Clerics are one of the most powerful classes in Baldur's Gate 3, and light clerics are one of the more attack-focused subclasses. This makes them an excellent force of both damage and support on the battlefield. Wielding the power of holy light and fury, they both deal damage to enemies themselves and create opportunities for their team to deal more damage, too.
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PostsSince they serve gods of light that harness the power of radiant damage, this build utilizes the Radiating Orb and Reverberation conditions. Clerics are good at inflicting conditions, good and bad, and this build takes full advantage of this to keep enemies vulnerable.
Best Races and Backgrounds For A Light Domain Cleric
Your race and background won't make or break your light domain cleric. However, they could benefit from some extra health to keep them standing, and an extra cantrip couldn't hurt.
Race
Features
Gold Dwarf
Gold Dwarves have Darkvision and Advantage on saving throws against poison, as well as resistance against poison damage, as well. They also benefit from an extra hit point every level, increasing your overall hit points by 12 once you reach max level.
High Elf
Like all elves, high elves have Perception proficiency, Darkvision, an Advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and can't be magically put to sleep. Atop this laundry list of useful advantages, they gain an additional cantrip. While this cantrip won't benefit from your class's damage boost, it's always nice to have another.
Character creation will start out with a +2 bonus to Widom and +1 to your Strength. Change your +1 bonus to Constitution, instead. This will give you more health and boost saving throws. Your strength is not as important because this build is not weapon-focused.
Your background will grant you two additional skill proficiencies. It will also determine how you gain inspiration throughout the game since you obtain inspiration points by making choices that align with your background.
Background
Proficiencies
Acolyte
- Insight
- Religion
Sage
- Arcana
- History
Acolyte aligns well with the religious focus of the class. The Sage background grants proficiencies in two intelligence skills, which could be helpful since intelligence is your dump stat as a light cleric.
You can't change your race or background after you leave character creation, so choose something you like.
Recommended Spells For A Light Domain Cleric
While your light domain spells are mostly offensive, the rest of the cleric spell list offers support spells, too. Spirit Guardians is an essential offensive spell you'll need to grab on top of your domain spells, though.
For this build, any source of radiant damage is useful.
Spell Level
Top 3 Recommended Spells
Cantrip
Guidance, Sacred Flame, Produce Flame
1
Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Bless
2
Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon, Silence
3
Glyph of Warding, Spirit Guardians, Revivify
4
Banishment, Freedom of Movement, Death Ward
5
Mass Cure Wounds, Insect Plague, Contagion
6
Heroes' Feast, Create Undead, Planar Ally
How To Level A Light Domain Cleric
Your features as a light cleric grant you offensive spells and defensive abilities, such as Warding Flare.
Level
Features Unlocked
Notes
1
Level 1 Spells
New Domain Spells
Warding Flare
Your new domain spells are the Light cantrip, Burning Hands, and Faerie Fire.
Warding Flare is a Reaction you can use to give an attack roll against you Disadvantage, potentially causing an attack that would have hit to miss instead.
2
Channel Divinity Charge
You unlock your Channel Divinity abilities, Turn Undead and Radiance of the Dawn. Radiance of the Dawn allows you to dispel magical darkness and deal radiant damage.
3
Level 2 Spells
New Domain Spells
Your new domain spells are Flaming Sphere and Scorching Ray.
4
New Cantrip
Feat
For your first feat, take War Caster, which grants Advantage on concentration saving throws and the ability to cast Shocking Grasp as a reaction. This is an offensive build that will rely on concentration for some central spells, such as Spirit Guardians.
5
Level 3 Spells
New Domain Spells
Destroy Undead
Your new domain spells are Fireball and Daylight.
6
Channel Divinity Charge
Improved Warding Flare
You can now use Warding Flare to protect an ally, rather than just yourself.
7
Level 4 Spells
New Domain Spells
Your new domain spells are Wall of Fire and Guardian of Faith.
8
Potent Spellcasting
Feat
Your cleric cantrips Produce Flame and Sacred Flame now have your wisdom modifier added to their damage roll.
Take an Ability Improvement for this feat and increase your wisdom to 19.
9
Level 5 Spells
New Domain Spells
Your new domain spells are Destructive Wave and Flame Strike.
10
New Cantrip
Divine Intervention
Divine Intervention allows you to call upon your deity for a powerful ability, but only once. Sunder the Heretical is a particularly good option for this build, but be sure to save it for a very challenging fight.
11
Level 6 Spells
12
Feat
For your third and final feat, you'll want to take another Ability Improvement to boost your wisdom up to 20, and increase either your constitution or dexterity by one. Constitution will increase your health, and dexterity will increase your armor class and initiative rolls.
Boosting your wisdom is especially important as an offensive spell caster. The more effective and accurate your spells are, the more often enemies take damage.
While there is armor that grants Advantage on concentration saving throws as opposed to taking the feat War Caster, this build will pass on it in favor of armor that inflicts Radiating Orb or Reverberation.
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PostsBest Equipment For A Light Domain Cleric
This build focuses on equipment that inflicts the conditions Radiating Orb and Reverberation. Because light clerics make for good offensive spell casters, these conditions turn your attack spells into support actions, too, through the debuffs they inflict.
Radiating Orb
- -1 to attack rolls
- Affected enemy sheds bright light that counts as daylight in an area
Reverberation
- -1 to strength, dexterity, and constitution saving throws per remaining turn
- With five or more turns inflicted, the affected enemy takes 1d4 thunder damage and must make a constitution saving throw or fall Prone
All the armor for this build is available well before the end of Act 2, with a couple of items available as early as the Underdark in Act 1.
Armor Name
Armor Type
How To Obtain
Features
Luminous Armor
Armor
Act 1
Found in a chest in the Selûnite Outpost of the Underdark
- Radiating Shockwave: When you deal radiant damage, cause a Radiant Shockwave that inflicts one turn of Radiating Orb on enemies within range.
Luminous Gloves
Gloves
Act 2
Found in a chest in the Ruined Battlefield
- Radiating Orb Gloves: When you deal radiant damage, inflict one turn of Radiating Orb on the target.
- +1 to strength saving throws
Coruscation Ring
Ring
Act 2
Found in a chest in the cellar of Last Light Inn
- Arcane Radiance: If you are illuminated by a light source while you deal spell damage, inflict two turns of Radiating Orb on your target.
Callous Glow Ring
Ring
Act 2
Found in a chest in The Gauntlet of Shar
- Callous Glow: Inflict +2 radiant damage against illuminated creatures.
Spineshudder Amulet
Amulet
Act 2
Looted from the Mimic in Moonrise Towers
- Crackling Resonance: When you deal damage with a ranged spell attack, inflict two turns of Reverberation.
Thunderskin Cloak
Cloak
Act 2
Sold by Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers
- Dazing Echo: When an attacker with Reverberation deals damage against you, it must make a constitution saving throw or become Dazed.
Boots of Stormy Clamor
Boots
Act 1
Sold by Omeluum in the Ebonlake Grotto after completing his quest.
- Arcane Echomalefaction: When you inflict a condition on an enemy, also inflict two turns of Reverberation.
Your armor does a lot of the heavy lifting for inflicting those debuffs passively. With your weapon, you'll want something that makes your spells harder to evade, grants extra spells, or both.
Weapon Name
Weapon Type
How To Obtain
Features
The Blood of Lathander
Mace
Act 1
Complete the quest Find the Blood of Lathander
- Lathander's Blessing: Once per long rest, instead of being downed, regain 2d6 hit points. Nearby allies also regain 1d6 hit points.
- Lathander's Light: Sheds light that blinds undead and fiends
- Gain the spell Sunbeam, which deals radiant damage
Markoheshkir
Quarterstaff
Act 3
Ramazith's Tower
- Arcane Enchantment: +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls
- Arcane Battery:
- Gain the spell Kereska's Favor
The Sacred Star
Morningstar
Act 3
Sold by Vicar Humbletoes in Stormshore Tabernacle
- Radiant Strike: Inflict one turn of Radiating Orb on a hit
- Sanctified Weapon: Undead creatures have a chance to be Turned on a hit
- Dawnburst Strike: Action which causes this hit to deal additional radiant damage equal to your proficiency bonus. On a hit, the weapon also lights up the surrounding area and enemies must succeed a constitution saving throw or be blinded.
How To Play A Light Domain Cleric
Given your speciality with offensive spell attacks, your light domain cleric should be just as much of an attacker as they are a support and control spell caster. Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, and Flaming Sphere are excellent sources of damage early on. Once you get your hands on Fireball, you have quite the set of damage-dealing spells.
As a cleric, your job is still to support your team, as well. Hold Person and Bless are essential spells to give your team attack advantages.
Glyph of Warding, for earlier levels, and your domain spell Wall of Fire are defensive AOE spells that can turn the tide of a fight with many enemies. Wall of Fire can be placed at a choke point, so enemies are forced to take damage in order to get closer to your team.
Perhaps your most powerful offensive spell is your domain spell Destructive Wave. This spell is not on the usual cleric spell list, and light clerics are lucky to benefit from this high-damage spell with a huge AOE. This is another great spell for fights with a lot of small enemies at once.
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