Optimal Multiclassing in BG3

[Rex is back, baby!]

I have a min/max question

What are the optimal levels to multiclass?

I know for martial, you want at least 5 levels to get the extra attack.
At minimum, usually 3 levels to get the subclass features.

Now I'm act 3, I want to fool around with Wither's respec feature.

Thank you in advance.

[Schamaniac]

warlock 3 for pact of the blade
fighter 2 for action surge
paladin 2 for divine smite
monk 1 for unarmoured defence or 2 for movement
barb for rage 1-3
bard 2 for jack of all trades 3 for expertise
rogue 1 for expertise

just a few examples

[Rommel]

There are some really good{and very powerful} builds for this on YouTube.
Like 5 min Vids on how so you can check them. Really helps...

[Rex is back, baby!]

Originally posted by Rommel:

There are some really good{and very powerful} builds for this on YouTube.
Like 5 min Vids on how so you can check them. Really helps...

True, but I wanted to pick the minds of the Steam Community.
Like the theorycrafting in other CRPGs like Owlcat's Pathfinder games is very popular on Steam Community.

[Sultar]

Originally posted by Schamaniac:

warlock 3 for pact of the blade
fighter 2 for action surge
paladin 2 for divine smite
monk 1 for unarmoured defence or 2 for movement
barb for rage 1-3
bard 2 for jack of all trades 3 for expertise
rogue 1 for expertise

just a few examples

Rogue 3 Thief subclass for Fast Hands (extra additional action)

[Swingletree]

Rogue 1 really is great but Rogue 2 is not to be underestimated if you're a melee character that doesn't dual-wield; disengage/dash on a bonus action can be very strong when it comes to getting you into and out of battle.

[meowbeast]

I think you need to take 5 levels of wizard if you want to cast fireballs as eldritch knight.

[Mork]

Rogue 3 (thief) for bonus action
Sorcerer 2 for metamagics
Wizard 1 + 16 int + a full caster class like a cleric to get at least 4 wizard spells of any levels
Wizard 2 (transmutation) + cleric 3 + rogue 1 = camp medicine / alchemist expert and camp buffer
Barbarian 3 Bear wild heart = tank
Fighter champion 3 = crit build
Tempest cleric 2 for Destructive Wrath
https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Destructive+Wrath
....

[Hexoplex]

I am going to be a support character for my MP run.

Starting stats: Feat at 4 goes into Cha and Wis
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Con: 12
Int: 14 (+1)
Wis: 13
Cha: 17 (+2)

Fighter - 1 - (Dueling) gets all armors + shield, small self heal (needs to be taken first)
Warlock - 3 - (Archfey + Pact of Blade) gets Eldritch Blast for ranged (main attack) uses Pact for when melee unavoidable (can use spell slots [lvl 2] for casting bard spells
Bard - 5 - (Lore) - for ritual buffs and battle control (sleep. laughter, mockery) Extra inspiration at 5th level and refresh on short rest

Not decided where to put the last levels, might go into bard for the extra feat at 8.

[Agony_Aunt]

Keep in mind when multiclassing about feats, taking 3 levels in 4 different classes means you won't get any feats/ASI. Taking even a single level will lose you your final feat/ASI, so whatever you take best be worth it.

[jonnin]

Fighter 6 gets you back the feat you lost and 5 got you the extra attack.
drac sorc 6 gets you the extra damage

I think you are overthinking this. The level where you split depends on what it was you wanted from each class and whether it all fits. Try to avoid using classes only for basic feats like armor use or weapon use and focus on strong things like extra attacks or unique offerings.

[BigJ]

If you multiclass at lvl 4, you will not loose a feat. This can be optimal for feat dependant classes like barb 8(bear) druid circle of spores 4 for the "wall" build.

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by jonnin:

Fighter 6 gets you back the feat you lost and 5 got you the extra attack.
drac sorc 6 gets you the extra damage

I think you are overthinking this. The level where you split depends on what it was you wanted from each class and whether it all fits. Try to avoid using classes only for basic feats like armor use or weapon use and focus on strong things like extra attacks or unique offerings.

No disagreement from me, i'm just saying its something to take into consideration. Fighter 6 indeed does get you an extra feat, assuming you want 6 levels of fighter ;)

[wendigo211]

The truth is it depends on the class and what you get. Some of the notable features are:

• Extra attack per action: Fighter 5, Paladin 5, Ranger 5, Barbarian 5, Monk 5, Bard (Sword and Valor) 6, Warlock 5 (Pact of the Blade). As a side note, the extra attack from Pact of the Blade stacks with the extra attack from the other classes so a Paladin 5, PotB Warlock 5 has 3 attacks per action. Fighters get a 3rd attack per action at level 11.
  
• Rogues (Thief subclass) get an extra bonus action at level 3.
  
• Good level 2 abilities: Fighters get Action Surge (bonus action, once per short rest), Paladins get Smites (extra radiant damage per hit at the cost of a spell slot) at level 2, Barbarians get Reckless attack (gain advantage on all attacks, but enemies get advantage against them as well). Warlocks gain their 2 Eldritch Invocations (Casters may want 2 Warlock for Eldritch Blast with Agonizing and Repelling Blast)
  
• Spell casting: Full spellcasters unlock an extra spell level every odd level. 1/2 Casters like Rangers and Paladins unlock an extra spell level at levels 5 and 9. Casters like Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters get their 2nd level spells at level 7.
  
• ASIs (bonus stats or feats). Characters get their ASIs at class level 4, 8 and 12. Fighters get an extra ASI at level 6 and Rogues get another ASI at level 10.
  
• Fighting styles: Fighter 1 (Champion gets another at 10), Ranger 2, Paladin 2, Bard (College of Swords level 3)
  
• Other abilities for combat: The druid Shillelagh cantrip lets you use your Wisdom modifier for attack and damage with staves and clubs. Pact of the Blade warlock uses its charisma modifier for attack and damage with its bound weapon.

Some of the stronger multiclass combos I've found:

• Sword bard 6/Evocation Wizard 6. Go for an Int build, learn utility spells from the Bard list and use a casting attribute melee weapon like Rapier Mizora gives you at the end of Act 2 for rescuing her (or the scimitar Jaheira starts with). You have full Wizard spell casting and spell slots, an extra attack per action supported with Bard flourishes, Medium armor, etc. It's essentially a level 12 Wizard that loses nothing except for one ASI. Or looking at it another way, it's basically a Bladesinger.
  
• Oathbreaker Paladin 7/Pact of the Blade Warlock 5. 3 Attacks per action, 2x Charisma modifier for damage. Charisma modifier for attack and spell casting. Two short rest recharging level 3 spell slots.
  
• Oath of the Ancients Paladin 2/Sword Bard 10. This is essentially a Sword Bard build that gains smites and an extra Fighting Style from Paladin. The Bard spell list is low on offense, so this helps a lot. Since Slashing Flourish lets you attack two enemies with one attack, you can make 4 smites per action (until you run out of Smites and flourishes). Oath of the Ancients gives you a pretty nice heal for the two level investment.
  
• Hunter Ranger 8/Thief Rogue 4. I like this one with sharpshooter and dual hand crossbows. You get an extra bonus action from Thief for a second offhand attack, or the option to hide and relocate. Ranger with Collossus Slayer and Hunter's Mark gives you bit of a damage boost. This is my go to Astarion build.

[ToucanSafari]

This game is easy enough to annihilate without multiclass abusing.

[Darkaiser]

A lot of this will depend on your preferred playstyle. If you like Wizards with their 'one tremendous BOOM!' action and not much else, your idea of a 'good' multiclass will be far different from the 'I can make 11 Attacks a turn with my belt-fed hand crossbows!' type of player. That being said, there are a few choices that are tough to dismiss:

1 Fighter Level allows you to use any armor or weapon so if you find that one really cool knife/sword/helmet, you can likely use it.
2 Fighter levels grants you Second Wind for a self-heal and Action Surge and who doesn't like going twice?
1 Rogue level grants Sneak Attack and more skills which are always good for martial (i.e. folks who rely on weapons).
2 Rogue levels grants you Cunning Action which changes Dash, Hide and Disengage into Bonus Actions for you.
1 Cleric level grants access to their subclass and some of the best low-level buffs in the game.
2 Wizard levels grants access to their subclass and a pretty broad range of spells.

These are what are referred to as 'Dips' because you're only going 1-2 levels into another class so the price isn't so high. Many folks like to MC with Fighters because they get an additional Feat at level 6 so not getting the one at 12 doesn't hurt so bad.

In the case of many classes, getting to level 5 grants another Attack and that's always a good thing.

Something else to remember is that the whole point of playing is to have FUN. If your idea of fun is playing the Bard/Rogue with 2 levels in Fighter, then go for it. The fact that we can respec for cheap means that we're free to experiment.