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When talking about the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build, we have to consider the overall capabilities of the class. While we can become a traditional spellcaster or boost our Wild Shape transformations, there’s still a viable third option. Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide discusses the Circle of the Spores, which turns you into a hybrid combatant.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide – Circle of the Spores
Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide takes a look at the Circle of the Spores, owing to its various utility effects, bonus necrotic damage, summons, and even zombie allies. We also have a Druid class overview that takes note of ideal selections during character creation.
As an aside, we opted to focus on a build that avoids multiclassing. However, you’re able to respec and change classes when you see fit, if you want more flexibility.
Druid Build Summary
As cited in our overview, we’re going to boost our Druid further to ensure that we make the right choices for spellcasting and melee combat in support of our team. We recommend the following for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build if you’re going the Circle of the Spores route:
Race: Duergar Dwarf or Wood ElfBackground: Any will do, though Folk Hero and Outlander are decent.Abilities: 12 STR; 14 DEX; 14 CON; 8 INT; 17 WIS; 10 CHA.Weapons and armor: Don’t forget that Druids are proficient in light armor, medium armor, and shields, so get those defenses ready if you want to engage in melee.
Important: The Circle of the Spores Druid’s undead minions can cause neutral NPCs to run away in fear. This can cause odd instances where you might need to chase after an NPC. In some cases, allied followers might also aggro after a fight has just concluded. As such, we recommend summoning your minions in dungeon areas, as opposed to towns.
Druid Leveling Progression
Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide takes note of good options for when you need to choose spells during character creation. Later, we detail what makes the Circle of the Spores quite unique for the class.
Level 1
Cantrips:
Guidance – Grants 1d4 bonus to ability checks.Thorn Whip – Deals 1-6 piercing damage and pulls your target toward you.
Spells:
Healing Word – Heals a target for 4-7 HP.Thunderwave – Deals 2-16 thunder damage and pushes back all creatures in a frontal cone in front of you.Optional/Lore-friendly: Speak with Animals – Converse with beasts and pets.Optional/Lore-friendly: Animal Friendship – Convince a beast not to attack you.Optional: Ice Knife – Throw a shard of ice that deals 3-22 cold damage; the projectile explodes and deals cold damage to other nearby creatures.
Level 2
At level two, you gain Wild Shape, which lets you turn into a cat, badger, spider, or wolf. Moreover, you’ll now be able to choose a subclass. As cited earlier, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide focuses on the Circle of Spores, which gives the following benefits:
Cantrip: Bone Chill – Deal 1-8 necrotic damage; prevents the target from healing; undead targets also have a disadvantage on attack rolls.Halo of Spores – This reaction deals 1-4 necrotic damage to a target.Symbiotic Entity – This gives you +8 temporary hit points, while boosting attacks to deal extra 1-6 necrotic damage. Casting Halo of Spores also doubles its damage while this is active. The lasts until your next long rest, but it ends prematurely if you use Wild Shape.
For the most part, you’re looking at a hybrid playstyle where you cast Halo of Spores for temporary HP, as well as the necrotic damage boost. If ever you’re unable to cast spells or you don’t want to expend spell slots, then you’ll also want to get into the thick of the fray.
Level 3
Prepared Spells:
Blindness – Limit an enemy’s sight range, causing it to miss more often.Detect Thoughts – Read the thoughts of other creatures.
Spells:
Moonbeam – Call down a beam of light that deals 2-20 radiant damage; you can use an action to move the beam.Optional: Spike Growth – Turn a portion of the ground into a spiky area, causing 2-8 piercing damage and limiting movement range for anyone inside it.
Level 4
Cantrip: Pick anything that you prefer.Wild Shape: Deep Rothe – Can cast Dancing Lights and is able to charge foes.Feat: Ability Improvement – Add +2 points to Wisdom, and don’t forget to beat Auntie Ethel for a reward that grants an extra point. This lets you reach the 20 Wisdom cap.
Level 5
Class Feature: Wild Strike – Make an additional attack after doing an unarmed strike while in Wild Shape.
Spells:
Call Lightning – Zap foes within an area for 3-30 lightning damage; you can call down another lightning strike within 10 turns, and this does not cost a spell slot.Optional: Sleet Storm – Disrupt the concentration of spellcasters, douse fire, and create an ice surface.Optional: Plant Growth – Make weeds burst from the ground to cover an area; enemies moving through it will have their movement range quartered.
Level 6
Class Features:
Panther – Become a panther than can prowl around invisibly.Owlbear – Become an owlbear that can rupture the ground and become enraged.
Subclass Action: Fungal Infestation – Raise the corpse of a beast or humanoid and turn it into a zombie ally. You have multiple charges that get replenished when you do a long rest, which means you can also raise several zombies to fight by your side.
Level 7
Prepared Spells:
Blight – Deals 8-64 necrotic damage; plants are more susceptible to this spell; no effect on undead and constructs.Confusion – Befuddle a group of creatures, which make them attack at random, wander around aimlessly, or skip turns in a stupor.
Spells:
Ice Storm – Make hail rain down from the sky, causing 6-40 cold damage. The patch of frost that forms can also cause creatures to slip and fall prone.Conjure Woodland Being – Spawn a dryad to fight by your side. It can use Nature’s Step and Entangle, as well as summon a Wood Woad.Optional: Stoneskin – Concentrate to buff a target’s defenses; they take only half the damage from all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.Optional: Grasping Vine – Concentrate to summon a giant vine that can pull enemies toward itself.
Level 8
Feat: War Caster – This should be decent, as it gives you advantage on saving throws made to maintain concentration. It’s a given due to spells like Call Lightning, Moonbeam, and Cloudkill.
Level 9
Spells:
Cloudkill – Spawn a large, poisonous cloud that deals 5-40 damage per turn; can be repositioned as well.Conjure Elemental – Summon an elemental ally to fight by your side.Optional: Insect Plague – Locusts attack everyone within range, causing 4-40 piercing damage; affected area becomes difficult terrain that imposes disadvantage on Perception checks.
Level 10
Class Feature: Improved Wildstrike – Make two additional attacks after making an unarmed strike while in Wild Shape.
Wild Shape: Dilophosaurus – Transform into a dinosaur that can use Corrosive Spit to lower a target’s armor class.
Subclass Feature: Spreading Spores – While Symbiotic Entity is active, you can cast Spreading Spores in an area. Hostiles take 2-16 necrotic damage per turn, while your allies are immune.
Level 11
Spells:
Sunbeam – Fires a beam of bright light in a wide line, dealing 6-48 radiant damage and blinding foes.Wall of Thorns – Create a thorny obstacle that deals 7-56 piercing damage; will quarter the movement speed of enemies that pass through it.
Level 12
Feat – Not much left here at the close of the game. Elemental Adept (Cold) is okay since you’ve likely been using spells like Ice Storm and Ice Knife. Alternatively, there’s Elemental Adept (Lightning) for your Call Lightning spell.
In any case, there are our picks for the best Druid build in Baldur’s Gate 3. The game is is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.
