Spellcasting in Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a blast, and I’ve only completed the game as a sorcerer! The range of spells—from offensive to defensive and everything in-between (and out-of-bounds)—has been immensely fun to explore and play around with. Knowing that there’s still so much left to discover makes me appreciate the combat in this game even more.
That said, after tooling around with spells across all classes, I’ve come up with a list of those I would consider to be must-haves in any playthrough. Of course, YMMV, so feel free to add your own two cents in the comments.
In no particular order (save for spell level), these are the Baldur’s Gate 3 spells we recommend the most.
Speak With Animals
Though this rarely has any combat use, Speak With Animals is a must for anyone who enjoys finding all the silly, hidden quirks a game has to offer. Larian has famously included similar spells in past games (“Pet Pal” was an essential trait for me in Divinity OS 2), and the devs have always done a fantastic job of making them worthwhile.
In this game especially, Speak With Animals will make the world feel so much bigger and lived-in. For instance, I now know a few words in the official “cat language.” I’m the “mermer” to a cat now, as it should be.
Misty Step
Every class benefits from Misty Step, which allows you to teleport from where you stand to any location you can see, regardless of your status. Misty Step can help you evade sticky situations, get up close to enemies you need to take down ASAP, and help you navigate around a map with little trouble.
Best of all, you don’t have to be a proficient mage to use it. There are a few items that can grant players Misty Step, including an amulet bearing the name, and a pair of boots called the Disintegrating Night Walkers.
Counterspell
I like to offer spell variation between characters, but Counterspell is one that I think each and every spell-caster needs. If an enemy gears up to cast a nasty spell, you will automatically be given a chance to react using Counterspell—and doing so has saved my ass more times than I can count!
Counterspell can keep you from getting frozen, knocked over, blasted into smoke, and any other manner of horridness. You cannot, cannot miss out on this spell.
Fireball
Ah, the classic crowd-control spell. What more is there to say? It’s just great. Point, click, and shoot. This is also what I refer to as the “Gale finally paying his rent” spell.
Sleet Storm
Concentration spells are the bane of my existence in this game, especially since enemies are surprisingly good at keeping their concentration. Trying to beat an enemy out of stun-locking your friend is like trying to pull an orc’s teeth. Luckily, there’s Sleet Storm for that.
This spell is mostly designed to knock enemies flat as a tactic for breaking their concentration. It’s helped me free buddies multiple times—and, as an ice-element spell, it can also put out fires. You’re welcome, Volo!
Wall of Fire
There are other Wall spells, but Wall of Fire is by far the most useful, since it does a hell of a lot of damage to anyone it touches. We’re talking ~20 points per movement, which, if strategically placed, can kill enemies before they get anywhere near you.
Plus, it can trap the smarter ones and keep them from inching closer to you, effectively containing them until you can send a ranged character within sniping distance. My favorite place to use this spell is in tunnels, which has easily turned harder fights into laughably sad ones for my enemies.
Telekinesis
As a higher level spell, some players might forego Telekinesis in favor of the many high-level DPS spells. However, Telekinesis has earned a spot on this list for just being plain fun, especially with characters who can wield it well.
With Telekinesis, you can block an enemy’s path, as well as just simply throw them off a cliff. I got a gith item with this spell and gave it to Lae’zel, which made her even more of a beautiful monster than she was before. Who needs hands when you can just lift someone into outer space with your mind?
Disintegrate
Remember that fight with the Avatar of Myrkul, and how, if he ate enough spells, he could make you disintegrate with one blow? Remember how annoying that was? Guess what: you, too, can become annoying.
Disintegrate is one of my favorite spells in the entire game, for so many reasons. It does a disgusting amount of damage (50-100 points), the sound it makes is super satisfying, and if your target has low enough HP, it will, fittingly, disintegrate. Best of all, if you’re a sorcerer, you can use the Metamagic Twin-Spell feat to disintegrate two foes at once. Twice the crackle for twice the dust!
Globe of Invulnerability
Now, this baby right here is my favorite spell in the entire game. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a fan of cheesin’ it, and Globe of Invulnerability has been the most delicious cheese of all. Place it around you, and nobody can affect you whatsoever. The worst they can do is push you out of the globe, which, although annoying, is rare enough that this still ends up being an incredibly effective and useful spell.
Fights that would have otherwise obliterated me and my team were saved thanks to the Globe. Shar’s servants? Globe. Sarevok? Globe. The Elder Brain itself? What’s a brain to a Globe? I love you, Globe.
Planar Ally
Alongside the Globe, I couldn’t have made it out of some pretty sticky fights without Shadowheart’s good friend, the Deva. With Planar Ally, you can summon three extraplanar beings: a Cambion, a Djinni, and a Deva. All three are incredibly powerful, have a ton of HP, don’t go down easy, and are invulnerable to most status effects. As such, they can attract enemy attention away from you while easily holding their own.
I ended up using the Deva 99% of the time because most enemies in your standard “good” run are weak to Radiant damage, and the Deva is more often than not a holy loin-clothed killing machine. If I can’t have a Daeran-style aasimar in this game, then my wife’s angelic boy toy will have to do.
(featured image: Larian Studios)
