Alright folks, so I finally got around to really digging into that Spore Druid subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3. I’ve seen so many discussions about how strong it might be, wanted to put my own hands on it, you know? Let’s just start right at the beginning.
Cracking It Open Early On
First thing, I rolled a Wood Elf for that extra movement speed, seemed smart. Level 1 felt… well, like any other druid really. Basic spellcasting, not much special. Hit level 2 and unlocked Circle of Spores. Now we’re talking! Immediately got Halo of Spores and Symbiotic Entity. Oof, the cost for Symbiotic Entity felt steep – a whole Wild Shape charge for only 1d6 extra necrotic damage per attack? And just 4 temporary HP? That felt kinda flimsy right out the gate.
Grinding Through The Acts
Act 1 was a mixed bag. Playing it felt like walking a tightrope. I used Shillelagh to bonk stuff with my staff, triggering the Symbiotic damage. Added a reaction spore attack here and there. It felt… okay? Not bad, but also nothing amazing. Keeping Symbiotic Entity up was painful. Those temp HP vanished like smoke. Spent way too many spell slots patching myself up instead of nuking enemies.
- Halo of Spores felt situational. Squishy enemy near me? Sure, get some free rot damage! But relying on a reaction meant I couldn’t always use it when I wanted, and it often felt weak.
- Animate Dead at level 5? Hell yes, finally some undead buddies! This is what I wanted! But then… managing them… clunky pathing, they’d get stuck, enemies ignored them sometimes. Cool flavor, frustrating execution.
The Mid-Game Reality Check
Act 2 rolled around, and I was feeling it. Tried to lean into a more spellcasting approach. Used Cloudkill, thought my spores might synergize? Nah, not really. Things just died slower than if a Sorcerer threw a fireball. My zombie pals? Barely tickling tougher baddies. Kept trying to make Symbiotic Entity work in melee. Bad idea. Got smacked down fast almost every fight. The extra damage just wasn’t worth the risk or the Wild Shape cost.
Started experimenting more with spells like Spike Growth and Call Lightning. This felt… better? Safer, at least. But honestly, I could have just been a Land Druid doing this easier and earlier.
Endgame Thoughts & The Verdict
Bumped into some major fights in Act 3. Fully expected my spore-enhanced power to finally shine. Nope. My zombies? Distractions at best. Symbiotic Entity? Still felt like a wet noodle compared to other martial classes’ sustained output. Casting big spells? That felt like the druid’s core, not the spore gimmick. The subclass features just weren’t pulling their weight in the big leagues. They felt tacked on, not powerful.
Don’t get me wrong, the flavor is amazing. The visual of spores bursting, raising corpses? Top tier. But the actual muscle behind it? I ran the numbers mentally through tons of combats: underwhelming. It wants to be a melee tank, but crumples. It wants to be a minion master, but the minions are weak sauce. The spore damage is a tiny bonus, not a game-changer. Solid Tier C stuff – functional enough, maybe fun for the theme, but not remotely breaking any power scales.
At the end of the day, I survived, I finished the campaign. But it was work. It wasn’t the druid power trip I was hoping for. More like trying to run a marathon in fancy costume shoes – looks kinda neat, feels awkward, and you’re definitely not winning.
