Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with Baldur’s Gate 3, right? And I wanted to see just how good a Wizard could be right out the gate, like level 1 kinda thing. So I dug in, did a bunch of respeccing, and here’s what I found about the best cantrips to grab at the start.
First off, let’s be real, you gotta have some way to actually hit stuff. That’s where Fire Bolt comes in. It’s your bread and butter damage cantrip. Simple, effective, and does fire damage, which is useful early on. I was just blasting goblins left and right with this thing. It’s like, pew pew, goblin down. Easy.
Then, you absolutely need something for when enemies get close. You don’t wanna be stuck just flailing with a dagger. That’s where Shocking Grasp shines. It’s a melee cantrip, zaps them with lightning, and, most importantly, stops them from reacting. So they can’t opportunity attack you when you try to back away. Trust me, this saved my butt countless times. I kited so many dudes with this combo.
Okay, so damage is good, but control is better, especially for a Wizard. That’s why Ray of Frost is a must. It slows enemies down. Slowing enemies is seriously clutch. Made kiting easier and gave my party members time to reposition. Plus, it looks cool. I mean, who doesn’t love blasting someone with a beam of ice?
Now, last but not least, a little utility never hurt anyone. That’s why I grabbed Minor Illusion. This thing is amazing. You can use it to distract enemies, lure them into traps, or just generally mess with them. I remember one time, I created an illusion of a chest right next to a group of goblins and they all ran over to check it out. Gave my rogue the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. It’s all about using your brain!
So, to recap, my starting Wizard cantrip loadout was:
- Fire Bolt (damage)
- Shocking Grasp (melee/disengage)
- Ray of Frost (control)
- Minor Illusion (utility)
This setup gave me a good mix of damage, control, and utility right from the get-go. It let me handle a variety of situations and really made my Wizard feel powerful, even at level 1. Give it a try and tell me what you think!
