I picked my Baldur's Gate 3 class on a whim, and now I can't imagine playing anything else

I got into the Baldur's Gate 3 character creator with very few ideas about who I was going to play. I knew I was going to make a custom avatar, because I wanted to meet all the Origin characters as voice-acted party members, and I figured it would probably be a good idea to pick a class that was represented among the Origin options. When I chose to play as a Druid, it was a pure whim – and now I can't imagine playing as anything else.

I'm sure if you carefully consider the best Baldur's Gate 3 Druid build you'll be able to build an absolute powerhouse in combat, but that's not really what I'm looking for when I create an avatar in a computer RPG. What I really want is versatility in both combat and role-playing – a character who can dabble in a little bit of everything so I can see as much of the game as I can in a single run.

Do you want a character who can slot into literally any party configuration? You want a Druid. A character equally competent in physical combat and spellcasting? Yeah, that's a Druid. What about somebody who can transform into entirely different creatures with their own health bars and abilities? Druid. How about a character who can not only pet the dog, but ask the dog how its day is going? Yes, reader, you want a first-class ticket on the next train to Druid town. 

 The right to bear arms

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled with great party members, but if your own avatar is specialized as healing Cleric or a damage-dealing Rogue, it can be difficult to justify doubling up on a particular role to get a little more hangout time with Shadowheart or Astarion. But as a Druid you can just swap in a couple of healing or damage spells to make up for whatever your party needs. Druids get the freedom to change their spells with every long rest, so you're not forced to make permanent decisions like you would be with many other spellcasting classes. That flexibility is just what I want out of a custom RPG protagonist.

But hey, maybe you don't need spells at all! Druids can even be decent melee fighters without spreading their stats too thin, since the shillelagh spell can let you draw on your casting talents to boost your weapon attacks. Plus, it's a cantrip and only costs a bonus action to cast, so it's always there when you need it. You're not going to be outdoing Barbarian damage with your enchanted quarterstaff or anything, but when the rest of the party's down and you just need to knock a couple of HP off one last goblin to escape an encounter alive, that versatility is essential.

Then, of course, there's Wild Shape – the most iconic Druid ability, useful for everything from combat to becoming a sex-loving bear. You could turn into an Owlbear to flatten opponents from great heights, or a Rothé to trample a long line of enemies. I once found a small hole in a wall far too tight for anyone in my party to squeeze through – then I turned into a cat and found my way into a storehouse whose bounty I've still been making use of 20 hours later. 

 Don't just pet the dog, talk to to him

But maybe the biggest reason I love playing a Druid so much is because of 'Speak with Animals'. Just as the name suggests, it lets you talk to nature's creatures, and one of the most impressive things about Baldur's Gate 3 is that every single animal has written, voiced dialog unique to that particular creature. You might talk to a rat who'll tell you the secrets inside a shed you never would have explored otherwise, or a little frog in a swamp who's so excited that you killed an evil mage he'll show you to some free treasure. Or you could talk a few Rothé beasts into rising up and killing their abusive masters, saving you from doing the job yourself.

Yes, other classes can get Speak with Animals, but the versatile spellcasting abilities of Druids means that it's less of a hassle to keep the spell ready to use at a moment's notice. You can hold onto your spell slots until you find a new animal to speak to or – more realistically – you'll immediately cast it when you wake up at camp so you can make sure Scratch really understands that he's such a good boy. And, as a bonus, the spell lasts until your next long rest, so you can just fire it off and forget it, still able to speak with every ox you run across for many hours more.

Once I finally finish my first Baldur's Gate 3 run then yeah, sure, I might eye a different class with different abilities… maybe. But in this first playthrough, where I'm still learning what the game has to offer and how much of it I'm able to interact with, I can't imagine missing out on anything that Druids have to offer.

If you'd like to indulge an incorrect opinion from one of my colleagues, this is why your first Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough should be a Bard.