as a golden retriever with a sword the size of a door, this is your class. Just try not to break your Oath, unless you enjoy dramatic consequences.
Sorcerer
Metamagic turns already broken spells into “why did the developers allow this?” moments. Twin Haste. Quickened Fireball. Subtle Suggestion on the guard. Sorcerers bend the rules of magic and make everyone else look like they’re using training wheels.
A Tier – Strong and Stylish
Cleric
Never let anyone call you the healbot. Clerics in BG3 can out-damage half the roster while casually keeping the party alive. Trickery and Tempest Domains are just unfair.
Warlock
Two words: Eldritch Blast. That spell alone carries entire campaigns. Add Hex and a smug smile, and you’re the edgy star of the show. The only downside is pretending you care about your patron’s endless cryptic nonsense.
Wizard
Still the classic nerd who can rewrite reality with a flick of the wrist. Once your spellbook fills up, you’ll wonder why you ever worried about low hit points. Bonus: you get to say “I prepared for this” like it’s a Bond one-liner.
B Tier – Fun but Flawed
Barbarian
Nothing wrong with rage and a big axe. Barbarians are straightforward, strong, and surprisingly survivable. The problem is you’ll sometimes feel like a caveman watching your magic-using friends casually delete rooms full of enemies.
Fighter
The Swiss Army knife of classes. They do everything well but rarely feel exciting. You’ll shine in combat, but don’t expect people to remember your dialogue choices unless they involve threatening someone with pointy steel.
Bard
Jack of all trades, master of making everyone uncomfortable with Vicious Mockery. Bards are wonderful in roleplay heavy runs, less so if you’re chasing raw numbers. Still, singing insults at dragons is top tier comedy.
C Tier – Pick if You’re Brave
Druid
The shapeshifting gimmick is fun, but clunky. Spells are solid, wild shapes are situational, and you’ll often feel like you’re one patch away from greatness. Playing a bear in a dialogue scene is comedy gold, though.
Monk
You’ll look cool dodging arrows, but half the time you’ll be punching people while everyone else is rewriting the laws of physics. Monks scale better later, yet early game feels like bringing your fists to a fireball fight.
Ranger
It hurts to put Rangers here, but Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer feel underwhelming in BG3. Once you get better bows and Hunter’s Mark spam, things improve. Until then, you’re basically “Diet Fighter.”
D Tier – For Roleplay Only
Rogue
Yes, Sneak Attack is nice, and yes, everyone loves Shadowheart giggling at you from the shadows. But compared to the heavy hitters, Rogues feel like a side dish. Fun for roleplay, but you’ll quickly notice how much harder combat feels.
The Seven Swords Takeaway
Baldur’s Gate 3 is flexible enough that any class can be fun if you commit, but some are simply more powerful, more stylish, or more ridiculous than others. Paladins and Sorcerers rule the battlefield, Clerics and Warlocks are stars in their own right, while Rogues and Rangers are for those who love the underdog grind.
At the end of the day, play what makes you laugh, cry, or rage-quit the most. Because no matter how strong your class is, Astarion will still try to drink your blood at the worst possible moment.
