Few classes are as synonymous with the fantasy genre as the wizard, and inBaldur’s Gate 3, they are one of the most fun classes to play. And, thanks to Gale of Waterdeep, almost every party will have a wizard as they set out to defeat the Absolute and save all of Faerûn. As wizards differ in key ways from otherBG3spellcasters, there are certain feats that will help make the most of any arcane spellslinger.
Baldur’s Gate 3has plenty of feats to choose from, and wizards can select three at levels four, eight, and 12. Wizards differ in several ways from other spellcasters, which changes what features will benefit them compared to choosingfeats for a sorcerer inBG3. The feats here will helpincrease a wizard’s survivability, enhance their magic, and provide more options for many different builds.
10 Best Feats For Bards In Baldur’s Gate 3
Bards are powerful support characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 capable of buffing and inspiring the party, and these feats will make them even better.
10Alert - Boost Initiative
Don’t Let The Wizard Get Caught By Surprise
The last thing any adventuring party needs when out trying to save the world is one of the squishiest members of the group missing their turn. While wizards can deal incredible damage, they can be vulnerable to melee attackers, especially if they are unable to act. Alert is wonderful for this and a fantastic all-around feat, as one of its main featuresprevents the character from being surprised.
This stops enemies from getting free shots at characters with the feat, as the surprised condition also prevents reactions from being used.Alert also gives a brilliant plus five to initiate rolls, helping bump the party wizard up the initiate to take control of the battlefield. With spells at their disposal likeHold Person,Haste, andslow, making sure powerful spellcasters never miss a beat can change a fight in the party’s favor.
9Ritual Caster - Two New Spells
Learn Two Vital Spells That Won’t Require Spell Slots
Wizards are able to learn new spells at any time by using spell scrolls the party finds on their travels. However, a good spellcaster can never have too many spells, and ones that don’t require spell slots are even better. Ritual Caster allows the wizard tolearn two new ritual spellsfrom a list of six great utility choices.
Ritual Caster
enhance leap,Disguise Self,find familiar,Longstrider,Speak with Animals,Speak with Dead
There are no wrong choices when picking the ritual spells to learn, butspeaking with animalsandspeakingwith deadare both brilliant. Both are spells the wizard would not usually gain access to when leveling up, and both are extremely useful across all three acts ofBG3.There are several quests that are made significantly easier with a character who knows these spells, and even some that are unlocked purely throughspeak with animals.
10 Best Times To Cast Speak With Animals In Baldur’s Gate 3
Speak with animals can help you make new furred, feathered, and scaled friends in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here are the best critters to use it on.
8Dual Wielder - Boost To AC & More Damage
Use Two Staffs At Once For Maximum Fun
Choosing a weapon-based feat might seem a little odd for a class that primarily uses magic, but Dual Wielder allows wizards to do some really fun things. In addition to providing a wizard with a niceplus one to their AC while using a melee weapon in each hand, Dual Wielder allows them to use two quarterstaffs. While it’s doubtful that any self-respecting wizard will be bonking enemies left and right with their staffs, this does open up some fun options with spells.
Many staff come with spells and great bonus features, andbeing able to use two at once means the wizard won’t have to choose between two awesome options. There are some in Acts 1 and 2 that are worth keeping an eye out for, such asMelf’s First Staffand theIncandescent Staff. However, once the party enters Act 3, there are some brilliant staffs for any wizard to fight Gale for, like theStaff of SpellpowerandMarkoheshkir.
7Lightly Armoured - Increase Armor Options
Make Wizards Less Squishy With Better AC
While there are somecool clothing piecesfor wizards to wear inBG3, they are often lacking in the defense department as the class limits them to non-armor options. Because of this, wizards will often have the lowest AC in the party, making them the perfect example of glass cannons. However, with Lightly Armoured,a whole new category of armor is opened up for the wizardwithout compromising spellcasting.
With the Lightly Armoured, the wizard can increase either their Strength or Dexterity score by one. But more importantly,they will gain proficiency in light armor for more protection from higher ACs. InBG3, any character can put on any armor, but if they are not proficient, they will not be able to cast spells and will be at disadvantage for attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
10 Best Light Armours In Baldur’s Gate 3 (& Where To Find Them)
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers the party a brilliant range of light armor across all three acts to help them stay one step ahead of the Absolute.
6Resilient - Boost Vital Stats & Gain Proficiency
Constitution Boost Will Help With Spell Concentration
There are tons of spells inBG3that require concentration, and some of the best are available for wizards to learn, such asTasha’s Hideous LaughterandCloud of Daggers. To maintain concentration when they are attacked, a spellcaster will have to succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or the spell will drop. Because of this,any wizard will benefit greatly from any boost to their Constitution,and the Resilient feat is perfect for this.
The save DC for concentration check is equal to half of the damage taken, or 10, whichever is higher.
The Resilient feat covers each of the six ability scores and increases the chosen ability score by one. However, what makes Resilient: Constitution so valuable for wizards is that it will alsogive them proficiency in Constitution saving throws. This allows the wizard to add their proficiency bonus to any concentration checks, greatly increasing their chances of success.
5Mobile - Increased Movement Speed
Get Wizards Out Of Danger When Needed
While it might be tempting to have a wizard stand in place and fire off spells during combat, keeping any spellcaster mobile is vital. The Mobile feat has three great features that will help any wizard avoid trouble if melee enemies start to get too close. The first is the feat’s awesome boost to movement speed, whichincreases how much a wizard can move each turn by three meters/10 feet.
With the Evade Difficult Terrain feature, when using the dash action, the wizard won’t be slowed down by difficult terrain, making repositioning or escape much easier. However, the best aspect for a wizard is the Evade Opportunity Attack feature, which helps when getting away from melee enemies. With this,if the wizard moves after making a melee attack, they do not provoke an attack of opportunity.
4Durable - Constitution Boost & Better Short Rests
Keep Wizards In Good Shape Between Long Rests
Anything that helps a wizard stay on their feet during a hard day of adventuring is a good thing. With their power coming from their spells, their Intelligence stat must take priority, so feats that help boost a wizard’s Constitution score are good to watch for. Durable is excellent for this as it firstincreases a character’s Constitution by one, which in some cases can even take away a minus modifier.
However, the best part of the Durable feat is the change it makes to short rests. With this feat, the wizard willregain their full hit points during a short restinstead of half of their maximum. Although this won’t restore any spell slots, wizards have their Arcane Recovery feature, and items such as theSpellcrux Amuletand thePearl of Power Amuletcan also help with that issue.
3Spell Sniper - Increased Odds Of Critical Hits
An Extra Cantrip & The Potential For More Damage
Spell Sniper is a perfect feat for any spellcasting class as it increases the possibility of them dealing massive amounts of damage with spells. With this feat,the wizard will gain the ability to learn a new cantrip from a choice of six, which all require spell attack rolls. This new cantrip will use the wizard’s Intelligence as the spellcasting ability, even if it is not usually a wizard spell, such as eldritch blast.
Spell Sniper
bone chill,Eldritch Blast,fire bolt,ray of frost,shocking grasp,Thorn Whip
However, the feature that makes Spell Sniper so valuable to a wizard is how it increases the chance of getting a critical hit. With Spell Sniper,the number needed to get a crit is reduced by onewhen attacking with a spell that requires an attack roll. This effect stacks with other items that also reduce this threshold, such as theElixir of Viciousness.
2Elemental Adept - Ignore Elemental Resistances
Essential For Elemental Wizard Builds
There are a number ofwizard builds forBG3that focus on mastery of one particular element to maximize damage output. Elemental Adept is perfect for any wizard or spellcaster looking to specialize in one elemental damage type. With this feat,the wizard will be able to pick from the five elemental damage typesfound inBaldur’s Gate 3.
Elemental Adept
acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder
After this,all spells cast that deal with that damage type will ignore an enemy’s resistanceto it; for example, fiends are typically resistant to fire damage. But even better is that with Elemental Adept, when the wizards use spells of the chosen damage type, they will be unable to roll a one for damage. This feat makes it so that any ones rolls are treated as a two, making using them even more worthwhile.
1War Caster - Help With Concentration Spells
Essential Assistance For All Spellcasters
Finally, War Caster can’t be beaten as one of the best feats for wizards or any spellcaster who uses concentration spells. War Caster has two brilliant features for spellcasters to aid them with concentration and opportunity attacks. Firstly, War Caster will allow the wizard touse Shocking Graspas a reaction against enemies moving out of melee range. While being deliberately in melee range is not likely unless playing as a battlemage build, it is always good to have extra tricks up a wizard’s sleeve.
If the wizard does not already have Shocking Grasp, then they will only be able to use the cantrip as a reaction as part of the feat.
However, the most important feature of War Caster is its help with concentration checks to maintain key spells in the wizard’s arsenal. With this feat,wizards will have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentrationshould they take damage during combat inBaldur’s Gate 3. As I’ve found that maintaining concentration can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing a tough fight, War Caster is always a great choice.
