Baldur's Gate 3 - Druid Class Guide

The Baldur's Gate 3 Druid class is a force of nature in more ways than one. By using flora, and sometimes turning into fauna, players will be able to defend their allies and beat down enemies. Our Baldur's Gate 3 Druid class guide discusses what you can expect if you choose this for your campaign.

Baldur's Gate 3 Druid class guide overview

Our Baldur's Gate 3 Druid class guide acts as an overview of its usefulness in the campaign. We also take note of ideal options during character creation. Once you're finished with our overview, we suggest visiting our best build guide for this class.

Druid Class Summary

Class Features

• Spells - Druids don't learn as many spells as Wizards, but they do have decent ones.
• Spell Slots - You have a number of spell slots pertaining to a particular tier. These are all refreshed when you do a long rest.
• Cantrips - These spells can be used at any given time without expending a spell slot.
• Shapeshifting - Druids can transform into various animals at level 2 (more on this mechanic later).

Proficiencies

Our suggested Druid build primarily uses spells to bolster its effectiveness in battle. However, you don't necessarily need to avoid melee engagements altogether. By default, Druids have proficiencies in light armor, medium armor, and shields. Ideally, you'll also want to pick the Dwarf Duergar (more on this later), which would give you proficiencies in clubs, daggers, javelins, maces, quarterstaves, scimitars, sickles, spears, battleaxes, handaxes, light hammers, and warhammers.

Druid Subclasses

The Baldur's Gate 3 Druid subclasses aren't available by default. Instead, your character must reach level 2 first. The good news is that you can respec and change classes by talking to Withers in your camp.

Wild Shape (All Subclasses)

All Druid subclasses gain shapeshift forms at level 2. When the creature's HP has been depleted, they revert back to their HP at the time of transformation:

• Badger - Can burrow underground.
• Spider - Can enweb and trap enemies.
• Wolf - Can increase allied movement range and distract enemies.
• Cat - Can avoid detection and distract enemies.

Circle of the Land

This subclass is akin to a traditional spellcaster. You can gain an additional cantrip of your choice, as well as make use of the Natural Recovery action while out of combat. It replenishes expended spell slots.

Circle of the Moon

This subclass bolsters shapeshifting capabilities further. You gain Bear Form, which has high HP to make it tanky, as well as a taunt-like ability to make enemies target it. The Lunar Mend action also lets you restore HP by spending spell slots.

Circle of the Spores

This subclass is more of a hybrid between the two in that you'll cast spells and have a viable means to engage in melee combat. It has the Bone Chill cantrip, which deals necrotic damage, prevents a target from healing, and confers a disadvantage to attack rolls if you cast it on an undead opponent.

Moreover, you unlock Halo of Spores, a reaction that deals necrotic damage. Also, there's Symbiotic Entity, which grants temporary HP, as well as bonus necrotic damage while active. Halo of Spores will also deal double damage because of this.

Character Creation Picks

Best Race and Sub-race

As noted earlier, we're going with the Dark Dwarf or Duergar sub-race:

• Base Racial Speed - 7.5 meters.
• Dwarven Combat Training - Proficiency with battleaxes, handaxes, light warhammers, and warhammers.
• Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
• Dwarven Resilience - Advantage on saving throws against poison; resistance to poison damage.
• Sub-race Perk: Superior Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 24 meters.
• Duergar Resilience - Advantage on saving throws against illusions, paralysis, and charms.

For the most lore-friendly option, however, there's the Wood Elf:

• Base Racial Speed - 9 meters.
• Elven Weapon Training - Proficiency with longswords, shortswords, shortbows, and longbows.
• Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
• Fey Ancestry - Advantage on saving throws against being charmed; magic can't put you to sleep.
• Sub-race Perk: Fleet of Foot - Increases movement by 1.5 meters.

Best Background and Skills

Your chosen skills should make use of the Wisdom ability/stat. These include Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival. The Folk Hero background is quite good, since it has Animal Handling and Survival already. Alternatively, there's the Outlander, which has Survival and Athletics (STR).

Best Abilities

For our Baldur's Gate 3 Druid, we look at Wisdom as the spellcasting stat. But, we still need additional Dexterity for our armor class (AC) and initiative, as well as Constitution for HP gains. A bit of Strength is also decent, in case we need to use melee weapons.

• Strength: 12
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 14
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 17 - You can earn +2 points via the Ability Improvement feat, as well as an extra point by defeating Auntie Ethel.
• Charisma: 10

And that does it for our Baldur's Gate 3 Druid class guide. Next up, we talk about the best build for the campaign, while using Jaheira as our template.