Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build

What is the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build? We will take a deep look into the different Cleric subclasses (Life Domain, Light Domain, and Trickery Domain), the different race options, and the appropriate background and skills that will make your build stand out.

Channel the power of your faith and smite the evils of the world with this Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build. You’ll lean on your Wisdom stat for most of your damage, but, as you’ll learn, it doesn’t hurt (you, at least) to put some points into strength, so you can bash whatever stands in your way once the Baldur’s Gate 3 release date arrives.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric character creation overview

Class Features

These are the default abilities and mechanics for the Cleric class:

• Spell Slots Unlocked
• Wisdom Saving Throw Proficiency
• Charisma Saving Throw Proficiency
• Light Armour Proficiency
• Medium Armour Proficiency
• Shield Proficiency
• Simple Weapon Proficiency

Cleric Subclass Features

There are three subclasses currently available for the Cleric: Life Domain, Light Domain, and Trickery Domain. Contrary to other classes, Clerics can pick their subclass at Level 1.

Life Domain Subclass Features

Here are the initial Life Domain features and spells:

• Heavy Armor Proficiency – If your Cleric wears Heavy Armour, your attacks will not have any disadvantages and your spells will not be prevented from being cast.
• Disciple of Life – The Cleric gains a healing spell bonus, equaling to 2 + the spell’s level.
• Domain Spells – You get spells from the Life Domain.
• Bless – Will bless up to 3 creatures, gaining a +1d4 bonus to Saving Throws and Attack Rolls.
• Cure Wounds – Heal a creature by touching it.

Light Domain Subclass Features

Here are the initial Light Domain features, cantrips, and spells:

• Warding Flare – Shield yourself with divine light, using your reaction to impose a disadvantage on an attacker, causing a potential miss.
• Domain Spells – You get spells from the Light Domain.
• Light – Infuses an object with a light aura, lasting for 100 turns. Can only be used in one target at a time.
• Faerie Fire – This spell will encase targets in colorful light, granting any attack roll against them an advantage. It will also ignore allies using the Sculpt Spells feature.
• Burning Hands – Shoot fire from your fingers igniting anything flammable in your path.

Trickery Domain Subclass Features

Here are the initial Trickery Domain features, actions, and spells:

• Blessing of the Trickster – Grant a Stealth check advantage on a specific creature. Only usable on one creature at a time.
• Charm Person – Charm a humanoid to gain Advantage and Ability Checks in dialogue, preventing attacks. Enemies gain Advantage on Saving Throws. When the spell ends, the charmed target may accuse you of the Charm.
• Disguise Self – Change all your appearance’s aspects by using magic.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build guide

The best Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build is:

• Subclass – Light Domain
• Race – Wood Elf
• Background – Folk Hero
• Skills – Animal Handling, Survival
• Weapon – Longbow / Shortsword

Subclass and spells

The best subclass for Cleric is Light Domain.

While the three available subclasses for the Cleric have a lot of potential unique build results, the Light Domain Cleric provides great and powerful magic and fire attacks that this class stands out. While the healing capabilities of the Life Domain Cleric and the stealthy and deceitful skills of the Trickery Domain Cleric are great and can create powerful Clerics, the amount of mayhem the Light Domain Cleric can produce makes it the better choice.

The damage you can induce is explained by the Light Domain Cleric’s initial spells:

• Faerie Fire – Lasting for 10 turns, the affected targets will become visible and affect objects across a 15ft radius.
• Burning Hands – The fire will affect anything in a 17ft cone.

Abilities

Here are the best stats for Cleric:

• 10 Strength
• 16 Dexterity
• 14 Constitution
• 8 Intelligence
• 16 Wisdom
• 8-10 Charisma

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric will focus primarily on Wisdom, boosting their Spellcasting ability. The build will also benefit from Dexterity, improving your chance to land a hit, and Constitution, which will grant the Cleric more hit points, increasing the Cleric’s survivability.

Best races

Here are the best races for the Cleric:

• Wood Elf – The Wood Elf is the best race choice for the Cleric. It will provide Ranged and Melee proficiencies (Longsword, Shortsword, Longbow, Shortbow) and will grant +2 Dexterity and +1 Wisdom. Keen Senses provide proficiency in Perception, Fey Ancestry will protect your mind from falling asleep and grant advantage on saving throws against Charmed. You will also gain Stealth by using the Mask of the Wild trait and the Darkvision spell will grant the ability to see in the dark to a range of 12m.

Best Backgrounds and Skills

Here are the best backgrounds and skills for the Cleric:

• Background: Folk Hero – Amongst the common people, you are a Champion, the stuff legends are made of. Will provide Animal Handling and Survival proficiency.
• Skills – Animal Handling and Survival (from Folk Hero background); Athletics, Perception, Stealth, Insight, Sleight of Hands.

Cleric Class Leveling

This section will present the several features, cantrips, and spells you will be able to unlock when leveling up your Cleric. These are all independent of your subclass choice.

Level 1: Cantrip, Spell, and Subclass selection

Being a Cleric, you will have the ability to choose your Subclass from the start. Do so wisely and consider our advice. You will also be able to choose three cantrips and prepare previously learned spells from a cantrip and spell pool, for which you have two Level 1 slots. Choose the appropriate cantrips and spells that will suit your playstyle and build better These are the following:

Cantrips

• Resistance
• Guidance
• Sacred Flame
• Light
• Thaumaturgy

Spells

• Create Water
• Guiding Bolt
• Shield of Faith
• Bane
• Command (Halt)
• Healing Word
• Inflict Wounds
• Protection from Evil and Good
• Bless
• Cure Wounds

Level 2: Turn Undead

Thanks to being granted Channel Divinity Charge, you will unlock the Turn Undead action. This will make any undead that can hear or see you flee in a 9m range. You’ll be able to prepare five spells, with 2 new spells being added to the spell pool: Prayer of Healing and Silence, unlocking a new Level 1 spell slot.

Level 3: Spell Selection

Level 3 will unlock one Level 1 spell slot and two Level 2 spell slots. You will be able to prepare six spells from the aforementioned spell pool, with no new spells being added.

Level 4: Cantrip, Spell, and Feat selection

At Level 4, you will be able to pick 1 cantrip from the cantrip pool presented at Level 1. The Cleric will also prepare seven spells from the spell pool and will be able to pick 1 feat from the following list:

• Ability Improvement
• Athlete
• Defensive Duelist
• Dual Wielder
• Great Weapon Master
• Lightly Armoured
• Magic Initiate: Bard
• Magic Initiate: Cleric
• Magic Initiate: Druid
• Magic Initiate: Sorcerer
• Magic Initiate: Warlock
• Magic Initiate: Wizard
• Martial Adept
• Mobile
• Moderately Armoured
• Shield Master
• Skilled
• Tough
• Weapon Master

Level 5: Level 3 Spells

The Cleric will unlock Level 3 spell slots and will make use of the Destroy Undead feature. This will cause any Turned undead creature to be dealt 4d6 Radiant Damage. You will also be able to prepare eight spells from the spell pool, with the following Level 3 spells being added:

• Animate Dead
• Beacon of Hope
• Bestow Curse
• Daylight
• Feign Death
• Glyph of Warding
• Mass Healing Word
• Protection from Energy
• Remove Curse
• Revivify
• Spirit Guardians

Equipment

The best weapons for the Cleric can either be a Longbow or a Shortsword, depending on if you are building a ranged or melee Cleric build.

Since the Cleric will focus mainly on the use of spells, especially the Light Domain Cleric which deals the most damage of the bunch, preparing a good ranged or melee backup attack will provide the occasional defense. Regarding armor, be sure to pick up medium armor that will give Dexterity or Constitution bonuses, providing more boosts to your Cleric build of choice.

That’s all for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric build guide. Remember that the subclasses and the leveling are limited due to the game being in Early Access. Be sure to check out our BG3 classes guide, and even the BG3 races guide if you’re looking a build a new character at launch.