Baldur’s Gate 3 has a wide variety of Spells available adapted from the DnD 5e format. However, despite having a great selection to choose from, many players familiar with the DnD ruleset were greatly disappointed to find some iconic classics and fan favorite Spells missing from the list.
While some of these missing Spells can be added through mods on PC, poor console players have been left in the dust, and many PC players don’t feel comfortable installing mods of any kind. Reflecting on the most missed Spells from DnD 5e, we’ve identified 10 of the best choices that would have made the hugely successful Baldur’s Gate 3 even more impressive and enjoyable for players.
Booming Blade
| Spell | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Booming Blade | You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If the target willingly moves 5 feet or more before then, the target takes 1d8 Thunder damage, and the spell ends. | At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 Thunder damage to the target on a hit, and the damage the target takes for moving increases to 2d8. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level (2d8 and 3d8) and again at 17th level (3d8 and 4d8). |
Booming Blade is one of the best Cantrips available in DnD 5e for Spellcasters who also wield Melee Weapons, essentially making it the bread and butter for popular Subclasses such as the Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight. As both of these Subclasses are available options in Baldur’s Gate 3, many players were immensely disappointed to discover that the iconic Booming Blade was absent.
Booming Blade is ridiculous amounts of fun to use in combat, and extremely reliable as a Cantrip, meaning it doesn’t require any Spell Slots to cast. Arcane Tricksters, in particular, have a lot of utility with this Cantirp, due to the Cunning Action Disengage Class Feature, which would let them cast Booming Blade, and then disengage to try and get the enemy to move back towards them for their next attack, triggering the extra 1d8 Thunder damage.
As you scale in level, too, Booming Blade becomes quite a solid damage dealer, and one of the best damage-dealing Cantrips available, which is why the utility of this Spell is so sorely missed in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Toll the Dead
| Spell | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Warlock, Wizard, Cleric. | You point at one creature you can see within range, and the sound of a dolorous bell fills the air around it for a moment. The target must succeed on a Wisdom Saving Throw or take 1d8 Necrotic damage. If the target is missing any of its hit points, it instead takes 1d12 Necrotic damage. | The Spell’s damage increases by one die when you reach 5th level (2d8 or 2d12), 11th level (3d8 or 3d12), and 17th level (4d8 or 4d12). |
Toll the Dead is a Necromancy Cantrip that makes a great addition to many different Spellcasting builds. Unfortunately, this Cantrip is also one of the most missed in Baldur’s Gate 3, as it provides strong utility by enabling the Caster to deal extra damage to enemies who are already missing any amount of HP.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, every little bit of damage adds up and goes a long way, so enabling a minimum roll of a d12 against an injured opponent from a Cantrip alone is a very powerful ability to utilize without the need for a Spell Slot. Additionally, like many other Spells, the damage will scale with levels, meaning it could in theory do up to 3d12 Necrotic damage against a weakened opponent at the maximum BG3 level of 12.
Absorb Elements
| Spell | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Druid, Ranger, Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard. | The Spell captures some of the incoming energy, lessening its effect on you and storing it for your next melee attack. You have Resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn. Also, the first time you hit with a melee attack on your next turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 damage of the triggering type, and the spell ends. | When you cast this Spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st. |
Absorb Elements is a Reaction Spell that enables you to reduce the amount of incoming damage from elemental attacks, gaining temporary Resistance to the triggering damage type and adding a +1d6 of this category to your next attack roll. This is a huge asset for certain Spellcasters who make good use of Melee Weapons to keep up their sleeve, as it essentially enables them both more survivability and damage output against enemy magic users. This Spell adds some brilliant utility, especially to the likes of Eldritch Knights, Arcane Tricksters, and Rangers, who can capitalize on the follow-up extra damage on their next melee attack.
As there are much fewer Reactions in BG3 than there are general Spells and Cantrips, adding Absorb Elements into the mix would allow even more strategies to be established for a character, enabling certain playstyles. Honestly, I can think of several fights in which my Arcane Trickster would have dramatically benefitted from Absorb Elements, so I completely understand where fans are coming from in their wishes for this Spell to have been added to the game.
Thunder Step
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Warlock, Sorcerer, Wizard. | You teleport yourself to an unoccupied space you can see within range. Immediately after you disappear, a thunderous boom sounds, and each creature within 10 feet of the space you left must make a Constitution Saving Throw, taking 3d10 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The thunder can be heard from up to 300 feet away. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed what you can carry. You can also teleport one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you cast this Spell, and there must be an unoccupied space within 5 feet of your destination space for the creature to appear in; otherwise, the creature is left behind. | When you cast this spell using a Spell Slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd. |
If you thought the classic Misty Step was a great asset to have up your sleeve, then Thunder Step would likely be your next obsession, if it were to have been included in BG3. Much like Misty Step, this Spell operates a get-out-of-jail-free card for when your squishy Spellcasters find themselves surrounded by trouble.
However, as this spell does AoE damage upon your teleportation, you can be very clever on how you use it, ensuring you both get out of concerning situations such as enemy flanking or hazardous terrain and also deal damage to opponents within the same Action.
Green-Flame Blade
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sorcerer, Artificer, Wizard, Warlock. | You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects, and you can cause green fire to leap from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it. The second creature takes Fire damage equal to your Spellcasting ability modifier. | At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1d8 Fire damage to the target on a hit, and the Fire damage to the second creature increases to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. Both damage rolls increase by 1d8 at 11th level (2d8 and 2d8) and 17th level (3d8 and 3d8). |
Green-Flame Blade operates very similarly to Booming Blade, operating as the other well-known bread and butter Cantrip for Arcane Tricksters and Eldritch Knights, among others, such as the Hexblade. However, while Booming Blade focuses on just one target, Green-Flame Blade enables you to deal additional damage to a creature within 5ft of your target, meaning you could potentially deal solid damage to one enemy, and use the secondary attack as a finishing blow to kill off low HP opponents.
As you level up, the potency of this Cantirp also increases significantly, dealing 2d8 and a 1d8+ Spellcasting Modifier to the secondary target, and then both of these damage rolls increase by a further 1d8 at level 11, which would enable you at BG3 12th level to deal 3d8 to a target and an additional 2d8+ Spellcasting modifier to a secondary target. This would be extremely useful in many Baldur’s Gate 3 combats, especially in the early game, where opponents such as the Goblins at the Goblin Camp, or Gnolls tend to outnumber and swarm your party.
Prestidigitation
| Spells Lists | Description | Magical Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Artificer, Bard, Warlock, Sorcerer, Wizard. | This Spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following magical effects within range. If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action. | – You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor. – You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. – You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot. – You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour. – You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour. – You create a nonmagical trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn. |
Prestidigitation is much more a utility Spell that can be used in a variety of different situations to establish strategies during Quests, ambushes, theft, and trickery. It is a DnD classic that can be used in many different ways, which makes it a worthy addition to strong utility characters. In the case of Baldur’s Gate 3, it would be a brilliant addition to the likes of Shadowheart, as her build already has so much utility to offer.
Most importantly, fans who wish that this Spell was included in Baldur’s Gate 3 have mentioned how easy it would make washing your party members, enabling you to clean off all of that blood before entering cutscenes. Sure, you can technically throw a bottle of water at your feet in the game, but in the case that you don’t have any water in your inventory, Prestidigitation would be an amazing replacement, as well as come in handy for setting up distractions for NPCs so you can explore, lockpick, and steal to your heart’s content.
Catapult
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sorcerer, Artificer, Wizard. | Choose one object weighing 1 to 5 pounds within range that isn’t being worn or carried. The object flies in a straight line up to 90 feet in a direction you choose before falling to the ground, stopping early if it impacts against a solid surface. If the object would strike a creature, that creature must make a Dexterity Saving Throw. On a failed save, the object strikes the target and stops moving. When the object strikes something, the object and what it strikes each take 3d8 bludgeoning damage. | When you cast this Spell using a Spell Slot of 2nd level or higher, the maximum weight of objects that you can target with this spell increases by 5 pounds, and the damage increases by 1d8, for each slot level above 1st. |
Catapult is a great 5e Spell that is both a lot of fun to play around with and also capable of dealing quite efficient damage, making it an enjoyable addition to many magic-user builds. With all of the objects lying around the various map locations and combat encounters in Baldur’s Gate 3, Catapult would likely get a lot of use in battle as well.
If you’ve had fun slinging makeshift weapons and even enemies into one another as Karlach, then you’d be able to take a similar approach as a magic-wielding class using Catapult, which should itch that same level of satisfaction when it comes to dealing damage with a slightly humorous or uncanny approach. Simply pick up a rock or barrel, and yeet it right at them – works like a charm!
Spirit Shroud
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Warlock, Wizard, Paladin, Cleric. | You call forth spirits of the dead, which flit around you for the Spell’s duration. The spirits are intangible and invulnerable. Until the Spell ends, any attack you make deals 1d8 extra damage when you hit a creature within 10 feet of you. This damage is Radiant, Necrotic, or Cold (your choice when you cast the Spell). Any creature that takes this damage can’t regain hit points until the start of your next turn. In addition, any creature of your choice that you can see that starts its turn within 10 feet of you has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. | When you cast this Spell using a Spell Slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for every two slot levels above 3rd. |
Spirit Shroud establishes a very strong way to deal extra damage as a Spellcaster in DnD 5e, and it has a lot of versatility due to being able to dish out different types of damage. Spirit Shroud offers so much utility from a single Spell that it would undoubtedly be one of the best choices to add to a magic-wielding BG3 build, as not only will you deal extra damage of your choice upon any successful attack within 10 feet, but it also prevents that creature from regaining HP until your next turn, and offers the chance to reduce the speed of enemies by 10 feet if they start their turn within 10 feet of you.
Just imagine throwing this onto your melee Paladin, who is often surrounded by enemies, or even your utility Cleric, setting up a variety of different plays for the rest of your team, and hindering threats in the process. Yeah, I wish this one had made it into the game, too.
Zephyr Strike
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Ranger | You move like the wind. For the duration, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. Once before the Spell ends, you can give yourself advantage on one weapon attack roll on your turn. That attack deals an extra 1d8 force damage on a hit. Whether you hit or miss, your walking speed increases by 30 feet until the end of that turn. | No extra effects. |
Zephyr Strike is one of the best Bonus Action Spells in 5e, and it makes the Ranger Class, Gloomstalker in particular extremely deadly. Just imagine if you could add this onto your BG3 Gloomstalker Assassin Multiclass build – you’d be able to Bonus Action Zephyr Strike, move into a group of enemies, Gloom Stalker Melee Attack, Zephyr Strike bonus on Sneak Attack (Melee attack 1), and then follow up with your second main Melee Attack.
Because of the Assassin Class Feature, if any of these creatures are surprised, you’ll deliver automatic Critical Hits, enabling some serious damage on the first turn of combat. And then, since you used the Zephyr Strike attack bonus, your Movement Speed would increase by an extra 30ft, enabling you to move back out without being hit by Opportunity Attacks.
Dispel Magic
| Spell Lists | Description | At Higher Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Cleric, Bard, Artificer, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard. | Choose any creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each Spell of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your Spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a successful check, the spell ends. | When you cast this Spell using a Spell Slot of 4th level or higher, you automatically end the effects of a spell on the target if the Spell’s level is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used. |
So many BG3 fans desperately wish that Dispel Magic had been added to the game. While realistically, it would have been quite broken in terms of balance when it comes to problem-solving, Quests, traps, combats, and puzzles. However, there have been so many times in Baldur’s Gate 3 when players are taking tedious steps to complete a Quest or bypass a certain puzzle. While there are usually multiple ways of solving things, your party may not always be built for working through these scenarios, especially if you’ve chosen to respec companions and play out other classes.
Dispel Magic or a variation of this Spell would make things much less frustrating at certain intervals, and give players a clever way to work around potential threats, similar to how Disguise Self can be used to achieve multiple attempts at theft from Merchants.
Published: Jan 15, 2024 10:27 pm