[GameSpot] - Baldur's Gate 3 - Cleric Class Guide

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The Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric class harnesses the powers of the divine. Acting as a support character, it's able to bolster your party members so everyone can reach their full potential in and out of combat. Our Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric class guide discusses what you can expect if you choose this for your campaign.

Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric class guide overview

Our Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric class guide acts as an overview of its capabilities. We also take note of ideal options during character creation. Once you're finished with our overview, we suggest visiting our best build guide for this class.

Cleric Class Summary

Class Features

• Regular Spells - Clerics learn all spells available at certain levels, but only a select few can be prepared for later use via the spellbook menu.
• Domain Spells - These Clerics spells are always prepared, giving you a viable selection.
• Spell Slots - You have a number of spell slots pertaining to a particular tier. These are refreshed when you do a long rest.
• Cantrips - These are spells that can be used whenever you wish, and they don't use up a spell slot.

Proficiencies

This is primarily based on your race/sub-race. We suggest picking the Human or Wood Half-Elf (more on this in a while). These options add proficiencies in simple weapons, shortswords, spears, pikes, halberds, glaives, light armor, and shields. As for defenses, Clerics have proficiencies in light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, and shield.

Most race options are viable picks for the Cleric.

Cleric Subclasses

The Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric has seven subclasses, and you can select only one during character creation (level 1). Each subclass has its own Domain Spells (i.e., always prepared), as well as a subclass feature perk. If you want to try other options, you can respec and change classes when you wish.

Likewise, for our class guide, we're going to skip over the spells that you ought to grab during character creation. We discuss them, instead, in our build guide.

Life Domain

• Subclass Feature: Disciple of Life - When you cast a healing spell, your target gains additional HP equal to 2, plus the spell's level.
• Spell: Cure Wounds - Heals for 4-11 HP; melee range.
• Spell: Bless - Give three targets a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws.

Light Domain

• Subclass Feature: Warding Flare - Use a reaction to impose a disadvantage on an attacker, possibly causing them to miss.
• Spell: Burning Hands - Deal 3-18 fire damage to a target within five meters.
• Spell: Faerie Fire - Targets in the affected area become visible, and attacks made against them have advantage.
• Cantrip: Light - Infuse an object with an aura of light.

Trickery Domain

• Action: Blessing of the Trickster - Grant a target advantage on stealth checks.
• Spell: Charm Person - Prevent a humanoid target from attacking you; gain an advantage on Charisma checks during dialogue.
• Spell: Disguise Self - Change all aspects of your appearance.

Knowledge Domain

• Spell: Command - Order a creature to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground, or drop its melee weapon.
• Spell: Sleep - Put a target to sleep.

Nature Domain

• Subclass Feature: Acolyte of Nature - Learn a Druid cantrip; become proficient in the Animal Handling, Nature, or Survival skills.
• Spell: Speak with Animals - Be able to communicate with beasts.
• Spell: Animal Friendship - Convince a beast not to attack you; the target must have an Intelligence of 3 or less; the condition ends when the target gets hurt.
• Cantrip: Shilelagh - Make your staff or club magical, dealing 4-11 bludgeoning damage; uses your spellcasting ability (i.e., Wisdom) for attack rolls.

Tempest Domain

• Subclass Feature: Strike an attacking creature to deal 2-16 thunder damage; on a failed saving throw, you deal half of this damage instead.
• Spell: Thunderwave - Causes 2-16 damage and pushes back enemies in a frontal cone.
• Spell: Fog Cloud - Create a cloud in a small area, causing blindness and heavily obscuring creatures within its radius.

War Domain

• Subclass Feature: When you make an unarmed or weapon attack, you can spend a War Priest charge to make an additional attack as a bonus action.
• Spell: Divine Favor - Your weapon deals additional 1-4 radiant damage.
• Spell: Shield of Faith - Increase the armor class (AC) of a target by 2 points.

Players can choose a Cleric subclass or domain once they start making the character.

Character Creation Picks

Best Race and Sub-race

Due to changes to the character creation mechanics, the Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric has multiple races that are viable in the long run. However, for the purposes of our guide, we opted a baseline Human. This is due to weapon proficiencies that are more in-line with a Cleric's armaments, as well as extra skill proficiency:

• Base Racial Speed - Nine meters.
• Civil Militia - Weapon proficiency for spears, pikes, halberds, and glaives; armor proficiency with light armor and shields.
• Human Versatility - Select an additional skill to be proficient in; increases your carry capacity.

The Wood Half-Elf is also a good option due to its perks:

• Base Racial Speed - Nine meters.
• Civil Militia - Weapon proficiency for spears, pikes, halberds, and glaives; armor proficiency with light armor and shields.
• Darkvision - Can see in the dark up to 12 meters.
• Fey Ancestry - Advantage on saving throws against being charmed; magic can't put you to sleep.
• Sub-race Perk: Fleet of Foot - Movement is increased by 1.5 meters.

Best Background and Skills

Your choice of background for your Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric mostly boils down to personal preference. Ideally, you'll want to make use of those that rely on Wisdom, the class' preferred stat. Examples include:

• Acolyte - Insight (WIS) and Religion (INT).
• Folk Hero - Animal Handling (WIS) and Survival (WIS).
• Guild Artisan - Insight (WIS) and Persuasion (CHA).
• Outlander - Athletics (STR) and Survival (WIS).

Best Abilities

The Cleric's primary spellcasting stat is Wisdom. However, Dexterity and Constitution are also important. The former is to improve armor class and initiative, while the latter increases your HP. Moreover, high constitution also affects your concentration when certain spells have lingering/prolonged effects in battle. Ideally, you ought to have this stat distribution:

• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 14 or 15
• Constitution: 16 - Keep this high to maximize concentration effects.
• Intelligence: 8
• Wisdom: 17 - You can earn +2 points via the Ability Improvement feat, as well as an extra point by defeating Auntie Ethel.
• Charisma: 8 or 10

And that does it for our Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric class guide. Next up, we talk about the best build for the campaign, while using Shadowheart as our template.

Baldur's Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You'll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

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