Some classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 handle magic like it is a polite suggestion. Others treat the rules of nature as optional and tear open reality whenever they feel like it. Ranking them from lowest to highest power is equal parts science and mildly chaotic speculation, but it does reveal who is actually bending the world and who is mostly running support with good intentions.
What follows is a breakdown shaped by damage output, control, consistency and the number of times a class made me stare at the screen wondering if that was genuinely allowed.
6. Bard
The Bard starts things off at the bottom, though not because they are weak, more because they pour their energy into being adaptable rather than devastating. Their spell list is full of charm effects, battlefield trickery and social dominance. Hypnotic Pattern can crash an entire encounter and their support is unmatched, but raw magical force is not their main calling.
They are the class that wanders into combat with a grin and then somehow fixes everything through creativity rather than firepower. Lovely energy, limited destruction.
5. Warlock
Warlocks are the most stylish spellcasters, which sadly does not convert directly into raw power. Eldritch Blast hits like a magical railgun and scales beautifully, but their small number of spell slots means they spend much of the game firing the same arcane bullet over and over.
When they do cast their high level spells, the results can be impressive, but the briefness of those moments holds them back. They are powerful in sharp bursts rather than long, overwhelming waves.
4. Druid
Druids deal in organised chaos. Their spell list has some of the best control tools in the game, plus the ability to summon small armies or transform into something furry and furious.
They are strong at almost every stage of the game, especially Moon Druids early and Circle of the Land Druids later. Still, their peak sits just below the full arcane classes. They are at their best when the battlefield becomes a strange ecosystem of vines, beasts and weather the enemy did not sign up for.
3. Cleric
Clerics feel like the responsible older sibling of the spellcaster world. They heal, protect, buff and then occasionally obliterate someone with radiant energy just to remind you who actually keeps this party standing.
Light Clerics, in particular, dish out frightening damage. Life Clerics make your group practically immortal. Their spell variety gives them immense influence over fights, though they prioritise balance rather than extremes. A steady, serious powerhouse with surprising streaks of violence.
2. Sorcerer
Sorcerers thrive on bending rules that were presumably written for everyone else. Metamagic is the heart of their strength. Quickened spells. Twinned spells. Subtle spells. Suddenly you are firing off back to back nukes or doubling the impact of your strongest abilities.
Their spell list is not the largest, but the amount of destruction they squeeze out of it is almost theatrical. When a Sorcerer goes all in, encounters evaporate. There is no finesse here, only pure, enthusiastic force.
1. Wizard
The Wizard takes the crown through sheer spell variety and preparation. With scrolls to scribe and a spellbook that expands like a cosmic to do list, Wizards eventually know everything. More importantly, they can tailor their loadout before each fight, turning every encounter into a personalised puzzle they have already solved.
Late game Wizards control the field, delete enemy groups, lock down bosses and produce utility spells that reshape entire paths through the story. They are the definitive high ceiling spellcaster. When the conversation is raw power, nothing else sustains this level of versatility and dominance.
Seven Swords Takeaway
Every caster in Baldur’s Gate 3 can produce dramatic, game altering moments. Even the Bard, sitting cheerfully at the bottom, can swing encounters with charm, illusions and social manipulation. But when the scale demands pure arcane force, the top of the list separates itself fast. Wizards build overwhelming depth. Sorcerers unleash devastating spikes. Clerics quietly bend the fight around the party’s survival.
Choose the caster that fits your vibe. If you want chaos, precision or theatrical explosions, Faerûn has a school of magic with your name on it.
