Best BG3 Magic Missile Build – Missile Spam Wizard Build

MAGIC MISSILE BUILD PROS

MAGIC MISSILE BUILD CONS

BG3 Multiclass Explainer:

• How it works: New classes can be added as you level up. They are added on a level-by-level basis.
• Example: If you are a level 6 Warlock and decide to add 1 Wizard level, you will only get the features of Wizard level 1.
• Example 2: If you want the features of a level 6 Warlock and Wizard, you need to be max level and add 6 levels of each class. (We’re not using this class distribution for our build; this is only an example!)

Wizard

• Our main class is Wizard. Evocation is an essential choice for the subclass because it will eventually give you a damage bonus to  Magic Missile and other Evocation spells.
• Wizards are masters of the arcane and have an unmatched selection of spells, making them very versatile.
• We’ll use 11 levels of the Wizard, allowing us to unlock all of its features, only missing out on the third and final Feat.

Warlock

• The Warlock provides us with the  Hex spell, which helps to boost the damage from Magic Missile.
• The Hexblade subclass gives us another important damage boost for Magic Missile, so choosing it is highly recommended.
• We’ll only be taking one Warlock level, just enough to unlock the basic Hexblade bonuses.

Magic Missile Build Levelling Progress Overview

• Level 1: Warlock 1 (Hexblade subclass)
• Level 2: Wizard 1
• Level 3: Wizard 2 (Evocation subclass)
• Level 4: Wizard 3
• Level 5: Wizard 4
• Level 6: Wizard 5
• Level 7: Wizard 6
• Level 8: Wizard 7
• Level 9: Wizard 8
• Level 10: Wizard 9
• Level 11: Wizard 10
• Level 12: Wizard 11

Core Warlock Features

• Item Proficiency – Simple Weapons, Light Armour
• Warlock Magic – To begin with, you can learn 2 Cantrips and 2 Spells from the Warlock Spell List.
• Warlock Spell Slot – You get one Warlock Spell Slot. Unlike regular Spell Slots, these are replenished on Short Rests and will automatically upcast spells to the highest available level.
• Subclass Choice – You must choose your Warlock subclass. We’ll be using the Hexblade subclass for this build.

We’ll explain what to choose for these options below.

Sage Background

Arcana

An Intelligence-based Skill that helps your character to recognise and manipulate magic, potentially opening up new dialogue options and quest paths.

History

An Intelligence Skill that improves your character’s ability to remember the past. This will sometimes lead to new information or context being revealed during your adventure.

Important Tips:

• The “Even Number” Rule: In Baldur’s Gate 3, only even numbers (12, 14, 16) increase your ability modifier. This means an 11 is functionally the same as a 10, so we aim for even numbers to maximize efficiency.
• Concentration is Key: Many important Wizard and Warlock spells (like  Hold Person or  Hex) require Concentration. A high Constitution helps ensure you don’t lose your spell just because you took a hit.

Spell Selection

 Hex

• Place a Hex on an enemy, causing them to take additional Necrotic Damage when you hit them.
• This makes for an excellent combo with Magic Missile, which we’ll unlock very soon.
• This is because Magic Missile has several projectiles, and Hex will buff all of them separately!

Pro Tip: When the Hexed enemy dies, you can recast the spell on a new enemy for free, as long as you maintain Concentration on the spell.

 Armour of Agathys

• Gives you Temporary HP (5 per Spell Slot Level).
• When you take melee damage, you retaliate against the attacker with Cold Damage.

Warlock Cantrips

 Friends

• Gain Advantage on Charisma checks against a targeted non-hostile creature for 10 turns.
• People don’t like being manipulated! Beware that using this can make characters like you less when the effect ends.
• On Tactician and Honour difficulty, using this is considered a crime and may result in combat if you’re not careful.

Hexblade Features

 Hex Warrior

• You gain Proficiency with Medium Armour, Shields and Martial Weapons

 Bind Hexed Weapon

• Bind to your current equipped weapon.
• Become Proficient with that weapon, if you aren’t already.
• Attacking with the weapon has a chance to apply Hexblade Curse.
• The weapon attacks with Charisma instead of Strength/Dexterity (this can actually be detrimental for us depending on which weapon you choose, so be careful).

 Hexblade’s Curse

• The Attack Roll needed for a Critical Hit against the target is reduced by 1.
• You add your Proficiency Bonus to Damage Rolls against the target.
• If the target dies, you regain some HP (it will only be 1 HP for this build, because we’re only taking one Warlock level and aren’t building into Charisma).

Wizard Spellcasting

• You get access to Standard Spell Slots, which will be used to cast your Wizard spells.
• For now, you get two first-level Spell Slots. But more will be unlocked as you level up, all the way up to sixth-level.
• Later on, many spells can be “upcast” by using a higher level spell slot than their original spell level, making them stronger.
• Unlike Warlock Spell Slots, these are only replenished on Long Rests or with special actions.

 Arcane Recovery

• You have one Arcane Recovery charge. You’ll gain more as you level up.
• You can spend the charges to recover spent Spell Slots.
• Each Spell Slot Level replenished requires one charge.

Fire Bolt

• Hurl a mote of Fire, dealing 1-10 Fire Damage.
• Use this as your main damage Cantrip.

Ray of Frost

• Call forth a beam of Frost, reducing the target’s movement speed and dealing 1-8 Cold Damage.
• Use this when you need to slow down an enemy, or if the target is resistant to Fire.

 Toll the Dead

• Deals up to 12 Necrotic Damage.
• The damage is reduced against enemies at full HP. Target damaged enemies if possible.
• Enemies with high Wisdom are likely to roll a Saving Throw. Check the success chance before casting.

Mage Armour

• Improves your Armour Class to a total of (13 + Dexterity Modifier).
• Essential if you’re not wearing Armour.
• If you do equip Armour (Light, Medium or Heavy. Clothes are fine!), this spell won’t do anything.

Magic Missile

• Shoot three projectiles at a target, each one dealing 2-5 Force Damage.
• These projectiles home in on the enemy and cannot miss the target, but they occasionally get blocked by the Shield spell.
• Later on, you can upcast the spell to add extra projectiles.

Chromatic Orb

• Hurl a Sphere of Energy, dealing up to 24 Thunder, Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning or Poison Damage (of your choice) and create a surface of that type.
• Very versatile. Look out for enemies who are weak to a particular element and use that version of the spell.
• Also, look out for surface and status interactions, such as double damage against Wet enemies if you use the Lightning or Cold version.

Grease

• Creates an 8 metre wide pool of grease.
• Slows down enemies and potentially knocks them Prone when they try to move through it.
• Can also be ignited to set enemies alight.

 Sculpt Spells

• Allies will automatically succeed Saving Throws against your Evocation Spells, and take no damage from them.
• This means you can cast AoE Evocation Spells on top of your allies, and they will only harm enemies.

 Enhance Leap

• Gives you or an ally a much stronger jump.
• Great for reaching locations that would be inaccessible otherwise.
• Doesn’t cost a Spell Slot if cast outside of combat.

 Feather Fall

• You and nearby allies are immune to fall damage while the spell lasts.
• Won’t protect you from falling into bottomless chasms.
• Doesn’t cost a Spell Slot if cast outside of combat.

Having both of these spells is vital for exploration. They’re very situational, so you don’t need to keep them prepared all the time.

 Misty Step

• Teleport to any visible, unoccupied location within 18m.
• Great for teleporting to the best position for combat, escaping from danger or exploring a hard-to-reach area.

 Cloud of Daggers

• Creates a small AoE that deals a decent amount of Slashing Damage every turn.
• Especially good in chokepoints and confined areas.
• Requires Concentration to maintain.

Enlarge/Reduce

• Make the target bigger or smaller.
• Bigger targets deal a little more damage in melee and have Advantage on Strength checks
• Smaller targets are slightly weakened but can fit into small gaps.
• Requires Concentration to maintain the effect.

Hold Person

• Completely paralyse the target.
• They will attempt a Saving Throw every turn to break free.
• While stunned, melee attacks against them are guaranteed Critical Hits.
• Only works on living humanoids.

Dual Wielder

• You can now dual-wield any weapons that don’t have the Two-Handed property.
• This will be useful for fitting an extra set of weapon bonuses into the build.

Haste

• Grants the Hasted buff to the target.
• This gives them an extra Action each turn, increases their Movement Speed and gives them Advantage on Dexterity saves.
• Requires Concentration. If broken, the buff will end immediately.
• Beware that when the effect ends, the target will become Lethargic, forcing them to skip one turn.

Fireball

• Deals 8-48 Fire Damage to everything in a large area.
• Targets that perform a Saving Throw will still take half of the damage.
• Thanks to the Evocation subclass, you can cast this on top of allies and only enemies will be damaged.

Counterspell

• Spend a Reaction to block an enemy from casting a spell.
• If the target spell is above Third Level, you must either upcast your Counterspell or pass a dice roll to block it.
• Only block the most dangerous enemy spells, or you’ll quickly burn through all your Spell Slots.

 Lightning Bolt

• Deals  Lightning Damage in a large, linear AoE.
• Double damage against Wet targets.

 Potent Cantrips

• When an enemy succeeds a Saving Throw against your Cantrip, they still take half of the damage instead of negating it.
• No impact on Cantrips that use an Attack Roll to determine their hit chance.

Dimension Door

• Teleport yourself and one adjacent ally to a location within sight.
• This is great for getting a couple of characters into an advantageous position or to escape from a dangerous one.

Confusion

• An AoE Spell that causes enemies within to become Confused, randomly attacking, wandering around or passing their turn.
• They can resist the effects with a Wisdom Saving Throw.

 Ice Storm

• Deals Cold Damage and Bludgeoning Damage in the target area.
• Enemies may roll a Dexterity Saving Throw to halve the damage.

 Wall of Fire

• Create a wall of flames that deals Fire Damage to anyone who touches it.
• Those who try to move through the wall may take multiple ticks of damage.
• Works especially well in chokepoints and confined spaces.

Ability Improvement – Intelligence

• Put both of the extra points into Intelligence.
• This will raise your Intelligence Modifier from +3 to +4, making your Wizard spells and Cantrips more potent.

 Curriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War

• Fires 6 Projectiles, each one dealing up to 12 Force Damage.
• This is a massively beefed-up version of Magic Missile.
• This spell is not learned when levelling up. It comes from a Scroll that is obtained by reading The Red Knight’s Final Strategem in the vault of Sorcerous Sundries.
• Do not use the scroll to cast the spell! Get your character to transcribe the scroll so they can learn it.
• Don’t worry if you haven’t got that far in the game yet. Just be sure to pick it up when you get there.

Hold Monster

• This is the same as Hold Person, but without the restriction of Humanoid-only targets.

Cone of Cold

• Deals 8-64 Cold Damage to targets in a cone-shaped area.
• Double damage when used against Wet targets.

Conjure Elemental

• Summon a powerful elemental creature to help you in combat.
• Not only are they decent fighters, but they’re great at distracting enemies which means your party takes less damage.
• Later on, you can upcast it to Sixth Level to summon a mighty Myrmidon.

 Empowered Evocation

• You add your Intelligence Modifier to Damage Rolls of Evocation spells.
• For spells like Magic Missile with multiple projectiles, this bonus applies to every projectile separately.
• This means that, if you followed the build accurately, every Magic Missile projectile is guaranteed to do an additional 4 damage, just from this one bonus.

 Chain Lightning

• Deals 8-80 Lightning Damage. Damage is halved if the target Saves.
• The lightning forks to up to three more targets after the first one, hitting them too.
• Deals double damage against Wet targets.

 Sunbeam

• Deals 6-48 Radiant Damage in a large, linear AoE.
• You can recast Sunbeam every turn without expending a spell slot.
• Recasting requires you to maintain Concentration.

Globe of Invulnerability (Optional)

• Summons a globe that protects all within from damage.
• Can be used to cheese hard fights if you’re struggling to finish the game.

Attacking Items:

• Hat of the Sharp Caster – Rerolls spell damage dice that land on a 1 or a 2. This will help to increase your average damage output.
• Cloak of the Weave – Gives another +1 bonus to Spell Attack Rolls. Also increases the number required for a Saving Throw against your spells by 1.
• Robe of the Weave – Boosts your Spell Save DC, making spells more likely to succeed. Also boosts your Armour Class.
• Psychic Spark – Adds an extra projectile to your Magic Missile casts.
• Ring of Absolute Force – A small boost to your damage output, provided you got the Absolute’s Brand from True Soul Gut in Act I.
• Callous Glow Ring – Deals extra damage against illuminated enemies.
• Markoheshkir – Gives another +1 bonus to Spell Attack Rolls and Spell Save Difficulty Class. Generates Lightning Charges.
• Rhapsody – Gives you a further bonus of up to +3 Attack Rolls and Spell Save DC.

Defensive Items:

• Robe of the Weave – Gives you +2 to Armour Class.
• Cloak of Displacement – Enemies have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against you until you take damage.
• Darkfire Shortbow – Gives you Resistance to Fire and Cold Damage. You’ll take half damage from these attack types.

Mobility & Utility:

• Gloves of Belligerent Skies – Applies Reverberation to enemies when you hit them with Lightning or Thunder damage. This will deal additional damage and debuff enemy Saving Throws.
• Disintegrating Night Walkers – You can use Misty Step to teleport and you get immunity to a lot of effects that hinder your mobility.

Maximising Magic Missile’s Damage

Each projectile in your Magic Missile can do:

• 1d5 base Force Damage
• +4 damage from Empowered Evocation
• +4 damage from Hexblade’s Curse
• +2 Radiant Damage from Callous Glow Ring
• +1 Lightning Damage from Lightning Charges
  • or 1d8 Lightning if you have 5 stacks. Every projectile adds 1 stack.
• +3 damage from Rhapsody
• 1d4 Thunder if you have 5 stacks of Reverberation
  • +1 Thunder from the Ring of Absolute Force
• 1d6 Necrotic Damage if Hex is active on the target

This means that, if you acquire every recommended item and apply Hex and Hexblade’s Curse to the target (in practice this won’t always be possible), each Magic Missile projectile will deal between 16-37 damage.

If you have the Psychic Spark, you get an extra projectile in each cast, so even the basic level 1 Magic Missile deals 64-148 damage in total (up from 3-15 with no buffs), and upcasting to fifth level increases that to 128-296. And this damage cannot miss the target. The only way enemies can avoid it is by being resistant/immune to Force Damage (very rare) or if they have a Wizard ally who casts the Shield spell (also quite rare).

 Concentrated Blast

• Allows you to deal extra damage to a target when you are Concentrating on a spell, potentially also healing if the target is Concentrating too.
• Ideally, you will spend a lot of time concentrating on either Hex or an AoE like Hunger of Hadar, so you should be able to get good use from this.

 Cull the Weak

• When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 Psychic Damage to nearby enemies.
• This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.

 Fly

• This can be used to reach hard to get to places or change positions in combat.
• Use this to stay out of range of enemy attacks, so your Concentration won’t get disrupted as easily.

 Black Hole

• This power creates an area-based effect that pulls in and slows targets.
• It’s particularly useful for crowd control, allowing you to cluster enemies together for area-of-effect attacks or to isolate them from vulnerable allies.

Pro Tip: Try getting the Haste buff from a Potion of Speed or the Haste spell (lets you perform 2 Actions on one turn), then casting Black Hole and then Hunger of Hadar to cause a world of pain for a group of enemies.

 Psionic Backlash

• This is a top-tier reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3.
• This allows you to deal psychic damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell.
• This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell.
• The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.