How to prepare spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 – Spellcasting Guide

No matter how you play Baldur’s Gate 3, the likelihood is that, sooner rather than later, you’re going to be casting some spells. Magicians and clerics rely on them for everything from damage and destruction to healing and talking with animals, so they’re an inevitably of life in the D&D world. Unlike many other games though, in BG3, I love that you can switch your spell choices on the fly between any you have available to your class. Read on to discover how to prepare spells on Baldur’s Gate 3 with my spellcasting guide. 

How Spellcasting Works in Baldur's Gate 3 - Preparing spells

Whether or not you need to prepare spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 depends on your class:

• Need to prepare: Clerics (such as Shadowheart), Druids, Paladins, Wizards
• All available: Bard, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, non-natural casters

If you do need to prepare spells, simply bring up your Character Sheet and click the central Spellbook icon at the top of the opo-up. Look for the highlighted row to see the spells you currently have prepared. To change them, simply click them (a red cross will appear when you hover over them) and then click the ones below you want to prepare. That’s all there is to it. Just remember that you cannot prepare different spells once combat is initiated. 

Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Should you let Astarion Drink Your Blood?

Every type of spell in Baldur’s Gate 3

It’s also important to note that there are several types of spells in Baldur’s Gate 3.

• Normal spells: These are discussed above and will often need to be prepared, depending on your character’s class. Once you have cast a set number of spells (dependent on your class and level), you will need to take a long rest before you can use them again. You can use the spell multiple times between rests as long as you have attempts for that spell level remaining (the blue dots above your action bar, see above). 
• Cantrips: These tend to be weaker (but often useful) spells that the character has simply learned by heart. They can be cast whenever needed but cannot be changed.
• Class actions: These tend to work like Cantrips and are usually class-based but can be magical (such as Turn Undead). 

For more on Baldur's Gate 3 check out our BG3 Tactician Difficulty Guide and Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Perform Non-Lethal Attacks in BG3 right here at Pro Game Guides!