Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 is underrated but powerful. Our author Fabienne explains why she loves this class and what makes it particularly strong.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, there is a class that hides in the shadows of others’ popularity: the Cleric. A stat from Larian Studios reveals that the Cleric is the least played class in the game:
The truth is, the cleric isn’t just a worse paladin. Personally, I love the Cleric, along with the Druid, and consider this class to be one of the most powerful in the entire game.
Cleric is damn strong
There are a total of seven subclasses to choose from. All are viable, but I think the domain of light and the domain of life stand out clearly.
What makes the two subclasses so strong?
Domain of Light: With the Domain of Light, as a cleric you get strong AOE spells early on, especially Channel Divinity (Focusing Divine Power) and later the Fireball, which allows you to do massive damage. The Wall of Fire allows you to make tactical plays by placing it wisely, causing significant damage to opponents as they run through it. Combined with Hunger from Hadar (e.g. from the Warlock) this is a great combo.
In the Domain of Light you also have free access to the Guardian Spirits spell. This means that you don’t have to have prepared the spell, but have it with you. With your Protective Flickering reaction you can give the opponent Disadavantage, which may cause the opponent’s attack to fail. From level 5 you can also use the reaction on an ally.
Domain of Life: This domain is my personal favorite. Admittedly, I also play a healer in other games such as the two MMOPRGS WoW and FFXIV. I also like playing support in LoL and Overwatch. And in Valorant I play Sage as the main character – so yes, I love the playstyle. It’s just such a good feeling when the group survives because of you, or you can turn the fight around with supporting skills. The influence of healers and supporters on events can be immense.
The life cleric is the only class in Baldur’s Gate 3 that actually manages to keep allies alive. It is the only class that can count as a healer. Additionally, access to heavy armor makes you tanky.
Even if you choose this domain, you later get free access to the guardian spirits, which is a super strong spell that you can have a lot of fun with, especially in Act 2.
With the Life Cleric, the healing spells become really strong. With the subclass passive Disciple of Life you heal additional hit points equal to 2 + the level of the spell, which counts, among other things, for the AOE healing spells such as Mass Healing Word and Mass Cure Wounds. As a Channel Divinity, you gain Life – another strong AOE heal.
Together with the concentration spell Beacon of Hope, you guarantee that your allies will receive the highest possible number of hit points from your next healing spells – as long as your concentration is not broken. This allows you to pull out strong healing combos. With this subclass you also have free access to the powerful spell Guardian Spirits.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Cast two spells in one turn
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Guardian spirits – such a cool spell
Guardian Spirits is simply an outstanding spell that is incredibly fun to cast and is one of the strongest in the game. For me also the Mario Kart magic, because the magic feels like the tanks from Mario Kart, which you can use to really annoy your opponents.
Guardian Spirits is a 3rd level summoning spell that requires concentration. You summon spirits that protect you in the form of an aura. Nearby enemies suffer 3-24 dazzling damage or 3-24 necrotic damage each, depending on which damage type you select. In addition, their movement rate within the aura is halved. If you make a saving throw, enemies still take half damage.
You get the spell from the cleric with all subclasses. With the life cleric you can also place yourself in the enemies with the guardian spirits and simply run through them, causing a lot of damage. Above all, this aura is particularly suitable for effectively defeating small enemies. In Act 2, this spell is worth its weight in gold. But be careful not to provoke attacks of opportunity.
Divine guidance: Always a handy cantrip. With Divine Guidance you get a 1d4 bonus on your ability checks. The cool thing is: you can also cast Divine Guidance on your allies. You can use the ability as often as you want without using up resources.
Cleric may be the least played class in Baldur’s Gate 3 (or as a character in its own right), but the lack of popularity is likely also influenced by the ever-popular companion Shadowheart, who is a cleric herself.
But for anyone who isn’t sure about their class choice and doesn’t want Shadowheart included, I can highly recommend the Cleric. I haven’t had two clerics in a group myself, but I think that could also be strong if you choose two different subclasses.
Clerics should not be underestimated – the class is not only a support class, but can also deal powerful damage and ensure the survival of the group.
In the right hands, the cleric becomes an invaluable member of any adventuring party in Baldur’s Gate 3. As always, class choice is a matter of taste.
What do you think of the Cleric? Which class do you love? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.
An RPG professional has also looked into why Cleric is played so little: Baldur’s Gate 3: Nobody wants to play Cleric – an RPG professional knows why that is