Baldur’s Gate 3has an unforgivably hard mode for you to venture through, Honour Mode, which mimics the most notorious part of D&D or any tabletop RPG game: if the whole party dies, it’s over. Most bosses were also altered with new mechanics, more powers, or extra muscle helping them out, making the game more difficult than Tactician Mode.
You have one chance, so you have to powerbuild (optimize them for combat) your characters as much as possible. That means you have to be certain of which class you’re going with and which classes your companions will be in to ensure you’ll be undefeated throughout your journey.
If your entire party dies, you may choose to continue in dishonor.
You’ll be able to continue the journey and see what awaits you, but beating the game like this won’t register as you completing the game in Honour Mode.
That means no trophy/achievement and no golden dice for you.
7Paladin
The most popular class in Baldur’s Gate is popular for a reason. Among all martial classes,Paladinsare famousnot only for having a decent spell list — for a non-spellcaster — but also because of their Smite, which allows you to cause an absurd amount of damage when the situation calls for it.
With Smite, you can ensure the enemy who barely survived your attack still dies from it, or you can waste it all on the boss, making your life easier. Paladins also have the benefit of a good Charisma score, which is a powerful thing in this game, as you can persuade or intimidate opponents to prevent fights from happening in the first place.
6Fighter
Fighters have a similar rolein the party to Paladins, but they are easier to build and won’t rely on mechanics such as spells that only recover on a full rest — unless you’re going for an Eldritch Knight. And while they lack powerful damage burst similar to Smite, they are famous for keeping consistent damage with every strike.
They’re also the only class that can attack three times as a default, a little trick you’ll get at level 11, and with the likes of Action Surge, feats, or potions of speed, you can easily attack from six to ten times in a single turn, and that’s not counting opportunity attacks that may occur.
5Barbarian
Another option for consistent damageis the Barbarian. They’re even simpler to make, as they don’t need to rely on armor as much as the others to be a good melee or tank option. Rage will halve certain damage types, and they also have the biggest hit die among classes, ensuring a high health bar for you to survive on.
Still, they follow a route similar to Fighters, having consistent damage instead of a powerful outburst. Reckless Attack even lets you decide when to have an advantage, though it’ll make you more vulnerable in the process. Combining Reckless Attack with Great Weapon Master is a powerful combo, letting you cause over 20 points of damage per strike right at level four.
Suppose you wish to play as a frontline character who wields a heavy weapon.
In that case, there is a lot of specific armor and even a legendary weapon that works better when used by Githyanki, so you should also consider them as your race.
There are better options, but some of these are available earlier.
4Wizard
Regarding spellcasting,Wizards are the best in terms of variety. They have access to most spells in the game, and through scrolls, they can learn spells they usually wouldn’t have access to or learn even more than they would get through leveling up.
That versatility is even more highlighted through their subclasses, each focused on a school of magic, making some spells more powerful when you use them instead of another party member. For example, a Necromancer can raise more undead and give them more hit points compared to anyone else castingAnimate Dead.
3Sorcerer
Sorcererstrade magic versatility for raw power, being effective in combat thanks to their Metamagic. This feature gives you many extra perks, such as extending the range of your attack, targeting multiple opponents, or casting a spell with your bonus action, one of the best Metamagic options for improving your action economy.
Like Paladins, they also have a high Charisma score — even higher than Paladins — which will make them excellent at talking to NPCs instead of just combat. However, you may always cast two Fireballs on the same turn if the situation goes badly.
Spellcasters take a while to become effective, usually around level five. Be extra careful before that, or create a martial character and respec them when you reach a higher level.
you may also get one Wizard level to learn spells from scrolls and then proceed to the remaining levels with whatever spellcaster you feel like playing.
2Cleric
Clerics are notorious for their healing potential, and a Life Cleric is potentially the best healer you can have in your party, at least regarding raw numbers. However, Clerics are one of the most powerful classes in damage as well, depending on your Subclass pick.
At later levels, when you reach the most challenging encounters, Divine Intervention is a game changer — just be careful, as you can only use this feature once in the game unless you have multiple Clerics in the party, which is not a bad class to repeat.
1Bard
Bards usually stay in the supportive categoryas well. They are excellent healers, even though their healing output won’t beat a Life Cleric. Still, they also compensate with utility, such as Bardic Inspiration, which helps your allies to hit their attacks (and more), and Song of Rest, which is essentially a third short rest for the party, among other options. They’re also great at debuffing enemies, too.
All of that also comes with utility outside of combat, receiving half of your proficiency bonus in any skill check you’re not proficient with and getting Expertise in a few skills, doubling your proficiency bonus on them. Like Paladins and Sorcerers, the high Charisma helps here, too.
