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Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Sorcerer build in BG3

Sorcerers are pure magic and Charisma.

Nádia Linhares

Published: Aug 14, 2023 02:54 pm

How you build your character in Baldur’s Gate 3 is defined either by your desired playstyle as you journey through Faerûn or by how strong you want your character to be. Sorcerers are one of the classes that cast spells as their main form of combat.

What are Sorcerers in Baldur’s Gate 3?

When building your character in BG3, some characteristics are more than aesthetic. You can choose your race, class, subclass, abilities, proficiencies, and background. Sorcerer is one of the 12 classes you can choose from.

Sorcerers are natural users of magic, unlike Wizards who need to study the arcane arts instead. A Sorcerer’s connection with the Weave—how magic is referred to in the Forgotten Realms—is usually related to their bloodline, ancestry, or some mystical source.

You’ll have a range of spells to cast using Charisma for stats, unlike Wizards who use Intelligence and can change their prepared spells whenever they want. You can only change the spells you are able to use when leveling up as a Sorcerer.

Each class has unique pre-established features such as the used skill modifiers and proficiencies with weapons and skills. Here are all Sorcerer class features in BG3:

Hit points

Hit Points at first level: Six plus Constitution Modifier.
Hit Points at higher levels: Four plus Constitution Modifier.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Daggers, Quarterstaffs, Light Crossbows.
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma.
Skills: Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Religion.

Equipment

Sorcerer Robe, Simple Boots.
Quarterstaff.
Two Health Potions, Scroll of Revivify.

Spells

Cantrips: Can choose four.
Known Spells: One plus Charisma modifier.
Spell Slots: Two Level one slots.

Class Feature

Sorcery Points

How does spellcasting work in BG3?

Casting a spell uses a few particularities you need to pay attention to when using: Spell slots, saving throws, components, and duration. The game automates most of all the spellcasting, but it’s good to know about these mechanics when strategizing.

Spell slots

Spellcasting is limited to how many spell slots you have. You get only a few depending on your class, in Sorcerer’s case, you get two spell slots at level one, which means you can cast only two spells in or out of combat before you make a long rest to restore them.

“But how can I battle casting a spell only two times?”, you might be asking. You have cantrips. Cantrips are weaker spells that you can cast without spending any spell slot. Sorcerers can pick four cantrips at level one.

You’ll start to gain higher-level spell slots as you level up and your spells can get stronger as well going from level two to level nine spell slots. Using higher-level spells requires the respective level spell slot for it to be cast, so managing spell slots is essential in battle.

You can cast level-one spells using higher-level spell slots, but not the opposite. For example, you can cast a level-two Burning Hands, but you’ll need to have a level-two spell slot, a level-one won’t do. But if you spent all your level-one spell slots, you can cast a level-one Burning Hands spell with a level-two spell slot.

Saving Throws

Each spell can have its damage numbers reduced to half if the target succeeds in a saving throw.

The skill used for the saving throw varies according to the spell, so using Burning Hands as an example again, enemies hit with this spell can make a Dexterity save throw to try to avoid the spell and only take half the damage.

If you take that into consideration, you can combo an attack that gives the status effect of crippled, enwebbed, prone, paralyzed, asleep, or shocked, the enemy won’t be able to make the saving throw for Burning Hands or will make it with a disadvantage.

Components

Spells have three components you need to meet before you can cast them. Baldur’s Gate 3 will let you know if you can’t cast a spell if you don’t meet any of the requirements and will tell you the reason.

Verbal (V) component in a spell

You need to utter the words for most spells for them to work, so if you are ever in a battle you get into a silenced area, or if an enemy inflicts the silenced status effect, you won’t be able to cast any spell that requires the verbal component.

Somatic (S) and Material (M) component in a spell

The somatic and material components of a spell aren’t present in Baldur’s Gate 3 in the same way as they are in DnD. The automation takes care of these components, but you still can’t cast if you are prone or immobilized, for example.

Duration

Spells can have a duration of more than one turn during battles. If the spell’s description says that it takes one turn, then it can be cast in an action, which means you will cast it as you attack, or as a bonus action, which implies that you can use an action and then use that spell as a bonus action.

If it lasts more than one turn, then you’ll use either the actions or bonus action to cast the spell and the effects will last for the amount of turns it says in the description. Most spells with long durations last for 10 turns.

Concentration

Some spells require concentration to be cast and have their effects active. If you lose concentration, the spell will be deactivated and you’ll have to cast it again and spend another spell slot. Here’s everything that ends concentration:

If you take damage, you’ll make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your Concentration.
Casting another spell that requires concentration.
Being incapacitated or killed.

Best races for the Sorcerer in BG3

Since racial ability points were removed when Baldur’s Gate 3 fully launched, the race choice comes down to what racial features you want. The community agrees that the best races for a Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 are either a Wood Half-Elf or a Drow.

Both are very similar, but the best for your campaign will depend on your playstyle. The Wood Half-Elf has proficiency in Stealth and the extra mobility is useful to attack and move out of the line of attack as Sorcerers tend to have a lower HP and most spells are ranged.

The Drow has proficiency in Perception and can see further in the dark. This race also gains access to two additional spells as they level up. Personally, I would go with a Wood Half-Elf because of the extra mobility.

Wood Half Elf racial features

Civil Militia: You have weapon proficiency with Spears, Pikes, Halberds, and Glaives, and Armour Proficiency with Light Armour and Shield.
Fey Ancestry: You have resistance to Charm and can’t be put to sleep.
Darkvision: You have the ability to see in the dark up to 12m.
Fleet of Foot: Movement range of 10.5m.
Mask of the Wild: Stealth proficiency.

Drow racial features

Drow subraces don’t include any additional features, except for roleplay elements.

Drow Weapon Training: You have Proficiency with Rapier, Shortsword, and Hand Crossbow.
Superior Darkvision: Allows you to see in the dark up to 24m
Fey Ancestry: You have resistance to Charm and can’t be put to sleep.
Base Racial Speed: Movement range of 9m.
Keen Senses: Perception proficiency.
Drow Spellcasting: You gain access to the Faerie Fire spell at level three and the Darkness spell at level five.

Best subclass for the Sorcerer in BG3

The best subclass for a Sorcerer in BG3 is most definitely the Draconic Bloodline. You could go for the Wild Magic subclass, but it will make your gameplay too unstable as you could get negative effects on yourself.

The Draconic Bloodline subclass allows you to choose your Dragon Ancestry and has the Draconic Resilience feature that increases your maximum HP by one for each Sorcerer level and you gain 13 Armour Class when not wearing armor.

You can choose between five types of elements and 10 different colors for your Draconic Bloodline. The element you choose will be stronger when you use and you’ll have resistance to it.

Best backgrounds for the Sorcerer in BG3

Backgrounds will give you additional proficiency with two skills. Charisma skills will work best for Sorcerers and we recommend the other skill to be a Dexterity one. The Charlatan and the Entertainer are the best backgrounds for a Sorcerer in BG3.

Any background that includes either Deception, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion are a good pick in the end. So you can still pick the Criminal, Guild Artisan, Noble, and Soldier backgrounds.

How to best distribute the ability points for the Sorcerer in BG3

You should focus on the Charisma and Dexterity skills to get the higher bonuses raising them to 16, and your lowest skill to be Strenght at eight, as you won’t use that skill often in battle and you can use other better-suited NPCs to do actions that require that skill.

You can balance the rest of the skills however you prefer. In DnD, players tend to assign the numbers 15,14,13,12,10, and eight to the skills, but in BG3, there would still be five points left. Here’s our recommendation for a balanced Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Strength: 8 (-1)
Dexterity: 16 (+3)
Constitution: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 10 (+0)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 16 (+3)

Best spells for the Sorcerer in BG3

You can choose cantrips four cantrips and two spells when you create your Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3, but you’ll be able to add more as you level up. As mentioned before, you can’t change the spells unless when you level up or if you reset by talking and spending gold with a Wither in your camp.

Sorcerer Cantrips

Level 1: Acid Splash, Chill Touch, Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost.
Level 4: Minor Illusion.
Level 10: Blade Ward

Sorcerer Spells

Level 1: Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb.
Level 2: Misty Step.
Level 3: Scorching Ray.
Level 4: Cloud of Daggers.
Level 5: Fireball.
Level 6: Haste, Fear, Stinking Cloud, Crown of Madness, Slow, Blind.
Level 7: Confusion.
Level 8: Stoneskin.
Level 9: War Caster.
Level 10: Dominate Person
Level 11: Globe of Invulnerability
Level 12: Cone of Cold

Sorcery Points

Level 2: Careful Spell, Twinned Spell.
Level 3: Quickened Spell.
Level 10: Extended Spell.

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Author

Nádia Linhares

Nádia is a Brazilian freelance writer who works for Dot since 2020. She has covered everything from Pokémon to FIFA. Video games are an essential part of her life, especially indie games and RPGs. You can catch her playing Overwatch in her spare time, but she writes better than she aims.