Baldur’s Gate 3 is all about choices and living with their consequences, and the same applies to character builds, as all characters in the games aren’t stuck with their starting class and can multiclass as soon as they level up for the first time.
Multiclassing opens up some very interesting possibilities, but the path to creating a strong multiclass build is rife with dangers, mostly unseen. So, is multiclassing a viable option that all adventurers should look into? Let’s find out.
Should You Multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Multiclassing in Baldur’s Gate 3 works slightly differently from tabletop D&D 5e, doing away with the Ability Score requirements for adding a new class on top of the starting one. So, to make an example, you can make a Fighter Warlock as soon as you reach level 2 in the starting class without having to worry about having a certain Charisma score. This opens up a lot of customization options right from the start of the game, options that you will need to know how to manage to make the best out of them.
While there is no Ability Score requirement for multiclassing, Ability Scores still matter. Creating the Fighter Warlock hybrid mentioned above would lead to a very middling character, as the Fighter class’s main stats are Strength for a melee build or Dexterity for a ranged build, while the Warlock’s is Charisma, so any spell you may cast will not be as effective as if they were cast by a pure Warlock. As such, when attempting to multiclass, you should keep these things in mind to make an effective character. Picking the Fighter specced with high Dexterity for ranged combat as an example, multiclassing with the Rogue class would be a much better choice. A Fighter with high Strength goes well with the Barbarian class, to make another example.
While all this sounds enticing for the possibilities it offers, should you ever multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3? The answer is no, not really. Multiclassing prevents your characters from reaching their maximum potential in their starting class, so you may be giving up some powerful abilities for others that are not as useful. Even on Tactician difficulty, the game isn’t particularly difficult, so if you take advantage of the game’s mechanics, plan your moves accordingly, and never rush into a battle unprepared, you will never really need to multiclass.
On the other hand, if you live and breathe Dungeons & Dragons, and have a solid idea of what each class is capable of doing, then you should definitely multiclass to your heart’s content in Baldur’s Gate 3, as there are some uncommon combinations that work surprisingly well. You can undo any mistake you feel you made by speaking with Withers in your camp and respec, so you can experiment freely without having to worry about the consequences.
