Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Races and Ability Scores for Wizard Class

Picking the right race and ability scores is pivotal in Baldur’s Gate 3, no matter which class you’re going for. For Wizards, you’re going to look for races and ability score combinations that will focus on enhancing your spells.

Wizard is a class that wants to be unleashing spells left and right, but it’s tougher than it sounds. Some need proper set-up, and you’re going to have a lot of learning before you become a stellar Wizard. While the class feels harder to play than some others, like Sorcerer, for example, as you progress through the game it becomes much more rewarding and flexible.

Best Races for Wizard class in Baldur’s Gate 3

When picking a race in Baldur’s Gate 3, there are usually a bunch of great choices. In terms of Wizards, you could pick anyone you want, though, we highly recommend you’d go for either Elf (high subrace) or High-Elf (high subrace).

The reason for these picks is quite self-explanatory. Both of them give you an additional cantrip, which can be used anytime in a battle. With Wizards relying mostly on high-damage level slot spells, that can vanish if fights turn out to be too long, having a free damage spell every turn is a great way of ensuring you’re always useful on the battlefield.

Best Backgrounds for Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3

There isn’t much to be said when it comes to backgrounds in Baldur’s Gate 3. These usually should be chosen around how you plan to be enjoying the game. If you wish to talk yourself out of many situations, for example, choose Guild Artisan which grants Insight and Persuasion.

As far as Wizards go, I went for Sage, which goes along with Arcana and History skills enchantment. Arcana will allow you to recognize magic items faster, while History can be helpful in some dialogue options.

Best Ability Scores for Wizards in Baldur’s Gate 3

If your Ability Scores remain untouched, your character will look like the stats below by default. At least that was the case in my Elf (High-Elf) Wizard.

• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 13
• Constitution: 15
• Intelligence: 17
• Wisdom: 10
• Charisma: 12

This is a good way to go. The only change you could make, and I wish I made earlier, is to maybe lower your Charisma by two points and invest them into Dexterity. The Ability Score is most important when it comes to survival, and as I mentioned, you’re going to be a primary target for your opponents.

A few levels in, when you get some better spells under your belt, surviving is key to actually making proper use of yourself, and not just dying instantly. Obviously, you will have gained some spells that enhance your defense or give you the ability to keep your distance, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 reminds players of one classic game—and it’s not BG2

All in all, however, don’t stress too much about each detail when creating your character. Baldur’s Gate 3 is enormous and has countless opportunities to finish each quest and errand. When creating my character, most importantly I thought about how I wanted to play the game and chose options that suited my ideas. So far I’m doing well and I am having tons of fun, so I’d advise you to do the same.