Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide
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Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide – In this Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide, I’m going to cover my Druid Build for Early Access, and show you what I’ve found to work best. I’ll be doing more Build Guides at the launch of Baldur’s Gate 3, but let’s look at how you can use a Circle of the Land Druid effectively in the first Act of the game.

Be sure to check out our other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds for Early Access including: Circle of the Moon Druid, Wild Magic Sorcerer, Wildheart Barbarian, Draconic Sorcerer, Berserker Barbarian, College of Lore Bard, College of Valour Bard, Oath of Devotion Paladin, Oath of the Ancients Paladin, Oathbreaker Paladin!

Best Druid Builds Features

  • Abilities: Wisdom, Constitution
  • Subclasses: Circle of the Moon & Circle of the Land
  • Unique Feature: Wild Shape
  • Spells: Divine Spells
  • Hit Die: +5 HP + CON Modifier per level

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide

The Circle of the Land Druid deals devastating damage brought about by the Spells they learn. These are both natural and stem from their strong ties with different lands. For example, they can cast Haste to increase the Actions an ally can perform in a single turn! Unlike the Circle of the Moon Druid, they don’t frequently make use of Wild Shape because this Class Feature is considered an Action. Moreover, the number of creatures they can transform into is fewer.

Circle of the Land Druid - Heat Metal Spell in Combat

Should they decide to pursue this route on top of casting Spells, it’s important to note that each of these animals has its own Hit Points, Abilities, and Attacks, as well as various features that allow the Druid to do other things. For instance, the Spider can trap targets by shooting a web in their direction. Circle of the Land Druids can only shapeshift at most 2x before needing a Short Rest to recover this ability.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide - Wild Shape

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Character Creation

In this section, we’ll take a look at how to set up your Druid during Character Creation for the best results. You don’t have to follow this to the letter, and this will likely change at the full launch of the game. However, this will hold you in good stead during Early Access.

Background

For Background, I suggest taking any that provides you with Wisdom Skills since Druids need a good amount of this Ability to hit targets with their Spells. These are Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival. Ideally, you’d have all 5 of these but you’re more likely to get 3 or 4 out of 5 with Acolyte, Charlatan, or Folk Hero.

Race

The first Race that works well for the Druid is Gold Dwarf. Not only does it provide +1 Wisdom, which allows you to get to 16 Wisdom during Character Creation, but it also gives you +2 Constitution, which increases your HP when not using Wild Shape, and allows you to pass Concentration checks more easily should you get hit while Concentrating on a Spell. Moreover, you gain Dwarven Toughness that raises your max HP every time you level up.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Build Guide

Wood Elf is also a decent choice because it grants +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom, which helps with Armour Class (AC) when in your human form. Such will be the case most of the time for this Build. Last but not least is Human, which lets you get to 16 in Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution if you want, though you’ll have to dump the other 3 Abilities.

Note that while using Wild Shape your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Modifiers will be replaced by those of the creature you shift into, though you’ll retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Modifiers. For this reason, Strength is not needed for the Druid in Early Access. However, because you cannot cast Spells while shifted, you’ll benefit from Dexterity and Constitution when you’re not.

Skills

For Skills again it’s not super important, but you’ll have high Dexterity and Wisdom, so selecting Skills that fall under these Abilities is ideal. Dexterity has Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth, and I’ve already listed what Wisdom Skills there are.

Abilities

Your primary Ability as a Druid is Wisdom as this makes your Spells more effective in combat, and can even increase the damage you deal in melee combat if you use the Shillelagh Cantrip. For this reason, you’ll want at least 16 in this Ability during Character Creation, and likely 18 later on.

Constitution and Dexterity are really the only other Abilities that matter but they have no effect once you’ve shifted. So you’ll need to get them to at least 14 each. Note that Medium Armor only allows a bonus of +2 Dexterity, so you don’t need more than 14. You can dump Intelligence, Charisma, and Strength if you want, but you won’t be able to use the best Medium Armor in Early Access if you have less than 10 Strength. Your Ability Spread should look something like this:

Circle of the Land Druid Ability Spread

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Level 1

During Character Creation you’ll be given Cantrips and Spells to choose from. But unlike Wizards, you won’t have to “Prepare” Spells from a Known Spell List to use them. Instead, you learn a limited number of Spells, which are readily available. As such, you must be very selective about the ones you intend to learn since Druids don’t have access to ALL of their Spells.

Cantrips

Here are good Cantrips the Druid should prioritize at Level 1:

Thorn Whip Spell LogoThorn Whip deals damage and pulls enemies toward you. This is great for fights that include elevation, as it allows the Druid to pull targets down from below, thereby removing their Advantage. When they fall, it can even damage or kill them outright.

Shillelagh Spell LogoShillelagh buffs the Druid’s Staff or Club where the Damage Roll of either Weapon changes to 1d8 Bludgeoning Damage plus your Wisdom Modifier. This same Ability Modifier will also be used for your Attack Rolls instead of Strength. Circle of the Land Druids engage in melee more often, making Shillelagh nice to have. It doesn’t require Concentration, so you should have the Cantrip active constantly.

Concentration

Some Cantrips and Spells have effects that are dependent on the Druid’s Concentration to remain active. Concentration is broken if you cast another Cantrip or Spell that also requires Concentration. You can tell which these are because it will say so on the Spell itself. For example, if you cast Faerie Fire, but then you cast Entangle, you would stop “Concentrating” on Faerie Fire and begin Concentrating on Entangle.

Faerie Fire Spell with Concentration

Moreover, if you take damage while Concentrating on a Spell, you must make a Constitution Saving Throw, and if you fail, then the effect of that Spell ends. Should you succeed in your Saving Throw, you maintain your Concentration and the Spell continues. This is why it’s vital for Druids to have average to high Constitution because of the Spells that require this Ability and is wasted if it’s constantly broken.

Spells

Druids have a wide variety of Spells that differ from other Spellcasting Classes. A couple Level 1 Spells I highly recommend are Entangle, Thunderwave, Fairie Fire, and Healing Word.

Entangle Spell LogoEntangle allows you to crowd control a group of enemies in an area if they fail a Strength Check. This can be great in fights where you’re outnumbered, or you need to cover your flank.

Thunderwave Spell LogoThunderwave is an excellent AoE that can knock enemies backward, often to their deaths, but has a short range. Use this when enemies get near you. However, remember that allies can also be harmed if they’re nearby so carefully position Thunderwave’s cast.

Faerie Fire Spell LogoFairie Fire is an AoE that gives you and your party Advantage on all Attack Rolls versus affected targets but requires Concentration to maintain. This can seriously change the direction of battle as long as you can maintain it.

Healing Word Spell LogoHealing Word can revive fallen teammates and heal them from a distance. What’s good about this, is it’s a Bonus Action so you can still attack or cast another Spell.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Level 2

For this Build, we’re going to choose Circle of the Land, which focuses more on casting Spells as opposed to transforming into a creature. The reason is that this Subclass’s Wild Shape is an Action instead of a Bonus Action like for the Circle of the Moon Druids.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide - Badger Wild Shape in Combat

Note that you can certainly shapeshift but it won’t be as efficient because you won’t be able to cast Spells and transform in the same turn. Nevertheless, if you decide to follow this path, remember that you can maintain Concentration while Wild Shape is in effect so it’s better to cast any Concentration Spell like Faerie Fire first prior to changing forms. It’s also worth mentioning that the animals available for Circle of the Land’s Wild Shape are limited to the Badger, Spider, Dire Wolf, and Cat without the Polar Bear, which would’ve served as your party’s tank.

Additionally, you gain Natural Recovery. This lets you replenish consumed Spell Slots outside of combat. In Early Access, however, it’s not as useful. You can easily take a Long Rest without having to worry about depleting your Camp Supplies since these are currently abundant but it may change when the full game launches.

Natural Recovery at Level 2

Cantrip & Spell

For the Cantrip, I suggest selecting Guidance to gain a d4 bonus on Ability Checks, which will come in handy in dialogues. This doesn’t only benefit you but your allies as well.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide - Guidance Cantrip in Dialogue

For the Spell, it’s good to pick Goodberry. Goodberry can provide a near-infinite amount of consumable healing items, which is very useful. Other friendlies are able to make use of it as well, allowing you to provide healing for the group.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid Level 3

At Level 3, you gain another Level 1 Spell Slot and 2 Level 2 Spell Slots. What’s great about the Circle of the Land Druid is their affinity with nature, thereby granting them extra Spells that their Circle of the Moon counterpart won’t get access to. This means that you have a special connection with a type of land, which would provide you with Spells that are Always Prepared. Here, you’ll want to choose Mountain to be able to cast Spike Growth and Mirror Image.

Spike Growth Spell LogoSpike Growth allows you to control a large space of the battlefield with thorns that slow creatures down and damage them if they try to move through it. This is an excellent way to keep enemy melee units from getting to your allies and can be invaluable when you’re outnumbered.

Mirror Image Spell LogoMirror Image is a very good Spell, which conjures 3 illusions of yourself, each granting +3 AC for a total of +9. Every duplicate will only disappear when an attack is evaded but until then, you can continue to keep it up for at most 10 turns without needing Concentration so you can cast other Spells afterward. Additionally, you’ll be able to retain these illusions even after you shapeshift, meaning your AC will start off as high.

For the other Level 2 Spells, I highly suggest taking Moonbeam and Heat Metal.

Moonbeam Spell LogoMoonbeam hits like a truck for 2-20 Radiant Damage in a small AoE that persists on the ground after it’s cast, dealing damage every round. And what’s really great about this, is that you can spend an Action to move its AoE up to 18m. So you only need to cast Moonbeam once per combat while conserving valuable Spell Slots.

Heat Metal Spell LogoHeat Metal allows you to deal 2-16 Fire Damage to a target that is wielding a metal Weapon or Armor. They’ll either let go of this Weapon or incur Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Ability Checks until the next turn. That’s all on top of being able to cast it again as a Bonus Action on the target, provided they’re still touching the metal item, thereby dealing damage and reapplying Disadvantage. In short, this is a great Spell to lock down tough enemies.

Lastly, at Level 3, you’ll be able to cast some Level 1 Spells as Level 2 versions, using Level 2 Spell Slots instead of Level 1 Spell Slots. This works out tremendously for the Circle of the Land Druid Build because it lets you cast some of the better Level 1 Spells as more powerful versions. For instance, you can cast Thunderwave at Level 2 for an extra 1-8 damage.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid Level 4

At Level 4, you can choose a Feat, and here you’ll be taking Ability Improvement to place 2 points into Wisdom to get to 18. As a Druid, you simply cannot have enough Wisdom, so this is the obvious choice.

Spell

You’ll also gain another Level 2 Spell Slot, and here I recommend Flame Blade over Flaming Sphere if you’re going to mostly spend your time dealing melee damage. Flame Blade inflicts greater damage than Shillelagh since you literally conjure a sword, which deals 3-18 Fire Damage. What’s more, is that it’s a Bonus Action so you can cast another Spell in the same turn. Just make sure that it won’t require Concentration so you can continue wielding this Weapon until you decide to use another Concentration Spell or take a Long Rest.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide - Flame Blade Spell in Combat

But if you prefer to attack multiple targets from a distance, then the Flaming Sphere might be well-suited for you. With the sphere you conjure, you can initiate combat. It deals 2-12 Fire Damage to nearby enemies while acting as an additional light source in dark areas. Furthermore, the sphere can’t be damaged and as long as you maintain Concentration, you’ll be able to consistently control it and attack targets for up to 10 turns.

Wild Shape

At this level, you can also shapeshift into a Deep Rothe to cast Dancing Lights for those who can’t see and attack well in the dark as well as Charge to potentially knock targets Prone.

Wild Shape Deep Rothe

Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid Level 5

At Level 5, you get to pick another land with 2 Spells that Always Prepared. For this one, I highly recommend taking Arctic, which grants Sleet Storm and Haste.

Sleet Storm Spell LogoSleet Storm is an incredible crowd control Spell because it creates an icy surface, which lowers the Movement Speed of affected targets while potentially knocking them Prone. What’s more is it can meddle with the Concentration of Spellcasters to stop the effects of their Spells so you’ll definitely want to use this against Druid, Wizard, and Cleric enemies.

Haste Spell LogoHaste, which is also available to the Sorcerer, grants multiple benefits that greatly outweigh the disadvantage of briefly becoming Lethargic when the condition ends. Not only will your ally take one extra Action every turn, but they also gain +2 AC as well as an Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws. When Haste is cast on a Martial Class like a Barbarian who gains Extra Attack at Level 5, they’ll be able to take a total of 4 Actions in a single turn, allowing them to slay multiple enemies.

Additionally, you’re able to select other Level 3 Spells, and here I suggest taking Call Lightning.

Call Lightning Spell LogoCall Lightning is a powerful Spell that lets you deal 3-30 Lightning Damage. As long as you maintain Concentration, you can recast this in succeeding turns by simply spending an Action to trigger Activate Call Lightning.

Equipment

Since the Circle of the Land Druid has decent Dexterity, they’ll want to equip a Ranged Weapon of some type together with a Club or Quartstaff should they decide to buff it with Shillelagh instead of wielding the Flame Blade. All of these Weapons can be used with a Shield in your offhand, thereby increasing your AC by +2.

Flame Blade Spell

Druids can wear Medium Armor, and while this won’t matter while Wild Shape is active, it’ll be useful when they’re not. Currently, the best Medium Armor is either Lae’zel’s Githyanki Half Plate or Scale Mail +1. With the Shield and Mirror Image Spell, your max AC will be 28 while you’re in human form. This is huge!

When it comes to Accessories, you’ll be equipping the Absolute’s Talisman and Boots of Striding. The Absolute’s Talisman works well for this Build because Circle of the Land Druids will likely be in combat while infrequently using Wild Shape. In the event that their HP reaches low levels, they automatically regain 1-8 HP upon dealing damage. The necklace can be found in the Shattered Sanctum.

Boots of Striding

Meanwhile, Boots of Striding is another essential item since most of your Spells require Concentration. While Concentrating, your Movement Speed increases by 3m, making it extremely beneficial for the Gold Dwarf. Moreover, you can’t be pushed back or knocked Prone. Boots of Striding is dropped by Minthara.

Final Tips

As a Circle of the Land Druid, you have the choice to shapeshift into creatures like the Deep Rothe to crowd control enemies by knocking them down. But remember that you’ll need at least two turns to do this since the Subclass’s Wild Shape is an Action. As such, you may also want to consider that in human form, you gain access to numerous powerful Spells, which the Circle of the Moon Druid can’t cast such as Mirror Image and Haste.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Circle of the Land Druid Build Guide - Deep Rothe Wild Shape in Combat

Should you have 2 Druids in the party, you’ll have more flexibility when it comes to combining Druid Spells. For instance, casting Sleet Storm and Call of Lightning will electrocute affected targets resulting in taking extra d4 Lightning Damage over time. Be sure to experiment with more Spells, especially since casting them is the forte of the Circle of the Land Druid.

Lastly, since you won’t have the ability to effectively serve as a tank for your allies given the absence of the Polar Bear Wild Shape, it’s probably a good idea to retain Shadowheart or Lae’zel  as your Companions. Just make sure that there’s at least one member who can absorb damage effectively. If you need to support them better, then choose the Level 2 Spell Lesser Restoration to cure them of diseases and conditions. It doesn’t require Concentration, only a single Action.


Stay tuned for more Baldur’s Gate 3 content as we update the other Builds, and be sure to drop by our Twitch Channel if you have questions about the game. If you need something specific, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wiki which is being worked on night and day!

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