Spells by Class

Spells by Class

Mastering the arcane and divine arts in Baldur's Gate II is crucial for survival and success. This section breaks down essential spells by class, offering strategic advice on acquisition and optimal use. Remember, a well-chosen spell can turn the tide of any battle, from a skirmish with goblins to a confrontation with a powerful lich.

Mage Spells (Arcane)

Mages, including Specialists like Abjurers, Conjurers, and Illusionists, rely heavily on their spellbooks. Early game, focus on utility and crowd control. Later, devastating offensive spells become available.

Level 1

• Magic Missile: Your bread and butter damage spell. Always useful, especially for interrupting enemy spellcasters. You'll find scrolls for this frequently from early vendors like Gaelan Bayle in the Slums, or even dropped by minor mages in Irenicus' Dungeon.
• Sleep: Incredibly powerful against low-level groups of enemies. Can trivialize encounters with kobolds, goblins, and even some lesser humanoids. Scrolls are common, often found in chests within Irenicus' Dungeon.
• Shield: Provides a significant AC bonus and immunity to Magic Missile. Essential for protecting your squishy mage. Scrolls can be purchased from Bernard in the Copper Coronet.

Level 3

• Skull Trap: A potent area-of-effect spell that deals significant magical damage. Excellent for ambushes or clearing groups. Scrolls can be found in the Planar Sphere, or purchased from Ribald Barterman in the Adventurer's Mart.
• Haste: Doubles the movement speed and attack rate of your party members. Crucial for both offense and defense, allowing your melee characters to devastate enemies and your party to escape dangerous situations. Look for scrolls in the Temple District sewers or buy from merchants like Joluv in the Adventurer's Mart.
• Dispel Magic: Removes most magical effects, both beneficial and harmful. Indispensable for countering enemy buffs or removing debilitating debuffs from your own party. Scrolls are widely available from magic vendors.

Level 5

• Chaos: A powerful crowd control spell that causes enemies to attack indiscriminately. Can turn a tough fight into a chaotic free-for-all, giving your party a massive advantage. Scrolls are rarer, often found in high-level mage lairs like the Planar Sphere or the Underdark.
• Cloudkill: Deals continuous poison damage in a large area. Excellent for clearing out groups of weaker enemies or softening up tougher ones. Be careful not to catch your own party in the cloud! Scrolls can be found in various dungeons, including the Windspear Hills dungeon.

Cleric Spells (Divine)

Clerics are the backbone of any party, providing healing, buffs, and powerful undead-turning abilities. Their spells are prepared, not learned from scrolls, so careful selection is key.

Level 1

• Cure Light Wounds: Your primary healing spell. Always have several memorized.
• Protection from Evil: Provides a small AC bonus and protection against magically summoned creatures. Useful in many early encounters.

Level 3

• Remove Paralysis: Absolutely vital for dealing with enemies that can paralyze your party, such as Ghasts or certain spiders. Always have at least one memorized.
• Glyph of Warding: A powerful area-of-effect damage spell that can be placed as a trap. Great for setting up ambushes or protecting choke points.

Level 5

• Flame Strike: A potent single-target damage spell that calls down a pillar of fire. Excellent for taking down tough individual enemies.
• Mass Cure Light Wounds: Heals all party members in an area. Invaluable for recovering from area-of-effect damage or sustained combat.

Druid Spells (Divine)

Druids offer a unique blend of nature-based offensive and defensive spells, along with shapeshifting abilities. Like Clerics, their spells are prepared.

Level 1

• Entangle: Immobilizes enemies in a thorny patch, making them easy targets for your ranged attackers. Very effective against groups.
• Shillelagh: Enhances a club into a magical weapon, useful for early game melee.

Level 3

• Call Lightning: A powerful offensive spell that deals significant electrical damage, especially effective outdoors.
• Protection from Fire: Reduces fire damage, crucial for encounters with fire elementals, dragons, or fire-wielding mages.

Level 5

• Insect Plague: Summons a swarm of insects that deal damage over time and disrupt enemy spellcasting. Extremely effective against enemy mages.
• Stoneskin: Grants temporary immunity to physical damage. A fantastic defensive buff for your druid or a front-line fighter.

Bard Spells (Arcane)

Bards are versatile support characters, capable of casting arcane spells, singing inspiring songs, and excelling in thievery. Their spell progression is slower than a pure mage, but their utility is unmatched.

Bards learn spells in a similar fashion to Mages, from scrolls. Prioritize spells that complement their support role or provide crucial utility.

Level 1

• Identify: Saves you gold on identifying magical items. Essential for any party. Scrolls are common.
• Chromatic Orb: A versatile offensive spell that can stun, blind, or paralyze enemies depending on the caster's level.

Level 3

• Slow: Reduces enemy movement and attack speed, effectively turning the tide of battle. Scrolls can be found or purchased from magic vendors.
• Dire Charm: Charms a single humanoid enemy, turning them into a temporary ally. Can be incredibly powerful for turning strong enemies against their own.

Level 5

• Chaos: As with Mages, this is a top-tier crowd control spell for Bards.
• Greater Malison: Reduces the saving throws of all enemies in an area, making subsequent offensive spells from your party much more likely to succeed. A fantastic setup spell.