Baldur's Gate 3 · Classes & Builds. Class, subclass, companion and protagonist levelling and build guides. Browse Baldur's Gate 3 Swarmkeeper Ranger Build: Control Archer, Swarms & Gear, Baldur's Gate 3 Oath of the Crown Paladin Build: Protector, Spirit Guardians & Gear, Baldur's Gate 3 Drunken Master Monk Build: Hit-and-Run, Ki & Gear, with requirements, routes and walkthrough steps.
Swarmkeeper’s Gathered Swarm triggers once per round after you attack. That is the subclass’s real action economy: the bow hit is only the first half of the turn. Bees can add piercing damage, push an enemy or teleport you; Jellyfish can add lightning damage, Shock or teleport; Moths can add psychic damage, Blind or teleport. Prey’s Scent also adds swarm damage against a Hunter’s Mark target.
Oath of the Crown is built around responsibility: improve an ally’s accuracy, make enemies worse at attacking anyone but you, absorb damage for a nearby teammate, and eventually carry Spirit Guardians directly into the front line. It is still a Paladin — Divine Smite, Aura of Protection and martial pressure remain the backbone — but Patch 8 gives it a much more explicit protector/controller identity.
Drunken Master is not Open Hand with a drinking joke painted over it. Its core Patch 8 feature, Drunken Technique, replaces Flurry of Blows with two punches that also grant extra movement and Disengage. Intoxicating Strike can make an enemy Drunk; Life of the Party then improves your AC and attack rolls against Drunk targets; later features reward being missed or cash out the Drunk state for psychic damage.
Patch 8 finally gives Fighter a dedicated magical archer without turning the class into a half-caster. The important part is still the Fighter chassis: Archery Fighting Style, Action Surge, four feat opportunities and Improved Extra Attack at level 11. Arcane Archer layers a short-rest pool of Arcane Arrows on top, then asks you to choose the shot whose saving throw and secondary effect fit the target.
Circle of the Stars spends Wild Shape charges on **Starry Form** instead of needing to become an animal. Archer adds repeatable Bonus Action radiant damage, Chalice turns a slot-based healing spell into extra healing on another target, and Dragon protects concentration while adding a short-range radiant breath. At level 10, Twinkling Constellations upgrades all three and lets you switch form once per turn for free.
Death Domain turns the Cleric into a necrotic pressure caster without deleting the class’s best support tools. Reaper lets a qualifying single-target Necromancy cantrip strike a second nearby target, Touch of Death turns a melee hit into a large Channel Divinity burst, and Inescapable Destruction eventually lets your necrotic damage ignore **resistance**. You still keep Bless, Aid, Spirit Guardians, Death Ward, Heal, Heroes’ Feast and Planar Ally.
College of Glamour is a party-control Bard, not a weaker Lore Bard with prettier animations. Mantle of Inspiration converts one Bardic Inspiration and a Bonus Action into temporary hit points for multiple allies; melee attackers who hit those protected allies can become Charmed. At level 6, Mantle of Majesty can be activated once per Long Rest and requires Concentration for up to 10 turns.
Path of the Giant is the first Barbarian subclass in BG3 that makes throwing feel like the intended main plan instead of a side trick. Giant's Rage enlarges you and doubles the Rage damage bonus on thrown attacks; Elemental Cleaver turns almost any held weapon into a returning elemental projectile for the rest of that Rage; and Mighty Impel eventually lets you spend a Bonus Action throwing creatures or objects around the battlefield.
A BG3 build is only good if it solves a job in the party. A 900-damage showcase is useless if it arrives too late, consumes gear three other characters need, or leaves the party without control and skill coverage. After Patch 8, the pool is wider because every class received a new subclass, but the level cap is still 12 and the same action economy rules apply.
