This guide focuses on the best Wizard build in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Abjuration subclass, and includes all components to create a powerful character.
This build has been updated for the Patch 7 version of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Everything About the Abjuration Wizard
Wizards class are renowned for their spellcasting prowess and unmatched versatility. They have access to the largest spell list in the game, enabling them to adapt to various situations. Wizards excel in area-of-effect spells, utility, and control, but they may require careful planning and preparation. We will select the Abjuration subclass which excels at providing support and protection to your more heavy-hitting DPS party members. Their protection spells feed into the subclass feature Arcane Ward, which is a shield that is amplified by casting Abjuration spells.
Abjuration Wizard Class Mechanics and Features
Here are the essential Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build features and mechanics to focus on:
- Primary Ability: Intelligence
- Saving Throws: Intelligence and Wisdom
- Subclass: Abjuration School
- Armour Proficiency: Cloth Armor
- Weapon Proficiency: Quarterstaves, Light Crossbows
- Preferred Armor: Clothing
- Preferred Weapon: Quarterstaff
- Arcane Ward: The residual magic of your spells forms a ward around you that protects you from harm.
- Projected Ward: When a nearby ally takes damage and you have an active Arcane Ward, you can sacrifice your ward to reduce the damage they take.
- Improved Abjuration: Each time you take a Short Rest, the intensity of your Arcane Ward increases by an amount equal to your Wizard level.
Wizard Spell Casting Explained
- Cantrips: are like spells, but you can cast them infinitely, and they don’t take your spell slots.
- Prepared Spells: allows you to swap in and out spells that you’ve learned in your spell book.
- Spell Slots: limited resource of spells you can cast which needs long rest to replenish.
- Arcane Recovery: a resource that allows you to recover used spell slots.
- Concentration: spells that require you to focus which can be interrupted and you can only have one active at a time.
For the list of the best spells for the Wizard, look below in level progression.
Abjuration Subclass
Abjuration spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 are spells that protect the caster or their allies from harm. They can create magical barriers, deflect attacks, or even banish harmful creatures. The Abjuration school is a great choice for players who want to focus on protecting themselves and their allies from harm. With a wide variety of spells to choose from, Abjuration Wizards can be a valuable asset to any party.
The Abjuration Wizard School subclass unlocks the following features and spells:
- Abjuration Savant (Level 2) – Learning Abjuration spells from scrolls costs half as much, becoming 25 gold pieces per spell level.
- Arcane Ward (Level 2) – The residual magic of your spells forms a ward around you that protects you from harm. Each time you cast an Abjuration Spell, the intensity of the ward increases by an amount equal to the spell level, up to a maximum of twice your Wizard level. Each time you take damage, the ward blocks an amount of damage equal to its intensity, and its intensity decreases by 1. After each Long Rest, the ward intensity resets, and becomes the same as your Wizard level.
- Projected Ward (Level 6) – When a nearby ally takes damage and you have an active Arcane Ward, you can sacrifice your ward to reduce the damage they take.
- Improved Abjuration (Level 10) – Each time you take a Short Rest, the intensity of your Arcane Ward increases by an amount equal to your Wizard level.
Character Creation
Recommended Backgrounds for Abjuration Wizard
Sage is the Best Background for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build due to its two Intelligence-based skills. You want to pick a background that gives you skill proficiency in primary ability (stat) Intelligence. This choice mostly influences roleplaying and dialogue options aspects and allows you to create unique characters. Additional choices are:
- Sage: Proficiency in Arcana (intelligence) and History (intelligence). You are curious and well-read, with an unending thirst for knowledge. A companion who’s a Sage background is Gale.
- Acolyte: Proficiency in Insight (wisdom) and Religion (intelligence). You have spent your life serving a temple, learning sacred rites, and providing sacrifices to the god or gods you worship. Shadowheart is an Acolyte.
- Noble: Proficiency in History (intelligence) and Persuasion (charisma). You were raised in a family among the social elite, accustomed to power and privilege. A noble companion is Minthara.
Best Race Choice for Abjuration Wizard Build
The best overall race for an Abjuration Wizard is the High Half-Elf because they get an extra cantrip, more armour and weapon choices, and Darkvision. The Human race also has the Civil Militia trait allowing you to equip light armour and shields making it a great secondary choice.
High Half-Elf | Human |
---|---|
Free Cantrip | Civil Militia |
Civil Militia | Human Versatility |
Darkvision | |
Fey Ancestry |
The Wizard’s racial choice will not influence ability score, as everyone should get a +2 and +1 to spend regardless. This frees your race choice up to not completely hinder yourself based on ability score, but race features. Each of these races offers unique advantages that can enhance your combat prowess, survivability, or utility. Additionally, consider the roleplaying opportunities and character concepts that resonate with you for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build Guide.
Also Check:- BG3 Interactive Map
Recommended Skills for Abjuration Wizard Build
Investigation and Religion are the best skills for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build Guide because they complement your class abilities and enhance your effectiveness in various situations. In Baldur’s Gate 3, skills represent the abilities and proficiencies of your character that allow them to perform various actions and interact with the game world. Skills are associated with specific attributes and are used to determine the success or effectiveness of certain actions or abilities. They can be edited during character creation or with companions, during respec or reroll screen.
Here are the best skills for Wizard in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Investigation is an Intelligence Skill.
- Religion is an Intelligence Skill.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, each skill is related to a specific ability score and its effectiveness scales with the level of that score. You want to choose skills for your character that they already have a high ability score in. For example, if you want to have high Persuasion (which is used to influence dialogue choices), you need to have correspondingly high Charisma. Ideally, you want a party composition that includes a variety of high ability scores which can give you success in different skills.
Best Abjuration Wizard Ability Scores
Below is the best ability score to unlock the full potential of the best Abjuration Wizard Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Ability | Points Goal |
---|---|
Strength | 8 |
Dexterity | 16 |
Constitution | 14 |
Intelligence | 16 |
Wisdom | 10 |
Charisma | 10 |
The best ability score for the Abjuration Wizard Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 is score is 16 Intelligence, 16 Dexterity, and 14 Constitution. Intelligence will increase your chances of landing spells and increase your spellbook. Dexterity and cloth will help with your Armour Class (AC). The combination of Dexterity with the Mage Armour spell will have you at 16 AC and a much better chance to avoid spells increasing your survivability.
During character creation, the game will automatically distribute your abilities in the character creation abilities tab. You will need to re-prioritize the stats for the chart for the Best Wizard build. Simply use the plus-minus in the character creator and make sure you have the suggested race, or the numbers will be off.
Best Companions for Abjuration Wizard Build
The best companion for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build Guide is Lae’zeal because she’s a melee-focused damage dealer. She will engage enemies and take the pressure off your ranged-focused build, allowing you to free-cast spells. Having a heavy focus on melee will keep you in the distance while applying pressure, snaring, and debuffing the opposition.
- Lae’zeal (Fighter): damage, crowd control, and in-your-face aggression.
- Shadowheart (Cleric): buffs, healing, and control.
- Astarion (Rogue): Range damage with bow, stealing, and stealth.
When putting your party together, consider companions for not only their combat prowess but also their outside abilities and skills that can influence storytelling, dialogue, and exploration. A balanced party will fit the traditional RPG ‘holy trinity’: Tank, Healer, and DPS. Ideally, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you are going to want one tank, one healer, one melee DPS, and one range DPS. Some classes/subclasses can cover both roles, so feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Abjuration Wizard Spell Slots
Here’s a chart that shows the levels and spell slots unlocked for the Wizard class in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Wizard Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Level 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Level 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Level 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Level 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Level 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Abjuration Wizard Illithid Powers
Illithid Powers are unlocked later in the game when you learn more about the Mind Flayers and tadpoles. You can gain jars of Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens, consume them to gain one point. This is essentially another skill tree advancement with some very strong powers. If you decide to advance this skill line, these are the choices we suggest.
Here are the best Illithid Powers for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build Guide:
- Charm: Channel the dark allure of the tadpole to Charm an enemy that attacks you, preventing them from attacking you until their next turn. This is the priority power you want to obtain because you can force enemies to attack something else.
- Repulsor: deal force damage and Force Push anything and anyone back 6m. Used if surrounded and or you don’t have Thunderwave.
- Shield of Thralls: Conjure a volatile shield around yourself or an ally, granting the target 10 temporary hit points. If these temporary hit points are lost due to incoming damage, the shield bursts, possibly Stunning nearby foes. This can be a useful defensive shield when expecting or taking pressure.
- Freecast: You have discovered a marvelous adaption within yourself. Spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your next action or spell are removed. Refreshes after a Short or Long rest. Utterly god-tier feature to pair with metamagic making your build obsencely strong because you can cast essentially three spells in one turn. Put together Quickened spell (2x) and Freecast with bonus action (3x).
- Reflective Shell (WIZARD ONLY): A protective shell envelops you. It reflects any projectiles targeted at you to their point of origin. Does not affect creatures that don’t rely on sight or that can see through illusions.
Abjuration Wizard Level Progression
Level 1
At level one, the Wizard will unlock the following: three cantrips, two Level 1 spells slots and learn six spells.
Cantrip Selection
- Fire Bolt: Hurls fireball dealing 1d10 fire damage 18m range.
- Bone Chill: Prevent the target from healing until your next turn. Undead get Disadvantage on Attack Rolls.
- Blade Ward: Take only half of the damage from Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing attacks.
Spell Selection
- Mage Armour: Surround an unarmoured creature with a protective magical force. Its Armour Class increases to 13 + its Dexterity modifier.
- Magic Missile: Create 3 darts of magical force, each dealing 1d4+1 Force to its target. The darts always hit their target.
- Sleep: Put creatures into a magical slumber. Select targets up to a combined 24 hit points.
- Thunderwave: Release a wave of thunderous force that pushes away all creatures and objects (2d8 Thunder).
- Chromatic Orb: Hurl a sphere that deals 3-24 elemental damage and possibly creates a surface on impact.
Abjuration Wizard Level 1 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Sleep.
Abjuration Wizard Gameplay & Priorities
The most important element of playing a Wizard is making sure that you use Mage Armour immediately following every long rest. This will boost your Armour Class to 16. Moreover, if you can also equip a shield, you’ll reach 18 AC. However, to equip a shield you need a race like Half-Elf or Human! Next, you want to focus on crowd control. This can be done with Sleep, Grease, and Fire Bolt combination. Additionally, you can use Thunderwave as a knockout, and Chromatic Orb for stuns. Chromatic Orb can be cast using Ice which can knock enemies prone, essentially skipping their turn. Wizards become much more powerful at level 5 but expect a slow start until you reach there. Your priorities early are:
- Complete Prologue
- Recruit Companions
- Unlock Withers, respec companions to proper class/ability score
- Collect the Necromancy of Thay (important in Act 3)
- Reached Hollowed City/Druid Grove
- Sell, Stock up, complete quests
- Unlock summons, Scratch, Shovel
- Progress to level 5
- Reach Underdark and Grymforge
- Check all Permanent Bonuses in Act 1 and the best Gear
- Act 1 Checklist for step-by-step completion
In summary, you want to have a knockback, area damage, single target damage and stuns. The default spell selection will give you this, but you can freely swap in and out spells as you learn what’s best for your party composition.
Level 2
Level two the Wizard picks their subclass (obviously we will be choosing Abjuration here), they get two spells and will have a total of 5 prepared spells. You get access to two features from the Abjuration school.
- Shield (spell selection): When you are about to be hit by an enemy, increase your Armour Class by 5. You take no damage from Magic Missile.
- Find Familiar (spell selection): Gain the service of a familiar, fey spirit that takes an animal from your choice.
- Abjuration Savant (subclass feature) – Learning Abjuration spells from scrolls costs half as much, becoming 25 gold pieces per spell level.
- Arcane Ward (subclass feature) – The residual magic of your spells forms a ward around you that protects you from harm. Each time you cast an Abjuration Spell, the intensity of the ward increases by an amount equal to the spell level, up to a maximum of twice your Wizard level. Each time you take damage, the ward blocks an amount of damage equal to its intensity, and its intensity decreases by 1. After each Long Rest, the ward intensity resets, and becomes the same as your Wizard level.
Abjuration Wizard Level 2 Gameplay
Level two we select the Abjuration cantrip which unlocks the premise behind the build: Arcane Ward. This will essentially lower your damage based on your level and the Abjuration spells you cast. The most common spells early on are Mages Armour and Shield. The spell level will also increase the ward, blocking incoming damage. As you level up, and unlock subclass features, you can use this Ward to protect allies at level 6. This gives you more defensive capability and support.
You need to be aware of the spells you select and look towards casting useful and relevant Abjuration spells. Also, something to be aware of: you can learn a massive amount of spells with Abjuration Savant. You can consume scrolls and learn spells but only prepare a certain amount based on your overall Intelligence and level. The advantage of the Wizard is, you can swap spells in and out based on individual encounters. We will recommend a general loadout below, but feel free to experiment and swap in and out spells based on what you and your party need.
For example, the two spells selected at level two we haven’t prepared yet. Find Familiar is very useful for exploring holes which normal-size party members cannot enter. You can just drop a spell-like Sleep and prepare this, cast and use the spell at will. The same goes for Shield, a very powerful defensive spell. If you struggle with survivability, drop Sleep and prepare this spell instead. Shield consumes a reaction, which is passive and doesn’t affect your action and bonus action resource. Combat remains the same, and you can slot Ice Knife which is a great area-based ranged damage ability at this level.
Abjuration Wizard Level 2 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Sleep, Ice Knife
Level 3
At Level 3 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks two level 2 spells, and gets to select two new spells with a total of 6 prepared spells.
- Scorching Ray (spell selection): Hurl 3 rays of fire. Each ray deals 2∼12 Fire damage.
- Misty Step (spell selection): Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space where you can see up to 18m range.
Drop Ice Knife and add Misty Step as the second level two spell. Misty Step consumes a bonus action and a level 2 spell slot to move throughout the map regardless of your movement. This is a must-have Wizard spell for offensive and defensive potential. You will want to keep a level 2 spell slot free just for this to escape melee pressure. There is also an Amulet of Misty Step which will give you free use of this ability.
Scorching Ray acts as your main damage ability at this level and there is also a gear set that gives you a free cast called Circlet of Blasting. Both the Amulet of Misty Step and Circlet of Blasting give one free use per Long Rest which can be very useful at the start of the game with limited spell slots. The TLDR here is, to use Scorching Ray once, then save a level 2 spell slots for Misty Step to flee fights.
Abjuration Wizard Level 3 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Sleep, Scorching Ray, Misty Step
Level 4
At level 4 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks 1 new cantrip, two spells, and your first feat. Below are our suggestions at level four:
- Blade Ward (cantrip selection): Take only half of the damage from Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing attacks. This is a useful defensive cantrip when melee weapon users are attacking you.
- Flaming Sphere (spell selection): Summon a flaming sphere that damages nearby enemies and objects. The sphere sheds bright light in a 6m radius, and dim light for an additional 6m.
- Mirror Image (spell selection): Create 3 illusory duplicates of yourself that distract attackers. Each duplicate increases your Armour Class by 3. Whenever you successfully evade an attack, one of the duplicates disappears.
- Magic Initiate Warlock (feat selection): You learn two cantrips and a Level 1 spell from the Warlock spell list. You can cast the Level 1 spell once per Long Rest. Your Spellcasting Ability for all 3 spells is Charisma.
- Eldritch Blast (feat cantrip): 1d10 force damage via an 18-meter beam.
- Mage Hand (feat cantrip): When you cast Mage Hand, the spectral hand is invisible and can carry out additional tasks
- Hellish Rebuke (feat spell): returns fire damage if attacked once per long rest.
Abjuration Wizard Level 4 Gameplay
A lot is going to happen at level four based on our feat selection Magic Initiate Warlock. The reason we take this and not an Ability Improvement is, that we want to still progress our Wizard to level 12 for the level 6 spell slot and utility. Warlock Initiate is very helpful, providing access to the Eldritch Blast cantrip which is the strongest in the game. This way, you have both Fire Bolt and Eldritch Blast to use – one fire, one force. Later in the game, you can get the Quickspell Gloves which allow you to cast a cantrip as a bonus action, combing an action-based spell like Fireball with Eldritch Blast for big damage per turn.
Hellish Rebuke is also very handy because it’s another reaction-based spell. If you combine this with Shield, you can radically increase your survivability, lower damage with Arcane Ward, and return fire punishing the enemy for attacking you. The Asmodeus Tiefling race gets this spell for free and it’s once per Long Rest. Flaming Sphere is helpful at this level as well since it’s a summon, although requires concentration. This acts as a distraction does good damage at lower levels and can be swapped out after you progress.
The cantrips selected at this level are based on if you took the High Half-Elf racial passive, and mainly are utility inside and outside of combat. Make sure to swap the Shield spell and Mirror Image if you struggle with survivability. Drop Sleep for Shield and drop Flaming Sphere for Mirror Image. This setup will make you very survivable, but your goal is to find the balance between survivability and damage.
Abjuration Wizard Level 4 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Sleep, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Flaming Sphere
Level 5
At level 5 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks 2 level 3 spell slots, and selects two spells with 8 prepared spells. Below are our suggestions at level five:
- Fireball (spell selection): Shoot a bright flame from your fingers that explodes upon contact, torching everything in the vicinity 8d6 18m range 6m radius. This is the “mega” spell that everyone wants as a Wizard, and you start to feel very powerful. It does a massive amount of damage in a large radius. You need to make sure the area is clear or you target a spot on the ground that won’t impact your allies.
- Counterspell (spell selection): Nullify another creature’s spell as a reaction. The spell must be 3rd level or lower. If it is higher, you must succed a Check to nullify it, the difficulty of which is based on the spell’s Level.
Abjuration Wizard Level 5 Gameplay
At this level, we get two super-powerful spells Fireball and Counterspell. Counterspell, like Hellish Rebuke and Arcane Ward, is a reaction that doesn’t consume an action or reaction. \You will have a lot of tools to lower damage, return fire to enemies, and shut down a spell at will. Like Misty Step, you want to leave one level 3 spell slot in reserve during hard fights for Counterspell. This will ensure you can stop a potential group wipe spell from the opposition.
Fireball is one of the best spells in the game, but also devastating if you cast it on allies. You will want to avoid hitting friends and use it on a group of enemies only. For your prepared spell loadout, add Fireball and drop Sleep (crowd control) for Counterspell. The downside of doing this is you will have weak crowd control from this level forward. Look to other companions and party members to provide this for you so you can focus on damage.
Abjuration Wizard Level 5 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Flaming Sphere, Fireball, Counterspell.
Level 6
At level 6 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks and selects two spells. Below are our suggestions at level six:
- Haste (spell selection): Target yourself or an ally to become Hastened which allows an additional action for that character hastened. This spell requires concentration, and the target becomes lethargic when the condition ends after 10 turns.
- Animate Dead (spell selection): Create an undead servant from a corpse. The target must be a Medium or Small corpse.
- Projected Ward (subclass feature) – When a nearby ally takes damage and you have an active Arcane Ward, you can sacrifice your ward to reduce the damage they take.
The Level 6 the Abjuration Wizard gets a great utility subclass feature called Projected Ward. This allows you to shield and lower damage from allies and adds a lot of utility to your party. It will also reward you for casting more Abjuration spells because you want to pump up the number absorbed by this feature.
You can select Haste and Animate Dead as spells. Our suggestion is using the spell slot for Animate Dead which gives you an ally until Long Rest. However, you won’t be able to use this during combat, so post-fight, find a corpse and turn it into an ally. You can drop Flaming Sphere and rely on Animate Dead as a stronger, non-concentration-based spell.
Ending Act 1 with an Abjuration Wizard
By Level 6 you should be close to completing Act 1 content. Make sure to check traders and stock up on camp and alchemy supplies. Additionally, look over the best Act 1 items. There are also permanent bonuses you shouldn’t pass up in Act 1. Lastly, Grymforge has powerful armor and weapons (Adamantine) that can aid you well into Act 3. Consider taking the time to craft some items before transitioning to Act 2, because you won’t be able to come back to this map.
Abjuration Wizard Level 6 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield.
Level 7
At level 7 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks 1 level 4 spell slot and selects two new spells to learn. Below are our suggestions at level seven:
- Stoneskin (spell selection Abjuration): Turn a creature’s flesh hard as stone. It gains Resistance (half the damage) of all non-magical Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage. Lasts until a Long Rest
- Conjure Minor Elemental (spell selection): Conjure a minor elemental to fight alongside you.
At this level, you will select two level 4 spells, but only be able to cast one of them for now. Conjure Minor Elemental is the choice we recommend because it’s an ally that does great damage for you and will last until your next Long Rest. The Ice Mephat is the choice here because it does great range damage and can knock enemies prone.
Stoneskin you can slot next level and is a very good defensive Abjuration spell. It requires concentration but lasts until Long Rest and like Conjure Minor Elemental, can be cast outside of combat. You can also cast this on yourself or another friend which will make them much more durable. The downside is, with every long rest you will be casting a lot of spells: Mage Armour, Animate Dead, Stoneskin and eventually Minor Elemental. It will be worth it once you get into the habit because all of this support and damage will be significant.
Abjuration Wizard Level 7 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin
Level 8
At level 8 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks another level 4 spell slot, learns two new spells, and selects one feat. Below are our suggestions at level eight:
- Banishment (spell selection): Temporarily Banish your target to another plane of existence requires concentration. This is a very powerful single-target crowd control effect.
- Ice Storm (spell selection): Impel a storm of hail ice to crash from the sky, covering the ground and striking all objects and creatures within range.
- Ability Improvement (feat selection): +2 to Intelligence depending on how you spent your ability score early and how many permanent bonuses you selected. The goal is to reach 20 at a max level of 12 in BG3.
At this level, we get another spell slot so we want to slot Conjure Minor Elemental and add it into our rotation post Long Rest. The two spells we’ve learned have great utility. Banishment is one of the strongest single-target crowd controls in the game. It removes an enemy for two turns and is usually a high percentage to land the spell. Swap this in for difficult fights where one enemy seemingly destroys your team.
Ice Storm is a powerful cold area-based damage ability that can be very useful in large fights. It’s hard to target this spell properly because the radius is so big and you’re likely to hit your party members. You can also experiment with these spells via scrolls and thus not consume spell slots which is helpful if you have extra laying around.
Abjuration Wizard Level 8 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin, Conjure Minor Elemental
Level 9
At level 9 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks 1 level 5 spell, learns 2 new spells, and has 13 prepared spells to select from. Below are our suggestions at level nine:
- Conjure Elemental (spell selection): Bend the barrier between the Planes until they disgorge an elemental ally to follow and fight for you.
- Cone of Cold (spell selection): Make a flurry of frost, crisp air, and condensed snow crystals erupt from your hands.
Neither of the two spells we select at this level require concentration. Later added spells like Cloudkill and Planar Binding will require concentration. Planar Binding is a powerful crowd control spell but is limited to celestial, elemental, fey or fiend which is very narrow possibilities of enemies. Cone of Cold is easier to aim and control friendly fire which helps give us more area damage.
Add Conjure Elemental and Ice Storm to your spellbook. The reason we don’t add Cone of Cold is we only get one spell slot at level 5, and that will be used for Conjure Elemental post Long Rest. All of your summons stack in Baldur’s Gate 3, including Minor Elemental, Animate Dead, and now Conjure Elemental. These summoned allies will do a massive amount of damage to you and are often targeted preventing incoming damage from you and your group.
Abjuration Wizard Level 9 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental
Level 10
At level 10 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks another level 5 spell slot, subclass feature, learns one new cantrip, two new spells with a total of 14 prepared spells. Below are our suggestions at level ten:
- Light (cantrip selection): Infuse an object with an aura of light. Lasts until Long Rest.
- Planar Binding (spell selection): Target an otherworldly creature and attach its consciousness to your own. It will follow and fight for you as an ally. Lasts 10 turns
- Greater Invisibility (spell selection): Turn a creature Invisible. Attack against it have Disadvantage. It attacks with Advantage. When interacting with items, casting spells, or attacking, Stealth Checks are needed to maintain Invisibility. The check becomes harder with each successful attempt (DC 15 +1 per time a check is triggered). Lasts 10 turns.
- Improved Abjuration (subclass feature) – Each time you take a Short Rest, the intensity of your Arcane Ward increases by an amount equal to your Wizard level.
At this level we want to learn a couple of utility spells and one cantrip while slotting Cone of Cold for area damage. Cone of Cold is easier to aim and less likely to hit allies than Ice Storm or Fireball and does significant damage.
The Improved Abjuration subclass feature will increase your Arcane Ward via Short Rests. If you are entering a very difficult fight post long-rest, you can Short Rest one time to ensure this ward is strong. Not much changes gameplay wise beyond these adjustments.
Abjuration Wizard Level 10 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental, Cone of Cold
Level 11
At level 11 the Abjuration Wizard unlocks 1 level 6 spell slot, learns two spells with a total of 15 prepared spells. Below are our suggestions at level eleven:
- Globe of Invulnerability (spell selection): Creates a barrier that makes creatures and objetcs inside it Immune to all damage. Requires concentration, lasts for 3 turns.
- Create Undead (spell selection): Raise a corpse as a heinous mummy that fights by your side. The target must be a Medium or small corpse.
You’ve come to the final tier of spells, level 6, and there’s something important to point out. You will only get one level 6 spell slot unless you pick one of two of the most powerful Quarterstaffs in the game: Staff of Spellpower or Markoheshkir. These two uniquely have a passive that forgoes one spell slot and gives a free cast. Without these, you want to select two spells, with one being your primary and another a secondary in case you get these weapons.
Globe of Invulnerability is an Abjuration spell and our recommended selection. This will give you a ‘oh crap’ button and help prevent a death. The alternative is Create Undead which like other summons can be useful post long-rest finding corpses. Disintegrate is an ultra-powerful single target ability that is also useful if you feel you lack in that department. When in doubt, select for survivability and you can always learn more spells next level or via scrolls and swap prepared spells.
Abjuration Wizard Level 11 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental, Cone of Cold, Globe of Invulnerability
Level 12
At level 12 our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build learns two new spells and one feat. Below are our suggestions at level twelve:
- Cloudkill (spell selection): Craft a large cloud that inflicts 5∼40 Poison damage per turn.
- Blight (spell selection): Plants are more susceptible to this spell: they roll with Disadvantage, and still take half of all the damage if they succeed the roll. On Save: Targets still take half damage.
- Ability Improvement (feat selection): Add +2 Intelligence
At this level, we suggest taking a level 4 and 5 spell for extra area and single target damage. We are assuming you won’t have access to those two powerful staves at this level, and it’s better to select two spells you can use Cloudkill (area) and Blight (single target). This will fill in your damage capability nicely giving you a variety of spells at different spell levels. Your defensive capability alongside high damage should fit in nicely with almost any group composition. Keep reading below for party and gear recommendations.
Abjuration Wizard Level 12 Prepared Spells: Mage Armour, Magic Missile, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, Misty Step, Fireball, Counterspell, Animate Dead, Shield, Stoneskin, Conjure Minor Elemental, Conjure Elemental, Cone of Cold, Globe of Invulnerability,
Best Gear for Wizard Build
In Games like Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll explore the world, loot chests and your enemies’ dead bodies, and complete quests, and all those activities can reward you with useful items, potions, armor, weapons, scrolls, and much more. Progression and finding new gear are part of the game, and you will organically get more powerful weapons during your journeys.
Beginner: Starting the Game
Here’s the best beginner gear for the Abjuration Wizard Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Circlet of Blasting | Free Scorching Ray |
Cape | – | |
Chest | The Protecty Sparkswall | +1 Spell Saves |
Gloves | Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle | Free Scorching Ray |
Boots | Disintegrating Night Walkers | Mobility & Misty Step |
Necklace | Amulet of Misty Step | Free Misty Step |
Ring | Ring of Absolute Force | Free Thunderwave |
Ring | Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands | Free Invisibility |
Weapon 1 Main Hand | Melf’s First Staff | Free Acid Arrow |
Weapon 1 Off-Hand | Adamantine Shield | +2 AC (Half-Elf or Human) |
Weapon 2 Ranged | Bow of Awareness | +1 Initiative |
List of Best Act 1 Clothing, Weapons, and Equipment for the Abjuration Wizard in BG3:
- Circlet of Blasting: Sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony (Alternative Haste Helm).
- The Protecty Sparkswall: Looted in Gilded Chest in Grymforge X: -645 Y: 360 (Alternative Poisoner’s Robe).
- Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle: Sold by Lady Esther at Rosymorn Monastery Trail (Alternative Gloves of Missile Snaring, or Gloves of Hail of Thorns).
- Disintegrating Night Walkers: Found in Underdark from Ne’re NPC (Alternative Cinder Shoes or Boots of Speed).
- Amulet of Misty Step: Found in a Gilded Chest (X386 Y8) in Defiled Temple (Alternative Moondrop Pendant).
- Ring of Absolute Force: Dropped by Sergeant Thrinn in Grymforge (Alternative Ring of Colour Spray).
- Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands: Found in Grymforge Abandoned Refuge (Alternatives The Sparkswall, or Sunwalker’s Gift if Human).
- Melf’s First Staff: Sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony (Alternatives The Spellsparkler, or Staff of Crones).
- Adamantine Shield Complete the Adamantine Forge Quest in Grymforge use if Human or Half-Elf Race (Alternatives Glowing Shield, or Wood Woad Shield).
- Bow of Awareness: Sold by Vendor Roah Moonglow in the Shattered Sanctum. You can use it even without proficiency for extra Initiative!
Advanced: End-Game
The following table presents the best advanced and end-game gear for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Hood of the Weave | +2 Spell Save & Roll |
Cape | Cloak of the Weave | +1 Spell Save & Roll |
Chest | Robe of the Weave | +2 AC, Saving Throw |
Gloves | Quickspell Gloves | Cantrips Bonus Action |
Boots | Helldusk Boots | Mobility & Hellcrawler |
Necklace | Spellcrux Amulet | Restore spell slot |
Ring | Killer’s Sweetheart | Auto Critical |
Ring | Shifting Corpus Ring | Free Invisibility and Blur |
Weapon 1 Main Hand | Markoheshkir | Free Spells, +1 Roll |
Weapon 1 Off-Hand | Viconia’s Walking Fortress | If Human/Half-Elf |
Weapon 2 Ranged | Darkfire Shortbow | Free Haste Spell |
List of Best Act 3 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for Abjuration Wizard in BG3:
- Hood of the Weave: Sold by Mystic Carrion in Philgrave’s Mansion during Act 3 (Alternative Helldusk Helmet, or Mask of Soul Perception).
- Cloak of the Weave: Sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee (Alternative Cloak of Protection).
- Robe of the Weave: 1 At Ramazith’s Tower (Alternative Helldusk Armour, or Robe of Supreme Defences).
- Quickspell Gloves: Purchased at Lorroakan’s Projection at Sorcerors’s Sundries (Alternative Helldusk Gloves, or Gemini Gloves).
- Helldusk Boots: Gilded Chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress (Alternative Disintegrating Night Walkers).
- Spellcrux Amulet: Drop by The Warden in Moonrise Towers Prison X: 569 Y: -650 (Alternative Amulet of Greater Health).
- Killer’s Sweetheart: Obtained from the Gauntlet of Shar in Act 2 (Alternative Ring of Protection, Risky Ring).
- Shifting Corpus Ring: Drop by Fist Marcus at the Last Light Inn (Alternative Ring Of Regeneration, or Crypt Lord Ring).
- Markoheshkir: At Ramazith’s Tower (Alternatives Staff of Spellpower, or Incandescent Staff).
- Viconia’s Walking Fortress: Looted from Viconia DeVir during Shadowheart’s companion quest (Alternative Shield of Devotion).
- Darkfire Shortbow: Sold by Dammon Last Light Inn Act 2 (Alternative Gontr legendary bow).
Best Wizard Consumables, Potions, and Items
The following list represents the best individual use consumable items that will aid in our Wizard Build:
- Potion of Greater Healing: 8d4 + 8 healing and removes burning.
- Potion of Invisibility: Become invisible for 1 minute. Attacking or casting spells ends the status.
- Potion of Flying: 10 turns of flying.
- Potion of Speed: 3 turns of an increased action via the Haste condition.
- Potion of Angelic Slumber: fall asleep for two turns, then restore all spell slots, hit points, and abilities.
- Elixir of Bloodlust: Once per turn when you kill a foe, you gain HP 5 temporary hit points and an additional action.
- Elixir of Peerless Focus: gain advantage on concentration saves (ingredients Sublimate of Belladona, and any ashes).
- Elixir of Vigilance: gain +5 bonus initiative and you cannot be surprised (ingredients sublimate of bloodstained hook, any ashes).
- Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation: gain a level 3 spell slot (ingredients Solution of Night Orchid, any Vitriol).
- Elixir of Viciousness: increase your critical hit chance (ingredients Vitriol of Shadowroot Sac, any Ashes).
- Elixir of Universal Resistance: gain resistance to all damage (ingredients Vitriol of Divine Miasma, any Sublimate).
Abjuration Wizard Gameplay Tips and Tricks
- Pre-Buff: Always cast Mage Armour following a long rest. This will keep you alive and oftentimes you will forget it falls off.
- Bonus Action: Don’t forget your bonus action – you can use a potion of healing or speed to increase your survivability.
- Environment: Remember you can create environmental damage. Combine Grease with a fire spell and coat the area with fire damage.
- Knockback: Having a spell-like Thunderwave is essential to handling pressure from enemies.
- Area Damage: Your priority should be creating big area damage. Think of ways to hit multiple targets directly or with environmental damage to inflict the most damage at once.
- Rest Constantly: Your spell slots will quickly run out in challenging fights. Resting and using resources is a small-time commitment, but it’s the difference between life and death when you enter combat.
- Positioning: Keeping your distance and casting spells is how you successfully do damage. When needed, look to move back or even use Hide to prevent incoming damage.
- Crowd Control: Wizards have great crowd control options. Focus on taking out the primary target with Sleep, Hold Person, or any other CC to limit potential damage.
- Big Nuke: Typically, you want to cast your big spells early to finish off targets before they can attack. But save at least one of your spell slots for a critical moment. Usually, I do this for Misty Step as it’s a ‘get-out’ card.
- Use Consumables: One of the best early consumables is the Potion of Speed. This gives you an extra action and essentially doubles your combat potential for a few turns.
Remember, this build guide serves as a foundation, and you can always adapt it to suit your preferences and the needs of your campaign. Enjoy playing with a formidable Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard Build Guide!
Abjuration Wizard Changes in Patch 7 for BG3
The release of Patch 7 for BG3 brought with it no significant combat, gameplay, or build-related change for the Abjuration Wizard. The main focus of this update was the final narrative additions mostly centered around evil endings, along with official modding tools and adjustments to honour mode.
Furthermore, the game now features a modding toolkit and an in-game mod manager, allowing players to create and install mods directly within the game. It enables players to produce unique content and continue the story in new ways.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Abjuration Build Summary Guide
Subclass: Abjuration School
Armor: Cloth
Weapons: Quarterstaff & Shield
Background – Sage
- Strength – 8
- Dexterity – 16
- Constitution – 14
- Intelligence – 16
- Wisdom – 10
- Charisma -10
Level Progression
- Level 1 – Chromatic Orb Spell
- Level 2 – Find Familiar Spell
- Level 3 – Misty Step Spell
- Level 4 – Feat Magic Initiate: Warlock
- Level 5 – Fireball Spell and Counterspell
- Level 6 – Haste Spell
- Level 7 – Conjure Minor Elemental Spell
- Level 8 – Feat +2 Intelligence
- Level 9 – Conjure Elemental Spell
- Level 10 – Greater Invisibility Spell
- Level 11 – Globe of Invulnerability Spell
- Level 12 – Feat +2 Intelligence
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