Best Familiar in Baldur’s Gate 3
Familiars play a crucial role in Baldur’s Gate 3, with Find Familiar being one of the most powerful spells in the game. Certain classes can gain access to this spell immediately after character customization. While there are a total of six Familiars available in BG3 (excluding Imp and Quasit, which are unlocked through leveling up or making Pact Boons as a Warlock), one Familiar stands out among the rest.
The Top Familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Crab
- Cat
- Raven
- Spider
- Frog
- Rat
Though all Familiars obtained through Find Familiar possess considerable power as damage sponges against enemy attacks, the Crab deserves the title of the best Familiar in Baldur’s Gate 3. It inflicts one plus 1d4 slashing damage and applies the Pinched effect, which deals an additional two damage at the start of an enemy’s turn. This combination rapidly dispatches enemies, while also reducing their speed. And let’s not forget—it’s a crab!
The Cat, while not the strongest Familiar in combat, shines as the best option for out-of-combat situations. Using their meow ability, Cats can distract nearby enemies, a highly valuable skill given the limited ways to move enemies in BG3. Additionally, like all Familiars, Cats can fit through rocky crevices.
In third place is the Raven, thanks to its ability to fly, making it ideal for exploration purposes. On top of that, its Rend ability deals one damage and blinds enemies. Blinded enemies not only suffer disadvantage, but everyone on your side gains advantage against them, making the Raven a force to be reckoned with.
The Spider, on the other hand, isn’t as impressive, as its main attributes are poisoning enemies and jumping far distances—nothing exceptional. The Frog follows suit, offering minimal damage output, but compensates by imposing disadvantage on the target’s Dexterity Saving Throws, surpassing the Rat, which is the weakest Familiar in Baldur’s Gate 3. Although the Rat lacks significant damage-dealing abilities, it does give its target disadvantage on Constitution Saving Throws.
If you don’t have a party member capable of casting Find Familiar, I strongly recommend enlisting a Hireling to ensure that Familiars can be deployed on the battlefield in Baldur’s Gate 3.