Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons 5E have some incredibly powerful combat spells, but the most useful cantrip doesn’t actually harm your enemies and is good for staying out of fights altogether.
One way Baldur’s Gate 3 differs from D&D 5E is that it has a much bigger focus on combat, with more fights than you’ll see in most tabletop sessions and additional systems in place to make the battles exciting.
To that end, you’d think spells focused on dealing damage or shielding allies from harm would be extremely popular. After all, why play an arcane spellcaster if you won’t be able to throw fireballs, sculpt lighting bolts, or summon nasty beasts to do your punching for you?
Despite this, one of the most beloved cantrips (essentially level 0 spells with infinite uses) in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Guidance. The Guidance cantrip doesn’t deal damage but adds a d4 to most skill checks, which can help you in most non-combat situations. This was discussed in a thread on the BG3 Reddit, which ranked the cantrips.
While Eldritch Blast is also ranked in the same spot, it’s a spell only a single class can make the best of. The Warlock is the master of the Eldritch Blast, but this is because they can dedicate class skills to making it awesome, while Guidance is great out of the box.
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A thread on the DnD Reddit also had many users claiming Guidance is the best cantrip due to its sheer utility. One user said, “I think Guidance is pretty hard to beat. There is the cliche of the cleric shouting “Guidance!” before every single skill check.”
Another user summed things up succinctly: “Guidance is the single best non-damage cantrip in the game.”
It helps that you get Guidance early on in Baldur’s Gate 3, assuming Shadowheart joins you at the start of Act I. Some items can give you access to the cantrip, ensuring you can use its helpful d4 until the game’s final section.
