Baldur's Gate 3 has all sorts of spells for players to exploit during battles. From leveling up and choosing new ones to playing as a wizard and collecting better spells through scrolls, there is a wide variety of magic that fits different purposes. Commonly in battles, players are likely to get overrun by groups of enemies, this can lead to some awful moments where reloading is the only option.

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Thankfully, there are countless spells a player can use to control the crowd. When planning what spells to have equipped themselves and their party members, these are by far the best crowd control spells a player should be using in Baldur's Gate 3.

Updated on January 12, 2024, by Megan Smith: In the patch that was dropped for Baldur's Gate 3 in December 2023, players were given an even harder difficulty than Tactician Mode. It was called Honour Mode, and it requires a lot of preparation. Players are challenged to only one save file and many of the bosses have new abilities. To survive these encounters in BG3, crowd control spells are vital. These are the spells that either inhibit an opponent's abilities or damages a group of enemies at once. In this article, players are likely to find the best Crowd Control spells in BG3 for either their honour run or a player's first every playthrough since the game was also released for Xbox Series X/S players.

10 Silence – Level Two Spell

Opponents Cannot Cast Spells When Silenced

• Bard
• Cleric
• Ranger
• Paladin (Oath of Devotion)
• Druid (Circle of the Land)
• Monk (Way of Shadow)

Silence is a level two spell that can be used by the vast majority of spellcaster classes in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3). Only unlocking when players gain access to level two Spell Slots; silence is a spell players can use early into their battles.

When cast, Silence places a circle on the map that requires concentration, while in this circle, an enemy – or an ally – is unable to cast any spells. This is great for moments where the player is facing multiple magic users. If positioned right, it can even postpone that opponent from casting spells for multiple turns.

9 Evard's Black Tentacle – Level Four Spell

3d6 Of Bludgeoning Damage That Smothers All That Step On It

• Wizard
• Warlock (The Great Old One)

Requiring a level four Spell Slot, Evard's Black Tentacle can only be cast by Wizards or Warlocks that have taken the subclass The Great Old One. With this spell available, a player can target an area that several opponents are standing in and cover the ground in winding black tentacles.

All those that find themselves on top of this difficult terrain will not only have their movement speed halved, making it harder to leave, but they will also take bludgeoning damage every time they fail a Wisdom saving throw while stuck on this cursed land.

8 Grease – Level One Spell

Grease Up The Floor To Make Opponents Slip Or Burn

• Wizard
• Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
• Fighter (Eldritch Knight)

When starting Baldur's Gate 3, players are likely to have few spells to use in Crowd Control situations; thankfully, there are tactics and spells that can be used with simply a level one Spell Slot and a hand fire cantrip.

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Grease is a spell that will cover the floor in a flammable material. On its own, an opponent is likely to slip and fall prone when attempting to cross it. While inside the grease, a player can then cast a fire cantrip such as Fire Bolt, which will then ignite the grease and burn all that stands in it. This combination of attacks can easily dispatch multiple enemies at once.

7 Sleep – Level One Spell

Keep A Target Out Of Battle With A Nap

• Bard
• Sorcerer
• Wizard
• Warlock (Archfey)
• Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
• Fighter (Eldritch Knight)

Sleep is a great spell as it allows a player to cast a magical sleep onto an opponent that forces them to skip their turn. If an opponent isn't hit, then this status effect will last for two turns.

What Makes Sleep an interesting choice for Crowd Control is although it uses a level one Spell Slot to cast, casting this spell at higher levels will allow the player to target multiple targets. This means a player can put a whole group of enemies to sleep for two turns while allowing their party to focus on other enemies.

6 Cloudkill – Level Five Spell

A Thick Cloud that Does 5d8 Poison Damage

• Sorcerer
• Wizard
• Druid (Circle of the Spores & Circle of the Land)

As one of the highest-level spells on this list, Cloudkill is a brilliant spell for crowd control for the immeasurable amount of damage it does. Once cast, a cloud of poisonous gas is placed on the battlefield that lasts as long as the player remains able to concentrate.

Each turn, the player then also has the option to move the cloud of poison so that it covers a new group of enemies or the enemies that were trying to escape. Dealing five d8's worth of damage to an opponent means few things will stay standing though the required spell slot may make it quite off-putting for some.

5 Sleet Storm – Level Three Spell

Disrupt Spellcaster, Remove Fires, And Create Ice

• Wizard
• Sorcerer
• Druid

Besides the usual damaging spells to control a crowd, players that find themselves battling a group of spellcasters can make their battle ten times easier through casting the conjugation spell known as Sleet Storm.

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This storm lasts for 10 turns as long as the player character keeps concentration. Every turn, the storm hits everyone in an area, causing those mages to lose concentration on their spells. It also makes the area it hits turn to ice, making the terrain harder to walk on. If it doesn't sell it to players, it can even remove hazardous fire from the battlefield.

4 Cloud Of Daggers – Level Two Spell

A Circle Of Slashing Daggers that Do 4d4 Damage To Any That Pass It

• Bard
• Sorcerer
• Warlock
• Wizard

Cloud of Daggers may only create a small circle that will injure any opponent or player that walks through it. However, placing this spell in a doorway or near where an opponent is forced to walk will make these blades in-avoidable for many opponents.

Baldur's Gate 3's AI is quite smart, though not smart enough; even when a safer path is in front of them, they continue to take unnecessary damage, which is great for the player. It also lasts for ten turns, so the player is likely to have more time to control their opponent's movements.

3 Ice Storm – Level Four Spell

A Lethal Storm that Does 2d8 Bludgeoning And 4d6 Cold While Also Making Opponents Prone

• Druid
• Sorcerer
• Wizard
• Cleric (Tempest Domain)

Ice Storm is like Grease but better. It first attacks a larger area which means that even more enemies are faced by the Ice Storm. After the two d8 of bludgeoning damage and four d6 of cold damage, the ground underneath the player's opponents would have turned to ice.

This lasts for a couple of turns before melting, and every character will need to roll a Dexterity saving throw to avoid slipping on the ice. Failing this roll will cause the character to fall prone, where they are vulnerable to attacks. Targeting a crowd of enemies can lead to many prone or even deal damage to a lot of them through the beginning of the Ice Storm spell.

2 Curriculum Of Strategy: Artistry Of War – Level Five Spell

An Even Greater Magic Missile That Does 12d6+36 Total

• Wizard

Artistry of War is an incredibly powerful crowd control spell that players will find during the third act of BG3. It deals a lethal amount of force damage as players summon 6 apparitions to strike their targets.

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Players will not unlock this spell during a level up but will instead find it as a scroll inside The Red Knight's final Strategem book, which is found in the Sorcerous Vault of Sorcerous Sundries. Unlike other spells that can be learned through scrolls, players are unable to cast this spell higher than a level 5 slot and, due to the sheer power of it, the spell can also only be cast once per short rest.

1 Hunger Of Hadar – Level Three Spell

Blinding And Damaging Foes For 2d6 Cold & 2d6 Acid Damage

• Warlock
• Bard (Magical Secrets at level 6 if Lore or 10 if not)

Out of all the available spells in Baldur's Gate 3, the Warlock's favorite of Hunger of Hadar is certainly among the best for crowd control. Casting this spell creates a circle of magical darkness that any player can't see into and an opponent cannot look out of.

Starting their turn inside the Hunger of Hadar will deal cold damage, and ending their turn inside the circle may also cause acid damage. With difficult terrain combined into this, all opponents will have a hard time even leaving the Hunger of Hadar, making it one of the best crowd control spells in the game.