Baldur's Gate 3: Best Wild Magic Sorcerer Build

Baldur's Gate 3 is already a game with plenty of randomness, with dice rolls determining everything you do. But some players just can't get enough randomness in their lives. Merely rolling d20s isn't enough to satisfy their lust for the indeterminate. For those players, there's the Wild Magic sorcerer.

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Playing a Wild Magic sorcerer means becoming accustomed to unaccustomed outcomes. You might begin combat as an elf, but end it as a chicken. Or you might accidentally set the house on fire. Or you might temporarily gain incredible cosmic power. The life of a Wild Magic sorcerer is a lot like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.

Wild Magic Sorcerer Overview

Hit Points Per Level

4 plus Constitution modifier

Saving Throw Proficiencies

Charisma, Constitution

Weapon Proficiencies

Daggers, Quarterstaves, Light Crossbows

Armor Proficiencies

None

Skill Proficiencies (Choose Two)

Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Religion

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma

Of the three sorcerer subclasses, Wild Magic is probably the weakest. That's simply because the other sorcerers have guaranteed benefits whereas most of the Wild Magic sorcerer's benefits are... well, random.

After choosing Wild Magic sorcerer at level one, you'll unlock both Wild Magic and Tides of Chaos. Wild Magic means every time you cast a spell of first level or higher, there's a five-percent chance something will happen. Wild Magic Surges can sometimes be good things, like restoring spent Sorcery Points, or they could be bad things like summoning a hostile mephit.

Of the 23 possible Wild Magic Surge effects, seven are always beneficial, six are always detrimental, and 10 could be good or bad depending on the situation.

Tides of Chaos gives you advantage on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, but also causes a 50-percent chance of a Wild Magic Surge afterward. It's a good way to improve your odds of something going right at the expense of something potentially going wrong too.

Bend Luck at level six is pretty much always beneficial. Spending two Sorcery Points and a reaction will either provide you with a 1d4 bonus to an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, or hit an enemy with a -1d4 penalty to their attack roll or saving throw. However, with Sorcery Points already being used to restore spent spell slots and enable your Metamagic abilities, it's best to use Bend Luck sparingly.

Level 11 brings Controlled Chaos, which lets you use your reaction to cause a Wild Magic surge at an enemy's location. This means that if anything bad happens it'll only affect the enemy, but it also means they benefit from any good effects.

Some anecdotal evidence suggests that Controlled Chaos uses a modified version of the Wild Magic Surge table to make enemies more likely to suffer negative effects than positive ones.

This build will focus on being the best sorcerer you can to mitigate the potential negative effects of a Wild Magic Surge. However, random things can and will happen. A certain amount of zen is required to be a Wild Magic sorcerer, so if you tend to save scum after a critical fail, maybe try being a Draconic or Storm sorcerer.

Starting Ability Scores

Strength

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

8(-1)

16(+3)

14(+2)

10(0)

10(0)

16(+3)

Charisma is your most important stat. It's your spellcasting modifier, so you'll want to push your Charisma score to 20 as soon as possible. Starting at 16 gives a +3 modifier to start, and you'll bring that to +5 when you reach level eight. Dexterity is also at 16 to improve your armor class and one of the most common saving throws you'll make.

Constitution is at 14 to provide you with a healthy hit point buffer and a decent saving throw to maintain concentration on certain spells. Intelligence and Wisdom are both at 10 to simply avoid a negative saving throw, and Strength is at 8 as the bare minimum required to make certain jumps.

With low hit points and poor Strength, you'll want to avoid melee combat wherever possible.

Leveling The Build And Spell Choices

Sorcerer Levels

Level

Class Features

Spells

Level 1

• Choose Subclass: Wild Magic
  • Subclass Feature: Wild Magic
  • Subclass Feature: Tides of Chaos
• +4 Cantrips
• +2 Spells

• Fire Bolt (Cantrip)
• Shocking Grasp (Cantrip)
• Mage Hand (Cantrip)
• Friends (Cantrip)
• Chromatic Orb (Level 1)
• Mage Armor (Level 1)

Level 2

• Metamagic
  • Choose Extended Spell, Twinned Spell
• +1 Spell
• +1 First-Level Spell Slot
• +2 Sorcery Points

• Magic Missile (Level 1)

Level 3

• Metamagic
  • Choose Quickened Spell
• +1 Spell
• +1 First-Level Spell Slot
• +2 Second-Level Spell Slots
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Scorching Ray (Level 2)

Level 4

• Ability Score Improvement or Feat
  • Choose +2 Charisma
• +1 Cantrip
• +1 Spell
• +1 Second-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Bone Chill (Cantrip)
• Misty Step (Level 2)

Level 5

• +1 Spell
• +2 Third-Level Spell Slots
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Haste (Level 3)

Level 6

• Subclass Feature: Bend Luck
• +1 Spell
• +1 Third-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Lightning Bolt (Level 3)

Level 7

• +1 Spell
• +1 Fourth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Banishment (Level 4)

Level 8

• Ability Score Improvement or Feat
  • Choose +2 Charisma
• +1 Spell
• +1 Fourth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Wall of Fire (Level 4)

Level 9

• +1 Spell
• +1 Fourth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Fifth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Hold Monster (Level 5)

Level 10

• Metamagic
  • Choose Heightened Spell
• +1 Cantrip
• +1 Spell
• +1 Fifth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Ray of Frost (Cantrip)
• Cone of Cold (Level 5)

Level 11

• Subclass Feature: Controlled Chaos
• +1 Spell
• +1 Sixth-Level Spell Slot
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Disintegrate (Level 6)

Level 12

• Ability Score Improvement or Feat
  • Choose +2 Constitution
• +1 Spell
• +1 Sorcery Point

• Chain Lightning (Level 6)

A sorcerer starts with four cantrips, and yours provides a great mix of damage and utility. Fire Bolt is your best ranged attack, and Shocking Grasp is for melee attackers (although you should avoid melee wherever possible, you're playing the most random class, so accidents are bound to happen). Mage Hand grabs things that are otherwise out of reach and Friends combine with your great Charisma to pass conversation checks.

Chromatic Orb is the best level one damage spell you can get that can be Twinned, so grab that. As your reaction is typically being spent on Bend Luck or Tides of Chaos, Mage Armor provides a boost to your armor class. If you've already got armor proficiency from your race, feel free to swap this spell with a spell of your choice.

Level two brings your Metamagic choices of Extended Spell for extra range and Twinned Spell for incredible potency with spells that only have a single target (Haste being perhaps the best spell to twin). Magic Missile cannot be twinned, but guaranteed damage is really hard to pass up.

Level three brings Quickened Spell to provide you with a potential bonus action, while Scorching Ray is the best damage spell for a single target even without Twinned Spell. Level four brings Bone Chill as a great option for undead, Misty Step to provide a teleport, and two Charisma for better spellcasting in general.

At level five, Haste provides you, a teammate, or both (with Twinned Spell) an extra action per turn. Lightning Bolt at level six is a great damage spell, and Banishment at level seven is a fantastic way to tip fights in your favor.

Pick another two Charisma at level eight alongside Wall of Fire. Hold Monster at level nine is another fantastic debuff that can turn fights your way. Level 10 brings Heightened Spell to almost guarantee big damage out of your big damage spells, as well as Cone of Cold and Ray of Frost for more damage options.

Level 11 brings Disintegrate, one of the best damage spells to use with Heightened Spell, and Chain Lightning at level 12 (feel free to replace regular Lightning Bolt with Fireball as you gain this spell). Another two Constitution points help with your hit points and to maintain concentration on Haste.

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Best Races For A Wild Magic Sorcerer

Anybody can be a Wild Magic sorcerer, but there are a few races that provide more benefits than others. Here we'll rank each race in Baldur's Gate 3 for being a Wild Magic sorcerer.

Half-Elf

Drow half-elf is probably your best choice for Wild Magic sorcerer. You gain light armor and shield proficiency, advantage against being charmed and sleep, Darkvision, and the spells Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, and Darkness. Wood half-elf is also good, with stealth proficiency and increased movement speed. High half-elf is worst as the cantrip you get uses Intelligence instead of Charisma as its spellcasting modifier.

Elf

If you can't be a half-elf, be an elf. You get sword and bow proficiency, Darkvision, and resistance to charm and sleep effects. Wood elf also provides perception and stealth proficiency and extra move speed. Avoid high elf as you already have a bunch of cantrips.

Human

You get the light armor and shield proficiency of being a half-elf, but instead of all the other benefits, you get one skill proficiency and 25 percent more carrying capacity. That can be helpful with how little Strength you've got.

Githyanki

Astral Knowledge is a great way to shore up your lack of skill proficiency. Githyanki Psionics provide incredibly useful spells like Mage Hand, Enhance Leap, and Misty Step, and you get light and medium armor proficiency. This would easily be the best choice if it gave you shield proficiency too.

Halfling

Halfling Luck seems against the theme of accepting the bad rolls with the good, but if you want to do something to give this subclass some consistency, Halfling will do it. Strongheart Halfling also provides resistance to poison and advantage against being frightened.

Drow

You're better off being a half-elf drow for the armor and shield proficiency. Regular drow just gets rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows, which you'll probably never use. The rest is still nice, though.

Dwarf

You'll probably never use the axe or hammer proficiency, but each dwarf subrace offers something. Shield offers light and medium armor, gold dwarf offers a hit point boost, but Duergar easily provides the most with advantage against charm, paralysis, and illusion effects, Superior Darkvision, and the Enlarge and Invisibility spells. You also get the poison resistance every dwarf has.

Gnome

Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws can be very helpful, but the gnome subraces don't provide much. Rock gnome gives you history expertise, forest gnome lets you Speak with Animals for free, and deep gnome gives Superior Darkvision and advantage on stealth checks.

Tiefling

Darkvision and fire resistance are nice to have, but the spells you get from being a tiefling aren't great. Asmodeus is best for a sorcerer, but Produce Flame isn't as good as Fore Bolt and Hellish Rebuke is fighting for a crowded reaction slot. Darkness is a fine crowd-control ability at least.

Half-Orc

Savage Attacks doesn't help at all as you won't be making any melee attacks with a weapon. Relentless Endurance is good to shore up your weak hit point total, and Intimidation proficiency is good to have with your Charisma score. Darkvision is always good.

Dragonborn

You shouldn't get too close to enemies, so the Breath Weapon isn't particularly useful. One damage resistance doesn't let Dragonborn keep up with the other options here.

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Early Game Equipment Build For Wild Magic Sorcerer

Helmet

Cloak

Circlet of Blasting

Cast Scorching Ray at level two once per long rest.

None

N/A

Armor

Amulet

The Protecty Sparkswall

+1 to spell save DC. Gain +1 to AC and all saving throws so long as you have Lightning Charges.

Necklace of Elemental Augmentation

Add your spellcasting modifier to cantrips that deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.

Gloves

Ring #1

Daredevil Gloves

+1 to spell attack rolls. Ranged spell attacks are made as melee attacks to adjacent creatures.

Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands

Cast Invisibility at second level once per short rest.

Boots

Ring #2

Disintegrating Night Walkers

You cannot be enwebbed, entangled, or ensnared, and you can't slip on ice or grease. Cast Misty Step at second level once per short rest.

Ring of Protection

+1 to AC and all saving throws.

Main-Hand Melee Weapon

Off-Hand Melee Weapon

Melf's First Staff

1d6 + 1 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Cast Melf's Acid Arrow at second level once per long rest.

Safeguard Shield (if proficient)

+2 AC, +1 to all saving throws.

Main-Hand Ranged Weapon

Off-Hand Ranged Weapon

Bow of Awareness (if proficient)

1d6 + 1 piercing, light weapon, +1 to initiative rolls.

None

N/A

You'll always feel like you have too few spells and too few Sorcery Points in the early game, which is why you'll be bolstering your spells with Circlet of Blasting and Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands providing both a free Scorching Ray and Invisibility, respectively. Necklace of Elemental Augmentation will boost the damage of your cantrips so Twincasting a Fire Bolt won't feel like a waste of Sorcery Points.

Further bolstering your spellcasting is Daredevil Gloves, which provides a +1 to spell attack rolls, The Protecty Sparkswall for +1 to spell save DC, and Melf's First Staff which boosts both spell attack and spell save DC. Defensively, Ring of Protection and Safeguard Shield (if proficient) boost both armor class and saving throws.

If you don't have armor or shield proficiencies, then Bracers of Defence provides +2 to armor class and might be better than Daredevil Gloves.

Disintegrating Night Walkers are a great pair of boots that prevent you from slipping or getting entangled while also providing a free Misty Step every short rest.

Finally, Bow of Awareness provides a +1 to initiative rolls even if you never actually use it. Early on, it can be a helpful source of physical damage, but your cantrips will eventually overtake this bow as your best source of ranged damage.

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Late Game Equipment Build For Wild Magic Sorcerer

Helmet

Cloak

Birthright

+2 to Charisma (up to a maximum of 22)

Cloak of the Weave

+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls, cast Absorb Elements once per short rest.

Armor

Amulet

Potent Robe

+1 to AC. Add your Charisma modifier to your cantrip's damage. Gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier at the beginning of your turn during combat.

Necklace of Elemental Augmentation

Add your spellcasting modifier to cantrips that deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.

Gloves

Ring #1

Quickspell Gloves

Cast a cantrip as a bonus action once per short rest.

Ring of Feywild Sparks

+1 to spell save DC. Tides of Chaos will always trigger a Wild Magic surge.

Boots

Ring #2

Helldusk Boots

You cannot be forcibly moved. When you fail a saving throw, use your reaction to succeed once per long rest. As a bonus action, teleport up to 60 feet once per short rest and deal 2d8 fire damage in a 10ft radius.

Killer's Sweetheart

Once per long rest, after killing a creature, your next attack roll will be a critical hit.

Main-Hand Melee Weapon

Off-Hand Melee Weapon

Markoheshkir

1d6 +2 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Cast one spell without using a spell slot once per long rest. Cast Kereska's Favour once per short rest.

Ketheric's Shield (if proficient)

+2 AC, +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. You can use your reaction to knock a melee attacker prone unless they succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. Advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Main-Hand Ranged Weapon

Off-Hand Ranged Weapon

Darkfire Shortbow (if proficient)

1d6 + 2 piercing, gain resistance to fire and cold damage. Cast Haste at level three once per long rest.

None

N/A

The late game brings a spurprising amount of power to your many cantrips. The Necklace of Elemental Augmentation is retained from the earlier build and now offers the same damage bonus as the Potent Robe. Combined with Birthright's additional +2 to Charisma, your Fire Bolt will deal 3d10 + 12 damage. Quickspell Gloves augments that further by lettiing you cast that Fire Bolt as a bonus action, freeing up your action for a big damage spell like Disintegrate.

Cloak of the Weave, Markoheshkir, and Ketheric's Shield (if proficient) add to your spell attack and spell save DC, with Markoheshkir also providing a free spell once per long rest (Disintegrate again seems like the appropriate choice). Helldusk Boots will help you succeed on a saving throw, prevent you from being moved, and provide a fiery teleport as a bonus action.

If you're not proficient with shields, Rhapsody is a great weapon to have in your off-hand as it adds to your spell attack and spell save DC with every kill you get.

Ring of Feywild Sparks offers the only piece of equipment built for Wild Magic sorcerers. It gaurantees a Wild Magic surge whenever you use Tides of Chaos. This isn't necessarily a good thing, but since you're playing a Wild Magic sorcerer, you probably want to embrace the chaos as much as possible.Killer's Sweetheart guarantees a crit after a kill and can be replaced by Ring of Protection after you get that crit.

The Ring of Feywild Sparks is looted from Auntie Ethel in Act 3.

Darkfire Shortbow is there purely to provide you with a free cast of Haste and both fire and cold resistance. You should be relying on cantrips for your ranged damage at this point, so don't ever fire this bow.

A great first-turn play is using Twinned Spell to cast Haste on two of your companions while using Quickspell Gloves to shoot a Fire Bolt as a bonus action. You can then use your reaction to Bend Luck or Controlled Chaos.

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