Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Druid build in BG3

Creating different characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) is one of the main strengths of the game and in the fantasy land of the Forgotten Realms, Druids are one of the most unique. Who hasn’t dreamed about turning into an animal?

In this guide, we’ll present the best options to make the strongest Druid, but you can experiment to make an interesting character and have fun with stats that don’t always make sense but might make for a unique roleplay experience.

What are Druids in BG3?

You could say that Druids are the vegans and climate change activists of the Forgotten Realms. They are spellcasters that live as an extension of nature, using elemental forces or transforming into animals. Known to be the protectors of forests and keepers of balance in nature.

Druids have the unique ability Wild Shape that allows them to take the form and abilities of a variety of animals. This comes in handy not only in battle, but also when dealing with difficult terrain or to get into places you don’t have immediate access to.

Related: One week after launch, Baldur’s Gate 3 players have spent 88 years in character creation

Each class has unique pre-established features such as skill modifiers and proficiencies with weapons and skills. Here are all Druid class features in BG3:

Hit points

• Hit Points at first level: Eight plus Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at higher levels: Five plus Constitution modifier

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light Armour, Medium Armour, shields
• Weapons: Clubs, daggers, javelins, maces, quarterstaves, scimitars, sickles, spears
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception

Equipment

• Druid Leather Armour, Grovetender Boots
• Quarterstaff
• Two health potions, Scroll of Revivify

Spells

• Cantrips: Choose two from Druid spell list
• Known Spells: One plus Wisdom modifier.
• Spell Slots: Two level one slots

Class feature

• Wild Shape: You can have this feature after reaching level two. Magically assume the shape of a beast, but while in animal shape, you can’t talk or cast spells. When your animal form hits zero hit points, you revert to your normal form.

All Druid Wild Shape forms and their abilities in BG3

You won’t be able to Wild Shape right from the start of the game, but once you reach Druid level two, you can choose your subclass and start shapeshifting.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Bard build in BG3

Each animal type has a set of abilities you can use when in that form. You can take advantage of a cat form to be sneaky, or get into a locked building as a badger by burrowing into the ground.

As your level gets higher you can get to high places as a raven, crush your enemies as an owlbear, be stealthy as a panther, and even dissolve armor as a Dilophosaurus.

Here are all the animals you can transform into and watch of their abilities:

Best races for the Druid in BG3

The best races for Druids are Gold Dwarves and Forest Gnomes.

Races don’t affect the build as much as they did in early access. Since full release, there are no longer racial ability points, so when choosing the best class, you’ll only need to take into consideration the racial features.

Many recommend the Wood Elf or Wood Half-Elf for Druids because of the high movement speed, but since how much you can move changes as you use Wild Shape and the animal you choose to transform into, this feature doesn’t really matter if you’re Wild Shaping often.

Gold Dwarves are definitely the ones to go for the strongest Druid because of their resistance to poison and extra maximum hit point each time you level up. Forest Gnomes, on the other hand, are the most theme appropriate with the Speak with Animals spell, and they get the benefit of Advantage on Wisdom saving throws.

Gold Dwarf racial features

• Base Racial Speed: Movement range of 9m
• Dwarven Combat Training: Proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer
• Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 12m
• Dwarven Resilience: You have Advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage
• Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by one, and it increases by one again every time you gain a level

Forest Gnome racial features

• Base Racial Speed: Can see in the dark up to 12m
• Gnome Cunning: You have an advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws
• Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 12m
• Spell: Speak with Animals

Best subclass for the Druid in BG3

The Circle of the Moon is the best subclass for a Druid. As you might have noticed in the Druid Wild Shape forms table, the Circle of the Moon subclass grants more options of animals you can shapeshift to while the other subclasses don’t.

This subclass makes the most out of the Druid’s unique feature with additional possible animals such as the Bear, Dire Raven, Sabre-Toothed Tiger, and the elemental Myrmidons.

The Circle of the Land and the Circle of Spores subclasses focus on spellcasting and access to more elemental, weather, fungal and necrotic types of spells and cantrips.

The Circle of the Moon subclass will also grant you the Lunar Mend spell to expend spell slots to regain hit points while Wild Shaped, and the Primal Strike feature to make attacks while in beast form magical instead of non-magical.

Best background for the Druid in BG3

The best Background are the ones who have proficiency in skills from the Wisdom skill umbrella. Wisdom includes the Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival skills.

Taking that into consideration, the best background is the Folk Hero, since both proficiency skills— Animal Handling and Survival—are Wisdom ones. Other good options include the Acolyte, Guild Artisan, Hermit, and Outlander.

How to best distribute the ability points for the Druid in BG3

The most important skills for a Druid are Wisdom and Constitution since one is the class’ saving throw proficiency and the other will give more HP, but because of the Wild Shape feature, you’ll spend most of the time in combat with the ability scores of the chosen animal.

Building a Circle of the Moon Druid is very similar to a tank build since most of the animals you’ll use in battle will battle on the front line and crush your enemies. The extra Constitution will make it easier for you to stand in battle even if your animal form falls.

Your ability scores become those of the creature while Wild Shaped, except for Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom. But you keep your skill and saving throw proficiencies while in Wild Shape.

You can balance the rest of the ability scores however you prefer. In DnD, players tend to assign the numbers 15,14,13,12,10, and eight to abilities, but in BG3, there would still be five points left. Here’s our recommendation for a balanced Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Strength: 10 (+0)
• Dexterity: 14 (+2)
• Constitution: 16 (+3)
• Intelligence: 8 (-1)
• Wisdom: 16 (+3)
• Charisma: 10 (+0)

Best spells for the Druid in BG3

You can choose two cantrips and two spells when creating your Druid character. Later you’ll gain access to more and stronger spells as you level up. You’ll only be able to cast them when you aren’t using the Wild Shape ability, however.

Since you’ll only be able to use them if your beast form is down, it’s good to have some healing and buffing spells to make sure your character doesn’t die before reactivating Wild Shape.

Druid Cantrips

• Level 1: Shillelagh and Thorn Whip
• Level 4: Guidance
• Level 10: Poison Spray

Druid Spells

• Level 1: Healing Word, Entanglement, Thunderwave, Ice Knife
• Level 2: Goodberry
• Level 3: Moonbeam
• Level 4: Flaming Sphere
• Level 5: Call Lightning
• Level 6: Gust of Wind
• Level 7: Ice Storm, Conjure Woodland Beings
• Level 8: Polymorph, Wall of Fire
• Level 9: Conjure Elemental, Mass Cure Wounds
• Level 10: Insect Plague
• Level 11: Heroes’ Feast
• Level 12: Stoneskin