Baldur's Gate 3: Best Classes for Rebuilding Companions

There is genuinely so much that you can do in Baldur's Gate 3 — it is based on Dungeons & Dragons, after all, so the freedom of doing whatever you want is as strong as ever. This means you can build yourself however you need to, and that can constantly change as you replay the game with your newfound context.

However, making all these changes to your build isn't even exclusive to you as a character. So long as you've got Withers (which, there is no possible way to not have Withers), you can change just about anything with anyone.

One way to make your next playthrough different is with your various companions themselves, by rebuilding them with a new class. It could just be to try something new with them, or it could be that you didn't vibe with their original class. Thankfully, for a small fee of 100 gold (which you can pickpocket back from Withers with no consequence), you can change your companions into whatever you need them to be, especially if you're wanting a particular party setup.

While this won't influence the cutscenes/dialogue that you have with your companions (Wyll is technically a "Warlock" all game even if you re-class him), it does change the gameplay itself, allowing players to get a full D&D experience without ever needing a tabletop. And, it can just make everything so much easier.

10 Gale — Sorcerer

The Orb's Magic is Unforseen

We first meet Gale stuck in a stone with unstable magic — and at first, I was convinced this was a Wild Magic Sorcerer going through a surge. However, Gale is actually a Wizard, with a story tied directly to the goddess of magic herself, Mystra. That being said, you don't have to be a Wizard to remain tethered to her — you just need a presence of magic.

Reclassing him into a Sorcerer allows him to keep his magic maintained, but it allows him the ability to get his own spell slots back (thanks to Sorcery Points), which is far less limited than a Wizard's Arcane Recovery. With Arcane Recovery, you have a few points you can use to bring back only one or two spell slots, and that's about it.

With Sorcerer, if you're out of Sorcery Points, you can use a spell slot to create more, allowing you to restore a spell slot for a different leveled spell altogether — it's far more flexible and creative. Plus, given the Netherese Orb in his chest, it would only make sense if his magic became more innate ... and unstable.

As far as subclasses go, I'd stick with Wild Magic to match the Orb's unpredictable and powerful nature,

9 Minthara — Rogue

Specifically, Arcane Trickster

When we first meet Minthara, she's an antagonist — at one point, you could only have her in your party if you went a full-evil route; however, developmental updates now allow anyone to recruit her, regardless of alignment. By doing so, you'd have successfully recruited an Oath of Vengeance Paladin.

Paladins are half-casters, and unless someone has experience with the class, it's a common experience for first-time players to focus on either melee or spellcasting, with some difficulty finding a balance of the two. Typically, this is through milking Divine Smite out of every single spell slot — and while it hits like a truck, it gets repetitive and boring after a while. Thankfully, there are other classes and subclasses that have that better balance — Arcane Trickster Rogue especially comes to mind.

This way, she's still able to cast some spells, but at the same time, making her a particularly heavy hitter. Her spells would supplement her melee attacks (such as Colour Spray blinding an enemy and immediately giving you advantage... and consequently, Sneak Attack), so it would act similar to Paladin in that regard. But, there is a variety to the spells that you won't have by just casting Smite over and over.

Or if you're really just wanting to min-max her, just add Rogue as a multiclass.

8 Lae'zel — Paladin

She's Got a Lot of Righteous Fury to Let Out

I have never seen a character more devoted to their religion — that isn't a Paladin or Cleric — other than Lae'zel. When we first meet her, her devotion to Vlaakith borderlines on obsession, and she will take no criticism in that regard. She's unyielding in her faith, and it has to take a lot for her rigid foundation to show some cracks.

With that in mind, instead of her simply being a Fighter, we can channel that righteous fury into a Divine Smite. By making Lae'zel into a Paladin, she will still be able to hit things really hard — but with a ton more damage to really drive it home.

Even better, she can start as Oath of Devotion, but as she learns the truth about Vlaakith's schemes, she can quickly switch to being an Oathbreaker — which is always really cool. It matches her personality, narrative, and her combat prowess, so it's honestly a surprise that this isn't what she already is.

Then again, someone has to fight everything off in the Nautaloid, so it's up to you how much harder she's going to hit after a trip to Withers.

7 Jaheira — Ranger

Work With Animals, Not As One

Despite being a Druid, we rarely see Jaheira use Wild Shape — the only time that happens is if we let her control herself in the Moonrise Towers fight, where there is a chance that she'll turn into a Panther ... and be pretty useless with it. She mostly uses Druid spells to assist in the damage her scimitars do, and that's about it.

With that in mind, it might be a better idea to make her a Ranger instead, since she relies on the help of animals and nature magic more than being an animal or nature being directly. Rangers often bring in animal companions and have a lot of overlap with what Druids can do, but it's more centered on being at a distance.

And considering her scimitars don't do too much damage in the grand scheme of things, it's probably better to make her your distance artillery — even then, Rangers allow you to improve your melee combat abilities as well. Combine this with the benefits that various regions can offer as you level up, and Ranger is looking more and more like a perfect fit.

It's one of those cases where any subclass can thrive, because Ranger works that well for Jaheira.

6 Minsc — Barbarian

Get Angry

Every single person who has never played a Baldur's Gate game before this one will take one look at Minsc and think he's a Barbarian — only to be shocked when you find out he's actually just a Ranger. He looks, sounds, and acts like one; the only thing that isn't reflective of the Barbarian class is his stats, but that can be easily reworked.

As far as what kind of Barbarian, Wildheart is probably the best at being as close to Minsc as a character, but he'd also work well in the Giant and Berserker subclasses. Wild Magic just wouldn't work, especially since he mainly leaves the magic side of things up to Jaheira, while he's just the rager.

For someone who isn't a Barbarian, he rages quite a lot — so he might as well be getting a bonus for his crashouts.

5 Karlach — Monk

Hit Really, Really Hard

Karlach, when we first met her, is a Barbarian, and a really good one at that. She can hit, and she can hit hard, which is the exact kind of strength you need to make an effective Monk. Sure, Monk doesn't use Strength as much as Dexterity (even then, stats get tweaked with a reclass), but one simple Feat that will make each punch more painful than the last: Tavern Brawler.

Tavern Brawler will increase your accuracy with unarmed strikes (which is what Monks are all about), as well as adding your strength modifier to the damage dealt. Basically, it turns any hit into a one-punch knockout.

Monk is also one of the very few classes in the game that we don't get a proper companion for, meaning the only way we'd be able to experience it at all is through our Tav/Dark Urge, a Hireling, or through rebuilding a companion. Karlach just so happens to be the perfect fit in this scenario.

The only thing we'll miss is Karlach's rages, which are gold, but at the same time, her unarmed strikes as a Monk just cannot be beaten (pun fully intended).

4 Wyll — Fighter

Well, He is The Blade of Frontiers

While Wyll will still be considered a Warlock in the game unless you specifically end his pact with Mizora, you can have him play as literally anything else. Just don't expect the dialogue to follow suit.

That being said, when we make it to the epilogue, one of his endings after ending the pact is that he ends up going back to being a Ranger. While it fits, I can't help but think of his swordplay skills that he displayed as soon as we met him — his title in the game (as well as his quest title) is literally called The Blade of Frontiers. He's not The Ranger of Frontiers.

Because of this, I interpreted this as him being a Fighter/Ranger multiclass, but he shows significant talent if you have him playing as a pure, non-multiclassed Fighter. Specifically, the Battle Master Fighter would do him wonders, especially with its incredible versatility in combat; and if Wyll is anything in combat, he's very versatile.

While Human Fighters may be seen as a basic choice, it's also one of the most overpowered. I can't help but get giddy thinking about just how much you're able to do with this Race and Class combo, and it's well worth playing for yourself to see for yourself.

3 Halsin — Cleric

No Goodberries Required

Halsin is one of the few characters that doesn't truly need to change his build or multiclass, especially since his character is so tightly wound with being a Druid. However, a lot of this still comes across if you have him playing as a Cleric — and considering how he's also well-regarded as a healer, it still works and suits him.

Remember, Druid groves are full of people with all kinds of classes and abilities — Critical Role does an excellent job of showcasing this, and it's a detail that's often overlooked in both the tabletop and gaming versions of D&D. These groves are just gatherings of people, and people need all kinds of things.

Halsin is one of the only characters that happens to know anything about the Mind Flayer parasite, most especially that it's not normal to what we see in a typical infection. He's also the one with all the knowledge of Moonrise Towers and Reithwin Town, making him a crucial component to Act II — and for Act II, a Light Cleric is the perfect way to completely no-diff the area.

Of course, that's if you pick that particular subclass. If you're wanting to keep him as a genuinely talented healer, Life Cleric is the route to go, and will save your party in a pinch.

2 Astarion — Bard

Let the Diva Roast People

While Astarion is well-established as a Rogue, he's been reclassed as a Bard so many times that the fandom actually has a term for it: Bardstarion. His natural wit and charisma make him an ideal bard, which is especially nice if you don't want to have to play as a Charisma-centered Tav.

What's nice about Astarion being a Bard is that just about any subclass would fit him, too — including College of Swords (remember, he was a Rogue first). However, College of Lore is my personal choice, and that's just because the bread and butter for that subclass is roasting people to death.

Plus, Charisma is a Bard's highest stat, making it easier to talk your way out of situations that would have otherwise ended very badly. Some of the hardest dice rolls in the game pertain to Charisma, so it's good to have someone in your party who is an expert at it. Astarion is already very Charismatic, he just so happens to also be sneaky about it.

But if you take away his need to hide everything, you'll see just how well he'll thrive as a Bard.

1 Shadowheart — Literally Anything Else

Trickster Cleric is That Bad

Trickery Domain Cleric is, without a doubt, the most useless subclass in all of Baldur's Gate 3 (which is hilarious, since it's basically the opposite for the tabletop) — so Shadowheart is always going to be taken to Withers for a rebuild. Whether she likes it or not, she's not going to remain in her vanilla state.

Shadowheart is perhaps the only companion that would be better off as literally any other class (or subclass, even — Cleric is fine if it's not the Trickery Domain). This will help guarantee her actually hitting any of her targets as well as maintaining her usefulness outside of combat, which is difficult if she isn't rebuilt.

While it makes sense to her character why she's a Trickster Cleric, we don't actually see anything other than mentions of her using these abilities. If we try to cast anything with Trickery Domain ourselves, it almost always falls flat — by the time we're done with a single playthrough with a base version of Shadowheart, players have already decided what they're going to rebulid her as every time after.

Personally, she makes a killer Paladin — but even if her subclass is switched around, that works wonders for her too. Basically, she's as flexible as Tav is, and it's better overall if you took advantage of that flexibility.