The BEST CLERIC in Baldur's Gate 3 - [Updated] Shadowheart Honour Build Guide

Updated guide to the best cleric in the game for honour mode and patch 6!

The most powerful class in the game is here! Clerics can do anything, and this cleric can do EVERYTHING. Perfect for Shadowheart or a main character to be the most powerful character in your honor mode party or step up to the plate for their party!

This character uses Tempest Cleric and Storm Sorcerer to get powerful spells, strong attacks, unrivaled defenses, and overwhelming versatility and optionality.

0:00 Intro and Build Goals
1:00 Cleric Overview
2:03 Race Selection
3:49 Domain Selection
6:20 Ability Scores
8:06 Skills
8:53 Cantrip Selection
11:23 Level 2
14:43 Level 3
16:43 Level 4
17:50 Level 5
20:45 Level 6
22:53 Level 7
24:20 Level 8
26:10 Level 9
28:37 Level 10
29:54 Level 11
31:44 Level 12 and Final Build
33:27 Items and Gear
37:54 Multiclassing

[kudzukid]

I’ve got over 700hrs in BG3 and got my golden die and I still watch every build video you make even though I’m playing DD2 at the moment. I just love your vibe and content so much that I tune in even when I’m not actively playing the game still! Keep up the excellent work sir! I have learned a ton from all of your vids and I will continue to watch and support your work.

[atomhere]

Character Creation:
Wood Elf/Half-Elf, Halfling, Gnome, any
Tempest Cleric
12/14/16/8/16/8 or 8/15/16/8/17/8
Cantrips: Guidance, Produce Flame, Blade Ward

Level 2:
Spells: Healing Word, Bless, Command, Sanctuary, Guiding Bolt

Level 3:
Spells: Spiritual Weapon

Level 4:
Cantrips: Resistance
Feat: ASI and even out stats
(i.e 12/14/16/8/18/8 or 8/16/16/8/18/8)

Level 5:
Spells: Glyph of Warding, Mass Healing Word, Spirit Guardians

Level 6:
Spells: Create Water

Level 7:
Spells: Guardian of Faith

Level 8:
Feat: Alert/War Caster

Level 9:
Spells: Aid (if not using camp cleric)/ Hold Person/Banishment

Level 10:
Cantrips: any

Level 11:
Spells: Heroes' Feast (if not using camp cleric)/Planar Ally/Blade Barrier

Level 12:
Spells: Lesser Restoration/Hold Person/situational
Feat: ASI +2 WIS

Gear:
Dwarven Splintmail
Hellrider's Pride/Luminous Gloves
Whispering Promise
Boots of Aid and Comfort/Disintegrating Night Walkers
Devotee's Mace
Safeguard/Sentinel/Ketheric's Shield

general items to look for are spell save DC/radiating orb/AC/initiative gear

AC example:
Helm of Balduran
Cloak of Protection/Displacement
Amulet of Greater Health/ Regeneration
Helldusk Armour
Wonderous Gloves/The Reviving Hands
Evasive Shoes/Boots of Aid and Comfort
Ring of Protection/The Whispering Promise
Defender Flail/Devotee's Mace/Blood of Lathander
Viconia's Walking Fortress
any bow

can multiclass by starting with storm sorcerer with shield and magic missile then 11 levels in cleric for a free CON proficiency and flight after a spell cast

[BlissfulZen]

I could listen to you reading some random shit and it would still be quality content man. Love the way you narrate those build guides, not to mention their sheer value in viability for this fantastic game. Pretty much my sole source of BG3 build inspiration for my playthroughs. Thank you kindly for creating them all, I deeply appreciate this, .

[jeffersonbeattie]

"take true strike to annoy people in the youtube comments, which is always extremely valuable" that cracked me up.

[rickydufrene]

Appreciate you still giving great content over a year in, and updating us!

[kingofgrim]

Warning: Despite Re Specing Shadowheart, you may still see her miss everything. This is intended, as she is always coded to miss attacks when it won’t result in a broken screen.

[doloresabernathy]

Great advice but one extra point: Very important equipment for clerics is anything that can restore your 6th level spell slot: Spell crux Amulet, Markoheshkir, and Staff of Spellpower. This is even more useful for clerics than wizards (or others) because any good Wizard 6th level spell can be cast from scrolls, but the two best 6th level Cleric Spells have no scrolls (Heroes Feast and Planar Ally). after lvl 11 I always start with Planar Ally, replace the slot, and then Heroes Feast (after any other summons are cast).
Note: The only NoScroll 6the level wizard spell I use is upcast Conjure Elemental (there us a 5th level scroll for that but i don’t think you can upcast a scroll). so ill replace that slot too but its less critical since 6th level Wizard-spell scrolls are readily available in Act 3.

[wawho]

Every playthrough after my first I’ve redone Shadowheart as Tempest Cleric. But I didn’t realize could start out as sorcerer and still wear heavy armor (or my favorite, the luminous armor)—thank you for that tip!

[Inkcharm]

I'm adoring these build guides. You know what I'd weirdly love to see? It would probably be unviable af for Honour Mode, but I'd LOVE to see a build guide for wild magic sorc and/or wild magic barbarian :D

[andyl]

The best weapon for Tempest Cleric is Markoheshkir. You get a Chain Lightning cast for free every short rest, and you can max the damage on that with the Channel Divinity. I two-shot the final boss with that setup and got my golden dice.

[MarkSpirals]

Clerics are so good, I can't imagine a playthrough without one of some variation. Great video!

[szinga]

I love your guides. I've been following them for a while and I find them so well put together. you are very articulate and explain all the why's in a super idiot-friendly way (I'm the idiot). also, your voice is great to listen to while having to work. great job all around, thanks for doing it :)

[MrRonV]

Hey Cephalo, thank you for this build. I've nearly 900 hours in this game and completed deathless honour mode runs, but with some classes I just don't play them very well. I wanted to include a Temptest Cleric in my Tactician run - along with a Padlock, a Longbow Swords Bard and Karlach to throw water at enemies - and fights take so long and I need to rest quite a lot. Gale, , who is my Cleric, felt like dead weight.
This guide helped me to play a lot better, so thank you - for your videos and for making it easier for me to enjoy the game in other ways than those I know. I really appreciate it.

[markcantrell]

Thanks for this update! I'm about halfway through an Honour mode run with your previous Shock and Awe build for Shadowheart, things are going well so far, and I'm eager to check my build against these new guidelines.

[RAWBOT]

I always set my shadowheart to light cleric with radiating orb, reverb, encrusted with frost gear and she absolutely destroys everything. She just sneezes on you and you get 6 stacks of radiating orb and 4 stacks of reverb making their attacks miss or do almost no damage. No enemy in the game can deal with 10 stacks of radiating orb, which is very easy to achieve with this build.

[orionwashburn]

@13:10 command drop causes the enemy to drop their weapon, you’re thinking of grovel

[paulbourguignon]

I used this build I. Honor mode with a Lore bard Tav a divination wizard and a battle master. All single class from your videos. What a team ! Thanks

[justinmcclain]

Would love to see a tier list or recommendation on best classes/multiclasses to solo honor mode with, love the content keep it up!

[sev]

Protection From Evil & Good is shockingly good in the late-game, because of the four biggest problem fights in the end-game.
Aberrations (mind flayers and elder brain), Elementals (lorroakan's elemental myrmidons), Fey (auntie ethel) & Fiends (the house of hope)
It's also pretty good in Act 2 when you fight a pretty decent amount of Undead

[sinner]

29:45 I almost can feel that sadness about missing true strike joke opportunity xD