You have quite a few options for Charisma-based classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, but none handle casting quite like a Sorcerer. However, optimizing the early game of the natural mage can be tricky to wrap your head around. Choosing the correct race and ability scores will set you up for success, so you can let the late-game power spike of the Magic class coast you toward victory.
The Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 acts as a magical damage dealer and controller. Using Charisma-based spellcasting, it knows a small number of spells but can augment them with Metamagic and the highly flexible Sorcery Point system.
On a standard team, the Sorcerer talks to people outside combat and turns them to a crisp during it. Let’s talk about some ways to improve this charismatic combuster.
Best races for the Sorcerer in BG3
In general, the best race for the Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the human or the Half-Elf. The human offers Light Armor and Shield proficiency, setting the sorcerer up for Medium armor proficiency later down the line and compounding for a large amount of AC. The extra skill allows the Sorcerer to shore up their Charisma skills—Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion—without a background. However, many races can augment a character’s defense and utility similarly, such as the Half-Elf, which has less flexible utility options available to a new Sorcerer.
The human is our recommendation since it sets the Sorcerer up with great skills and good AC. Once you get access to better armor and a shield, 14 AC without any Dexterity is far from terrible. The free skill is extremely flexible, meaning it can be put into a stat like Perception or Intimidation to shore up your missing links. You’ll also come with extra carrying capacity, which isn’t super relevant to a caster but is still nice to have.
Related: How to calculate Passive Perception in DnD 5E
That being said, a few other races can help the Sorcerer in a similar but unique way.
- The Half-Elf has the same proficiency boosters as the Human, getting Light Armor, Shields, and a few weapons. Instead of the Skill and Weight capacity increases, you get Darkvision, advantage against very specific magical effects, and the option between a cantrip and movement speed.
- Githyanki approach sorcery with Medium Armor proficiency, a useful cantrip, and the ability to become proficient with specific skills using Astral Knowledge.
- Shield Dwarves also come with Medium Armor proficiency but a slower movement speed, resistance to Poison, and darkvision.
These races become substantially weaker with the Draconic Sorcerous Origin. Since that begins with 13 AC while unarmored, you are less interested in Light and Medium armor options. However, Human and Half-Elf are still great there since you can wear a Shield and still benefit from your Draconic Resilience. You can also try out the Tiefling with Draconic Sorcerer if you wish to have multiple elemental resistances and a bonus cantrip.
Most other races make completely passable Sorcerers! However, the races we prefer have native armor proficiency or provide some level of defensive buff, which is ungodly useful for a Sorcerer that doesn’t plan on multiclassing. Having Scale Mail or a Shield without needing to put feats into it is extremely useful for something with only six HP by default and a mere four HP per level! And adding utility to the Sorcerer is very nice since it has a very limited spell pool that it needs to keep for, essentially, combat and combat alone.
Best ability scores for the Sorcerer in BG3
The best ability score spread that a Sorcerer could ask for is Strength eight, Dexterity 14, Constitution 16, Intelligence eight, Wisdom 12, and Charisma 16. While you can swap Dexterity and Constitution for a strange Dex build for Sorcerer, you usually want the extra HP and the higher chance to succeed on Concentration checks.
Thankfully, unlike the Ranger or Fighter, the Sorcerer has one standard layout of stats no matter what build you are going for. That’s just because, as a caster, its entire game plan revolves around one stat at all times: Charisma. Charisma is the stat that you use to make your cantrips and spells deal damage or negatively impact enemies. You need to have that high, or else you’ll slow your team down. Sorcerers can eventually buff allies, but they need to trip people up early on!
The other stats have descending importance:
- Constitution for health and Concentration checks.
- Dexterity for AC, initiative, and super early game damage with a Crossbow.
- Wisdom for saving throws.
- Strength and Intelligence for saving throws against far less things than Wisdom.
Multiclassing can cause this chart to change. A higher Dexterity score might be useful for a Fighter or Paladin multiclass, for instance.
