BG3 Arcane Trickster Build Guide – Trick your Foes!
Welcome to the Arcane Trickster Build for Baldur’s Gate 3. For this build, we’ll be using the Arcane Trickster subclass of the Rogue, a more versatile version of the Rogue class that can cast some basic spells. The BG3 Arcane Trickster Build was last updated in October 2025. It works for both PC and Console (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).
Please visit our Best BG3 Builds overview page for more builds or check out our Best BG3 Rogue Build with the Thief subclass or our BG3 Astarion Build. To get an overview of all classes please visit the BG3 Classes overview page.
You can use this build for Astarion if you have recruited him to your party or chosen him as your main character.
Arcane Trickster Build Table of Contents:
- Arcane Trickster Build Overview
- Arcane Trickster Character Creation (Level 1)
- Arcane Trickster Levelling Guide
- Arcane Trickster Build Equipment
- Arcane Trickster Build Extra Info
Arcane Trickster Strengths
Arcane Trickster Weaknesses
BG3 Arcane Trickster Build Overview
Here is a quick overview of the Rogue class and Arcane Trickster subclass. If you’re already familiar with how they work, skip this section.
Rogue Class Summary
Rogues are the main “stealth” class in Baldur’s Gate 3. While other classes can stealth, none encourage and reward this playstyle as much as the Rogue.
Skill Expertise – You can choose some Skills that you are Proficient in and become an expert at those Skills, doubling your Proficiency Bonus. This allows you to be extremely good at, for example,
Sleight of Hand and
Acrobatics (two of the most important Dexterity Skills) right from the start of the game.
Sneak Attack – If you have
Advantage against a target, you can perform a Sneak Attack. This is more likely to hit and deals lots of bonus damage, with the bonus damage increasing as you level up. This allows you to deal crazy damage and even OTK some enemies at the start of combat.
Cunning Actions – You can perform Dash, Disengage and Hide with a
Bonus Action instead of a full
Action, so you can get a lot more done on your turn.
Uncanny Dodge and
Evasion – Unlocked at Levels 5 and 7, respectively, these allow you to negate a large portion of damage from attacks, making the Rogue more durable than you would expect.
Arcane Trickster Subclass
The Arcane Trickster subclass gives you limited access to the Wizard spell list. At high levels, you can impose Disadvantage on an enemy’s spell Saving Throw by using the spell from stealth.
Mage Hand Legerdemain – Your Mage Hand cantrip summons a permanent and invisible hand.
Magical Ambush – When you are Hiding, your targets have Disadvantage on Saving Throws against your spells.

Character Creation (Level 1) for BG3 Arcane Trickster Build
In this section, we will explain the best options to choose when creating your BG3 Arcane Trickster Character, such as Background, Race, Skills and Abilities.
Race
Your race isn’t hugely important, and the build will work fine if you just pick your favourite race and go from there.
However, there are still some useful passive features sourced from your race and subrace, which may be of advantage when it comes to the Arcane Trickster build. The table below shows the five most promising options:
| Race | Strengths | Info |
|---|---|---|
Lolth-Sworn Drow |
|
Good at stealth and perception, can see in the dark and is immune to the Sleep spell. Drow are well-suited to the Rogue class.
You can choose Seldarine Drow instead if you want; they are functionally identical but have a different backstory to their Lolth-Sworn brethren. |
Half Orc |
|
Half-Orcs are also some of the best melee damage dealers in BG3, thanks to the Savage Attacks passive feature. |
Duergar |
|
With their wider choice of armour and weapon proficiencies, and resistances to poison, charm, and paralysis, Duergar are one of the strongest races in BG3.
The only downside of Duergar is their small stature – this reduces their base Movement Speed to 7.5 metres per turn (most races get 9 metres). |
Wood Elf |
|
Wood Elves are a good choice for any Rogue build thanks to their innate Proficiency with Stealth and Perception and ability to see in the dark.
Their wider weapon Proficiency is handy, but we won’t need it for this build. However, the extra Movement Speed is great for any build, but especially a Rogue, which leans into an agile, evasive playstyle. You can use Half Wood Elf, too; it retains most of the same features. |
Deep Gnome |
|
The Deep Gnome is perfectly suited to sneaking around, thanks to its innate Superior Darkvision and Advantage on Stealth Checks.
This race also does a good job of shrugging off a variety of hostile conditions, thanks to their Gnome Cunning. However, their small size means that they have reduced Movement Speed, like the Duergar. |
Skills & Background
The Arcane Trickster Build is best played with high Dexterity, and fairly high Charisma, since we’ll have plenty of points spare and the Vicious Mockery Cantrip that we unlock at Level 4 uses Charisma to determine its Success Chance. Therefore, we’ll be aiming for the most useful skills that fit these qualities.
To begin with, you need to choose your character’s Background. We recommend the
Urchin background, which gives you the following Skill Proficiencies:
Stealth (DEX) – Makes it easier to succeed in stealth checks – staying hidden when an NPC is looking in your direction.
Sleight of Hand (DEX) – Used to determine your success chance when lockpicking and pickpocketing.
The Rogue gets to choose an additional four Skills to be Proficient with, from a limited selection. We recommend these choices:
Acrobatics (DEX) – Makes you more resistant to enemies’ attempts to push and shove you.
Deception (CHA) – Used to pass Deception checks in dialogue.
Intimidation (CHA) – Used to pass Intimidation checks in dialogue.
Persuasion (CHA) – Used to pass Persuasion checks in dialogue.
If you chose the Human race, you can choose one more Skill.
Performance is the one remaining Charisma skill, so it’s a solid choice.
Finally, the Rogue gets to choose two of its Proficient Skills for
Expertise. Your Expert Skills will double your Proficiency Bonus in them.
I recommend applying your
Expertise to your
Acrobatics and
Sleight of Hand skills.
Abilities
Finally, you need to allocate the Ability Points for your Arcane Trickster Build. As mentioned previously, it’s really important to maximise your Dexterity, as this will improve your attack rolls and your performance with Dexterity based skills, most importantly
Acrobatics and
Sleight of Hand. It also boosts your
Armour Class, which is especially important since we’ll only be Proficient with
Light Armour.
Secondly, any character in Baldur’s Gate 3 really needs to start with at least 14 Constitution, which will increase your Maximum Hitpoints.
The Arcane Trickster benefits from a bit of extra Charisma, so it’s good to put some points in there, too.
Allocate your Ability Points to look something like this:
8 Strength
16 Dexterity
14 Constitution
16 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
10 Charisma
Bolded Abilities are essential. The others can be tweaked if you want.

Arcane Trickster Levelling Guide – BG3
We will now walk you through the process of levelling up your Arcane Trickster. Note that this is a very linear class and subclass combo in terms of how it progresses, so there aren’t many choices to make while levelling up.
Early-Game Arcane Trickster Levelling Progression BG3
We’ll start with the early game, at levels 2-4.
Level 2
At Level 2, we gain some new Bonus Actions:
Cunning Action: Dash – Double your Movement Speed this turn.
Cunning Action: Disengage – Focus on retreating safely. Moving won’t provoke Attack of Opportunity.
Cunning Action: Hide – Allows you to Hide using a
Bonus Action.
While other classes can perform these abilities, doing so consumes a normal
Action rather than a
Bonus Action. This effectively means that the Arcane Trickster can Dash or Disengage on the same turn that they attack, while other classes cannot.
Level 3
At Level 3, you get an additional 1d6 for Sneak Attack Bonus Damage, meaning Sneak Attacks will now do between 2 and 12 bonus damage (instead of 1-6), depending on the damage roll.
At Level 3, you also need to choose the subclass for your Rogue. For this build, we’re using the Arcane Trickster subclass.
The Arcane Trickster immediately unlocks the
Mage Hand cantrip, a spectral hand that allows you to interact with distant objects. Also, this subclass gains extra bonuses for its Mage Hand:
- Your Mage Hand is invisible
- Your Mage Hand can stow away or retrieve objects carried by other creatures
- You can use your Mage Hand to carry out Lockpicking, as long as you have Thieves’ Tools
- Your Mage Hand lasts forever, until destroyed or dismissed.
You can choose two Cantrips to unlock on your Arcane Trickster at Level 3. We recommend the following options:
Fire Bolt – The best cantrip in the game, generally speaking. It is a long-range fire projectile that deals decent damage.
Ray of Frost – A backup option for dealing with enemies who are resistant to fire damage. Deals slightly less damage than Fire Bolt, but can reduce enemy Movement Speed.
You can choose two spells from the Arcane Trickster spell list (this list consists of Wizard spells of the Enchantment and Illusion schools). We recommend:
Sleep – Sends targets up to a combined HP limit into a slumber that lasts for 2 turns. If they take damage or are shoved, they will wake up early. There is no Saving Throw for this effect, so it’s a very good stun ability for the early-game. You can use it to stun one stronger enemy or several weak ones.
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter – A single-target stun ability that forces the target into a laughing fit. They will attempt to roll a Saving Throw every turn to shake off the effect. The victim of this spell cannot take actions or move, and melee attacks against them have Advantage.
Finally, you can choose one spell from the Wizard spell list:
Feather Fall – Make yourself and your allies as light as a feather, allowing you to jump from a great height without taking falling damage. Jumping into chasms will still be fatal, but any other jump can be done safely with this spell active.
Level 4
At Level 4, you must choose a Feat for the BG3 Arcane Trickster Build. Feats are strong passive effects that can enable a certain build idea or give a stat buff to increase damage or survivability.
Choose Ability Improvement and use it to improve your
Dexterity score to 18. This will improve your accuracy and weapon damage and make you better at various actions, such as Lockpicking.
You can choose another spell from the Arcane Trickster Spell List to unlock:
Disguise Self – Magically change your appearance, preventing most NPCs from recognising you. You can undo the change at will. This spell doesn’t cost a Spell Slot if used outside of combat.
Mid-Game Arcane Trickster Levelling Progression BG3
We’ll now go through the mid-game levelling, levels 5-8.
Level 5
When you reach Level 5, your Arcane Trickster gains a few extra features to make it stronger.
Firstly, your Proficiency Bonus is increased from +2 to +3, meaning you’ll now get a +3 bonus when rolling for skills that you’re Proficient with.
You also get another Sneak Attack Die, so your Sneak Bonus Damage can now roll up to 18.
You get the
Uncanny Dodge passive feature. This is a Reaction, meaning it cannot be performed manually. Your character will perform it when they are attacked by an enemy, up to once per round. Uncanny Dodge will cause you to take half damage from the incoming attack.
At every level, the Arcane Trickster allows you to replace one of your spells from the Arcane Trickster list with a spell from the full Wizard list. This is an optional step, and at some levels we don’t use it. At this level, we recommend the following replacement:
- Replace
Sleep with
Grease – Due to its rather small HP limit, the Sleep spell is beginning to become obsolete at this stage of the game. We’ll use the Grease spell instead, which conjures a slippery surface that can knock enemies Prone.
Level 6
At this level, you must choose two additional Skills to gain
Expertise with.
I recommend choosing
Stealth and
Deception, but it is up to you.
Level 7
At Level 7, you will gain an additional sneak attack damage die, meaning your bonus damage from stealth will now be 4-24.
You also gain the
Evasion passive, which gives you extra resistance to spells and effects that normally deal half damage on a
Saving Throw. Now they’ll do no damage if you succeed the
Saving Throw, and half damage if you fail it.
You unlock the ability to cast second-level spells at this level, and can choose one new spell from the Arcane Trickster spell list:
Invisibility – Make yourself (or an adjacent creature) Invisible. Your attacks have
Advantage when you are invisible. Attacking or casting a spell will break the effect.
Level 8
At Level 8, you’ll get to choose another Feat for your Arcane Trickster Build.
Choose the Ability Improvement feat and use it to improve your
Dexterity to 20.
You can choose one more spell from the Wizard spell list, too:
- Hold Person – A very strong stun that can only affect humanoid targets. Targets afflicted by Hold Person cannot move or act, and melee attacks against them are guaranteed Critical Hits.
Late-Game Arcane Trickster Levelling Guide BG3
We’ll now go through the end-game levels for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Arcane Trickster Build, Levels 9-12.
Level 9
At Level 9, the Arcane Trickster’s Proficiency Bonus is improved to +4. This means you now have a +4 bonus added to rolls for any skills you are Proficient at (or Attack Rolls using weapons you’re Proficient with). This bonus always applies unless you roll a 1 (Critical Fail/Miss).
You gain another Sneak Attack Die here, too, meaning your attacks from stealth will now deal 5-30 bonus damage.
Lastly, you gain
Magical Ambush. When you are Hiding, your targets have
Disadvantage on Saving Throws against your spells.
Level 10
Unlike most other classes, the Arcane Trickster gets to choose an extra Feat at Level 10.
Choose the Savage Attacker Feat, which will roll all of your melee damage dice twice and choose the highest result. This considerably improves your average damage output.
You can also choose one more Cantrip to unlock at level 10:
- Bone Chill – Deals
Necrotic Damage to an enemy, and can prevent them from regaining HP.
Finally, you can choose another Arcane Trickster spell to unlock:
Crown of Madness – Send a creature mad for three turns, forcing it to attack the nearest creature regardless of allegiance.
Level 11
At Level 11, you’ll gain another Sneak Attack Die, giving your attacks from stealth a possible 6-36 bonus damage.
You also gain the
Reliable Talent passive, which guarantees that rolls with any of your Proficient Skills will be at least 10. If you roll below a 10, the value is increased to 10. This means you can no longer Critically Fail when rolling for skills that you have Proficiency with.
You can choose one more Arcane Trickster spell to unlock:
Phantasmal Force – Deals 1d6
Psychic Damage to the victim per turn. This damage type is replaced by whichever damage type most recently affected the target. Can last for up to 10 turns, but requires Concentration to maintain.
Level 12
If you’ve reached this point, then you have finished levelling up your Arcane Trickster build. Congratulations!
At Level 12, you’ll get to choose one more Feat for your character. There are several decent options here:
- Alert – Prevents you from being
Surprised and gives a +5 bonus to Initiative rolls, making you more likely to move before other characters. - Mobile – Gives you more Movement Speed, prevents you from being slowed by Difficult Terrain when you are Dashing, and allows you to evade Opportunity Attacks when you move after attacking. Very good for a hit-and-run playstyle.
- Ability Improvement -> Intelligence – Improve your INT to 18, which will make your spells slightly more likely to succeed.
If you want, you can replace Tasha’s Hideous Laughter with a Second Level Wizard spell, but this is completely optional.

BG3 Arcane Trickster Build Equipment
Below is the recommended Equipment setup for this Arcane Trickster Build. We have split the equipment into an early-game and late-game section, to ensure you can make use of this build regardless of how far into the game you are.
In each section there is a table with an overview of the recommended equipment, and below the table there is more detailed information about each item, including how to obtain it.
Don’t worry if your equipment doesn’t exactly match what is listed here – the build still works fine if some pieces of equipment are different. Don’t be afraid of experimenting and trying different combinations, too.
Early-Game
| Slot | Icon | Item | Effects | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | ![]() |
Haste Helm |
|
In a wooden chest next to a cart, by the Blighted Village Waypoint |
| Cloak | ![]() |
Cloak of Protection |
|
Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn |
| Chest | ![]() |
Spidersilk Armour |
|
Dropped by Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum |
| Gloves | ![]() |
Gloves of Thievery |
|
Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout |
| Boots | ![]() |
Disintegrating Night Walkers |
|
Looted from True Soul Nere in the Grymforge |
| Necklace | ![]() |
Broodmother’s Revenge |
|
Loot from Kagha in the Druid Grove. |
| Ring 1 | ![]() |
Crusher’s Ring |
|
Loot from Crusher in the Goblin Camp, or steal it during dialogue. |
| Ring 2 | ![]() |
Caustic Band |
|
Sold by Derryth Bonecloak in the Myconid Colony. |
| Melee Main Hand | ![]() |
Shortsword of First Blood |
|
Looted from an executed Deep Gnome in the Underdark |
| Melee Off Hand | ![]() |
Hunter’s Dagger |
|
Sold by Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum |
| Ranged | ![]() |
Hand Crossbow +1 (Dual Wield) |
|
Sold by Derryth Bonecloak in the Myconid Colony. |
This setup is designed to give you superb mobility and to boost your melee weapon damage with the Caustic Band, Shortsword of First Blood and Hunter’s Dagger.
The Gloves of Thievery will make Lockpicking and Pickpocketing much easier. It’s a vital item for lockpicking some of the hardest doors in the game (above DC 20).
Late-Game
| Slot | Icon | Item | Effects | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | ![]() |
Mask of Soul Perception |
|
In a locked Gilded Chest in Helsik’s room |
| Cloak | ![]() |
Shade-Slayer Cloak |
|
Sold by Sticky Dondo in the Guildhall, Lower City Sewers. |
| Chest | ![]() |
Bhaalist Armour |
|
Sold by Echo of Abazigal in the Murder Tribunal, if you become an Unholy Assassin |
| Gloves | ![]() |
Gloves of Thievery |
|
Sold by Brem in the Zhentarim Hideout |
| Boots | ![]() |
Disintegrating Night Walkers |
|
Looted from True Soul Nere in the Grymforge |
| Necklace | ![]() |
Broodmother’s Revenge |
|
Loot from Kagha in the Druid Grove. |
| Ring 1 | ![]() |
Ring of Regeneration |
|
Multiple locations are possible – see below |
| Ring 2 | ![]() |
Killer’s Sweetheart |
|
Found on the top level of the stone structure in the Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar, Act II. |
| Melee Mainhand | ![]() |
Crimson Mischief |
|
Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone. |
| Melee Offhand | ![]() |
Bloodthirst |
|
Looted from Orin, during Get Orin’s Netherstone. |
| Ranged | ![]() |
Hellfire Hand Crossbow + another Hand Crossbow |
|
Dropped by Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar. |
An overview of the purpose of each item in this BG3 Arcane Trickster Gear setup:
- Defensive Items
- Ring of Regeneration
- Mobility Items
- Disintegrating Night Walkers
- Damage Boosters
- Bhaalist Armour
- Broodmother’s Revenge & Ring of Regeneration Synergy (important)
- Caustic Band
- Crimson Mischief & Bloodthirst
- Accuracy Items
- Mask of Soul Perception
- Bloodthirst (increases crit chance)
- Shade Slayer Cloak (increases crit chance)
- Utility items
- Gloves of Thievery (Makes Lockpicking and Pickpocketing much easier!)
Arcane Trickster Build Extra Info
Below is some additional info that will help you to play the Arcane Trickster Build, including tips and tricks, info about the best potions, and the best Illithid Powers.
Best Arcane Trickster Build Tips & Tricks for Baldur’s Gate 3
While the Arcane Trickster Class is among the simplest and easiest to build, it takes a careful hand to get the most out of the class in combat. While positioning is important for all classes, this applies even more to the Rogue.
We get huge amounts of bonus damage from Sneak Attacks, either melee or ranged, so do your best to create scenarios where you can easily disengage and get back into Stealth each turn. Remember to use your Cunning Actions to perform Dashes, Sneaks and Disengages with a Bonus Action.
If sneaking around in close quarters, be very careful about enemy Opportunist Attacks – they will always attempt one if they can see you, you are in melee range, and you do not have Disengage active.
When you reach Level 9, you can impose Disadvantage on enemy Saving Throws against your spells by casting them while hidden. This gives you a much easier time using strong debuff spells like Hold Person, Crown of Madness and Phantasmal Force.
Strongest Potions for the Arcane Trickster Build in BG3

The
Potion of Speed is arguably the most powerful potion in Baldur’s Gate 3. It doubles your Movement Speed and gives you an
extra Action each turn.
One drawback of this potion is that when it expires, your character will be
Lethargic for one turn, unable to move or take any
Actions. So you should be careful not to have your character stranded in a dangerous position when the potion runs out!
You can craft the Potion of Speed in the alchemy menu by combining
Ashes of Hyena Ear with any Salt. Create ashes, salts and other alchemy concentrates by combining three of the same ingredients together – for example, combining three
Hyena Ears will create
Ashes of Hyena Ear.
Hyena Ears can normally be looted from either Hyenas or Gnolls – you can find a lot of them around the Risen Road in Act I, for a good supply of them, which should last you a while.
You can combine this with the
Elixir of Bloodlust. Elixirs and Potions can be stacked with each other, but you can only have one Elixir active at a time. Potions tend to expire after a few turns, whereas Elixirs last until your next Long Rest, unless you drink a different Elixir in the meantime.
The
Elixir of Bloodlust grants your character another
Action when you kill an enemy. This effect can only trigger once per turn. Combined with the
Potion of Speed, this gives you two additional attacks if you defeat an enemy on your turn.
It can be crafted by combining
Ashes of Worg Fang with any Salt.
Worg Fangs are looted from Worgs, the beasts usually kept by Goblins.
This is an OP alchemy combo that you can use to turbocharge the Arcane Trickster’s damage output in tough fights!
Arcane Trickster Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Illithid Powers are unlocked later in BG3 when you learn more about Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. By eating Jars of Mind Flayer Parasites, you gain one point. This is another optional skill tree that you can get access to if you want. Here are some of the best Illithid Powers for the BG3 Rogue Build with the Arcane Trickster subclass:
Mind Blast: A conal blast of
Psychic Damage that can also stun several targets at once. If the Arcane Trickster is outnumbered by several advancing enemies, then Mind Blast can help to swing things back in your favour.
Cull the Weak: When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4
Psychic Damage to nearby enemies. This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.
Fly: This can be used to reach hard to get to places or change positions in combat.
Mind Sanctuary: This creates an area that allows all within to use
Actions and
Bonus Actions interchangeably. This typically means you can deal more damage, since you can use your Bonus Action as a normal Action. However, enemies who are inside the area will also enjoy its benefits. Be careful with your placement so that your party gets buffed by the Mind Sanctuary and not the enemies!
Psionic Backlash: This is a top-tier
Reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3. It allows you to deal
Psychic Damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell. This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell. The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.
Other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds
- Druid Build – Circle of the Moon
- Bard Build – College of Lore
- Ranger Build – Hunter
- Monk Build – Way of Shadow
- Monk Build – Way of the Four Elements
- Monk Build – Way of the Open Hand
- Necromancer Build – Necromancy
- Fighter Build – Battle Master
- Barbarian Build – Berserker
- Warlock Build – Great Old One
- Cleric Build – Light Domain
- Rogue Build – Thief
- Sorcerer Build – Wild Magic
- Wizard Build – Evocation School
- Paladin – Oath of Ancients
- More Baldur’s Gate Guides & Builds
If you want to check out the map of Baldur’s Gate 3, please visit the Baldur’s Gate 3 Interactive Map.
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