The Best Honour Mode Party Compositions In Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3is an impressive dive into the Dungeons and Dragonsfranchise by Larian Studios. The game follows a group of misfits as they make their way across the Sword Coast, working together to save the future of Baldur's Gate.

After completing the game, many players go on to try their hand at Honour Mode, which is an entirely different version of the game. Here's a list of the best party compositions for anyone wanting to venture into Faerun's most difficult challenge.

Updated on September 14, 2024, by Anastasia Maillot: As Baldur's Gate 3 has evolved through each patch and players have performed tests on various classes, subclasses, and multiclass combos, a meta has solidified in the game. Although creative freedom is definitely there, in honour mode, having the best, most efficient combination is always best—especially if players are trying to run through the experience for the first time. Several compositions have been suggested here, though there are a few things that remain near-constant: all of them will come with a Cleric. While the party face can switch from a Paladin to a Sorcerer, to a Bard, or even a Warlock (or a combination of these), Clerics will always be a mainstay in most of the suggested combos here due to the sheer utility and support they provide.

Minimal Multiclassing

The Party That Can Go 12 Levels In One Class And Still Survive

• Wizard
• Cleric (Life, then Tempest)
• Fighter
• Bard

A lot of honour mode builds require multiclassing, as that typically unlocks handy features like an extra attack for certain classes. But for those who would prefer to not do that for whatever reason, or simply want to challenge themselves, there are a few classes that remain quite powerful even with 12 full levels of it.

Fighter, Cleric, and Wizard are three very good examples of such classes. Fighter is just a nice bread-and-butter class in the game that can really dominate the frontlines. Wizard gameplay might be stale, but there's no denying its power in later levels. It can also be switched for a Sorcerer for those who would rather have a Charisma-based spellcaster as a party face. Bard, although best multiclassed, is also a fantastic ranged option for this setup.

The Tanky Party

Hold The Frontline With Three Highly Survivable Characters

• Paladin/Bardadin
• Thrower Barbarian
• Cleric (Light or Life)
• Ranger/Rogue (Gloomstalker-Assassin)

If staying alive is a major concern for players, which it should be in honour mode, then forming a highly tanky party might be the play. While they might suffer a little at range (that's where the Ranger-Rogue comes in), they will be able to put up with a lot of the raw damage dished out by enemies.

At the front is the Paladin, a class that can deal powerful smites. It can be multiclassed according to the player's needs to a Bardadin or a Sorcadin. Next to it is the Thrower Barbarian, a classic choice for most honour mode runs, especially for Act 1 where it really shines. Cleric is a must-have for any honour mode setup, and here, having a Life or Light cleric at least at first will really help the front lines to stay alive in the early fights where most builds have yet to come online.

The DPS Party

Excel At Dishing Out High Single Target Damage

• College of Swords Bard
• Ranger/Rogue (Gloomstalker-Assassin)
• Open Hand Monk
• Cleric (War or Light Domain)

In honour mode, oftentimes the best defense is a solid offense, and this party composition ensures that. The party is led by the classic Swords Bard, a jack of all trades capable of passing speech checks, fighting at a distance or in the face of enemies, and controlling the battlefield while supporting allies. Ranger/Rogue in this variation takes the spot of a caster like a Sorcerer and can focus on dealing incredible Crit damage from afar.

Then there's the OH Monk, one of the best, if not the best DPS build in the game, at least when it comes to single-target damage. This is the party's frontline, but it will need support froma tanky Cleric like War or Light Domain cleric. Going Life Cleric at first for a few levels just for some extra heals might also be the play if the party is really struggling in the early levels, just to make sure everyone's builds get a chance to come online without a wipe.

The Lightning Party

Group Enemies Together For Devastating Lightning Strikes

• Bard
• Storm Sorcerer
• Tempest Cleric
• Open Hand Monk

By far the best strategy in honour mode is to take advantage of Lightning, Cold, and Wet. When enemies are Wet through Create Water or by throwing a water bottle on them, they take double damage from Lightning and Cold spells. This is a dream for Storm Sorcerers and Tempest Clerics that can upcast powerful spells like Call Lightning and Chain Lightning for devastating results.

Supporting this party is of course a traditional Swords Bard, providing successful speech check passes whenever possible, acting as the stealth and ranged character of the party, and the like. Make sure to also pick up Minor Illusion on Bard to group enemies together, then use Create Water as Cleric, and finally hit them with a Lightning spell from the Sorcerer. The OH Monk here is the frontline who can jump in and finish off any low targets, or Stagger or Stun higher HP targets.