Abjuration Wizard Build and Guide
In this Baldurs Gate 3 Abjuration Wizard build guide, we’ll cover the pros/cons of the subclass, its recommended spells, and more!
Do you like having options in games? Are you the type of player who wants to have solid damage potential while also being able to protect your party?
If so, then you have come to the right place! Abjuration Wizards mainly focus their attention on defensive spells that will enable the rest of their party.
With their massive protection capabilities, even Mind Flayers will be no match for you and your party.
Find out where the Wizard ranks in our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list.
Pros and Cons
Let us start off by talking about the reasons why you should (or shouldn’t) play the Abjuration Wizard!
Pros
- Tankiest/most defensive Wizard subclass
- Great multi-class options
- Enables glass cannons
Cons
- Less offensive firepower
- Demands concentration
- Spellslot management
Arcane Ward is a huge reason as to why we are playing the Abjuration Wizard. Arcane Ward gives us a bunch of temporary charges that reduce the damage that we receive. The Arcane Ward is equal to twice your Wizard level.
This makes this class less vulnerable than other Wizard or spellcaster classes, while also giving us the benefit of protecting either ourselves or an ally.
At level six we gain the subclass ability Projected Ward, which enables us to protect our party even more!
Then at level ten, we gain the subclass ability Improved Abjuration. This gives us more charges to work with.
As the Abjuration Wizard only needs to reach level two to gain access to their ability, Arcane Ward, they are great candidates to multi-class!
You do not need to multi-class, as they are powerful stand-alone classes, but having the option to do so does not hurt. The Abjuration Wizard is a great candidate for multi-class because they gain access to the temporary charges that reduce damage received and have access to the spell Shield early. Meaning that they are tanky!
This enables them to multi-class with other classes that are in a more direct position to be attacked within your party. Only needing to reach level two is a huge boon when looking into multi-classing as it does not require much investment. My recommended multiclass is taking a single level of Cleric with their Life Domain subclass. This is because taking a single level in this class gives us access to heavy armor and shields, which make us even more tanky.
On top of this, they are a full spellcaster, meaning that taking a single level in this class, as opposed to a Fighter for example, will not take away from our spell-casting ability.
This enables them to multi-class with other classes that are in a more direct position to be attacked within your party. Only needing to reach level two is a huge boon when looking into multi-classing as it does not require much investment.
That said, they are powerful stand-alone classes, but having the option to do so does not hurt.
On top of being tankier than other Wizard subclasses, and a great multi-class option, the Abjuration Wizard has the added benefit of protecting key members of your party.
In particular, the Abjuration Wizard will make certain that your glass cannon (a character solely focused upon offensive capabilities to the detriment of their defensive stats) will stay in the fight! The Abjuration Wizard does this by giving additional temporary health, Armor Class, shields, and even by telling some threatening enemies, “NO”.
It is fitting to say that this class fits the motto “one size fits all”… but as everyone knows sometimes that “one” size does not in fact fit all. That is why I am here to tell you about the weaknesses of this class!
The first weakness of this class is that we have less offensive firepower than other Wizard subclasses. This is expected though as we are choosing the “defensive” Wizard option. Instead of blasting our enemies apart, we are instead choosing this class to make sure our party stays in one piece!
Another weakness to this class is the need to use Concentration for multiple Abjuration Spells, such as Banishment and Stoneskin.
While both of these Abjuration spells are good in certain situations, Concentration itself has downsides that need to be highlighted when playing the Abjuration Wizard. First and foremost, the main downside to Concentration is that your spell is able to be disrupted upon taking damage.
This is obviously a flaw! Enemies can take away some of your defensive capabilities just by attacking you!
As a note: Arcane Ward reduces damage received and this is able to reduce the damage to zero, which will allow players to keep their concentration.
The other flaw to Concentration is that you are only able to Concentrate on one spell at a time. Remember that you are unable to maintain multiple spells with this drawback.
Lastly, it is very important to note that a player needs to manage their spell usage. A Wizard is a powerhouse on the battlefield that will quickly change to the weakest member on your team when they run out of spells. They need to ensure that they have spells before entering combat, and then be able to manage the number of spells that they can cast to maintain their powerhouse status.
The Abjuration Wizard especially needs to manage their offensive spell usage, so they have the capability to cast their defensive spells when the time comes.
Origin and Background
For this guide, the player’s chosen background is not important as you will be able to reclass very early on. If you want to start out immediately as an Abjuration Wizard then I suggest taking Custom, Gale, or the Dark Urge.
The Abjuration Wizard’s background is very player dependent. This is more focused on what you want this character to focus on. In other words, this is the section where you choose your role for the party.
Do you want to be a thief? Be animal focused? A historian? Choose the option that best fits the character that you have envisioned. I am the type of player that focuses on combat and maximizing that potential!
If you are the same, then I recommend going with the Sage background as this focuses on Arcana and History and you are thus able to gain proficiencies that will align with your character.
Race and Subraces
The way that races and subraces work have been changed to better fit a player’s needs in this game. All races and subraces now provide the same stat allocation of a player’s choosing.
You can now give yourself plus two stats in an attribute and plus one stat in another attribute of your choosing. This is a huge change that I personally love. It opens up races and subraces options, which I am all about. Again feel free to choose any races and subrace that you desire.
I recommend taking the Origin background and either Half-Orc or the Gold Dwarf. I recommend these two races because they make you ever so slightly tanky while also providing Darkvision, which is an important trait to have. Selecting a Half-Orc provides you with Relentless Endurance, which will keep you alive for one more hit.
That might now sound like it is good, but the Abjuration Wizard will ensure that one more hit is meaningful. Selecting the Gold Dwarf gives you an extra hit point every level from their ability Dwarven Toughness. This extra health will enable you to occasionally survive hits that otherwise would knock you down.
Skill Proficiencies
Choose Religion and Investigation. These are important proficiencies to have throughout the game and you will also be at +5 for Arcana and History from your background if you went with Sage.
Stats
There are six stats and as a Wizard you only truly need one. That one is INT, and you could bring INT up to 17 if you took the Gnome race. I would also dump (meaning to bring as low as possible, which is 8) the STR, WIS, and CHA stats as they are not needed for the Wizard. You can then allocate the remaining points into DEX and CON. If done properly you will have 8 STR, 16 DEX, 15 CON, 17 INT, 8 WIS, and 8 CHA.
Cantrips
My rule of thumb here is two attacks, and one utility cantrips. This will ensure that you are able to attack weak points while also enabling you to cover for a weakness. My suggestions are Chill Touch, Fire Bolt, and True Strike. This gives you options to attack while also helping you actually *land* attacks
Spells
Now here is the fun part of being an Abjuration Wizard, the spells! There are some vital spells that we need to take, but outside of those you will have a multitude of other options of your choosing. The main recommended Abjuration spells are: Counterspell, Shield, Planar Binding, Banishment, Stoneskin, and Mage Armour.
Counterspell
You gain access to the level three spell, Counterspell, at level five. This is one of the best, if not the best, Abjuration spells in the game. Having access to this spell will completely neutralize a single enemy spellcaster by itself. This spell is a huge reason as to why we are playing the Abjuration Wizard!
Shield
Shield is a fantastic spell as it is a reaction. You will be asked if you want to cast this spell when it would save you from being hit by an enemy. This will get you out of taking damage while also giving you Arcane Ward charges.
Planar Binding
This is one of our few crowd control Abjuration spells that we have access to. This spell enables us to take control of certain creature types and make them an ally. Watch out though as breaking concentration will change them back into a hostile creature.
Banishment
This is our best crowd control Abjuration spell. Being able to remove an enemy from the fight is hugely beneficial. This spell can banish a boss while we take out his minions. Then we can fight the boss as a group, putting us at a severe advantage.
Stoneskin
This spell is a primary way to ensure that a key party member survives. Taking half damage from physical attacks should not be underestimated.
Mage Armour
This spell is why we have a high DEX stat. This spell will get us Arcane Ward charges plus increase our AC. Note: This spell can be cast repeatedly to increase our Arcane Ward charges if you do not care about expending spell slots.
TLDR Playstyle
Immediately after you take a long rest, cast Mage Armour upon yourself. This will give you Arcane Ward charges to stay alive! After this, you will play as a full casting Wizard.
Use Banishment upon threatening targets and your cantrips upon less threatening foes to save spell slots. Cast Stoneskin on your glass cannon or you can use defensive spells to help your party but feel free to mix in offensive spells as you see fit throughout the combat.
Once you reach level 5 and have access to Counterspell, you will be able to use this to combat other spellcasters. Remember that you are limited to the number of spells that you can cast.
Items
Items are important, but they are not game changing for this build! Just prepare the best equipment that you have available and make sure to keep an eye out for scrolls! There are some items that I recommend finding though.
These items are:
Spellcrux Amulet
This item gives us the ability to restore a spell slot of any level once per long rest.
The Graceful Cloth
This item is clothing that increases out DEX by two, which is equivalent to one additional AC.
Bonespike Boots
This item increases our AC by one, making us even more tanky.
Wondrous Gloves
This item increases our AC by one, making us even more tanky!
Conclusion
The Abjuration Wizard is a Wizard who says NOPE and specializes in helping their allies while ensuring their own safety! They have a unique play style because they are spellcasters who are less reliant on perfect positioning and more focused on enabling their party.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide for the level five Abjuration Wizard! Join me in my next guide where I will go more in-depth on multi-class options as well as making the Abjuration Wizard more powerful upon leveling up!
