Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Wyll build in BG3

Wait until you meet his patron.

Wyll the companion speaking to a Tiefling child in Baldur's Gate 3.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Blade of Frontiers, Wyll, is a monster hunter Warlock with a hidden secret and a shaky family history. He is one of several characters that can be played either as an Origin character or a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Whether you choose to play as Wyll yourself or recruit him during your travels is up to you. You first meet Will early on during Act One at the refugee camp next to the Druid Grove, where he explains his current task of hunting down a “powerful devil” known as Karlach. It’s up to you to decide whether Karlach lives or dies or joins your party, but Wyll stays by your side regardless.

As a Warlock, Wyll has access to numerous powerful spells and Cantrips, including a couple of abilities unique to Warlocks that give him a tremendous edge in combat. Here is our best Wyll build for playing BG3.

All Wyll’s class features explained

Wyll the companion training in Baldur's Gate 3.
From your first time talking to Wyll. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Wyll is a Human Warlock using The Fiend subclass. While technically you can respec Wyll to a new class or subclass by talking to Withers, doing so wouldn’t really fit the story or his character. For this build, we’re keeping his class and subclass the same.

  • Pact Magic: You have a very limited pool of spell slots that refreshes on a Short Rest, rather than a long one.
  • Dark One’s Blessing (The Fiend subclass passive): When you reduce a hostile creature to zero hit points, this gift from your patron grants you temporary hit points that scale with your level.
  • Eldritch Invocations: Additional buffs or effects that Warlocks have access to. More on those in their own section below.
  • Dark One’s Own Luck (Level Six): You can add a d10 to an ability check.
  • Fiendish Resilience (Level 10): Gain resistance to a damage type, which you can swap out whenever you take a short rest.
  • Mystic Arcanum: Once per day, you can cast a sixth-level spell. Of the available options, I recommend Eyebite for its longevity.

At level three, Wyll chooses between one of three Pact Boons. Pact of the Chain allows you to summon familiars, Pact of the Blade allows for magic weapons, and Pact of the Tome gives you three additional Cantrips in Guidance, Vicious Mockery, and Thorn Whip.

Tip:

I recommend Pact of the Blade since you can summon a magical weapon that uses your Spellcasting ability modifier. You also get an extra attack at level five.

Pact of the Tome is better for a long-ranged supportive Wyll. However, magical weapons in the midgame that were made for Wyll, like his Rapier, support a melee playstyle.

Ability scores for best Wyll build in BG3

Wyll begins play with an awful ability score spread. If you decide to respec him at Withers, you should choose this group of ability scores.

  • Strength: 10
  • Dexterity: 16
  • Constitution: 14
  • Intelligence: 8
  • Wisdom: 10
  • Charisma: 16

The stats to prioritize in the best Wyll build are Charisma, Dexterity, and Constitution. Charisma is the stat that Wyll uses for spells, including the incredibly high-damage Eldritch Blast, and also his Pact of the Blade attacks. Dexterity improves the Warlock’s armor class, whether you use Light Armor and a Shield or the Shadow Armor invocation. Constitution is great for improving Wyll’s health and his Concentration saving throw, which you’ll need for spells like Hex.

If you decide to multiclass him into a Paladin or another class that grants Medium Armor proficiency, you can safely swap his Dexterity and Constitution. 14 Dexterity is the maximum that Medium Armor allows for Armor Class, but having some DEX is important for initiative.

Wyll naturally has very high Intelligence, which this setup lowers. Sadly, Warlocks have no use for Intelligence outside of rare skill checks. We recommend you get him Deception and Intimidation from his Warlock skills, and Persuasion from his Human skill.

Best Wyll build in BG3

Wyll talking to the main character.
“I’m gonna be real with you Wyll, you’re going to use Eldritch Blast A LOT.” Screenshot by Dot Esports

Here is what the best Wyll build in BG3 looks like, broken down into what upgrades, spells, invocations, and feats you should take at each level. In the sections that follow, we break down why we chose the feats, spells, Cantrips, and Eldritich Invocations we did for this build.

LevelFeatures/Spells/Cantrips to take
OnePatron: The Fiend
Patron Feature: Dark One’s Blessing
Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Blade Ward
Spells: Hex, Armor of Agathys
TwoEldritch Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Devil’s Sight
Spells: Arms of Hadar
ThreePact: Pact of the Blade
Spells: Scorching Ray
FourFeat: Ability Score Improvement (18 Charisma)
Cantrip: Mage Hand
Spells: Darkness
FiveDeepened Pact: Extra Attack
Invocation: Mire the Mind
Spells: Fireball, replace Arms of Hadar with Blindness
SixPatron Feature: Dark One’s Own Luck
Spells: Counterspell
SevenInvocation: Sculptor of Flesh
Spells: Wall of Fire
EightFeat: Ability Score Improvement (20 Charisma)
Spells: Banishment
NineInvocation: Repelling Blast
Spells: Hold Monster
10Patron Feature: Fiendish Resilience
Cantrip: Chill Touch
Spells: Hunger of Hadar
11Mystic Arcanum: Eyebite
Spells: Vampiric Touch
12Feat: Resilient (16 Constitution)
Invocation: Lifedrinker
Spells: Blight

This version of Wyll mixes high damage potential with area-of-effect crowd control options for when taking out one enemy isn’t good enough.

Using Potions of Speed or the Haste spell, this version of Wyll can do upwards of 36d6 damage to a single target with Scorching Ray and a pre-setup Hex. Even without spell slots, Eldritch Blast and Hex can work together to deal high damage to a priority target.

When in melee combat, he should use a pact weapon liberally. Instead of using Hex, he should concentrate on spells like Darkness to get an edge on his opponents offensively and defensively. Enemies can’t target Wyll without being in melee while he’s enshrouded, making him a great frontline candidate. Juggling concentration is by far the hardest part of playing Wyll, since choosing between Hex and something like Hunger of Hadar is very situationally dependent.

Fireball and Wall of Fire can work together to wipe out scores of enemies, Wall of Fire being especially useful during late-game encounters. They swarm you with enemies in many of these situations, so Wall of Fire can cut combat in half while dealing massive damage to a group.

Tip:

If you want Wyll to be a more effective melee combatant, multiclass to Paladin or Fighter. Both of these classes offer high armor proficiencies, granting him much-needed Armor Class. They also offer class features that boost his damage: Paladin with Divine Smite, Fighter with Action Surge. They both grant Wyll your choice between Dueling or Great Weapon Fighting for a Fighting Style, each with its own pros and cons.

Best Cantrips for Wyll in BG3

Cantrips are your at-will spells, requiring an action slot to be cast, but not using up any spell slots.

  • Eldritch Blast: Deal 1d10 Force damage via a beam of crackling energy.
    • A Cantrip unique to Warlocks and a staple of any Warlock or Wyll build.
  • Mage Hand: Summon a spectral hand that can interact with objects from a distance.
    • An important way to move objects in a precarious position or in a dangerous area.
  • Blade Ward: Take only the damage from Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing attacks.
    • Valuable delaying option if Wyll is being swarmed by enemies. Especially good if Wyll is hasted and in danger.
  • Bone Chill: Deal 1d8 Nectrotic damage and prevent the target from healing. Undead targets receive Disadvantage on attack rolls.
    • Great against enemies relying on heals, as well as undead.

Best spells for Wyll in BG3

Wyll has access to the full list of Warlock spells. Here are some of our recommendations:

  • Armor of Agathys: Gain five temporary hit points and deal five Cold damage to any creature that hits you with a melee attack. Lasts until Long Rest.
    • If you have a spell slot to spend, this is a great spell to start the day with, giving you some extra defense. It scales excellently as Wyll levels up—up to 25 temporary hitpoints and reflective damage at maximum strength.
  • Arms of Hadar: Deal 2d6 Necrotic damage in a small 3m circle, preventing targets from using reactions for a turn if they don’t meet a Strength save.
    • Great for getting out of a jam if you cast it before moving, as adjacent enemies won’t be able to hit you with an attack of opportunity.
  • Hex: Make your attacks deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage, and give the target Disadvantage on an Ability of your choosing.
    • Adds extra damage to attacks, and can make the target more vulnerable to other attacks and effects.
  • Scorching Ray: Deal 6d6 Fire damage via three rays of fire.
    • Potential for overwhelming damage against a tougher enemy. Gets up to six rays at level five spell slots, which can deal an astronomical amount of damage when combined with Hex and Haste.
  • Hold Person: Hold a Humanoid enemy still for 10 turns. They cannot move, act, or react, and any attacks within three meters are always critical hits.
    • Very useful in hectic fights with one especially tough enemy around. Use Hold to neutralize them while you deal with the other enemies first. Hold Monster at level five is a viable upgrade to this.
  • Misty Step: Teleport up to 18 meters as a bonus action.
    • Handy for getting Wyll out of a tough spot or teleporting him to chase down an enemy.
  • Counterspell: Either automatically stops a spell or rolls to counter it as a reaction.
    • Fantastic for the spell-heavy mid and late-game, where Fireball bombardments can be overwhelming.
  • Vampiric Touch: Touch an enemy to deal 3d6 Necrotic damage, and siphon half of their damage taken as health for yourself. Can be cast again within 10 turns without spending a spell slot.
    • Potentially a huge momentum swing during a fight, especially given that you get two charges of it.
  • Hunger of Hadar: Create a sphere of cold blackness. Creatures starting their turn in the sphere take 2d6 Cold damage. Creatures ending their turn in the area possibly take 2d6 Acid damage. Sphere also counts as Difficult Terrain and will Blind enemies.
    • Exceptionally useful as a chokepoint.
  • Blight: Deal 8d8 Necrotic damage.
    • Another super powerful damage spell.

Best Eldritch Invocations for Wyll in BG3

A dark skinned Warlock with heavy armor and a flaming sword channels eldritch energy while targeting a large ogre woman in Baldur's Gate 3.
Agonizing Blast is critical for even melee Warlocks. Screenshot by Dot Esports.

Eldritch Invocations are unique effects unlocked by leveling up Wyll or a Warlock, providing additional buffs or effects to the character. Wyll gets two at level two, one at level five, one at level seven, one at level nine, then one at level 12.

  • Agonizing Blast: Add your Charisma modifier to your Eldritch Blast damage roll.
    • Given that you should start with 17 Charisma, which you can get up to 18 with a Feat, this effectively adds four points of damage to any Eldritch Blast.
  • Devil’s Sight: You can see through standard and magical darkness, up to a distance of 24 meters.
    • This allows Wyll to effectively use spells like Darkness to blind enemies while staying completely unaffected.
  • Repelling Blast: You send enemies up to 4.5m away from you whenever you hit them with Eldritch Blast.
    • This toggleable feature is fantastic with the number of bottomless pits around important combat arenas.
  • Mire the Mind: Cast Slow with a Warlock spell slot.
    • Slow works on up to six enemies, making them easier to hit and less dangerous if they are melee-based.
  • Sculptor of Flesh: Cast Polymorph with a Warlock spell slot.
    • Warlocks lack Polymorph on their spell list, which is a shame since it is a brutal crowd-control option that can eliminate bosses instantly.
  • Lifedrinker: Your melee attacks deal additional necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
    • Extra damage while in close combat.

Best feats for Wyll in BG3

Feats are earned at level four, level eight, and level 12. Here are the suggested feats to take at each level:

  • At level four, take the Ability Improvement feat and get your Charisma up to 18. If it’s already at 17, spend the other point from this feat on Dexterity or Constitution.
  • At level eight, take the Ability Improvement feat and get your Charisma up to 20.
  • At level 12, take the War Caster feat, or the Resilient feat if you have an odd number for your Constitution. We like making concentration checks, so these two feats offer a lot of leeway for Wyll’s great concentration-based spells.
Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.
Author
Image of Jason Toro-McCue
Jason Toro-McCue
Contributing writer and member of the RPG beat. Professional writer of five years for sites and apps, including Nerds + Scoundrels and BigBrain. D&D and TTRPG fanatic, perpetual Fighter main in every game he plays.