Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build

This solo guide focuses on the key aspects of a Cleric build in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), intended to play solo without companions.

This build page has been updated for thePatch 8 versionof Baldur’s Gate 3.

Best Solo Cleric Build Guide

The Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a versatile divine spellcaster, weaving faith and potent magic to bring blessings and blows. The Cleric class comes with 7 subclass selections, each offering unique spells and powers. For this solo build, we will be focused on using the Light subclass, which plays the best for a solo build in BG3.

We’ve designed thissolo build for high performancein combat especially if you wish to play onHonour Mode difficulty. This build will NOT utilize multiclassing as the Cleric can be ultra-powerful as one pure class.This build uses spell damage, summons, and powerful area damage for kills while surviving with high AC and buffs. Let us continue explaining how to use the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build!

Solo Cleric Build Changes in Patch 8 for BG3

The biggest changes to the Cleric comes from new cantripBooming Blade. This is helpful for a melee build, though theCleric Death Domainuses it best. The Cleric playstyle of healer, tank, or radiant damage dealer remains largely unchanged. There were some additional buffs to monsters that makes Tactician Mode and Honour Mode more difficulty, so be prepared as a solo player.

Solo Cleric Build Features

The following list presents all the essential solo Cleric Build Mechanics and Features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

How to Play the Cleric Solo in Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 can be played solo by either opting to disregard companions or recruiting them and later dismissing them to your camp. Although playing a Cleric build solo presents a challenging experience, it is possible to complete the entire game solo on Tactician or Honour Mode difficulty.

Below are some general tips on how to play the best Cleric build in BG3 Solo:

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We will explain more about these topics throughout this guide, Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build.

Character Creation for Solo Cleric Build

WoodElfis the best solo Cleric race because you gain Longswordproficiency, Perception proficiency, and the highest movement speed of any race. An alternative race is theWood Half-Elf, which is similar, though it has Pikes and Spear proficiency. Lastly, theDuergarmakes a good choice due to the innate invisibility spell, and Enlarge, though, lacks movement speed.

Here is the bestracechoice for a solo Cleric build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

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Ability Score

The Best Ability Score for solo Cleric Build is 17 WIsdom, 16 Constitution, and 15Dexterity.Wisdom is your ability modifier for spells, increasing the amount you may learn, the damage, and the chance to land. Constitution is health and also your ability to maintain concentration saving throws. Lastly, Dexterity is important while using Medium Armour and having a high initiative so you can go sooner in combat. This selection assumes you will take an ability improvement at level 4 to increase Wisdom to 18 and Dexterity to 16, where you will see a big increase in power.

Below is the best ability score for a solo Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Best BG3 Solo Cleric Build

you’re able to increase your ability score via a quest in Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. ensure to check out ourPermanent bonus guideon how you can boost your ability score through quests.

Background & Skills

The bestBackgroundfor a solo Cleric is Folk Hero because you gain proficiency in two Wisdom-based skills, Animal Handling and Survival.Backgroundsin Baldur’s Gate 3 are a way to represent your character’s backstory and give them some startingskillsandabilities.

The best skills to select and optimize are Insight and Persuasion. These two often reveal hidden doors, buttons, and treasure chests.

Solo Cleric Illithid Powers

Illithid Powersare unlocked later in the game when you learn more about the Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. you’re able to gain jars ofMind FlayerParasite Specimens, and consume them to gain one point. This is essentially another skill tree advancement with some very strong powers. If you decide to advance this skill line, these are the choices we suggest.

Here are the best Illithid Powers for the Solo Cleric Build:

Best Solo Cleric Build – Level Progression in Baldur’s Gate 3

Alternative Solo Cleric Build

The best alternative to the Solo Clerc build is a “tank” setup that debuffs enemies with Radiating Orb via Luminous Armour. You can obtain this gear in Act 1 and use it throughout the game while maintaining decent damage with Spirit Guardians. Use this build if you struggle with survival, though it can be more complex.

At Level One follow our character creation steps above to pick all correctbackground,race,skills, andability scoredistributions focusing onWisdom and Constitution. You want medium armour with a Versatile Weapon (quarterstaff or Longsword) and Shield. The Cleric picks their subclass at level 1, which will unlock many cantrip, subclass spells, and prepared spells.

Your subclass selection (Light) will grant always prepared spells. So, if you see some on your quick bar or spellbook that you didn’t select, they come from the Light subclass. The Light subclass emphasizes spell damage dealing rather than support and healing. Thus, we will lean into those benefits and you should see those selections.

LightSubclassUnlocks

Recommended Cantrips

Prepare Spells

Solo Cleric Gameplay

The general premise of this build is area-based spell damage and summon spells that aid you in combat. We will want to equip weapons with powerful bonuses rather than rely on weapon-based attacks for damage. Thus, you will pair cantrips and spells as your primary damage source. Moreover, your two highest damage spells are Inflict Wounds (melee) and Guiding Bolt (ranged). When you run out of spell slots, use Sacred Flames. Always pre-buff before a fight with Blessed to get a big advantage when you start combat.

The main issue you will have at the start of the game is going lower in act order, meaning you cannot crowd control (CC) or kill targets before they attack you. One way to fix this is ALWAYS to start combat from stealth and try to trigger thesurprise status effect. If you do this, you will get one free round of damage before the enemy can attack you. This is critical for the Cleric, who lacks high Dexterity and will likely go later in the round.

Act 1 Priorities

As you advance with the Solo Cleric build, you will gain access to powerful area-based damage spells and are hyper-effective against the undead. The Cleric lacks inherited mobility, but this can be remedied later in Act 1 with theAmulet of Misty StepandHaste Helm. Moreover, look to acquire theElixir of BloodlustandPotion of Speed. These two consumables can combine, giving you extra actions and, thus, extra damage.

Your overall priority with the Solo Cleric build is the following:

At level two, you will receive an extra spell slot, so you can cast an extraspellbefore requiring a long rest. Also, at level 2, you can prepare 5spells, and you get the Channel Divinity charges. Below are the recommendation spells and explanations for the Solo Cleric:

SubclassUnlocks:

Prepare NewSpells:

The biggest additional factor at level 2 is the massive area of radiant damage from Radiance of the Dawn. This doesn’t use a spell slot, but your changed Divnity Charges. You won’t get many, but they replenish on short rest, and this skill can carry your damage early and late in the game. Having it Radiant damage helps as well with gear sets likeLuminous Armourfound in Act 1.

Turn Undead is also unlocked which is powerful in Undead specific encounters. It essentially forces them to turn away. Later on, you unlock a powerful passive that makes this spell area-based damage and a crowd control spell. As you see, area damage is exactly what you excel at up in the fray of combat. This spell also takes Channel Divinity resource, so be cautious when using it.Amulet of the Devoutshould be your number one priority in Act 3 to gain an extra use of this charge.

Your gameplay at this level revoles around guiding bolt for ranged damage, inflict wounds for melee damage, command for crowd control and Sacred Flame for cantrip damage. Likely, your spell slots will be out constantly requiring a long rest. Therefore, rely on Sacred Flame early on if you can absorb the damage. Mainly use your bonus action for potions, which you get more utility soon.Boots of Speedfrom the Underdark will help bonus action utility andMisty Step Amulet.

Level 3 will see two always-prepared subclass spells and one additional prepared spell.

Prepare NewSpell:

Level 3 is an important level because you gain two “summon” abilities with Flaming Sphere and Spiritual Weapon. These summons stack, meaning you can cast Flaming Sphere with an action and Spiritual Weapon with a bonus action. This will give you two sources of distraction and a common method for survival when playing solo. Flaming Sphere requires concentration, so pick Bless or this spell before an engagement. Moreover, these two spells last 10 turns, so it’s best to cast them on turn one or enter turn base mode just outside of a fight, cast, then sneak and start an encounter with a ranged guiding bolt. When out of spell slots, keep spamming Sacred Flame and use channeled Divinity charges for area damage.

At level four, the Cleric gets onecantrip, one more preparedspell, and afeator ability improvement. Below are our recommendations:

With an increase in ability score, we reach even numbers on Dexterity and Wisdom. 18 Wisdom will gain an additional spell slot after you hit accept, which you may choose anything but becomes crucial at the next level. The most significant change here is the spell aid. This gives you +5 HP, can be used outside combat, and lasts until a long rest. This is an essential theme to any solo build, stacking as many bonuses until long rest as you can.

In fact, at the end of the game, you can cast Aid at level 5 spell for 20 HP until a long rest! You may need to conserve spell slots when starting, but realize this spell is deceptively powerful to increase your overall survivability.

At level five, the Light Cleric gets two freespellsvia yoursubclassand you get to pick a level 3spell.

Level 5 Gameplay Light Cleric

At this level, you should feel a massive boost in power. You will gain access to two powerful area-based damage spells, Fireball and Glyph of Warding. Fireball is one of the top damage spells that can be upcast. Meaning, you can spell higher-level spell slots later in leveling to do even more damage. The glyph of warding is a highly flexible spell where you can pick the element type. Choose the element type based on enemy resistance to achieve maximum damage.

The most impactful change is the unlock spell Spirit Guardian. Requiring concentration, you may select either Necrotic or Radiant damage to deal damage around you when an enemy is in range. You generally want to select Radiant (unless resistance) and charge into the melee fray. With this spell and area-based damage, you’ve already unlocked most of your powerful force when surrounded.

Additionally, Destroy Undead now makes Turn Undead much more powerful. They will essentially take a lot of Radiant Damage. Therefore, you prioritizeLuminous Armourduring Act 1. This creates a Radiant Shockwave and debuffs enemies for an ultra-powerful combination.

At level six for a Light Cleric, you gain another level 3spelland an Improved Warding Flare subclass feature.

The best selection for spells here is Animate Dead. This gives you a until-long rest summon that stacks on top of Flaming Sphere and Spiritual Weapon. Thus, in tough encounters, you may bring all three into combat for distraction and extra damage. You will need to find a corpse with Animate Dead, so cast it immediately following a fight or return to a previous encounter and use it. You won’t need to wait until combat starts because it lasts until a long rest, making it much easier to bring along another undead, which is critical for solo builds and gameplay.

Ending Act 1 with the Solo Cleric

Before you proceed to Act 2 with the Solo Cleric BG3, stock up on camp and alchemy supplies, visit vendors, and check out thebest Act 1 itemsandpermanent bonuseslist to ensure you won’t miss anything. Lastly,Grymforgehas powerful armor and weapons (Adamantine) to aid you well into Act 3.

At level 7, the Light Cleric gains one level 4 spellslotand two subclass-specificspells.

Prepare New Spells:

Freedom of Movement: Movement Speed can’t be reduced by Difficult Terrain, spells, or magical effects. Can’t be Paralysed or Restrained

SubclassUnlocks

Until Long Rest

The Freedom of Movement spell selection is similar to Aid. This spell lasts until a long rest doesn’t require concentration and can be cast outside combat. It’s a perfect spell to cast on yourself immediately following a rest because it prevents paralyzed or restrained. The main weakness of the build is lower combat turn order due to Dexterity and crowd control prevention. Thus, you can stack Aid and Freedom of Movement outside combat to get the end.

At level 8 the Light Cleric gets Potent Spellcasting, an additional level 4spellslot, and afeat.

The selection of Death Ward is similar to Freedom of Movement. If you have extra spell slots, this can be cast outside of combat, stacks with Aid, Freedom of Movement, Elixir of Bloodlust, etc. The more you can stack these passive bonuses, the better your chances at survival.

War Caster is selected because maintaining concentration is critical when you have Spirit Guardian active most of the game. Enemies will also try and flee the radius, giving you free damage which can be significant.

Lastly, Potent Spellcasting aids your Sacred Flame cantrip, andQuickspell Glovescan be helpful to cast this as a bonus action later in Act 3.

At level 9, the Cleric gets two freespells, one level 4spellslot, and one level 5spellslot.

Destructive Wave

In level 9, you can unlock one of the most potent cleric spells, destructive wave. This spell does massive area damage in a large radius, similar to Radiance of the Dawn. The added benefit here is that you can knock enemies prone. Now you have a massive area damage spell that can stun every target. And, as you maintain concentration on Spirit Guardian, you will passively be doing damage around you. This should give you a massive boost in power playing the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build.

At level 10, the Life Cleric gets aclassfeature Divine Intervention, onecantrip, anotherspellslot, and another preparedspell.

Divine Intervention: You can cast Divine Intervention to invoke your God’s aid. Once used, this can never be used again. You have a couple of options with this one-time-onlyspell, but the obvious one is a damagespell. It’s a massive area and huge damage. I suggest saving this for the last boss or something you cannot complete.

Multiclassing Solo Cleric Options

At level 10, the Cleric can decide to multi-class. This has pros and cons, and I’ve found it better to fully level the Light Cleric so you may reach level 6 spells. The main advantage is getting either bonus action or action utility with the Rogue/Thief or the Fighter build. Moreover, Paladin can give you access to Divine Smite, and Sorcerer unlocks some powerful passives. However, I don’t think the pros outweigh the cons because you will lose another feat, which can help to reach 20 Wisdom and gain more access to spells. Thus, we recommend sticking to Cleric until the maximum level.

At level 11, the Light Cleric domain unlocks one level 6spellslot and learns one newspellfor a total of 15 prepared spells.

At level 6, you get only onespellslot and will not gain an additionalspellslot. There are two Quarterstaves that bypass this issue in Act 3: theStaff of SpellpowerorMarkoheshki. With either of these quarterstaves, you can negate aspellslot, essentially cheesing two level 6spellslots. Moreover, an Act 2 necklace,Spellcrux Amuletwill do the same thing.

Also Check:-BG3 Map

You’ve hit maximum level with the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build Guide! At this level, you should feel very powerful using multiple summons creatures and doing massive area-based damage.

With reaching the max level, your next priority is to optimize gear entirely based on your playstyle. The main point is to increase your Radiant Damage, gain bonus action utility, and maintain mobility. We’ve listed our suggestions below for using the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build.

Best Gear for Baldur’s Gate 3 Solo Cleric Build

In Games like Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll explore the world, loot chests and your enemies’ dead bodies, and complete quests and all those activities can reward you with useful items,potions,armour,weapons, scrolls, and much more. There are three Acts in BG3, and Best Baldur’s Gate 3 solo Cleric Build Guide includes suggested sets and alternatives for Act 1 and Act 3.

Beginner: Starting the Game

Here’s the best beginner gear, items, and equipment for the best Cleric Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Below is the Best Act 1 Armour, Weapons, and Equipment for the Solo Cleric in BG3:

Advanced: Endgame

Here’s the best endgame Act 3 gear, items, and equipment for solo Cleric Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Below are the Best Act 3 Armour, Weapons, and Equipment for the Solo Cleric in BG3:

Best Consumables, Potions, Ammunition, and Items

Consumablesare items that can be used once and then destroyed. They are typically used to restore health or other resources. Some common types ofconsumablesinclude potions, scrolls, food, drinks, and arrows.

The following list represents the best individual useconsumableitems that will aid in the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric Solo Build Guide:

Permanent Bonuses for Solo Cleric BG3

Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3, you will have the ability to gain permanent bonuses to your character. These can grant additional spells, ability scores, and other bonuses. Permanent Bonuses are not displayed throughout the campaign but are vital to increase overall combat performance. We have all permanent bonuses here in a guide, but the most important ones for you to collect are listed below.