How to Prepare Spells in Baldur's Gate 3

Select a character who prepares spells, open the Spellbook outside combat, and choose which spells should be ready to cast. If the prepared list is full, remove one spell before adding another. This changes your available choices for the next encounter. Casting a spell can still require an appropriate spell slot.

1. Check what kind of spellcaster you are using

A Wizard can know more spells than they prepare at once. The prepared list is the smaller set you intend to use. Clerics and Druids also use preparation, though the way they gain access to spells differs. Some classes, such as Sorcerer, use known spells rather than swapping a prepared list in the same way.

Look at the Spellbook for the character you actually want to change. If you have several spellcasters, switching one character's list does not change another's. If the character is multiclassed, check the class section where the spell belongs. An ability in one section may follow different rules from one in another.

2. Open the Spellbook and swap a spell

1. Leave combat and select the prepared spellcaster.
2. Open the Spellbook from the character controls.
3. Find the prepared list and check how many choices are available.
4. Remove a prepared spell if you need space.
5. Select the new spell and verify that it appears in the prepared list.

On PC, use the Spellbook control or its assigned hotkey. On a controller, use the character interface to open the Spellbook and follow the displayed input. If you already know the spell but cannot add it, check whether you are still in combat or whether the list is full.

3. Build a list for the next encounter

Pick spells for the situation you expect, then keep a few that still help if the fight changes. You may want a way to hit a single target, something that controls a group, and a utility option that helps the party reach or escape a position. If you have two spellcasters, look at what each has prepared before duplicating the same choices.

Read concentration requirements before settling on the list. One caster cannot maintain several concentration spells at once. You can still prepare more than one to cover different situations, but think about which spell you want to keep active during a fight. Include an action that helps on turns when you are already concentrating and do not want to replace the effect.

4. Separate preparation from spell slots and learning

Removing a spell from your prepared list does not remove it from the list you can prepare later. If a spell is not learned or otherwise available to the character, preparing it is not an option yet. A Wizard may be able to learn a suitable spell from a scroll. Check the Spellbook after learning it and add it to the prepared list if you want to cast it from there.

Preparing a spell also does not refill the spell slots you have spent. If it is already prepared but appears unusable, inspect the available slots and the spell's requirements. Some spells are always prepared because of another feature. They may stay available without taking a place in the same list as your manual choices.

5. Fix a spell that still does not appear

Check the selected character, then look at their class section and prepared list. If the spell appears in the list but is missing from your shortcuts, add it back to the hotbar or radial menu. If it is already on the bar but you cannot use it, read the tooltip. A missing slot, unsuitable target, or casting restriction may explain what is happening.

Test the change in a safe area when you can. Reopen the Spellbook and verify the prepared spell, then make sure its icon is where you expect it. If you changed the list specifically for an upcoming conversation or exploration task, do that before walking into combat. Once initiative starts, you cannot rely on opening the menu to swap in a spell you forgot.

For a spell you expect to need later, note which character knows it and whether it uses concentration. That makes it easier to prepare the right option without removing a spell another part of the party is counting on.