Baldur's Gate 3 Builds Stronger Than Their Tabletop D&D Counterparts

Baldur’s Gate 3 changes a few things from the tabletop version of Dungeons & Dragons, and some classes play a little differently as a result. With the symbiotic nature of a lot of builds in the world of D&D, there are certain combinations that work a lot better in video-game form than they do on the tabletop.

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Baldur’s Gate 3: 12 Best Multiclass Builds

Looking to multiclass a character in Baldur's Gate 3? These are the best builds to do so with.

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By Rhenn Taguiam

Sometimes it might not be clear which path is optimal in Baldur’s Gate 3, though this list will highlight some of the main differences between the two games and offer some guidance on which builds to not let pass you by.

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Hexblade Warlock

This Subclass Receives A Much-Needed Buff In Baldur's Gate 3

A straight-up Hexblade Warlock is a very different beast in Baldur’s Gate 3 than it is on the tabletop. It’s a force to be reckoned with in either version, but due to some of the differences between tabletop and Baldur’s Gate 3, the video game version is much, much stronger.

Baldur’s Gate 3 features a lot of items that can provide buffs to an ability score, which is much rarer in tabletop games. This means classes that benefit from a single skill being higher, such as Charisma with Warlocks, can be artificially boosted throughout your playthrough, raising their spell save DC and overall making them much more difficult to fight. Additionally, short rests work a little differently in the video game versus tabletop, and as such, are much more likely to happen, meaning that classes like Warlock, who benefit from short rests, see much more effectiveness in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Rogue Assassin + Monk

The Changes To The Monk Class Make This Broken In Comparison To Fifth Edition

Rogue Assassin and Shadow Monk multiclass is one of the strongest melee class builds in Baldur’s Gate 3, especially when compared to tabletop. Monk was reworked quite significantly to fit in the world of video games, and it’s all the better for it. This multiclass combines the strengths of an assassin lurking in the shadows with the raw damage output of a Monk.

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By Grace Black

Taking 6 levels of Rogue Assassin and 6 levels of Monk with the Way of Shadow subclass, along with the alert and mobile feat, will transform your character (probably Astarion, in this case) into a killing machine. They will almost always be at the top of initiative in combat, and be able to dish out significant, sustained damage, thanks to the sneak attack, which can be swiftly followed up by a flurry of blows.

Wizard + Sorcerer + Fighter

An Unusual Combo That Allows For High Single-Turn Output

Generally, in Fifth Edition, casters will find their levels are better spent furthering their magical ability, meaning that Wizards and Sorcerers with a level in fighter are quite rare. Additionally, casting two levelled spells in tabletop during one turn is quite difficult, and action surge from Fighters is one of the only ways to do it. You can get much more out of this setup in Baldur’s Gate 3.

You can use the Sorcerer’s metamagic to quicken a spell, and unlike in tabletop, you can still use your remaining actions to cast other spells, meaning this build is quite well poised for “nova turns”. 5 levels of Wizard, 5 levels of Sorcerer, and 2 levels of Fighter will bring this build to life. It will also provide a little extra healing to casters, which, given their glass cannon nature, is very welcome.

Strength-based Monk

Baldur's Gate 3's Most Unique Class Offering

Overall, Monks are just far more viable and much more consistent damage dealers in Baldur’s Gate 3 than they are in Dungeons & Dragons. Monk has famously been one of the least popular classes in tabletop due to their limited damage output and overall lack of useful abilities (save for maybe stunning strike!). Their overhaul for the video game was a welcome change for many fans, and as such, Monk builds are much more powerful than they are on the tabletop.

A strength-based Monk build is an absolute monster in Baldur’s Gate 3, not least because of the Tavern Brawler feat. This allows characters to add their strength modifier to both damage and attack rolls an extra time, meaning their attacks will not only hit more often, but hit harder too. When combined with the flurry of blows and additional items available throughout the game that add bonuses to unarmed damage, this class is one that absolutely dwarfs their tabletop counterpart.

Paladin + Sorcerer + Cleric

The Sorcadin, With A Little Extra Flavour...

The Sorcadin, a mix of Paladin and Sorcerer, mixed with a Cleric, can be an incredibly strong combo in Baldur’s Gate 3, though diluting a Sorcadin with a Cleric might not be as worthwhile on the tabletop.

Paladins in Baldur’s Gate 3 are nearly identical to their tabletop counterpart, whilst Sorcerers in Baldur’s Gate 3 are a little stronger by default, following the convention laid down by Sorcerer multiclasses in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and applying it to base Sorcerer classes. This means they had more spells at their disposal. Combining the Sorcadin with a Tempest Cleric, especially with a Storm Sorcerer, can allow players to get the most out of their max lightning damage feature. This build leans into the “nova turn” dynamic that Baldur’s Gate 3 rewards.

Warlock + Sorcerer

Coffeelock, Reimagined For Baldur's Gate 3

One of the most famous multiclass builds in all of Dungeons & Dragons is the coffeelock, a combination of Sorcerer and Warlock. It earns this name due to an exploit within the game mechanics, which allows a character using this build to swap their Warlock spell slots for Sorcery points. They can then recover their Warlock spell slots on a short rest, meaning they have an infinite supply of spells/sorcery points. The name Coffeelock comes from the fact that their functionally infinite pool of spell slots will be reset if they rest, meaning they often will not take a long rest.

This is blown out of the water a little bit in Baldur’s Gate 3, which replaces the hit dice short rest mechanic with 2 simple short rests per long rest, forcing the inevitability of a long rest. That’s not to say that the Coffeelock is useless; however, with just two levels of fighter, this build can be seriously upgraded.

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By Nahda Nabiilah

This grants action surge, which can be used to throw out extra Eldritch Blasts. When this is combined with the quickening function of the Sorcerer’s metamagic, this quickly starts to stack up and deal a fearsome amount of damage. Not least because the Sorcerer’s quickened spell metamagic is much more forgiving in video game form than it is on the tabletop, allowing for better action economy. This seriously elevates the single-turn output available to a Coffeelock build, giving them a new, unique edge in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Thief Rogue + Multiclasses

One Of The Most Versatile Multiclass Options

This one isn’t even close; this class outperforms its tabletop counterpart every day of the week. The extra bonus action granted by a Thief can change the action economy of a fight, especially in the hands of a Rogue. This opens up the door for extra off-hand attacks, potion use, and even monk bonus attacks, if that’s the multiclass you choose.

This class can be combined with almost any other to make an exceedingly powerful character. Monk, Ranger, Fighter, and Bard are all great choices here, with each class providing two flurry of blows, extra off-hand attacks, action surge, or off-hand flourish, respectively. As with Rogue, Monk is a particularly strong multiclass here, though it's hard to pick a bad one!

Wizard + Fighter

An Unorthodox Combination That Shines In The Video Game

Wizard and Fighter is not a bad combination in tabletop D&D, as it provides one of the only instances where a levelled spell can be cast twice in a single turn, which can be invaluable. Of course, this benefit extends to Baldur’s Gate 3, but it also comes with a host of extra possibilities that make this a much stronger video game build.

This means players can double their damage output, or even summon and attack on the same turn. Combining this with Haste makes it all the more broken, as Haste in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be used for extra spells, where it cannot in tabletop. This provides the opportunity to do something like Hold Person > Action Surge > Spam critical hits. The action economy in Baldur’s Gate 3 makes this overall a much more viable class in video game form.

Fighter + Monk + Paladin

Multiclasses Come Online Faster In Baldur's Gate 3

This build just doesn’t really work all that well in tabletop, with Fighters, Monks, and Paladins all using different abilities as their primary stat, you’ll have limited spell slots for smite, and a few bonus action conflicts, which make it overall a pretty unappealing build.

However, in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Tavern Brawler feat can be taken to fix some of the issues with conflicting stats, and gear that can be found pretty abundantly, such as the Helldusk Armour, can go a long way to mitigate AC weaknesses. This combo shines with the flurry of blows ability that Monks have, and combining that with the Paladin’s smite. This can cause a colossal amount of damage very quickly, especially with how frequently Monks hit. This might be a bit of a tough build to get online, but it’s guaranteed fun when it works.

Gloomstalker Ranger + Rogue Assassin

The Gloomstalker Ranger Is Powerful In Both Versions, But Edges Out In Baldur's Gate 3

The Gloomstalker ranger is one of the most powerful subclasses in all of Dungeons & Dragons, though Baldur’s Gate 3 takes it to another level. This combination can be extremely powerful, and it especially benefits from some of the tweaks made to adapt the tabletop to video game form. Surprise rounds are much more common in BG3, as are high ground bonuses, and frankly, advantage is ridiculously easy to get.

The Dread Ambusher feature makes players fearsome in initiative order. Combined with sneak attack and off-hand attacks, the Gloomstalker Ranger and Assassin multiclass can easily see characters dishing out 5+ attacks in a single turn, which seriously elevates them from their tabletop counterpart. Stealth is also no longer a part of DM fiat, which means it’s a much more reliable system that rewards this build in video game form.

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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