Baldur’s Gate 3 Classes and Subclasses Guide After Patch 8

The practical question is not ‘which class is strongest?’ but ‘which turn loop do you want to repeat for dozens of hours?’ Class decides most of your combat kit, a surprising amount of dialogue flavour, and the resource rhythm that determines when you want Short Rests or Long Rests.

Barbarian

• Bard

• Cleric

• Druid

• Fighter

• Monk

• Paladin

• Ranger

• Rogue

• Sorcerer

• Warlock

• Wizard

The links below jump to the class summaries in this Word document; the website version should mirror them with an on-page table of contents.

Patch 8 uses three subclass-selection timings. Cleric, Sorcerer, Paladin and Warlock choose at class level

1. Druid and Wizard choose at class level

2. Barbarian, Bard, Fighter, Monk, Ranger and Rogue choose at class level

3.

That matters for multiclassing: a one-level dip can access a Cleric domain or Warlock patron, but an Arcane Archer or Swashbuckler requires three levels in the class.

Barbarian is the direct physical-pressure class: Rage, large hit-point pool and a turn plan that makes sense even before gear gets interesting. Berserker pushes bonus-action aggression, Wildheart customises the rage package, Wild Magic adds unpredictable effects, and Patch 8 Giant gives the class a native throw/size identity through Giant’s Rage and later Elemental Cleaver.

Pick Barbarian when you want simple aggression, durability and Athletics-based battlefield interaction.

Bard is the strongest ‘protagonist toolkit’ class: Charisma, broad skills, Expertise, Bardic Inspiration and a control-heavy spell list. Lore focuses on skills and Magical Secrets, Swords on weapon play, Valour on martial support, and Patch 8 Glamour on charm/control and party protection.

Pick Bard when you want the same character to lead conversations and still have meaningful answers in almost every fight.

Cleric is not a heal-bot. Wisdom casting, armour and eight domains let the class range from Life’s sustain to Light/Tempest offence, War’s martial angle, Trickery’s stealth tools and Patch 8 Death’s necrotic identity. Domain is chosen at level

1.

Pick Cleric when you like having a broad answer sheet and do not mind changing prepared spells for the job.

Druid combines control, terrain, summons and Wild Shape. Land leans into spellcasting, Moon into combat forms, Spores into necrotic/summon themes, and Patch 8 Stars converts Wild Shape charges into Starry Forms that support damage, healing or concentration.

Pick Druid when you enjoy switching roles rather than executing one fixed rotation.

Fighter is the clean weapon specialist: all the equipment, Action Surge, extra feats and eventually Improved Extra Attack at class level

11. Battle Master adds manoeuvre control, Champion simplifies the crit package, Eldritch Knight mixes Wizard magic, and Patch 8 Arcane Archer finally gives Fighter a dedicated magical-ranged control route.

Pick Fighter when you want reliability, straightforward levelling and room to customise through feats and gear.

Monk trades heavy armour for speed, unarmed pressure and Ki-driven actions. Open Hand is the direct unarmed powerhouse, Shadow emphasises stealth/mobility, Four Elements spends Ki on spell-like techniques, and Patch 8 Drunken Master adds alcohol-themed recovery and disruption tools.

Pick Monk when you want an active melee turn with lots of movement and sequencing.

Paladin combines armour, melee burst, Charisma and Aura of Protection. Ancients is defensive/supportive, Devotion is the classic holy knight, Vengeance hunts priority targets, Crown protects allies, and Oathbreaker is a special state reached by breaking an oath rather than a normal character-creation selection.

Pick Paladin when you want a protagonist who feels consequential in both dialogue and frontline combat.

Ranger mixes martial damage, scouting and a smaller spell toolkit. Hunter is modular weapon pressure, Beast Master is defined by the companion, Gloom Stalker rewards opening rounds and stealth, while Patch 8 Swarmkeeper adds forced movement, extra effects and later flight.

Pick Ranger when you want weapon combat plus exploration tools without becoming a full caster.

Rogue is the skill and mobility specialist. Thief adds an extra Bonus Action, Assassin rewards ambushes, Arcane Trickster adds limited magic, and Patch 8 Swashbuckler makes open melee Sneak Attack and duelling easier through its new toolkit.

Pick Rogue when skill checks, movement and clever positioning are part of the fantasy, not just raw damage.

Sorcerer knows fewer spells than Wizard but bends them with Metamagic. Draconic improves durability and elemental themes, Storm rewards lightning/thunder movement, Wild Magic embraces chaos, and Patch 8 Shadow Magic adds Darkness tools, Hound of Ill Omen and late-game teleportation.

Pick Sorcerer when you want Charisma, explosive turns and fewer spells to manage than a Wizard.

Warlock’s identity is Eldritch Blast, invocations and pact slots that recharge on Short Rest. Fiend is direct offence/survivability, Great Old One leans into fear/critical interactions, Archfey uses charm/fear mobility, and Patch 8 Hexblade makes Charisma-driven weapon play much cleaner.

Pick Warlock when you want a reliable magical baseline and like the Short Rest rhythm.

Wizard wins on preparation and spell breadth. It can learn spells from scrolls and prepare different answers for different encounters. Abjuration, Evocation, Divination and the other schools each tilt the spellbook in a direction; Patch 8 Bladesinging adds a mobile weapon-capable mode without sacrificing full Wizard spell progression.

Pick Wizard when solving the encounter with the right spell is more satisfying than repeating one rotation.

Stay pure until you can name the exact feature you are buying with the dip. The total level cap is 12, so every off-class level delays something: a feat, Extra Attack, a subclass feature or high-level spells.

Pure classes are not the training wheels version of BG3. Fighter 12, Cleric 12, Wizard 12 and many others are fully complete endgame builds. Multiclassing is a trade, not a free upgrade.

Fighter is the cleanest way to learn weapon combat. Bard and Paladin are excellent protagonist classes because Charisma matters in conversation. Cleric is forgiving and broadly useful. Warlock is the simplest repeatable caster loop. None of those choices locks the run — Withers exists precisely so you can change your mind.

How many classes are in BG3 after Patch 8? 12.

How many new subclasses did Patch 8 add? 12 — one per class.

When do classes choose a subclass? At class level 1, 2 or 3 depending on the class.

What is the level cap? 12 total character levels.

Can I change class later? Yes, Withers can respec class-based progression for 100 gold.