Gale is one of the main characters and companions in Baldur's Gate 3, the very mysterious Wizard from Waterdeep. However, playing as a wizard can be quite challenging for inexperienced players, as understanding spells is not an easy task. Therefore, we have gathered the best builds for wizards in general and Gale in particular, as well as discussed which spells, cantrips, and traits to choose for this class.
Note: you can be sure that with this build, even the Tactical difficulty mode will be a breeze — tested by the guide author.
The main feature of a wizard is spells. They can be difficult due to their large number and variety. It's not always clear where, how, what, and with what to properly combine. Unfortunately, for optimal gameplay, you will need to learn the spells or, at least, learn to navigate through them. We have already written about how to properly use spell slots. This is also important to understand when playing as a wizard.
Moreover, the classic wizard has very few hit points. Usually, at the first level, they have no more than eight hits due to a small Constitution — it's often simply unnecessary for them.
Recommended characteristics for the first level are shown in the screenshot above. You can choose skills with proficiency according to your play style, there is no particular difference here.
As mentioned earlier, wizards and Constitution are incompatible things because warriors at close range are not so good from them. This means that your wizard is likely to be knocked down from the first 1d6+2 hit by the nearest goblin. To prevent this and to make the hero feel comfortable both up close and from a distance, it is necessary to increase his Armor Class (AC), which directly depends on the dexterity score and is calculated as (10+ dexterity modifier). In this case, it will equal 12 units, which will already allow Gale to feel quite comfortable with a small amount of maximum health.
Note: Specifically, Gale does not have armor at the beginning of the game, so his Armor Class (AC) is so low.
At the first level, you can choose any spells. Recommended cantrips include:
Most likely, you will only use the first one, as the others are highly situational and do not bring much benefit.
Choose the following spells:
The main thing to remember is that your first action before a fight is to cast Mage Armor on yourself.
Note: New spells can be learned using scrolls.
Choosing a subclass is a very responsible step because it will determine how comfortable the player will feel in any fight. As much as Divination might seem trivial to you, it's not at all. The thing is, Divination is about Portent, and Portent is the most trickster feature in Baldur's Gate 3.
Portent will save you in almost every fight. For example, imagine you're fighting a boss, and your squad's XP is heading towards zero. But you still have one Portent Die left. On its next attack, the boss rolls a Critical Success on someone, and you realize you're doomed. If not for the Portent Die, which changes the opponent's roll to a much lower one — such as a Critical Miss.
Choose Chromatic Orb and False Life. They are more than enough to demolish goblins at the second level.
Here we recommend Misty Step and Shatter. This way, we get a fighter capable of dealing decent damage and having a good survival ability.
Note: do not forget that learned spells can be changed through the Spellbook.
The opportunity to choose any cantrip appears again, but at this stage, they are not particularly needed. We recommend Frostbite. It can be very useful, hitting and for several turns depriving the enemy of the ability to regain health.
Recommended spells:
The first can serve as a decent alternative to Thunderwave, to knock enemies off heights or into pits, and the second is an indispensable thing at many stages of the game.
A feat is a free opportunity to strengthen your hero every few levels. There are quite a lot of possible combinations, but now you need to choose something specific. For a hypothetical Gale and all wizards, the best option would be the Tough feat, which increases health points and overall survivability.
Levels five and six do not differ in leveling features, however, the third circle of spells opens up here. There are four essential spells that you can choose in any order:
Note that having them in the Spellbook is not enough — do not forget to prepare the spells.
Ice Storm and Dimension Door often become literal lifesavers for your squad. The first spell ensures safety in cases where the enemy slips (which often happens in the game), and the second provides the possibility for a quick retreat along with an ally.
Now you can choose Wall of Fire and Stoneskin. This will help greatly with controlling enemies and increasing your survivability. At this level, the main focus is not on spells, but on a new feat.
From the available feats for a wizard, the best choice would be Ability Score Improvement. We recommend increasing Intelligence to 18 points (note that increasing a wizard's stats should be strictly to an even number). Intelligence directly affects the hit chance and the difficulty of saving throws for your opponents.
We recommend giving preference to the following spells:
Now you again have the option to choose one cantrip. It should be noted that at this stage of the game, they will not bring any significant benefit. You can choose Light in case your wizard (hypothetical Gale) still does not have darkvision.
The most optimal choice will be two spells for hard control:
At the eleventh level, spells appear that will literally save the life of all squad members in one action:
The first one can and should be used often — especially when you feel that the outcome of the battle is not in your favor. The second deals devastating damage.
At the last level of leveling, your indispensable helpers will become Wall of Ice and Sunbeam. Remember that there are very few slots for the 6th circle, so you need to use them wisely.
The list of prepared spells at the twelfth level should look approximately as shown in the screenshot. Each spell here is quite universal, but you are free to replace some with the same cantrips, to save a whole spell slot during an attack whenever convenient.
The last feat also becomes available here, and we recommend again to increase attributes. You can increase Constitution, thereby increasing health, Intelligence (hit and saving throw difficulty) or Dexterity (AC). We have bet on intelligence, but you can experiment and base your choice on your play style.
Here is a list of the best spells that you won't get for leveling up, but which must be in your Spellbook:
All of them are extremely powerful and useful, so you should not skip them under any circumstances. Any scroll can be found in the 3rd story act, by visiting the basement of Ramazith's Tower, located in the Lower City of the Baldur's Gate.