Baldur's Gate 3 Cleric Guide - All Subclasses (Life, Light, Trickery, Knowledge, Nature Tempest War)

in the smaller Gate 3 cleric class guide I'm going to be covering the cleric class including all seven subclasses and providing you some useful information I'll be doing more build guides including those for cleric later but for now let's look at how a cleric functions and its basics clerics are Divine spellcasters in bg3 that are in tune with their chosen deity they specialize in healing and supporting magic but they can also cast offensive spells and do fairly well in martial combat for a full spellcaster they have proficiencies in light and medium armor as well as Shields and simple weapons and morning Stars which is the most of any full spellcaster in bg3 and some subclasses or domains even provide them with heavy armor and martial weapon proficiencies putting them on par with even the best martial classes in this regard some clerics lean more to the melee side of things when it comes to martial combat because they can cast inflict wounds which is a meleely ranged spell that deals fantastic damage our assume will prefer to forego the use of this spell and play at longer ranges clerics can also use Channel Divinity every short rest varying greatly depending on their subclass which can often turn the tide of battle and is extremely powerful in some cases in this section we'll take a look at how to set up your cleric during character creation for best results we'll begin with abilities first since this is arguably the most important part aside from choosing your subclass your primary ability as a cleric is wisdom wisdom determines how difficult it is for an enemy to save against your spells and prove spell attack roles improves wisdom skill checks and wisdom saving throws as well as increases the amount of prepared spells a cleric can have Constitution is there to help keep you alive via HP and also to help you maintain concentration on spells like bless pain or protection from energy should you get hit while concentrating on them for this reason I strongly recommend that you invest 16 into wisdom and at least 14 in Constitution during character creation 14 dexterity is also not bad if you plan to use medium armor or if you plan to play a more ranged clearing you could instead take 16 strength if you plan to play a subclass with heavy armor proficiency and plan to play melee when not casting spells the choice is up to you I've listed out two ways you can set up your cleric one if you're going to use strength and the other if you want to use dexterity note that I've changed this from the recommendations of the game as it's more optimized during the early going when it comes to race elf is not bad for some extra weapon proficiencies if you don't go Tempest or war and perception proficiency and Fey ancestry they also gain dark vision which can help you land your attacks in Dark Places and what else also gain stealth proficiency and increased movement speed human is also not bad if you want a couple more weapon proficiencies if not Tempest or war and another skill proficiency Lightfoot halflings are another solid choice because they re-roll if they roll a 1 on any attack roll ability check or saving throw all but preventing them from ever critically missing they also cannot be frightened easily and have advantage on stealth checks drow have Superior dark vision Fey ancestry and perception proficiency which are all decent pickups for the cleric and half work is also a good choice especially for melee focused clerics since they have dark vision Relentless endurance and Savage attacks for skills you'll likely focus on wisdom-based skills since that's what you'll have a good amount of your ability points if you take the folk hero background and an L for drow for a race you can select Insight in medicine and have Proficiency in all wisdom skills next let's look at cleric progression and things that all clerics gain at level 1 clerics gain level 1 spells along with two level one spell slots and three can trips they will also learn some domain spells based on the domain they selected though these might be better versions of spells they already know that clerics need to prepare their spells and can cast any spell they know as long as they have the spell slot for it and it's prepared also at this level clerics will choose a subclass and gain domain spells and a subclass feature based on their selection we'll cover these more in the subclasses section but for now let's focus on things all clerics get while leveling and finally at this level clerics will choose their deity the full extent of What Choosing each deity does in game is not currently known but you should select one based on the principles that best match your own or best match the ideals of the character you are role playing at level 2 all clerics will gain one channel Divinity charge and will be able to use their Channel Divinity class future once per short rest this feature varies from subclass to subclass for instance life domain clerics gain preserve life which is an AOE heel while light domain clerics gain Radiance of the Dawn which is a radiant damage AOE we'll cover what these are more in the subclasses section at the same level all clerics gain turn Undead which uses a channel Divinity charge to make all in debt around them flee if they fail a wisdom saving throw this lasts three turns or until they take damage at level 3 clerics gain access to level 2 spells and gain level 2 spell slots and can upcast level 1 spells with these slots if they can be many spells in bg3 can be upcast for additional damage or increased targets pay attention to which spells they are so you don't waste higher level spell slots on ones that can't be at level 4 clerics gained their first feat ability Improvement is not a bad choice to further boost their wisdom allowing them to land their spells more easily and prepare an additional spell however both resilient Constitution and warcaster are also not bad options since clerics have a fair number of concentration spells and they are likely to be in melee range particularly if they went the strength route also at this level clerics can select an additional can trip from their cantrip list at level 5 clerics gain access to level 3 spells and gain level 3 spell slots and can upcast level 1 and 2 spells with these slots if they can be also at this level clerics gain destroy Undead which makes it so they deal radiant damage whenever they successfully turn and Undead using their turn on dead class feature at level 6 all clerics will gain a subclass feature based on their chosen domain we'll cover what these are more in the subclasses section and also at this level clerks will gain a second Channel Divinity charge allowing them to use their Channel Divinity class feature or turn Undead twice in between short rests at level 7 clerics gain access to level 4 spells and game level 4 spell slots and they can upcast level one two and three spells with these slots if they can be at level 8 clerics will gain either Divine strike or potent spell casting depending on which domain they selected during character creation Divine strike will add one to eight damage to their weapon attack once per turn and the damage type this deals depends on the domain chosen boat and spell casting allows the cleric to add their wisdom modifier to the damage of their cleric cantrips further boosting their damage these are sacred flame and produce Flame also at this level clerics gain their second feat they can choose ability Improvement or one of the others I suggested Elemental Adept is also not a bad choice if you went light or Tempest domains at level 9 clerics gain access to level 5 spells and gain level 5 spell slots and can upcast level one two three and four spells with these slots if they can be at level 10 all clerics gain divine intervention to invoke the aid of their deity which they can use one time and never again in the whole game there are four interventions you can choose from arm thy servant creates and equips the devotee space golden generosity creates a chest containing camp supplies and around 10 potions and elixirs opulent Revival will resurrect all Fallen companions with half their hit points and restore them as if they had long rested with an 18 meter radius and Sunder the heretical deals 8d10 radian damage to All Enemies within 15 meters if they fail a wisdom saving throw and if they succeed then they still take half damage at level 11 clerics gain access to level 6 spells and gain one level 6 spell slot and can upcast level one two three four and five spells with this slot if they can be this is the highest level of spells clerics can learn in pg3 at level 12 clerics gained their final feat if you don't have wisdom to 20 yet now would be a good time to do it with ability Improvement otherwise consider choosing one of the ones I've already mentioned clerics and bg3 have light and medium armor proficiency as well as shield and simple weapon proficiency so they have a lot of options also as mentioned earlier some subclasses also provide heavy armor proficiency or even martial weapon proficiency so cleric gear will vary from cleric to cleric depending on subclass it's likely your cleric will wear medium or heavy armor to gain maximum protection since they are unlikely to have more than about 14 or 16 dexterity ruling out light armor unless it has the great other bonuses additionally they are likely to use a shield since they can to further pad their Armor class weapon wise they'll use whatever they can that deals the most damage that they have proficiency with and if they went for dexterity over strength they'll look to use a finesse weapon and will likely want a good ranged weapon as well strength clerics will likely use sacred flame when they cannot get into melee range however [Music] choosing a cleric subclass in bg3 can be quite challenging because there's a lot of things to consider you want heavy armor do you want martial weapon proficiency do you want more offensive spells do you want to focus more on martial combat all these things can influence which subclass to choose and it's not immediately clear during character creation what you're going to get at level 1 all cleric domains gain features based on their domain as well as two domain spells that are always prepared all clerics gain their Channel Divinity feature at level 2 that will depend on their domain Chosen and they will gain two more domain Spells at every odd level up through level 9. they will also gain another subclass feature at level 6 and they will either gain Divine strike or potent spell casting at level 8. let's take a look at life clerics first at level 1 life clerics gain heavy armor proficiency allowing them to wear heavy armor with no penalties to spell casting or attack rolls also at this level they gain disciple of Life which adds two plus the Spells level to the healing any spell does this makes life clerics the most effective healers in bg3 at level 2 life clerics gain preserve life for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to heal allies in a 9 meter radius for three times their character level at level 6 life clerics gain blessed healer which heals them for two plus the spell level of any healing spell they cast on another creature note that if you cast an AOE heal you will heal for each Target healed by your spell at level 8 life clerics gain Divine strike radiant adding 1 to 8 radiant damage to their weapon attacks once per turn note this applies to both ranged and melee weapon attacks but does not apply to unarmed attacks additionally clerics gained their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what they are for the life cleric on the screen let's take a look at a light cleric next at level one light clerics will gain warding Flair allowing them to use the reaction to impose disadvantage on an enemy that is about to hit them in combat this can be used once per round without limit making it a particularly strong feature make sure to tick this to on and to ask in your reaction to sap at level 2 light clerics gain Radiance of the dawn for their Channel Divinity class future this allows them to strike for 2d10 plus their character level radiant damage in a 9 meter radius note this will not hit allies only enemies at level 6 light clerics will gain improved warding flare allowing them to impose disadvantage on an enemy attacking an ally that is about to hit them in combat this is a phenomenal upgrade since you'll likely be able to use this every turn at level 8 light clerics get to add their wisdom modifier to the damage of their cleric cantrips further boosting the damage of these These are sacred flame and produce flame light clerics also gain their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what these are on the screen next let's take a look at the trickery domain cleric at level 1 trickery clerics can grant another character advantage on stealth checks as an action as long as they maintain concentration this is a great way to boost the stealth of your roguish character if they don't already have advantage on stealth checks note that you cannot Target yourself with this feature at level 2 trickery clerics gain invoke duplicity for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to create an illusion within 9 meters that grants allies advantage on attacks made against enemies standing within 3 meters of it as long as the Ally is also standing within three meters of it this requires concentration to maintain and an action to use making it very situational at level 8 trickery clerics gain Divine strike poison adding one to eight poison damage to their weapon attacks once per turn note this applies to both ranged and melee weapon attacks but does not apply to unarmed attacks trickery domain clerics also gain their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what these are on the screen now next up is knowledge domain at level 1 knowledge clerics gain expertise in two of the following skills Arcana history nature or religion note that you'll gain expertise even if you don't have Proficiency in these skills so it's best not to take proficiencies in skills you plan to select expertise in at level 2 knowledge clerics gain knowledge of the ages for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to gain proficiency and all skills of one ability until long rest much like the Geth Yankees astral knowledge [Music] at level 8 knowledge clerics get to add their wisdom modifier to the damage of their clerican trips further boosting their damage again these are sacred flame and produce flame knowledge domain clerics gain their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine as well and you can see what these are on the screen now [Music] next are nature clerics at level 1 nature clerics gain heavy armor proficiency allowing them to wear heavy armor with no penalties to spell casting or attack rolls also at level 1 nature clerics get to select one Druid can trip from Poison spray produce flame shillelagh and Thorn whip they also gain proficiency and animal handling nature or survival at level 2 nature clerics gain charm animals and plants for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to try to charm animals and plants within 9 meters of them preventing enemies from attacking them it's one of the weaker channel divinities in my opinion but it's still nice to have at level 8 nature clerics gained Divine strike Elemental Fury adding one to eight cold fire or lightning damage to their weapon attacks once per turn note this applies to both ranged and melee weapon attacks but does not apply to unarmed attacks nature clerics gained their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what those are on the screen now next we'll take a look at Tempest domain at level 1 Tempest clerics gain heavy armor proficiency allowing them to wear heavy armor with no penalties to spell casting or attack rolls they also gain martial weapon proficiency allowing them to add their proficiency bonus to attack Rolls made with any weapon since they have simple weapon proficiency already at level 1 Tempest clerics gain Wrath of the storm which allows them to deal 2-16 thunder or lightning damage to an enemy attacking them with a melee weapon attack using their reaction if they fail a saving throw they still deal half damage if the target saves at level 2 Tempest clerics gained destructive wrath for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to use their Channel Divinity charge as a reaction whenever they deal lightning or thunder damage to ensure that they deal the maximum damage with one of those damage types for instance if a tempest cleric uses call lightning which normally deals 3 to 30 lightning damage if the enemies inside its AOE fail their save it would now deal the full 30 lightning damage to each charger that failed their save and 15 to those that didn't fail since they still take half damage this is extremely deadly because remember this replenishes on short rest and after level 6 you can use it twice before short rest at level 6 Tempest clerics gain Thunderbolt strike allowing them to push enemies up to 3 meters when they deal lightning or thunder damage to them they can sometimes push enemies to their death at level 8 Tempest clerics gain Divine strike Thunder adding one to eight Thunder damage to their weapon attacks once per turn again note this applies to both ranged and melee weapon attacks but does not apply to unarmed attacks Tempest clerics gain their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what those are on the screen and lastly we come to war domain at level 1 War clerics gain heavy armor proficiency allowing them to wear heavy armor with no penalties to spell casting or attack rolls they also gain martial weapon proficiency allowing them to add their proficiency bonus to attack roles made with any weapon since again they have simple weapon proficiency already also a level 1 War clerics gained War priest allowing them to use their bonus action to make an attack they gained three charges of this at level 1 increasing as the war priest gains levels and replenishing after a long rest note that you must take War domain levels in order to increase your War priest charges and that these are not based on character level at level 2 War domain clerics gained guided strike for their Channel Divinity class feature this allows them to gain a plus 10 bonus to their attack role as a reaction almost guaranteeing that it connects [Music] at level 6 where the main clerics gained War God's blessing which allows them to use a channel Divinity charge to boost the attack role of a nearby Ally by plus 10 as a reaction and at level 8 Work lyrics gain Divine strike weapon adding one to eight slashing damage to their weapon attacks once per turn note this applies to both ranged and melee weapon attacks but does not apply to unarmed attacks War clerics gain their domain Spells at levels one three five seven and nine and you can see what these are on the screen now in this section of revolver's Gate 3 cleric class guide we'll take a look at multi-classing of cleric in bg3 and what other classes you might multi-class with please keep in mind this is not a complete list but rather helpful suggestions that make good pairings clerics have a lot to give at level 1 as each domain provides a class feature and sometimes heavy armor proficiency or martial weapon proficiency they also gain their Channel Divinity feature at level 2 which is exceptional in a lot of cases replenishing each short rest if you don't multi-class at level 1 or 2 the next likely place would be after level 6 because each cleric gains another subclass feature here as well as a second Channel Divinity charge however it really depends on the domain you selected monks also multi-class while level 6 since it gains subclass features at this level and uses wisdom for extra Armor class when not using armor as well as for its spell DC when using Wave the four elements spells so is a great pairing circle of the spores Druid is also not a bad option as it can summon zombies at level 6 and give itself temporary HP and boost its damaging attacks with symbiotic entity you can also use Aid to buff your zombies so they don't die as easily and Druids use wisdoms for their spells as well or you could go five Circle the land pick up lightning bolt which combines well with seven Tempest Druid for deadly damage thanks to destructive Wrath Ranger also multi-classes well with cleric thanks to using wisdom for its spells too and you could take 5 levels of gloomstalker or Hunter to pick up extra attack and then go seven levels of cleric for level 4 cleric spells increase Channel Divinity charges and another subclass feature at level 6. so that wraps up our clear class guide and I hope you found this information useful and it helps you make a better decision about which cleric domain you want to play when playing your cleric as always we will have some builds coming and if you have other tips that I forgot to mention please leave them in the comments or if you have questions please leave them there as well [Music]

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Id: O9TbZZ3N48w

Length: 19min 33sec (1173 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 12 2023