The Ultimate Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid Build Guide | Druid Class, Subclass, Race, and Multiclass Explained

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As a Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3, you begin the game with the ability known as Mastery of the Wild Shape. This gift offers the Druid’s innate connection with animals and nature. If you enjoy the freedom of nature’s gifts, the Druid class might be for you.

In this guide, we’ll delve into creating the ultimate Druid character in Baldur’s Gate 3, covering everything from abilities and subclasses to races, backgrounds, skills, spells, feats, and even multiclass options.

Choosing the Best Druid Subclass

In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are three distinct Druid subclasses to choose from:

• Circle of the Land: focuses more on spellcasting
• Circle of the Spores: leans toward a support/damage role in the party.
• Circle of the Moon: This subclass offers the Wild Shape Action, allowing you to shapeshift to any beasts available in-game.

The best choice among these subclasses is the Circle of the Moon. What truly sets this subclass apart from the rest is the ability to use Wild Shape as a bonus action, while also using Druid spells during combat.

Best Race, Background, and Skills for Druids

To strengthen your Druid character further, your choice of Race, Background, and skills plays a huge role when it comes to your build. Here’s our recommended selection for crafting your powerful Druid:

Race: Wood Elf

There are at least four races that will help boost your Druid, here’s what we’ve chosen:

• High Elf
• Wood Elf
• High Half-Elf
• Duregar (Dwarf)

But ultimately the Wood Elf is your best choice among the three races. Here’s why:

• Darkvision: Gaining the ability to see in the dark areas, it’s useful when you’re exploring dungeons and dark-lit environments in the game.
• Movement: Despite having moderate movement speed, Wood Elves are proficient with their Stealth checks. Making it easier for you to sneak attack around an enemy territory.
• Fey Ancestry: This racial advantage provides an advantage against being Charmed, and they also receive immunity to sleep spells.
• Weapon proficiency: Wood Elves also broaden the Druid’s weapon proficiency with long and short swords, as well as long and short bows.

Background: Folk Hero

Folk Hero provides proficiency in Animal Handling and Survival skills, which complements really well with Druid’s core mechanics. Animal Handling aids in tasks such as calming domesticated animals and understanding an animal’s intentions, while Survival assists in tracking, hunting, guiding through terrain, identifying signs, predicting weather, and avoiding natural hazards.

Skills: Insight and Nature

Now that you’ve chosen the Folk Hero as your background, the skills Insight and Nature will help you enhance more on your Druid’s innate abilities. You can pick and choose whatever skills you think is best for your build.

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• Insight – helps you recognize creatures’ true intentions.
• Nature – equips your character with knowledge about terrain, plants, animals, weather, and the natural cycles of the world.

Ability Score Allocation

For your Druid build you should prioritize the following Ability Scores:

• Wisdom (16): Druids heavily rely on the Wisdom stat, so it’s advisable to invest in Wisdom-based skills such as Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival.
• Constitution (16): Druid spells rely heavily on Concentration, which is why you should prioritize Constitution as your second-highest ability.
• Dexterity (14): This ability buffs initiative and lets you dodge spells cast by enemies.
• Strength (10), Charisma (10), and Intelligence (8): These are not your priority ability scores for your Druid. However, make sure you balance these remaining ability scores, either for social interactions or spellcasting.

You should also consider boosting your Acrobatics/Athletics and Stealth skills, which benefit any class in the game.

Weapon, Armor, and Class Proficiencies

Druids in Baldur’s Gate 3 possess the following proficiencies:

• Weapon Proficiencies: Club, dagger, javelin, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, and spear.
• Armor Proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, shields.
• Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, and Perception.
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom.

Druid Spells and Cantrips

Druids start with two Level 1 Spell slots, which they can replenish through a Long Rest. Additionally, they start with two Cantrips, these are spells that do not consume Spell slots and can be cast at any time during combat. Druids can also acquire Known Spells, equal to their Druid level plus their Wisdom modifier. This roster of spells can also be customized outside of combat which is a huge help in preparing for a big fight against your enemies.

Best Druid Cantrips

At level 1 you’ll be choosing your cantrips. The best you should pick for a Druid build is the Shillelagh. then the rest you can choose depending on your preference in playstyle:

• Shillelagh
• Thorn Whip
• Poison Spray
• Guidance
• Resistance
• Produce Flame

Best Druid Spells

These spells we’ve chosen are by far the best for your Druid build.

• Level 1 Spells: Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Thunderwave, Entangle, Faerie Fire.
• Level 2 Spells: Barkskin or Moonbeam, Spike Growth, Pass Without Trace.
• Level 3 Spells: Call Lightning, Feign Death, Sleet Storm.
• Level 4 Spells: Blight, Polymorph, Wall of Fire.
• Level 5 Spells: Contagion, Mass Cure Wounds, Greater Restoration.
• Level 6 Spells: Flesh to Stone or Heal, Sunbeam, Heroes’ Feast, Heal.

Best Feats for Druids

Druids can select feats at Levels 4, 8, and 12. The following feats are highly recommended for your build:

• Level 4: War Caster – Provides saving throws to maintain your concentration on spells.
• Level 8: Sentinel – This will grant you the ability to react and attack when an enemy attacks you in melee range, along with other advantages on your Opportunity Attacks in battle.
• Level 12: Lucky – This feat offers three Luck points that can be used to gain an advantage or force an enemy to reroll an attack against you.

Multiclassing Options for Druids

Druids can explore multiclassing to expand their capabilities both in combat and exploration. Two noteworthy multiclass options are:

• Druid and Cleric: This multiclass option is excellent if you want to enhance your effectiveness on the field by harnessing the versatile healing spells offered by the Cleric class. Consider leveling up to Druid level 10 and Cleric level 2 for a well-rounded character.
• Barbarian and Druid: This unconventional combination of Barbarian and Druid enables you to maintain your Rage ability while using the Wild Shape action, rendering you nearly invulnerable against your enemies in the heat of battle.

But if it’s not your cup of tea to multiclass, you don’t have to. You can just use a pure Druid build by following this guide alone.