1. Warrior - Fighter

“Me axe be bloody ready!” Korgan Bloodaxe

To quote the game itself, the Fighter is a champion who “lives or dies by his knowledge of weapons and tactics.” A Fighter can be an extremely versatile character, easy and fun to play, with some very interesting kits as well.

Why Fighters are Great:

• They can use any weapon and wear any armor, except mage robes.
• Can spend over two points on weapon proficiencies.
• Can achieve Grand Mastery with any weapon, by spending five proficiency points.
• Fighters have percentile Strength.
• Fighters have some excellent Class Kits, most notably the Berserker and the Kensai.

Pick the Fighter if:

• You want a relatively simple playthrough.
• You like to be the tank of your party and ram through your enemies
• You want to be able to easily dual-class, somewhere down the road.

2. Warrior – Ranger

“Go for the eyes, Boo. GO FOR THE EYES!” Minsc

Rangers are warriors and woodsmen skilled with weapons and knowledgeable in the ways of the forest. While being almost as versatile as Fighters, Rangers come with several cool perks which make for a fun playthrough. Plus, Drizzt do’Urden is a Ranger – need I say more?

Why Rangers are Great:

• They can use nearly any weapon and armor.
• It is easier to roll ability scores of 90 or more with a Ranger.
• Can choose a racial enemy and get a -4 THAC0 bonus to and +4 damage rolls bonus against it.
• Have Stealth as a special ability.
• Can charm animals/mammals.
• Rangers unlock Druid spells at level 8 and can go as high as spell level 3.

Pick the Ranger if:

• You enjoy roleplaying as a good, nature-protecting character.
• You like Archery (look up the Archer Class Kit).
• For some (weird) reason, you do not want Minsc in your party, or want to free up a slot for another companion.

3. Warrior – Paladin

“We shall strike a blow deep into evil's heart! There is no more worthy a cause.” Keldorn Firecam

Paladins are (exclusively) Lawful Good warriors, devoted to their code of chivalry and to the fight against evil. Paladins are essentially warriors buffed against evil, which is obviously helpful for most of the game. On the downside, your character race is limited to Human, and Paladins cannot dual-class.

Why Paladins are Great:

• Can Turn Undead once they reach level 3.
• They have the Detect Evil and Protection from Evil special abilities.
• Can cast Cleric spells upon reaching level 9.
• Paladins have a passive -2 bonus to all saving throws.
• The Lay on Hands healing ability.

Pick the Paladin if:

• You want a great fighter with extremely helpful special abilities.
• You like fighting evil, for great justice!
• You want to wield the awesome Purifier +4 bastard sword.

4. Priest – Cleric

“Lil alurl! For Shar!” Viconia DeVir

Clerics are the ultimate support class. They are renowned healers, with their own spell book to boot (the Priest Scroll). Unlike Mages, Clerics do not need to learn new spells from scrolls. Instead, they learn them as they level up. Furthermore, Clerics can wear any armor and use a variety of weapons. The Cleric class is also extremely popular for dual-classing or multi-classing (as the second class).

Why Clerics are Great:

• They are the best healers out there.
• They have their own set of spells that they learn automatically.
• Clerics can wear any armor and use practically any blunt weapon.
• Have the ability to Turn Undead.

Pick the Cleric if:

• You enjoy playing a supporting role in your party.
• You like a character who is essentially a battlemage – a decent fighter that casts powerful spells as well.
• You want to use it as a great dual-class or multi-class option.

5. Priest – Druid

“Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?” Jaheira (technically a Fighter/Druid, I know, but I just had to have her on this list)

Basically, Druids are to the Priest class what Rangers are to the Warrior class. They are very much in tune with nature, sworn to protect its perfect balance. This is why Druids have a True Neutral alignment. Only humans and half-elves can become Druids. Like Clerics, Druids can use priest spells, albeit their set of spells is quite different (all nature-related) and somewhat limited.

Why Druids are Great:

• Cool spells (Earthquake! Firestorm!)
• Shapeshifting! A Druid can shapeshift into a wolf or bear, once per day.
• Immunity to poison, starting at level 15.
• Elemental resistance, starting at level 18.

Pick the Druid if:

• You enjoy playing as a fighter, but with some very cool spells under your belt.
• You like to switch between attack and support roles all the time.

6. Priest – Monk

“Selûne guides my hand.” Rasaad yn Bashir

Monks are priests who fight with their bare hands. Yup, you read that right. This is probably the most limiting class in the game: can only be human, cannot dual-class, cannot wear armor or use shields, can use only a few single-handed weapons. So why bother picking the Monk? Well, all those limitations come with an awesome set of perks!

Why Monks are Great:

• Bonuses to saving throws vs. spells.
• Unarmed attacks have the range of two-handed weapons and get THAC0 and damage rolls bonuses.
• Extra unarmed attacks per round (as you level up).
• Bonuses to AC vs. missile attacks (as you level up).
• Immunity to Disease, Slow, Haste, Poison, Charm and to non-magical weapons (as you level up).
• Monks get the Lay on Hands healing ability.

Pick the Monk if:

• You want to become a true Lawful killing machine, without worrying too much about equipment.

7. Rogue – Thief

“Very well. Hai-ya.” Yoshimo

The Thief is your basic cloak-and-dagger class. They can open locks, find and disarm traps, detect illusions, hide in shadows, move silently and steal items from NPC’s. But with access to some awesome weapons like Katanas, Wakizashis and Scimitars and the ability to backstab, Thieves can be extremely dangerous on the battlefield as well. Any Race can choose the Thief class.

Why Thieves are Great:

• Can set and disarm traps.
• Can hide in shadows and move silently, essentially becoming invisible.
• Can unlock doors and chests, can steal from NPC’s
• Thieves are great for dual classing.
• Thieves have some awesome Class Kits, like the Assassin and the Swashbuckler.
• Backstabs!

Pick the Thief if:

• You enjoy a more covert playthrough.
• Any party needs a Thief – by taking on that role yourself, you free space for other companions.
• You want to join the Thieves Guild (obviously).

8. Rogue – Bard

“May our deeds be sung through the ages!” Haer’Dalis

Bards are the Joker cards in the Rogue deck, being able to do a little bit of everything. They have a high Lore rating, can pick pockets as well as cast spells, and enjoy a wider choice of weapons and armor than Thieves.

Why Bards are Great:

• Bards have the highest Lore rating of any Class.
• They have the Bard Song special ability, which protects the party against fear.
• Bards level up faster than other Classes.
• The Blade is one of the most interesting Class Kits out there.

Pick the Bard if:

• You are looking for a non-standard, improvise-as-you-go playthrough.
• You enjoy experimenting all the time.
• You do not like to take things too seriously.

9. Wizard – Mage

“Your worthless lives end here!” Edwin Odesseiron

The Mage is a classic class (sic!) that needs no introduction. Obviously, mages cannot wear armor (only robes) and are limited to only a few weapons (staffs, daggers, slings and darts). Only humans, elves and half-elves can become Mages. They can learn almost any spell, with the notable exception of healing spells, which are reserved for Priests. However, you should consider specializing your Mage in one of the eight schools of magic, turning him/her into a true powerhouse!

Why Mages are Great:

• Specialist Mages are a force to be reckoned with on the field of battle.
• Casting powerful spells is one of the best parts of gameplay!

Pick the Mage if:

• You like to strategize a lot.
• You enjoy turning the battlefield into an apocalyptic scene.
• You are good at making quick decisions and playing chess with your opponents.

10. Wizard – Wild Mage

“I am really, really, really, really, really sorry about what just happened.” Neera (of course!)

Wild Mages are a (relatively) new class in the BG world, first introduced with the Enhanced Editions. They mostly resemble Mages, with one very important difference – Wild Mages are unpredictable AF!

Whenever a Wild Mage casts a spell, there is a 5% chance of a Wild Surge, which can have a positive or negative outcome. Furthermore, they always have -5 to +5 adjusted range to their levels, every time they cast a spell.

Why Wild Mages are Great:

• You can turn their unpredictability into an advantage, becoming more powerful than any other mage out there.
• They have several very cool class-exclusive spells – Nahal’s Reckless Dweomer, Chaos Shield and Improved Chaos Shield.

Pick the Mage if:

• You want to bring total mayhem with you, wherever you go.
• You enjoy gameplay that is unpredictable and fun.

11. Wizard – Sorcerer

“Oohoohoohoo, I'm gonna work out some anger on you...” Baeloth Barrityl

Sorcerers are probably the most powerful Wizard class. They sure don’t look the part at first: they cannot even scribe spells into their spellbooks as other Wizards do. While seemingly weak on lower levels, the Sorcerer class starts to truly shine as the game progresses, with devastating effects for your enemies.

Why Sorcerers are Great:

• Instead of scribing spells, they learn them as they level up
• A level 10 Sorcerer can cast a total of 26 spells, with no need to select and prepare them ahead of time. This number goes as high as 40 spells, by level 15.
• As Arcane Spellcasters, Sorcerers have access to a load of class-exclusive items.
• Arguably, the most powerful Class in the game.

Pick the Sorcerer if:

• You have the patience to wait until higher levels to become powerful.
• You want to truly obliterate your enemies.
• You are ready to give up playing any other Class, once you try the Sorcerer.

Also Be Sure To Read:

• [Top 10] Baldur's Gate 2 Best Companions And How To Get Them
• Baldur's Gate 2 Best Class - What To Pick
• [Top 15] Baldur's Gate 2 Best Spells
• [Top 5] Baldur's Gate 2 Best Builds
• [Top 10] Baldur's Gate 2 Best Weapons And How To Get Them