Baldur’s Gate 3: PXP Full Party build example 1

This is a full party build example and general guide for party synergies.

• All the builds in this guide try best not to be dependent on an uncontrollable factor (like obtaining the Hair of a certain Fey creature).
• They’re also not dependent on consumables or illithid power. You’re supposed to comfortably cruise through the game without them with this guide.
• However, the guide specifies almost all slots of item equipments, and to realize the builds’ full power you must make all efforts to obtain them.
• You should still switch equipment to prepare for each fight if you know what you’re facing (especially if you’re on honour mode). The guide will later incorporate the discussion of some difficult encounters and how you may best ace them.

The full party comprises these 4 character concepts.

• Spore Divination Bard (Elf) – The party leader, trader, and trap disarmer outside combat. In combat they generally perform the role of CC and damage, with the flexibility to swap spells like a Wizard.
• Bhaalist Battlemaster – This member generally doubles the team’s damage output simply by wearing the Bhaalist Armour. They will be using Sentinel feat to lock enemies in place and forever in range of the Bhaalist Aura of Murder
• Dashing Tiger – A durable tank and a vicious damage dealer both.
• Tempest – The classic Lightning nuker powered by Markoheshkir staff.

This 1st party member has a racial requirement to be an Elf. (not Drow, and not Half-Elf).
We’re after the racial Longbow Proficiency.

Role in party

• Outside combat
  • Party Leader
  • Trader
  • Persuader
  • Lock Picker
  • Trap Disarmer
    Basically they’re a full-service party leader. You never need to swap control of party members outside of combat.
• In combat
  • Damage Dealer.
  • Crowd Control, most notably Hold Person and Hold Monster spells. Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, etc. can be used too when suitable.
  • Wizard – able to swap prepared spells to best suit the upcoming fights.
  • Sporekeeper – occasionally can swap to Armour of the Sporekeeper to make use of Haste Spore.

Class composition

• College of Swords Bard 6
• Circle of Spores Druid 4
• School of Divination Wizard 2

Leveling
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General Stats

• Ability Scores – 4 numbers are represented in each ability type. They’re, in order, final ability score, final raw ability score (with Con Amulet and Dex Gloves), secondary raw ability score (with Dex Gloves), and initial ability score (without stat-setting item).
  • Str – 8 (8, 8, 8)
  • Dex – 18 (8, 8, 16)
  • Con – 23 (8, 16, 16)
  • Int – 18 (17, 16, 10) +2 from Mirror of Loss
  • Wis – 16 (15, 12, 10)
  • Cha – 16 (16, 14, 14)
• HP – 133
• AC – 21
• Raw Spellcasting DC – 17 (without Rhapsody charge and Mirror +2 bonus)
• Initiative – +4
• Fighting Style – Two-weapon Fighting
• Feats
  • ASI (1st feat before Dex Gloves, 2nd feat after Dex Gloves)
  • Sharpshooter (2nd feat before Dex Gloves, 1st feat after Dex Gloves)

Choices on level up

• Bard spells – absolutely pick up:
  • Calm Emotion
  • Vicious Mockery
  • Heat Metal
  • Plant Growth
  • Silence

  optionally pick up:

  • Thunderwave – can be dropped (by reclassing) after you obtain from Druid or Wizard spell list.
  • Healiing Word – pick-up downed allies with bonus action.
  • Longstrider – drop this after getting Druid level.
  • Faerie Fire
  • Lesser Restoration – can be optionally prepared from Druid spell list
  • Hold Person – use this before or also after obtaining Wizard level
• Druid spells – advisable to prepare
  • Longstrider
  • Create Water
  • Spike Growth
• Wizard spells
  • Shield – you don’t want to get hit and lose concentration if you can avoid it
  • Hold Person
  • Hold Monster
  • Hypnotic Pattern – useful against Undead
  • Fear – can be useful
  • Learn everything, if you can afford. They can come in handy here and there.

Equipments

• Main hand – Rhapsody – Best Sharpshooter-Caster weapon. Charge it up and enjoy landing more hits and spells.
• Off hand – Dolor Amarus – to capitalize on auto-crit from your Hold spells.
• Ranged – Dead Shot – best bow for hit rate, but for that you need your Elven racial proficiency
• Body – Armour of Agility (Armour of Sporekeeper)
• Cloak – Cloak of the Weave
• Gloves – Gloves of Dexterity – you’re Multiple Ability Dependent – and you want +1 to hit
• Boots – Helldusk Boots (Boots of Striding for early game)
• Head – Helmet of Arcane Acuity – essential for Gish build
• Amulet – Amulet of Greater Health – not only for HP, but also for maintaining your Concentration
• Ring 1 – Band of the Mystic Scoundrel – essential for Control casters
• Ring 2 – Ring of Arcane Synergy – when not using spells, use Vicious Mockery after making weapon attacks. Landing the Vicious Mockery will strengthen your weapons for 2 turns.

This 2nd party member can be of any race or origin character.

Role in party

• Battle Maneuver – use Battlemaster Maneuvers to gain tactical advantage as needed.
• Mental Fatigue – helps apply Mental Fatigue on foes as needed.
• Bhaalist Armour – wears Bhaalist Armour and approach foes you want to focus fire on. Keep the foes locked in place by using Opportunity Attacks with Sentinel feat.
  All reactions of this 2nd member should be set to ‘Ask’. You need to be selective on how you use your Reactions, to focus on locking down key foes.
• Damage Dealer – not the prime Damage Dealer of the team, but should be very decent.

Class composition

• Battlemaster Fighter 12

Leveling
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General Stats

• Ability Scores
  • Str – 8 (8)
  • Dex – 18 (17) +2 from Mirror of Loss
  • Con – 16 (16)
  • Int – 8 (8)
  • Wis – 16 (15)
  • Cha – 8 (8)
• HP – 112
• AC – 20
• Initiative – +8
• Fighting Style – Archery
• Feats
  • ASI
  • Sharpshooter
  • Sentinel
  • Crossbow Expert

Choices on level up
Absolutely pick up these Maneuvers (in order of your preference)

• Trip Attack
• Disarming Attack
• Pushing Attack
• Goading Attack
• Menacing Attack

Can be useful occasionally

• Riposte
• Commander’s Strike

Equipments

• Main hand – Duelist Prerogative – extra Reaction is important for your Sentinel feat to lock enemies in place
• Off hand – Empty
• Ranged – Best Crossbow(s) you have.
  Can be Hand Crossbows or Heavy Crossbow, even Bows before obtaining Crossbow Expert feat
• Body – Bhaalist Armour – you’re the key to doubling your team’s damage
• Cloak – Cloak of Protection
• Gloves – Gaunlets of the Warmaster – for Disadvantage on foes’ saves on your Maneuvers
• Boots – Disintegrating Nightwalkers – you’re Dex based and not always capable of reaching enemies you want to reach. Use the Misty Step to help.
• Head – Mask of Soul Perception – both for Initiative and hit chance.
• Amulet – Amulet of the Harpers
• Ring 1 – Ring of Mental Inhibition – this helps your Spore Bard or Tempest land CC spells more easily
• Ring 2 – Ring of Protection

This 3nd party member can be of any race or origin character.

Role in party

• Damage Dealer – this is the prime Damage Dealer of the party, especially after casting a Hold spell to guarantee auto-critical hits
• Assassin (optional) – you have the choice of Thief or Assassin subclass. If Assassin is chosen, go and dominate the 1st round – with the aid of the Bhaalist Battlemaster to double your damage output.
• Tank – go pressure enemies, draw fire from the rest of the team onto you. To help with tanking, Dashing will give you 2 times you Barbarian level in temp HP after you obtain level 6 in Barbarian.
• Dash – Aside from giving temp HP, dashing will also give you Wrath charges to improve your damage from your Boots.
• Bleed – when you Rage, you can use Tiger’s Bloodlust, attacking up to 3 enemies and Bleeding them all. If you obtain Booooal’s Benediction buff this will greater ease how you set up for your main hand weapon.
• Frighten – while you don’t take Animal Aspect in Wolverine to Maim and Stun-lock enemies, you’ll have an option to use an attack that Frighten enemies with your equipment. That’ll stun-lock any Prone enemies too.
• Radiating Orb – you’ll do this naturally through your equipments.

Class composition

• Tiger Heart Barbarian 9
• Thief / Assassin Rogue 3 (choose 1 that suits your playstyle)

Leveling
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General Stats

• Ability Scores
  • Str – 20 (16) +2 from Mirror of Loss
  • Dex – 14 (14)
  • Con – 16 (16)
  • Int – 8 (8)
  • Wis – 12 (12)
  • Cha – 8 (8)
• HP – 119
• AC – 18
• Initiative – +10
• Feats
  • ASI
  • Alert
  • (not feat) Potion of Everlasting Vigour from Araj Oblodra

Choices on level up

• Tiger Heart at Barbarian 3
• Stallion Aspect at Barbarian 6

Equipments

• Main hand – Crimson Mischief (apply Thunder damage from Drakethroat Glaive) – combos well with being Assassin, being Barbarian, and on enemies affected by Hold spells.
• Off hand – Bloodthirst – both for +1 AC, your natural crit chance, and for provoking Opportunity Attacks on your own turn. If an enemy miss you, you can retaliate, in so doing you’ll get another Extra Attack. Even more so, your Bhaalist Sentinel can also get their Extra Attack if they share initiative with you. (very likely since you’re +8 and +10)
• Ranged – Vicious Shortbow – your ally is Holding your enemies for you
• Body – Luminous Armour – for Radiating Orb – to make enemies more likely to miss you, so you can take advantage of Bloodthirst Retaliation
• Cloak – Displacement Cloak – for enemies to miss, so you can retaliate with Bloodthirst
• Gloves – Helldusk Gloves – you get extra damage die from Crit, so every damage die triples.
• Boots – Linebreaker Boots – dashing boosts your damage in addition to giving you temp HP
• Head – Bonespike Helmet – gives you Menacing Attack once per round. Can be used to Stun-lock enemies proned from Reverberation
• Amulet – Fey Semblance Amulet – don’t take a chance on Wis save, even if your ally can cast Calm Emotion
• Ring 1 – Callous Glow Ring – extra Radiant damage will also be added to Bleeding damage
• Ring 2 – Ring of Spiteful Thunder – to Daze enemies with Thunder damage added to your Crimson Mischief, allowing easier landing of CC spells.

This 4th party member can be of any race or origin character.

Role in party

• Damage Dealer – only in difficult fights, as you need to spend spell slots to do so.
• Cleric – you can cast Aid and Calm Emotion to protect your allies from attacks and from enemies’ Charms.
• Yeeter – when you obtain 6 levels in Tempest Cleric, your Magic Missile can be used to push foes into the chasm. Alternatively cast any spell with damage, with Lightning Charges you’ll push them away from you.
• Radiating Orb – you’ll do this naturally through your equipments.
• Reverberation – you’ll do this naturally through your equipments.
• Dazed – sparingly, provoke opportunity attacks to apply Dazed on enemies.

Class composition

• Tempest Domain Cleric 6
• Storm Sorcery Sorcerer 6

Leveling
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General Stats

• Ability Scores
  • Str – 8 (8)
  • Dex – 8 (8)
  • Con – 16 (16)
  • Int – 8 (8)
  • Wis – 18 (17)
  • Cha – 18 (15) +2 from Mirror of Loss
• HP – 93
• AC – 22
• Base Spellcasting DC – 22
• Initiative – +2 or -1 depending on equipped Bow
• Feats
  • ASI
  • ASI

Choices on level up

• Cleric – advisable to prepare
  • Calm Emotions
  • Aid
  • Glyph of Warding – I can’t overstate how useful this can potentially be, especially Sleep Glyph.
  • Spirit Guardian
  • Heat Weapon
  • Create Water – you’re a Lightning caster
  • Sanctuary
  • Bless
  • Healing Word
  • Command

  Pickup these Cantrips

  • Guidance – no-brainer
  • Sacred Flame – you’ll absolutely need this early game, your only way to contribute with cantrip.
  • Resistance – used less, but still no-brainer
• Sorcerer
  • Spells – absolutely pick these up
    • Shield
    • Counterspell
    • Witch Bolt
    • Misty Step
      can be useful
    • Magic Missile
    • Scorching Ray
    • Hold Person
    • Hypnotic Pattern
    • Lightning
    • Haste
  • Metamagic – advisably
    • Careful Spell (for most CC) or Extended Spell (for Command)
    • Twinned Spell
    • Quickened Spell

Equipments

• Main hand – Markoheshkir (Spellsparker in early game) – for Lightning Charge and DC.
• Off hand – Ketheric’s Shield – for DC
• Ranged – Hellrider Longbow (gives you +3 initiative) or Darkfire Shortbow
• Body – Armour of Persistence – best Heavy Armour
• Cloak – Thunderskin Cloak – so you can provoke opportunity attacks sometimes, to daze enemies
• Gloves – Gloves of Belligerent Skies – Reverb to combo with Menacing Attacks on your Fighter and Barbarian
• Boots – Boots of Stormy Clamour – Reverb to combo with Menacing Attacks on your Fighter and Barbarian
• Head – Hood of the Weave (occasionally Hat of Storm Scion Power or even Hat of Fire Acuity – when suitable)
• Amulet – Amulet of the Devout – for both DC and Channel Divinity
• Ring 1 – Coruscation Ring – for Radiating Orb and to trigger your Boots of Stormy Clamour
• Ring 2 – Choose your own

Further sections discussing how to adapt to each fight, especially early-mid game, will be added later.