Baldur’s Gate 3: The 10 Best Spells for Wizard

Baldur's Gate 3 Best Wizard Spells Guide

Image: Larian Studios via HGG/Sarah Arnold

Human Made

Sarah loves RPGs, sandboxes, and sims. She's played every expansion of World of Warcraft and WoW Classic and spent hundreds of hours modding and playing Bethesda games.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3 can acquire a wide variety of spells due to their ability to learn from scrolls. They’re also able to change their spells out on the fly, allowing them to make use of even the most niche magical effects. On top of this flexibility, they have access to some very strong spells that almost any wizard will want to have in their spellbook. To that end, we’ve put together a list of the best spells for your wizard (or Gale) in Baldur’s Gate 3.

10 Best Wizard Spells in Baldur’s Gate 3

This guide will list the best spells for wizard, focusing on those essentials that you’ll want to keep prepared at all times. Whether you’re playing a custom wizard or are just looking for the best spells for Gale, we have something in this list for you.

Fire Bolt

Every spell caster needs a solid damaging cantrip to fall back on, and Fire Bolt is a very strong choice. It does 1d10 damage at level 1, increasing by another d10 at level 5 and again at level 10. That makes it one of the heavier hitting cantrips. It also (unsurprisingly) does fire damage, which synergizes well with several other fire-based spells in the wizard spell list. Any build that centers around Fireball will probably benefit from Fire Bolt as well.

This spell also has some useful applications beyond dealing direct damage. You can use it to light fires from a distance, blow up barrels, or set fire to the puddle left behind by a Grease spell. All without consuming a precious spell slot.

Chromatic Orb

Sometimes you’ll want to be able to do damage of a different type than your usual go-to spells, be they fire or lightning or whatever else. Chromatic Orb is a good spell to have on hand for those occasions, since you can choose any elemental damage type when you cast it.

This lets you take advantage of any weaknesses your target may have or use the environment to your advantage. As an example, lightning damage is particularly effective against enemies who are standing in water.

This spell does 2d8 damage when cast at level 1, and can be upcast. Notably, the thunder version of the spell does an extra d8 of damage in comparison to all the other elements.

Wall of Fire

Here we have another fire spell – there are a few of them on this list, and they all synergize well with any build that improves your fire damage. But as a standalone spell, Wall of Fire is still a great choice. This spell allows you to draw out a line of fire on the ground and will damage everyone in its path at least twice – once when you place it, and again each time they begin their turn in its radius.

This spell is useful for funneling enemies where you want them to go, and punishing them if they leave that area. It’s also an area-of-effect spell that you can place exactly where you want it, potentially hitting multiple enemies that you wouldn’t be able to reach with a Fireball, while simultaneously avoiding your allies.

Magic Missile

Magic Missile is one of the more iconic Dungeons & Dragons spells, and it’s fittingly strong in Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a level 1 spell that can do 3d4+3 force damage, but its strength is not in the amount of damage it does, but its utility.

You can choose to hit a different target with each missile, allowing you to finish off multiple low-health enemies with a single action. Each missile is a guaranteed hit, so you won’t have to worry about missing and wasting your spell slot. It even works if you’re blinded or don’t have the target in your line of sight, as long as they are in range.

This spell is useful for breaking enemy spell casters’ concentration, since each missile will trigger its own concentration check. You can also use it to wake up sleeping allies (or to slap Astarion because it’s funny) while also doing some damage to your enemies.

Shield

The Shield spell is an essential defense for unarmored spell casters (like a wizard). By default your armor class will be pretty low, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attacks. The Shield spell lets you boost your AC by 5 as a reaction. Whenever an enemy is going to hit you, you can choose to say “nope” at the low cost of a level 1 spell slot.

The extra armor lasts for the rest of the turn, furthering its effectiveness. This is a spell you won’t think much about, but you’ll never regret keeping it prepared.

Misty Step

Speaking of defense, the best way to avoid taking damage as a ranged class is by just not being there when it happens. Misty Step allows you to reposition your character, teleporting you to any spot within range and line of sight. That means you can escape from melee enemies without taking opportunity attacks.

This spell uses a bonus action, so you can use it and still cast another spell on the same turn. Besides escaping melee, it can be used very effectively to gain the high ground advantage and blast your enemies from above.

Conjure Elemental

Summoned creatures are very useful, effectively giving you an extra party member for as long as they stick around. The Conjure Minor Elemental and Conjure Elemental spells are both great for this reason. What’s more, you can summon a minion that synergizes with your fire damage (or any other elemental damage type you choose).

These creatures last until they die, and the spells don’t even require concentration to maintain, leaving you free to concentrate on other spells. You can even use them both at the same time.

Counterspell

Counterspell is somewhat similar to the Shield spell: both allow you to stop an enemy’s damage with a reaction. But whereas Shield only protects your wizard, Counterspell can protect your entire party. Use it to stop a big crowd control spell or a nasty area-of-effect. Your enemy will waste their spell slot and their action for nothing.

Counterspell is a level 3 spell, but it can and should be upcast to stop higher level spells.

Fireball

Ah our favorite. One of the best spells for wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3, and arguably it’s most iconic one – Fireball. When you want to blow up your enemies, Fireball is your go to spell. At level 3, it does 8d6 fire damage to everything in its radius. Boom. If you have any features or equipment that enhance your fire damage, all the better.

If you chose the Evocation School subclass, you can use Sculpt Spells to protect your allies and obliterate your enemies. But if you chose another subclass, be careful. This spell is well known for dealing friendly fire damage.

Haste

You’re a wizard, Harry, and the wizard’s greatest strength is in their utility. Haste is a utility spell unlike any other, granting its target some exceptional benefits: extra movement and an additional action every turn, and +2 to their armor class. All that for a single level 3 spell, and it can last up to 10 turns.

The downside of this spell is that it requires concentration, and if that concentration is broken (or the 10 turn duration runs out), the target will become lethargic and miss an entire round. So if you’re going to use this spell, it’s best to be sure that you can maintain your concentration on it.

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Thanks for reading! We hope that we’ve helped you choose the best spells for your wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and be sure to subscribe to High Ground for more useful guides!

Happy gaming!