What it is
BG3 Compendium is a Baldur's Gate 3 character planner focused on a clean interface and build organization. It runs in the browser, is free, and lets you choose race, classes, and multiclass, plan multiple inventory sets, and save notes inside each build.
Its hallmark is visual clarity: instead of cramming the screen, it organizes information into tidy sections so building and reviewing a build feels comfortable even on complex plans.
What problem it solves
When a build gets elaborate — a three-way multiclass, gear swaps per act, item dependencies — it's easy to lose the why behind each decision. Without a place to note it, you end up re-deriving your own plan every time you open it.
Compendium solves that with integrated notes and inventory sets: you save not just what the build does but why you built it that way and what gear goes at each stage. It's planning meant to be reread, not just executed once.
Differentiation
Against EIP, Compendium is less immediate but more organized: EIP wins on build speed, Compendium wins on keeping a build documented and legible over time.
Against GameFractal, both handle inventory, but Compendium leans into sets and notes in a minimalist UI, while GameFractal leans into a larger item catalog and the overlay. If you value tidiness, Compendium; if you value loot integration, GameFractal.
What people use it for
Documenting complex builds: using the notes panel to record the reasoning behind each level.
Planning inventory sets: separating which gear goes in each stretch of the playthrough instead of one list.
Keeping a personal build repository: returning to saved plans and understanding them immediately.
Building multiclass with clarity: seeing the progression without the screen feeling crowded.
Who this tool is NOT for
If you only want a quick single-class build and will never reread it, the notes and inventory sets are overhead; EIP is more direct for that.
If your build leans heavily on concrete items and you want a deep integrated catalog, GameFractal covers that angle better.
How it's used in practice
- Open the planner in the browser.
- Pick race, background, and classes, defining the multiclass if it applies.
- Create inventory sets for each stage of the playthrough.
- Write notes explaining the build's key decisions.
- Save the build and return to it when you need it.
Honest limitations
Less focus on simulation: like the rest of the web planners, it shows availability, it doesn't calculate damage.
Shallower item catalog than GameFractal: the strength is organization, not the gear database.
English only: the interface isn't translated.
Minimal organization curve: making the most of notes and sets takes a bit more discipline than throwing together a quick build.
How to get started
Open the planner and make a simple build to see how the information is organized. When you tackle a more serious plan, use the inventory sets to separate gear by act and leave notes with the reasoning. That documentation is what keeps the build making sense when you come back weeks later.
Alternatives to BG3 Compendium
If BG3 Compendium isn't the right fit, these Baldur's Gate 3 tools cover similar needs.
