Circle of the Moon druids ofBaldur’s Gate 3are built to focus on Wild Shape.While they’re still full spell casters, these druids feel comfortable in their animal forms and can Wilde Shape with only a bonus action. While animal forms suffer from low AC, they have their own health pool that can be larger than your own at high levels.
These druids make a unique combination of support spell casters and front-line tanks. While you can’t cast spells in Wild Shape, many spells can be maintained with or without concentration. Particularly useful are summon spells, which increase your damage and action economy monumentally at higher levels.
Best Races And Backgrounds For A Circle Of The Moon Druid
While no race will be a bad choice,druids can benefit from extra mobility or extra health.
Features
Wood Elf
Wood elves benefit from base elven traits such asDarkvision and Perception proficiency and get Stealth proficiency and extra movement speed on top of that. Wood elves also align thematically with the druid class.
Gold Dwarf
While they do have less movement speed on account of being size small, gold dwarvesget an extra hit point per level. Like all dwarves, they also haveresistance to poison and advantage on saving throws against it.
Your background will grant you some proficiencies and impact how you gain inspiration throughout the game.
Folk Hero
Both outlander and folk hero make sense with the druid class and provide useful proficiencies. Survival, in particular, will help you spot hidden treasure chests throughout the world.
You can’t change your race or background after leaving the character creator.
Recommended Spells For A Circle Of The Moon Druid
Your spell list, particularly early on, should primarily focuson support and control. You’ll also want toprioritize spells that don’t require concentrationsince you don’t have to rely on dice rolls to benefit from them.
However, don’t feel that you have to completely avoid concentration spells.
If you’re looking for a way to deal good damage, especially early on,Create Waterand Ice Knife are two spells that work well together. Ice (and lightning) damage are doubled if the target is wet.
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Heroes' Feast,Heal,Upcast Conjure Elemental
This spell list aims to bea formidable support caster with healing, control, and offensive spells. You should also attempt to limit concentration since you’ll be taking many hits as a tank. However, some concentration spells are too good to pass up (such as our recommended level two spells).
you’re able to obtain items thatgive advantage on concentration saving throws while not Wild Shaped, or you could substitute one of the feats we recommend forWar Caster.
How To Level A Circle Of The Moon Druid
As a Circle of the Moon druid,you’re able to unlock additional Wild Shape forms. You also gain Wild Shape benefits that make your attacks more frequent and more powerful.
Subclass
Wild Shapes Unlocked: Bear, Badger, Cat, Spider, Wolf
As a Circle of the Moon druid, you gain more Wild Shapes than other subclasses, and you can heal in Wild Shape.
Feat
Wild Shapes Unlocked: Dire Raven, Deep Rothé
For your first feat, take Tavern Brawler. Since your Wild Shape attacks count as unarmed attacks,this feat will boost your attack and damage rolls while in animal form. You should also add the +1 bonus to your constitution to increase your health.
Level 3 Spells Unlocked
Wild Strike
This gives you an extra attack per turn while Wild Shaped.
Primal Strike
Wild Shapes Unlocked: Panther and Owlbear
This causesWild Shape attacks to overcome resistance or immunity to non-magical damage. If an enemy is resistant to slashing damage, your Wild Shape attacks will instead count as magical when attacking that enemy.
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Wild Shape Unlocked: Sabre-toothed Tiger
For your next feat, take Resilient for your Dexterity ability. This will make youproficient in Dexterity saving throws, so you’ll be harder to hit with spells or any attack that requires a Dexterity save. If concentration spells are more important to you, this would be the time to grab War Caster.
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For your final feat, take Alert. As a control spell caster,the sooner you may start casting those crowd-control spells, the better.If it’s impossible to be surprised, you also avoid losing the first turn of combat.
Best Equipment For A Circle Of The Moon Druid
Sincemost gear doesn’t affect you when you’re in Wild Shape, you’ll want weapons and armor that increase your spellcasting power and AC for your humanoid form.
The Armor of Moonbasking is tailored for Circle of the Moon druids and should be your armor for the rest of the game once you obtain it.
Worn by Minthara
As for weapons,you’ll want to stick to quarterstaves. Early on, they give you the benefit ofShillelaghfor damage in a pinch. Later in the game, they offer powerful spell casting assets.
Quarterstaff
Act 1
Gifted by Kagha or Rath after completing the Investigate Kagha quest.
How To Play A Circle Of The Moon Druid
While Circle of the Moon druids center on using Wild Shape, don’t forget that druids are still a full spell-casting class. Half the battle for you will be preparing your allies for combat with spells before a fight even starts.
Before A Fight
You should castLongstrideron yourself and all party members every long restsince it has no concentration and is a ritual spell, so it doesn’t cost a spell slot.
You can also castLongstrideron your summons, such as your Dryad.
Freedom of Movementis another spell with no concentration that lasts until a long rest, but it does cost a level four spell slot.Reserve it for allies on the front line of combat, such as yourself (when Wild Shaped).
If possible, you’ll also want tocast your summons before a fight. This allows you to spend the first round of combat casting other spells and also allows your summons to start dealing damage right out of the gate.
Try not to get your summons out too early, as they can have trouble keeping up with the group if you need to jump or climb, for example.
Your best summons areConjure Woodland Being, who even has her own summon, andupcastingConjure Elementalfor a myrmidon.
During A Fight
You should start combat encounters off by laying downa spell such as Spike Growth or Plant Growth to slow enemies down. Thanks to your boost to initiative and inability to be Surprised from the Alert feat, you should be able to get this done early on.
You can concentrate on spells while Wild Shaped but can’t cast them. You’ll need to cast your control and support spells from a distance before charging to the front of the line in Wild Shape.
At earlier levels, your owlbear shape will be your best option for damage dealing and mobility. Once you unlock them, however,your myrmidon Wild Shapes are powerhouses with high health, strong abilities, and high mobility.
At level 12, every tough fight will haveyou in myrmidon form, another myrmidon, your dryad, and her wood woad, all dealing damage.
