Quick Links
Baldur’s Gate 3added the Circle of the Stars subclass for Druid with its massive Patch 8. It grants a number of unique and interesting features, including the ability to adopt Starry Forms rather than the beasts Druids typically transform into.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Subclass Guide: Hexblade
Learn all about the Hexblade, a Warlock subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3 all about using martial weapons and infusing them with dark magic.
This guide discusses the major mechanics this subclass gives you access to and offers advice on how to create a powerful build with the Circle of the Stars.
Subclass Features
A Druid picks their subclass at Druid Level 2, at which point a player can select the Circle of the Stars (meaning boththe canonical druids you can recruitwill almost certainly be able to start as one the moment they agree to fight for the party). Once selected, a Druid will immediately gain benefits from the subclass and will gain additional benefits at Druid Level 5, 6, 9, and 10. This will be in addition to all the core benefits associated with leveling up as a Druid that a member of any subclass will receive. The benefits this subclass grants are as follows:
On selecting this subclass, the Druid gainsthe (arguably best) cantrip Guidanceand the spell Guiding Bolt, which they are considered to have Always Prepared. They gain a new resource called Star Maps, starting with 2 of this resource and regaining them each Long Rest. Star Maps can be expended to use Guiding Bolt without spending a spell slot.
The Druid also gains the ability to expend Wild Shape Charges to enter one of three Starry Forms:
Entering a Starry Form doesn’t transform you in the same way a standard Wild Shape does. Your attributes stay the same, you don’t have a new HP pool, and you don’t lose access to any actions you get in your standard form.
This level gives you an additional Star Map charge, boosting your total to 3 per Long Rest.
Level 6 sees a Circle of the Stars Druid gain the Cosmic Omen passive feature. This allows you to modify Ability Checks, Attack Rolls, and Saving Throws as a Reaction, adding 1d6 to rolls made by allies or subtracting 1d6 to rolls made by enemies.
Cosmic Omen requires the expenditure of Cosmic Omen charges. You have a maximum of 3 charges, regaining them on a Long Rest.
Mechanically, the Cosmic Omen ability shares many similarities with the Bard’s Bardic Inspiration and Cutting Words abilities.
At Level 9, the Druid gains an additional Star Map and Cosmic Omen charge, starting each Long Rest with a total of 4 each.
Level 10 grants a Druid a significant buff to their Starry Forms through the Twinkling Constellations passive. Their forms change as follows:
Twinkling Constellations also allows you to switch Starry Form once per turn as a Free Action.
Building a Strong Circle of the Stars Druid
One interesting element of the Circle of the Stars Druid is that the separation between your Wild Shape form and default form is less extreme when using your Starry Forms. Rather than transforming into an entirely different creature, losing access to your magic (but admittedly also gaining a number of advantages), you may expend a Wild Shape charge to buff yourself while maintaining the ability to do things like cast spells.
Of the forms, Luminous Arrow seemed the weakest in testing. It’s still fairly easy to consistently benefit from (it’s a nice buff to get a free Bonus Action attack each turn), but the breath weapon of the Dragon form deals more damage until a Druid reaches Level 10, including half damage on a successful save, and can affect multiple targets. Dragon form also gives a Concentration Saving Throw buff, which can help a Druid continuously use moves like Call Lightning without needing to expend multiple spell slots.
Baldur’s Gate 3: 10 Tips And Tricks We Wish We Knew Sooner
If you’re new to the fantastically huge RPG that is Baldur’s Gate 3, here are some helpful beginner tips to guide you on your journey.
A decent approach to building a strong Circle of the Stars Druid is to design a character that will upcast spells like Moonbeam and Call Lightning. You can Concentrate on these powerful spells and recast them for up to 10 rounds (although you’ll usually either end combat or get your Concentration broken long before that). Adopting your Dragon form and finding a way towards a decent Constitution bonus means it can become difficult to knock you out of Concentration, helping to maximize the efficacy of using high-level spell slots for your Concentration attacks. Using a 4th Level or higher spell slot for a recastable spell allows for significant damage output each round. While in Dragon form, you’ll also be able to use Dazzling Breath for some extra damage using your Bonus Action, and you’ll also eventually also gain the ability to Fly while in that form.
In terms of items, gear that raises your Spell Save DC can be a good focus. TheFistbreaker Helm,The Protecty Sparkswall,Melf’s First Staff, and more can all make your spells increasingly difficult to defend against. Combine these bonuses with a high Wisdom score, and you can fairly consistently ensure Call Lightning and Moonbeam are dealing full damage (and they’ll still deal half damage on a successful save).
It may be tempting touse a Featto gain proficiency in Constitution Saving Throws, but you’ll likely find a greater benefit to first boosting your Wisdom to 20 to maximize your spell DC. You can also take the War Caster feat if Concentration saves are a big concern, which grants Advantage on Concentration saves. For context, this is mathematically equivalent to a little over a +3 bonus, meaning it’sbetterthan Constitution Saving Throw proficiency until a character gains a +4 Proficiency Bonus at level 9.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 Subclass Guide: Bladesinger
Learn all about Baldur’s Gate 3’s Bladesinger, a Wizard subclass introduced in the latest update focused on the use of spells and blades.
