Evocation or Abjuration: Which one should you choose? Baldur’s Gate 3

Summary

• Evocation and Abjuration are two subclasses of the Wizard class in Baldur’s Gate 3.
• Evocation is more on the offense side while Abjuration is on the defense side.
• These subclasses are available after players reach Level 2 with the Wizard class.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a pure tabletop Dungeons and Dragons experience and a DnD experience, always comes with classes and subclasses. Wizard is one of the most powerful classes in the game, and when used to its full potential, it packs a heavy punch.

The Wizard class has eight subclasses, which makes it more unique than the others. But some players are wondering what to choose between Evocation and Abjuration, which are offensive and defensive subclasses.

Evocation is a better choice according to the majority of players since it focuses elemental energy into powerful enchantments and attacks, while Abjuration focuses on summoning wards, nullifying magic, and banishing enemies.

Evocation is clearly the better choice here since it enhances all your damage-based spells as you level up and some of the most powerful spells in the game are of this variety. Plus, it has the Sculpt Spell feature for all Evocation-type spells.

But that doesn’t mean Abjuration is a bad subclass by any means. Sure it may not do as much damage as Evocation but it’s still an amazing subclass as it’ll help you protect yourself and party members from severe damage and status effects.

1. The Best Gale Builds

Gale is one of the many optional companions’ players can recruit very early on in the story and he’s a Wizard. There are two builds for him that can make him a real asset to the party:

• Evocation Build
• Abjuration Build

Both are extremely strong choices for his build and will help your team significantly with him in it. Evocation is great for a damage-heavy build, while Abjuration is excellent for a defensive build. It’s up to you to choose one that fits your playstyle.

2. Evocation Build

Evocation Wizards focus on dishing out elemental damage in the form of fire, ice, or lightning based attacks. It’s an absolute powerhouse of a subclass and the perfect offensive subclass for Gale.

You can upgrade Gale to the Evocation subclass as soon as you reach Level 2. As you progress and level up, your Gale will learn more and more abilities to help you and your party out during combat.

Level	Subclass Feature	What it Does
Level 2	Evocation Savant	Evocation spells learned from scrolls will cost half their price
Level 2	Sculpt Spells	Allies won’t take any damage from your AOE spells and they’ll succeed at their throws
Level 6	Potent Cantrip	Cantrips will still cause half damage when enemies land a successful Saving Throw, making it harder for them to evade your Cantrips
Level 10	Empowered Evocation	Allows you to add your Intelligence modifier to your damage rolls and make spells which cause more damage

Recommended Spells for Gale’s Evocation Build:

• Magic Missile
• Chromatic Orb
• Feather Fall
• Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
• Misty Step
• Scorching Ray
• Shatter
• Fireball
• Darkness
• Thunderwave
• Counterspell

3. Abjuration Build

Abjuration is the build players should go for with Gale if they want to prioritise defending allies instead of defeating enemies. It’s a solid build for Gale and can make him a great defensive asset in the party.

You can upgrade Gale to the Abjuration subclass after reaching Level 2, and you’ll learn a host of new subclass features as you keep leveling up.

Level	Subclass Feature	What it Does
Level 2	Abjuration Savant	Learning Abjuration spells from scrolls are half the price
Level 2	Aracne Ward	Blocks damage equal to its charge but also loses one charge
Level 6	Projected Ward	Allows you to give your Arcane Ward ability to an ally if they’re hurt to reduce their damage
Level 10	Improved Abjuration	Increases the quality of Arcane Ward and enhances the effectiveness of Abjuration spells

Recommended Spells for Gale’s Abjuration Build:

• Misty Step
• Haste
• Grant Flight
• Heal
• Hold Monster
• Hold Person
• Fireball
• Magic Weapon
• Fire Shield
• Banishment
• Mirror Image

Both of these Wizard subclass builds make Gale a great player in your party. Ultimately, both builds are formidable, but it’s up to you to choose one of them. None of them are bad by any means; it’s just up to what you prefer in terms of gameplay.

4. About Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main game in the Baldur’s Gate series, based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system.

A partial game version was released in early access format for Windows, macOS, and the Stadia streaming service on 6 October 2020., followed shortly by a release on the PlayStation 5 on 6 September 2023.