As one might expect, Baldur’s Gate 3 plays very differently from the tabletop game it takes cues from, Dungeons & Dragons. There is, of course, a lot of overlap, with iconic spells from the tabletop franchise making their way into the virtual world of The Forgotten Realms, like Fireball and Polymorph.
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Some of the easiest classes in Baldur's Gate 3 will help players new to the series and genre have a leg up in the world.
While prior D&D knowledge provides a strategic advantage when it comes to turn-based combat, applying the principles of combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 to the tabletop version often leads to misery. This is demonstrated through the playstyles of various companions in the game, with several differing significantly from the typical playstyle of the same classes seen in Dungeons & Dragons.
Astarion
Often The Face Of The Party, An Unusual Place For The Rogue
Astarion is a fan-favourite character for many reasons, not least because of Neil Newbon’s award-winning performance as the pale-faced vampire, or the enthralling storyline that sees Astarion rid himself of the shackles of his oppressor. In part, it's due to his high versatility and exceedingly potent damage output capabilities. Rogues can deliver high damage in 5th edition, but their playstyle in Baldur’s Gate 3 is far more confrontational and aggressive than you might expect in the tabletop counterpart.
One of the key features in the Rogue’s arsenal is the ability to sneak attack, which multiplies their damage output significantly. This is true across both mediums and is granted when the Rogue has Advantage against their target. In Baldur’s Gate 3, gaining advantage over your target is trivial, especially compared to in D&D. Tabletop Rogues will strategically and silently position themselves, waiting for the right time to strike, whereas Astarion is very comfortable leading the charge.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Rogues are not likely to survive much of a beating, and having the average Rogue leading the charge into a fight, as Astarion will do all too often, would be a recipe for disaster in D&D. Astarion is more slippery and evasive than Rogues in the tabletop game, too, although this could be a product of the video game world feeling slicker than the average tabletop experience, with damage/sneak attack/stealth calculations done in the background and without much input from players. Overall, Astarion performs excellently as a Rogue, but be slightly mindful if you're trying to imitate his style in your next D&D game.
Gale
Arguably The Most Powerful Class, But Teaches The Wrong Lessons For Tabletop
Wizards are often touted as the most powerful class in D&D, and it's an assertion that’s hard to argue with. Likely just as true in Baldur’s Gate 3 as it is in Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards are an exceptionally powerful class. However, playing a Wizard like they’re Gale will soon leave players exhausted and with no cards left to play.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is extremely encounter-heavy, and while the official D&D rules recommend 6–8 encounters per long rest, this usually falls by the wayside in favor of fewer, more devastating encounters, particularly in longer campaigns. This means spell slots are a far more valuable and scarce resource in the tabletop version of the game, as opposed to the virtual one. What’s more, spell scrolls are more abundant in Baldur’s Gate 3 than they are in D&D. They are also much more versatile in BG3, with no restrictions on who can cast them or the skill level required to cast them without risk of failure. This allows Gale to perform more feats of magic than otherwise expected, as rationing spell slots is less of a concern. Playing this way on tabletop would have your party quickly frustrated at you for burning through precious spell scrolls, whilst also being out of strategically useful spell slots.
In general, classes with superior role-playing potential, such as casters who can more finely manipulate the world around them, play very differently on tabletop. Spells often further the story in unexpected ways, or unveil a creative solution to the problem the DM is presenting. That’s not to say Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t have any of this; it absolutely does, but it pales compared to the creative freedom offered by the tabletop game. It would be quite a waste to see a tabletop wizard who does nothing but spam offensive spells or hurl out repeated AOE attacks.
Wyll
The Short Rest System Transforms How A Warlock Plays
Warlocks are one of the few casting classes to regain spent spell slots upon a short rest. Casters like Druids, Clerics, Sorcerers, and Wizards, meanwhile, regain spell slots only after finishing a long rest, barring specific skill effects, such as Arcane Recovery or Sorcery Point Conversion. This is a unique yet defining characteristic that materially impacts the Warlock playstyle. They are not sitting on spell slots, waiting for the right time to use them; they’re casting them in the here and now. They're pretty handy with some weaponry, too.
This is the same across both iterations of Warlock. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 changes the short rest system (to an arguably better system) by removing hit dice and rolls, and simply allowing players to have a short rest up to two times between long rests. Instead of rolling dice to determine how much a player heals, they simply heal up to half of their HP. Not only is this an elegant system, as it reduces a lot of the calculations needed for a short rest to happen, but it simplifies everything. This has a significant impact on how Warlocks play.
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Experienced players will attest that short rests are often (foolishly) forgotten about as a means to recoup and replenish hit points, but not in Baldur’s Gate 3. Short rests are far more frequent, with players often using up both short rests before retiring for the night. This means that a Warlock will cast their spells more freely, and as a result, they tend to have a more aggressive and magical playstyle. They’re a fantastic choice, no matter which medium you’re playing with, but tabletop Warlocks need to be more reserved with their spell slots. Running out of hit dice is a much rarer experience than running out of short rest slots. A Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock playing in 5th edition and aggressively casting in every encounter would quickly doom a tabletop party.
Jaheira
Baldur’s Gate's Jack-Of-All-Trades
Druids are an exceedingly powerful class in both versions of the game. Jaheira is often combined with other classes, from Ranger to Cleric to Fighter, and each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. She is often positioned as a bit of a multipurpose character, which is an ideal use of her wild shape in combination with her other class abilities. If a player employed their video game knowledge on tabletop, having only played Jaheira, they’d be forgiven for thinking that Druids typically find themselves in a jack-of-all-trades role, with offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as being able to Wild Shape freely to tank hits in combat.
Unlike tabletop, where players must first know a specific animal before they can Wild Shape into it, Baldur’s Gate 3 Druids need only meet the level requirement, and there are specific Wild Shape forms designed with combat in mind. The larger pool of Wild Shape options available on tabletop doesn’t lend itself well to dedicated, combat-focused Wild Shape forms. Instead, it’s more a question of finding the right Wild Shape for the right situation, not just jumping into your tankiest Wild Shape and charging ahead. It’s not uncommon to see Jaheira tanking, dishing out damage, and supporting other characters all in one fight, moving in and out of Wild Shape throughout. This is a far less common sight on tabletop, and could spell disaster should a Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid test their mettle with pencils and dice for the first time.
Minsc
The Ranger With An Unorthodox Angle
Minsc is another fan-favourite character from Baldur’s Gate 3, brought to life by the incomparable Matthew Mercer, DM of the Critical Role D&D podcast, who lends his voice to the character. Minsc is introduced in Act Three, provided the player has kept Jaheira alive and pursued her questline. If so, players will first meet Minsc in the Counting House of Baldur’s Gate.
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Much like Astarion, Minsc is far less restricted as a Ranger in the virtual world than he would be on tabletop, enjoying additional attacks, a boost to his overall viability, and a cute companion to boot. The companion, Boo, a miniature giant space hamster, has a significant advantage in Baldur’s Gate 3 over tabletop. The latter requires the player to use their own action to have their animal companion attack, often known as the “Beast Master Tax.” In BG3, however, Boo acts autonomously, which significantly elevates Minsc in the overall action economy, and he quickly becomes much more viable than his tabletop counterpart.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
