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War clerics are perhaps the most versatile character class inBaldur’s Gate 3. You have a wide range of spells to both hurt and heal, plus you’ve got every armor and weapon proficiency in the game, allowing you to wield whatever you find. On top of that, you may strike foes multiple times per round starting at level two, something a Fighter can’t do until level four (without using Action Surge at least).
If you’re looking to become a powerful spell sword, able to perform anything the battlefield demands, then it’s time to become a cleric of the War Domain. Read on to find out how.
5 plus Constitution modifier
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom
A War Domain cleric plays similarly to a paladin in a lot of ways. You want tolead from the front lines,wading into battle with heavy armorand ashield, batting aside goblins, kobolds, and other monsters with a mace or shield. Yourspells support both yourself and your allies, and occasionally they’ll even Flame Strike an entire crowd of baddies.
What’s perhaps most interesting about War Domain clerics is theirWar Priest ability, which allows them toexpend a War Priest Charge to make an extra attack as a bonus action. This means you shouldn’t bother dual-wielding as a War Domain cleric as your bonus action will typically just be used to swing your main weapon twice.
War Domain clerics will feel pretty strong early on thanks to this extra attack, and they’ll feel even stronger withGuided Strikeat level two providing a massive+10 bonus to an attack roll. You’ll be able to give that bonus to other characters at level six with War God’s Blessing, and deal anextra d8 every round with Divine Strike at level eight.
Your Domain spells are all great.Spiritual WeaponandSpirit Guardiansensure your damage remains on par even with full martial classes like fighters, barbarians, and paladins. Spells like Freedom of Movement and Hold Monster ensure your utility even when you’re able to’t directly attack, and you still have all the healing spells available to every cleric.
Just about the only thing a War Domain cleric can’t do is pass a skill check, sobe sure to have a rogue to open locks and a Charisma-based character to do the talkingfor you.
16(+3)
10(0)
14(+2)
8(-1)
War Domain clerics will find themselves pulled equally in two directions. On the one hand,you’ll want as much Strength as possibleto deal as much damage with your chosen melee weapon. On the other hand,you’ll want as much Wisdom as possibleto cast your spells with the utmost potency. Both are at 16 for this very reason.
Our secondary ability score isConstitution, which is 14. You’ll be relying on heavy armor for your armor class, soDexterityis left at 10 to at least not have a negative penalty for certain saving throws, but you’ll want to rely on magic for any ranged damage.
Charismais left at 10 for having at least a neutral roll during conversation checks, andIntelligenceis eight for being the least useful ability score for clerics (although it still has the most skills attached to it, so feel free to swap Intelligence and Charisma if you so choose).
Domain Spells (always prepared)
Prepared Spells Added:
Like druids, clerics know every spell on their spell list, but can only have a limited number of them prepared each day. You canswap these spells at any time after a long rest, sofeel free to experimentto see what spells are right for you. The spells you see in the chart above are merely recommended.
War Domain clerics start off incredibly strong. You have threeWar Priest Charges to attack twice for three rounds, and you’ve got a collection of spells to augment that power even further. You’ll find your bonus action will sometimes compete withDivine Favorfor extra damage, andShield of Faithfor extra armor.
Inflict WoundsandGuiding Boltare both great damage dealers, whileHealing WordandBlessheal and buff the team. Your cantrips includeSacred FlameandProduce Flamefor ranged attacks andGuidanceto help pass those crucial skill checks.
At level two,Commandgives you some additional utility, but not as much asLesser RestorationandPrayer of Healingdoes at level three.Spiritual Weaponwill augment your damage per round significantly, whileMagic Weapongives a bonus to your weapon damage (if you feel you can burn the spell slot).
At level four, take theadditional two to Strengthto become even better at swinging a weapon.Thaumaturgyprovides advantage on a few Charisma-based checks, andHold Personcan trivialize a few early encounters if you can land it.
Level five bringsGlyph of Warding, our first AoE damage spell, as well asSpirit Guardians, your best melee combat augmentation.Crusader’s Mantleis like Divine Favor for your entire team, although Spirit Guardians is almost always the better choice for damage.Mass Healing Wordat level six provides some mass healing, andWar God’s Blessingwill let you add+10 to a friend’s attackby burning you reaction.
Level seven gives usBanishment,Freedom of Movement, andStone Skin, while level eight bringsGuardian of FaithandRevivify. You’ll also be picking the Wisdom boost to bring your spellcasting up to where your melee damage is.Divine Strikealsoadds another 1d8 to your weapon attacks.
Greater RestorationandMass Cure Woundsat level nine let you cure and heal your squad even better than before, whileFlame Strikebrings the best cleric AoE spell to the fore.Hold Monstercan completely nullify a monster, or you may turn it to your side at level 10 withPlanar Binding.Blade Wardis chosen as your fifth cantrip.
The last two levels bring us Heal for an intense burst of healing to a single target (most likely yourself), andPlana Allyfor perhaps the best summon in the game.Dispel Evil and Goodprovides an excellent buff that crucially doesn’t require concentration.
The suggested end-game gloves,Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, raise your Strength to 23.Once you obtain this item, feel free to re-spec your characterat Withers topick a different level-four feat. Tough, Savage Attacks, or Lucky are all excellent choices.
Best Races For A War Domain Cleric
Several races provide beneficial bonuses to a War Domain Cleric. Below we have thepotential races ranked best to worst.
Elf
As a melee character, thoseextra five feet of movementoffered by wood elves can be crucial.Perceptionandstealth proficiencyare nice, as isDarkvisionandadvantage against charm and sleepeffects. Probably your best choice.
Half-Elf
Your second-best choice is half-wood elf, but you lose the perception proficiency, so you’re alwaysbetter off going with regular wood elf.
Half-Orc
Half-orcs don’t get extra movement, and theintimidation proficiencywill only slightly help your poor Charisma score, butSavage Attackscan be a big damage boost, andRelentless Endurancewill keep you fighting when other characters have fallen down.
Drow
You get a few good spells inDancing Lights,Faerie Fire, andDarkness, as well as the usual elvish resistance to charm and sleep effects.Superior Darkvisionis fun too, but wood elf is still the better choice.
Dwarf
Duergaris really the only viable dwarf subrace. The armor and weapon proficiencies are unnecessary for a War Domain cleric, and while the extra hit points from gold dwarf is nice, it doesn’t compare to theadvantage against illusions, charms, and paralysiseffects that Duergar receive. Plus you get theEnlargeandInvisibilityspells, which are both great.
Halfling
Halfling Luckis great for every class, and despite your piety, War Domain clerics don’t receive inherent advantage against fear effects.Resistance to poisonis probably better than stealth, sogo with Strongheart Halfling.
Gnome
Advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throwsis a great bonus for clerics who already have proficiency in Charisma and Wisdom. Deep gnome’sSuperior Darkvisionandstealth advantageis probably better than the other two options here.
Githyanki
All those weapon and armor proficiencies are wasted, butAstral Knowledgecan go a long way to closing the skill gap clerics typically suffer from.Mage Hand,Enhance Leap, andMisty Stepare all useful spells, too.
Tiefling
You’ll probably get fire resistance from another source before too long, but the spells tieflings come with can be really handy.Zarierl Tieflingin particular will have you feeling like a paladin with all thoseSmite spells.
Dragonborn
You only get adamage resistanceand abreath weaponwith Dragonborn, but as a War Domain cleric, you’ll probably be close enough to actually use that breath weapon at least.
Human
You’re just gettingone skilland25 percent greater carrying capacitywith humans, but since you already have a lot of Strength, you likely don’t need help with inventory management. Easily the least useful race for a War Domain cleric.
Amulet
Adamantine Splint Armour
18 AC Heavy Armor. Reduces all damage by two. Melee attacks inflict three turns of Reeling against your attacker. Attackers cannot land critical hits. Disadvantage on stealth checks.
Ring #1
Hellrider’s Pride
+1 to Strength saving throws. Whenever you heal another creature, it gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from weapons.
Ring #2
Vital Conduit Boots
+1 Athletics, wearer gains 8 temporary hit points whenever they cast a spell that requires concentration.
Off-Hand Melee Weapon
The Blood of Lathander
1d6 + 3 bludgeoning damage. Once per long rest, regain 2d6 hit points when your hit points are reduced to zero. Allies within 30 feet regain 1d6 hit points. Sheds holy light for 20ft, all fiends and unded are blinded if they fail a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. Cast Sunbeam at level six once per long rest.
Glowing Shield
+2 AC, gain 8 temporary hit points when your hit point total drops below 50 percent.
None
N/A
Believe it or not, you can get some pretty heft gear before the end of Act One.Adamantine Splint Armourprovides incredible AC and damage reduction, whileBlood of LathanderandGlowing Shieldboth keep you fighting even when your hit points get low. You’ll also get a level six spell from Blood of Lathander, which is wildly powerful thing before Act Two.
You’re still a cleric, soWapira’s CrownandHellrider’s Pridemake your healing that much more effective, andVital Conduit Bootsgives you temporary hit points every time you cast your Spiritual Guardians.
Caustic Bandgives you a touch of extra damage, whileCrusher’s RingandAmulet of Misty Stepcan get you into melee range much faster.Bow of Awarenessis just for the bonus to initiative rolls–you should be casting cantrips for ranged damage.
Splint Mail +1 is decentuntil you’re able to get to the Grymforge for Adamantine Splint Armour, and you cansubstitute Pahalr Aluve until you get Blood of Lathander.
Cloak
Helm of Balduran
+1 to AC and saving throws. You cannot be stunned, attackers cannot land critical hits, and you are healed two hit points at the beginning of every round of combat.
Cloak of the Weave
+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls, cast Absorb Elements once per short rest.
Helldusk Armor
21 AC Heavy Armor. You are proficient with this armor while wearing it. Resistance to fire damage, cannot be burned, and reduce all damage by three. Whenever you succeed on a spell saving throw, the caster becomes burned for 3 turns. Grants flying.
+1 to Strength saving throws. Your Strength becomes 23.
Killer’s Sweetheart
After killing a creature, your next attack will be a critical hit.
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.
The Whispering Promise
When you heal a creature, it gains +1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws for two turns.
Devotee’s Mace
1d6 + 3 bludgeoning damage, +1d8 radiant damage. As a bonus action, emanate a healing aura that heals you and allies for 1d4 hit points for 10 turns once per long rest.
Viconia’s Walking Fortress
+3 AC. Advantage on saving throws against spells. Spell attack rolls against you have disadvantage. After being struck by a melee attack, use your reaction to deal 2-8 force damage to your attacker and knock them prone unless they pass a Dexterity saving throw. Cast Reflective Shell once per short rest, cast Warding Bond once per long rest.
Off-Hand Ranged Weapon
Darkfire Shortbow
1d6 + 1 piercing. Gain fire and cold resistance. Cast Haste once per long rest.
By the end of the game, you can fly, teleport, have massive Strength and Constitution scores, have 24 AC, and both fire and cold resistance. You also can’t be stunned, critted, are constantly healed, and also add 1d4 to all attacks and saving throws. In short,you’re the ultimate warrior.
Let’s start withDevotee’s Mace. You get this after reaching level 10 and using your Divine Intervention to Arm Thy Servant. Your god will grant you this Mace, which deals more damage than anything in the game and also produces a healing aura. Both this and the healing aura provided byHelm of BalduranactivateThe Whispering Promisewhich gives 1d4 to all attacks and saving throws.
Helldusk Armoris mostly just a boatload of AC, but it also lets you fly, which is pretty great.Helldusk Bootslet you teleport and prevent you from being moved away, so you never have to worry about not being able to whack opponents with your mace.
Gauntlets of Hill Giant StrengthandAmulet of Greater Healthgive your War cleric the Strength and Constitution you wished you had throughout the game.Cloak of the Weaveimproves your spellcasting slightly, andViconia’s Walking Fortressprovides yet more AC and a few useful spells.
Darkfire Shortbowis there entirely to provide cold resistance and the Haste spell, but feel free to keep the Bow of Awareness if you prefer the initiative boost.
