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Discover the best Druid subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 ranked from best to worst, including the upcoming Circle of Stars subclass in Patch 8.
Druids are spellcasters who wield and manipulate nature magic and can transform into various animals thanks to the Wild Shape ability. They can shape-shift into a wolf, bear, spider, and much more, each granting them unique tactical advantages. Typically, Druids excel at support roles, crowd control, and summoning, making them valuable assets to any party. In this guide, we will be ranking all subclasses of Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3 from the best to worst, and tell you how the upcoming Circle of Stars subclass will play out for the Druid class.
What are Druid subclasses in BG3? Explained
Druid currently has three subclasses, Cricle of the Moon, Circle of the Spores, and Circle of the Land. Each subclass grants access to new features during level progress, allowing players to experience a new playstyle with Druid and choose a certain playstyle for their build.
Here are all Druid subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Circle of the Moon: This subclass emphasizes the Druid’s ability to transform into powerful beasts. Druids of the Circle of the Moon gain enhanced Wild Shape abilities, allowing them to transform into more potent creatures at an earlier level. They can also use Wild Shape as a bonus action and have increased hit points while in Wild Shape form. This subclass is well-suited for those who enjoy melee combat and shape-shifting.
- Circle of the Land: This subclass focuses on the connection between the Druid and the natural world. Druids of the Circle of the Land gain additional spells based on the type of terrain they choose as their circle, such as Arctic, Coast, Desert, Forest, Grassland, Mountain, Swamp, or Underdark. These additional spells provide versatility and thematic flavor to the Druid’s spellcasting.
- Circle of the Spores: This subclass focuses on using the power of decay and fungi to fight their enemies.
- Circle of Stars: Unlike typical Druids, Circle of Stars do not seek any powers of Wild Shapes, instead, they possess their own unique Starry Forms. It includes the constellations of the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon, with each one favoring a unique strategy and play style. With these new forms, you can enhance your powers as a Druid to be a healer, fighter, or strategist.
Druid Wild Shape Ability in BG3 – Explained
Before we rank the subclasses and explain their roles and features, it is best that you learn about Druid Wild Shape ability and how it works. The Druid possesses a powerful ability Wild Shape that can give druids a significant advantage in combat. It allows them to transform into a variety of different beasts, each with its own unique strengths and abilities. This can make them difficult to defeat, and it can also give them the ability to perform actions that would be impossible in their humanoid form. Notes about Wild Shape:
- Cost Bonus Action
- Wild Shape Doesn’t Drop concentration
- While in Wild Shape, if you use all HP, return to human form
- While in Wild Shape, gain access to a self-heal
While Wild Shape is great, but also limits your ability to heal allies which can be critical. The idea on how to use it is, to use a powerful spell, even one that costs concentration as your action on your first turn. Then use your bonus action to Wild Shape.
NOTE: The creatures you Wild Shape into, will have their own set of skills, ability scores, etc.
You can even drink potions in their form. The creature attacks scale in damage from Strength on most, but pumping up your individual strength won’t make them hit harder. So, stick to stacking Wisdom and Constitution and rely on the individual Shape’s ability score for offensive and defensive potential.
All Wild Shape Forms available for Druid
All the Wild Shape Forms that can Druid transform into are as follows.
- Cat: It has 2 hit points and a simple melee attack and Meow which acts as a distraction.
- Badger: It has 13 hit points, Bite melee attack, a Claw action knockback, and Burrow attack.
- Bear: It has a massive 30 hit points to start, a Claw attack, and a Roar.
- Wolf: Transform into the shape of a dire wolf that can increase its allies’ movement speed and leave its enemies by guaranteeing a critical strike.
- Spider: It starts with 20 hit points and has Venomous Bite action that does damage and possibly poisons targets.
- Dire Raven: It starts with 21 HP, a Peck attack, and Rend Vision which can Blind enemies.
- Deep Rothé: It starts with 23 HP, has a force attack Gore, and Charge.
- Panther: Allows you to turn invisible and attack from shadows, gaining an advantage.
- Sabre Toothed Tiger: Prone Enemies will receive huge damage.
- Dilophosaurus: Transform into the shape of a dilophosaurus whose Corrosive Spit can dissolve a target’s Armour Class
Below, we have ranked the Druid Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 from the best to worst order. Each corresponding section explains the role of the subclass and its progression.
Best Druid Subclasses in BG3, Ranked
1. Circle of the Moon
The Best Subclass for the Druid is Circle of the Moon, focusing on transforming into a Beast using the Wild Shape action to do high damage and cast spells. As you level the class, you will unlock new and more powerful forms. Furthermore, these beast forms primarily give your build strength as a damage-dealing machine. Additionally, many of the forms also have specific actions that can provide crowd control against enemies.
A Circle of the Moon Druid is fun and powerful blend of spellcasting and melee. Typical playstyle during combat is to start by casting a spell, and then using Wild Shape to transform as a bonus action at the end of your turn.
Circle of the Moon Features
The following features are available for the Circle of the Moon subclass while leveling up.
- Lunar Mend (Level 2): Expend spell slots to regain Hit Points while in Wild Shape.
- Combat Wild Shape (Level 2): Wild Shape now uses a Bonus Action instead of an Action.
- Available Wild Shapes (Level 2): Badger, Bear, Cat, Spider, Wolf
- Available Wild Shapes (Level 4): Dire Raven and Deep Rothé
- Wild Strike (Level 5): You can make an additional attack after making an unarmed strike while in Wild Shape.
- Primal Strike (Level 6): While in beast form, your attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical damage.
- Available Wild Shapes (Level 6): Panther and Owlbear
- Available Wild Shapes (Level 8): Sabre-Toothed Tiger
- Improved Wild Strike (Level 10): You can make 2 additional attacks after making an unarmed strike while in Wild Shape.
- Unique Wild Shapes (Level 10)
- Air Myrmidon: It starts with 90 hit points and increases every two druid levels. Cast Invisibility, Raging Vortex, and Electrified Flail.
- Earth Myrmidon:It starts with 103 hit points and increases every two druid levels. Cast Muck to Metal, Sludgy Sling, and Burrow.
- Fire Myrmidon: It starts with It starts with 90 hit points and increases every two druid levels. Cast Scorching Strike, Myrmidon’s Immolation, and Cinderous Swipe.
- Water Myrmidon: It starts with It starts with 90 hit points and increases every two druid levels. Cast Hiemal Strike, Healing Vapours, and Explosive Icicle.
2. Circle of the Spores
Although the Circle of the Spores subclass of Druid has access to the same Wild Shape transformations as all Druids, this subclass will use it much differently. The Circle of Spore Druid plays offensively, using Wild Shape charges for damage rather than shapeshifting. Moreover, this class can summon creatures, undead or otherwise to help aid in combat.
The Circle of Spores subclass is unique using a combination of Symbiotic Entity to buff your damage and then casting Halo of Spores with a reaction. This helps the Druid’s inherent weakness, lack of actions, and bonus action utility. As you progress, the subclass becomes much more powerful and is the offensive form of the Druid using spells. Wild Shape charges will be used for the Symbiotic + Halo combination and not for transforming into creatures.
Circle of the Spores Features
The following features are available for the Circle of the Spores while leveling up.
- Halo of Spores (Level 2): Unleash a cloud of Necrotic spores upon a target dealing 1d4 Necrotic damage.
- Symbiotic Entity (Level 2): Gain 8 temporary hit points per Druid level and deal an additional 1-6d damage necrotic Damage while you have them. Cast Halo of Spores with double damage. Consumes a Wild Shape Charge.
- Bone Chill cantrip (Level 2): Deal 1-8 necrotic damage and prevent the target from healing until your next turn.
- Fungal Infestation (Level 6): Raises a mildewed, mold-encrusted zombie from a corpse until long rest. Moreover, Halo of Spores damage increases to 1d6 (Necrotic).
- Spreading Spores (Level 10): While Symbiotic Entity is active, you can create a cloud of Spreading Spores. When inside of it, an enemy takes your Halo of Spores damage. While the cube persists, you can’t use your Halo of Spores reaction. Moreover, Halo of Spores damage increases to 1d8 (Necrotic).
Circle of the Spores Spells
The following spells are available for the Circle of the Spores subclass while leveling up.
- Blindness (Level 3): Limit a foes sight range. Attack Rolls against it have Advantage and the foe attacks with Disadvantage.
- Detect Thoughts (Level 3): Focus your mind to read the thoughts of certain creatures while talking to them.
- Animate Dead (Level 5): Create an undead servant from a corpse.
- Gaseous Form (Level 5): Transform yourself or an ally into a tiny gas cloud. It can’t fall and fits through small openings. Becomes resistant to all types of damage.
- Blight (Level 7): Deal 8-64 necrotic damage. Plants are more susceptible to this spell.
- Confusion (Level 7): Befuddle a group of creatures, causing them to attack at random, wander around aimlessly, and occasionally skip turns.
- Cloudkill (Level 9): Craft a large cloud that inflicts 5∼40 Poison damage per turn. You can reposition the cloud at every turn.
- Contagion (Level 9): Target is afflicted with a disease to choose from 6 proposed giving debuffs from your selection.
3. Circle of the Land
The Circle of the Moon subclass is a nature-focused spellcasting class. Furthermore, the Circle of the Land Druid specializes in harnessing the powers and energies of a specific natural environment or terrain type. This subclass is often seen as a guardian and steward of a particular region, and their connection to the land grants them unique abilities related to their chosen terrain.
The Circle of the Land Druid is a powerful spell-casting Druid. This subclass unlocks powerful spells that are always prepared at levels 3, 5, 7, and 9. Most of these are otherwise unobtainable for the Druid class and can make a powerful spell-casting damage dealer Druid.
Circle of the Land offers the following features and spell choices while leveling up.
- Natural Recovery (Level 2) – Replenish expended spell slots while out of combat
- Pick a Cantrip (Level 2) – Choose one from six available cantrips
- Wild Shape (Level 2) – You can transform into a Cat, Badger, Wolf or Spider
- Circle of the Land Spells (Level 3): Gain access to Spells associated with one of eight Lands. Each Land offers two spells.
- Circle of the Land Spells (Level 5): Gain access to Spells associated with one of eight Lands. Each Land offers two spells.
- Land’s Stride (Level 6): Difficult Terrain no longer slows you down.
- Circle of the Land Spells (Level 7): Gain access to Spells associated with one of eight Lands. Each Land offers two spells.
- Circle of the Land Spells (Level 9): Gain access to Spells associated with one of eight Lands. Each Land offers two spells.
- Nature’s Ward (Level 10): You can’t be charmed or frightened by elementals and fey. Disease and poison no longer affect you.
Patch 8 New Druid Subclass Circle of Stars
Unlike typical Druids, Circle of Stars do not seek any powers of Wild Shapes, instead, they possess their own unique Starry Forms. It includes the constellations of the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon, with each one favoring a unique strategy and play style. With these new forms, you can enhance your powers as a Druid to be a healer, fighter, or strategist.
NOTE: The actual properties of Circle of Stars’ features are unknown at this point. The explanation below is a general playstyle and overview of a Circle of Stars Druid.
These Druids look to the stars for answers, accessing powers beyond those offered through the classic wildshapes. Taking on one of three Starry Forms for their power – the constellations of the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each one favours a different play style and strategy – the Archer dealing radiant damage with astral arrows, the life-giving Chalice restoring hitpoints to you and others nearby, and the wise Dragon, allowing you to deal damage with an added bonus to constitution rolls. The Starry Forms offer not just a celestial aesthetic, but practical, powerful options to enhance your role as a healer, fighter, or strategist.
FAQs about Druid Subclasses in BG3
1. Question: How many Druid subclasses are there in BG3?
Answer: Currently, there are three subclasses available for Druid in Baldur’s Gate 3. It includes the Circle of the Moon, the Circle of the Spores, and the Circle of the Land. Moreover, a fourth subclass was announced for the Druid class called Circle of the Stars which will be available in Patch 8, coming out in early 2025.
2. Question: Which is the strongest Druid subclass in BG3?
Answer: The Circle of the Moon is the strongest subclass for Druid as it focuses on transforming into a Beast using the Wild Shape action to do high damage and cast spells. There are several Wild Shape transformations including the unique ones that can even help you crowd control against enemies.
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