When playing as one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s Origin Characters, players may want to respec to find the best possible class and subclass combinations for their characters. Origin Characters are fully fleshed-out characters with unique characteristics, limiting how much players can customize them. However, their classes and builds are still fully customizable, producing some exciting opportunities.

There are a few different approaches to optimizing Origin Character classes and builds. You might prefer to plan your build and multiclass as you level up. Alternatively, you can respec and change class with Withers, your friendly camp skeleton. It’s worth noting that some Origin Characters already perform extremely well and only require minor tweaks, while others can really shine when more substantial changes are made.

The Best Class For Astarion

The vampire spawn Astarion starts as a Rogue: a character class focusing on high Dexterity and stealth attacks. Rogues are a particularly underrated class in Baldur’s Gate 3 due to the many advantages that stealth affords, and their bonuses to Dexterity-based skill checks are useful throughout the game. As such, it’s best not to respec Astarion away from Rogue.

Although a total respec and class change isn’t recommended for Astarion, he benefits from a Rogue multiclass build. Multiclassing into other classes with abilities that augment stealth is highly recommended for Rogues, and Ranger is easily the top choice. Ranger starting bonuses include Proficiency in different skills, and they also gain their choice of fighting style at Level 2. Picking Archery or Two-Weapon Fighting can improve your ranged and melee sneak attacks.

Picking the Gloom Stalker subclass at Ranger Level 3 also grants you stealth abilities that synergize with Astarion’s Rogue sneak attacks. This includes Umbral Shroud, which Astarion can use to become Invisible when Obscured, as well as the benefits of Dread Ambusher. This includes bonuses to Initiative rolls, increased movement speed, and an extra attack on the first combat turn.

The Best Class For Gale

Gale starts as a Wizard by default, which makes a full respec less of a priority. One exciting option involves following a Wizard/Sorcerer multiclass build in BG3, which takes advantage of the Sorcerer’s Metamagic abilities to augment Wizard spells. However, sticking with Gale’s starting class to Level 12 is a perfectly viable approach. You have various spells to choose from, and prioritizing the right subclasses can make Gale a force to be reckoned with.

Gale can learn the same Wizard spells regardless of which Wizard subclass or School you pick. However, Schools also have ive bonuses. School of Abjuration provides Arcane Ward, which grants Arcane Ward charges whenever an Abjuration spell is cast. This can block or reduce incoming damage for Gale or his allies.

If you plan to make Gale a damage-dealing spellcaster, then the School of Evocation is hard to beat. Many of Baldur’s Gate 3’s top-level spells are Evocation spells, and Evocation Wizards add their Intelligence modifiers to Evocation spell damage after Level 10.

Wizards can also scribe spells to their spellbooks from scrolls. Spells that match their chosen School can be learned at half cost.

The Best Class For Lae’zel

Lae’zel starts as a Fighter, widely regarded as one of the best classes for beginners due to its relative simplicity. However, Fighters are also excellent damage dealers, with a wide variety of special attacks that are well-suited to controlling the flow of combat. As such, a total respec and class change isn’t recommended for Lae’zel; instead, picking the right subclass and potentially dipping into some basic multiclassing is the ideal approach.

The Battle Master Fighter subclass gives Lae’zel Maneuvers special damage-dealing attacks with various effects on their targets, such as knockback. Others, such as Goading Attack, force enemies to focus on attacking her rather than on weaker targets. As you level up, you can unlock up to seven Maneuvers without multiclassing, turning Lae’zel into a highly mobile frontline attacker.

The Eldritch Knight subclass is also a fan-favorite, as it grants Fighters some spellcasting abilities, combining traditional weapon attacks with spells.

Multiclassing as a Fighter in Baldur's Gate 3 is also an option. When multiclassing, your main choice for Lae’zel will likely be Barbarian, the other major frontline melee attacker class. The extra damage and resistance granted by the Barbarian’s signature Rage ability is the perfect fit for Lae’zel, allowing her to strike enemies down with a sequence of devastating high-damage melee attacks.

The Best Class For Karlach

Karlach starts as a Barbarian, so a solid Barbarian multiclass build is a great fit. This generally involves multiclassing into Fighter, so you effectively mirror the Fighter multiclass build you may have used for Lae’zel. The two main martial frontline combat classes complement each other exceptionally well, so it’s worth combining them to increase your character’s damage and overall utility in combat encounters.

Barbarians also have subclasses: Berserker, Wildheart, and Wild Magic. Wild Magic’s random effects tend to be too inconsistent in combat encounters, so it’s highly recommended that you go with Wildheart or Barbarian. A Wildheart Barbarian Karlach can select a Bestial Heart, which adds different ive bonuses to her Barbarian Rage whenever it’s activated. This includes increased jump distance, resistances or even granting Advantage to allies. Berserker replaces Rage with Frenzy: essentially a more powerful version of Rage that doubles down on its effects.

The Best Class For Shadowheart

Shadowheart’s default class is Cleric, which combines spellcasting with medium armor proficiency for increased survivability. Shadowheart typically takes a or healer role in combat, casting healing, buff, and debuff spells to aid her allies. There are some great Cleric multiclass builds for Shadowheart, including classic combinations such as Cleric/Paladin for increased damage output, but none involve a total class change.

Clerics tend to have decent survivability without multiclassing, so your main focus should be on Shadowheart’s Cleric Domain subclass. All of the Cleric Domains in BG3 offer something different, and the best choice depends on what you’d like Shadowheart to provide. Shadowheart starts with the Trickery Domain, which fits her backstory well but isn’t necessarily the best option.

The Life Domain suits any players who’d like Shadowheart to become a fully-fledged party healer, with ive bonuses that augment her healing magic. Alternatively, the War Domain can improve her survivability with heavy armor proficiency and abilities that buff attack rolls. Light Domain falls somewhere in between, providing a wide variety of useful spells, including damage spells such as Fireball and Burning Hands, and buffs such as Faerie Fire.

The Best Class For Wyll

Wyll’s personal questline heavily references his role as a Warlock, so any major class change may be awkward for roleplaying purposes. However, Warlocks rely on Charisma for casting spells, a characteristic they share with Bards, Paladins, and Sorcerers, so there are several excellent options for multiclassing. This wouldn’t necessarily affect roleplaying as long as Wyll has some levels in the Warlock class.

Multiclassing into Paladin gives Wyll additional proficiencies with martial weapons and armor, creating a melee-focused Warlock build capable of dealing damage in frontline combat. Aside from Paladin Smites, Wyll can also take the Warlock Pact of the Blade at Level 3 to wield a melee weapon that uses his Charisma modifier.

Multiclassing into Sorcerer allows Wyll to augment his spells with Sorcerer Metamagic and opens up a new pool of spells. Sorcerers use Charisma to cast, which synergizes nicely with Warlocks, who need high Charisma to thrive.

Finally, multiclassing as a Bard is a unique and instead niche option, but one that’s worth considering if you’re playing Wyll as an Origin Character. Player-controlled characters are often the face of the party, and multiclassing Bard gives Wyll the Charisma-based skills he needs to really thrive in that role. Bards excels at persuasion, deception, and intimidation and also gained some hilarious dialogue options as a nice bonus.

Although full class changes for Origin Characters are possible, you should consider whether it’s worth trading roleplaying immersion for combat utility. Multiclassing and building based on subclasses give Origin Characters great flexibility. They are the best options for maximizing your Origin Character’s potential in Baldur’s Gate 3.