Of the twelve classes found in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Cleric might be the most versatile of all. Their ability to switch their whole list of spells in between fights makes them able to heal, control crowds, or dish out tons of damage (depending on the chosen loadout), while their medium armor and shield proficiency makes them able to tank and engage dangerous foes in melee combat. But with so many options, what is the best way to build a Cleric in BG3?
Best Cleric deities in Baldur’s Gate 3
Since the magic abilities of a Cleric depend on which deity they serve, the first major choice we have to make is our domain. This path will define the type of role your Cleric will play in the party and will determine where you need to put your attribute points.
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Best Cleric skills and attributes in BG3
When it comes to the allocation of your attribute points,Wisdomis going to be the priority for every Cleric; this is their spellcasting ability and will also make them perceptive and insightful for dialogue purposes.
For the other attributes, it depends on which Domain you chose or what style of play you want. I chose to play a Tempest Domain Cleric, and I would like to fight in melee and wear Heavy Armor. Hence, I put more points inStrengthrather than inDexterity; Strength allows me to hit more consistently with Morningstars and Warhammers, and Dexterity would be nullified by the armor anyways.
If instead of using Heavy Armor, you would like to play a ranged Cleric, a few points inDexteritycan improve your AC and allow you to save against Area Of Effect spells such as Burning Hands or Faerie Fire. Just remember if you are going to be using medium armor, going above +2 in this attribute wouldn’t be of much use.
Next, we need to invest inConstitutionto improve our chances of succeeding Concentration checks and boosting our overall HP. I even chose the War Caster feat at level 4 to gain advantage on Concentration checks.
Finally, Charisma and Intelligence are not useful attributes for this class, so you can dump them to 8 (-1). However, there is an argument to be made when the Cleric is your main character, that some Charisma could be useful in certain dialogues.
For my Tempest Cleric build, the attributes looked like this:
Bonus Tip:Later in the game, I used the Potion of Everlasting Vigour (found in Act 2) to permanently increase my Cleric’s Strength by 2 (+1); that extra point not only made me better at saving throws but also allowed me to increase the hit rate chances and deal a little extra damage.
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Best backgrounds for Cleric in BG3
The background allows you to choose two more skill proficiencies for your character. The Cleric class already makes you choose two from History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion. So, unless you have a particular backstory in mind, I generally choose the background to complement the skills from the class.
For my first Cleric playthrough, I chose the background Acolyte to get the Insight and Religion proficiencies, which are both Wisdom-based and simplified my Cleric skills choice to Insight and Persuasion. Ultimately, it depends on what type of character you want to play and what approach you will take on the game’s choices.
Best races for Cleric in BG3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, any race grants a +2 increase in one ability and a +1 in another, with no restrictions at all. Therefore, the choice of race does not depend on the attributes but on the racial features or benefits they can provide.
Best Cleric cantrips in Baldur’s Gate 3
Below are the best cantrips you may use for your cleric:
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Level progression for Clerics in BG3
Here is my progression for the Tempest Domain Cleric. The list of prepared spells isn’t really important since you may change them in between fights. I made a list of recommended spells, but feel free to change it according to the map locations and your preferred playstyle.
BG3 Best Cleric multiclass builds
Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to multiclass without any restriction, allowing for exotic combinations of classes, levels, and skills. However, in many cases, this will lead to a MAD character (not in the sense of insane, but Multi Ability Dependant) who is competent at many things but master at none. There are three popular multiclass options for the Cleric, and as I went over them all, I analyzed their viability.
Cleric Druid multiclass
Clerics andDruidsare both spellcasting classes that use Wisdom as a primary attribute. This means you won’t have to stretch thin by investing in too many attributes, and you can focus on Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution as your main three.
Despite Clerics and Druids sharing many spells from their list, Clerics can benefit from a 2-level dip into Druid to grab the Wild Shape option. The true broken multiclass is the other way around: a Circle of Spore Druid focused on summoning magic with a dip of 2 levels in Cleric to heal and buff their minions.
Cleric Ranger multiclass
TheRangeris another class that uses Wisdom as their primary casting ability. Mixing the Cleric with this class grants access to Extra Attacks once you get Ranger level 5 while also accessing the spell Hunter’s Mark and possibly an animal companion.
Cleric Monk multiclass
Despite Cleric andMonkseeming to be a good combination of classes since they both prioritize Wisdom and Dexterity, this is one of the cases where the multiclass may not be ideal. It is worth considering the case because, at first sight, it seems logical. But nothing the Monk does is really improved by having levels in Cleric. In fact, it only takes away the possibility of having more Ki points. The same happens the other way around, with the Cleric not being able to extract much from the unarmed combat and unarmed defense of the Monk.
Overall, the Cleric is a solid class on its own, and even though multiclasses can be fun, it is hard to beat the power of a full Cleric.
For more on Baldur’s Gate 3, check outBaldur’s Gate 3 Finesse Weapons Guideon Pro Game Guides.
