The Life Domain subclass for Clerics in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a true support character with numerous protection capabilities. The Cleric Life Domain subclass relies on healing spells and protection buffs to keep allies alive through every combat encounter while increasing their own survivability through heavy armor. Since our Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric Life Domain build has so many healing capabilities, this can also easily be considered a healer build for BG3. This build can also be considered as one of the best builds for Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Starting Abilities and Skills for Cleric Life Domain
There are plenty of things that you can choose from when creating your Life Domain subclass in BG3 during character creation. For the ideal healer build using Life Domain Cleric, go with my starting recommendations below
Race: Wood Elf. Choosing this race allows you to move fast helps you to heal your teammates, allows you to choose long-range weapons, see in the dark, and does not allow the enemy to control you. All these advantages give you the upper hand in the fight.
Ability Point Distribution: 12 STR, 14 DEX, 15+1 CON, 17 WIS, 8 INT, 8 CHR.
Skills: Animal Handling, Survival, Perception, Stealth, Medicine, Insight. Except for Stealth they all scale with WIS so you will get a nice bonus for every skill.
Best Background
Since our build mainly focuses on Wisdom. So, picking the Folk Hero background is the best background option for Life Domain Cleric in BG3. The background provides proficiency in Animal Handling and Survival skills, both of which scale with WIS.
If you want a stealthy experience then you can also pick Urchin Background which gives you skills like Sleight of Hand and Stealth which are based on Dexterity stats.
Best Feats for Cleric Life Domain build
After every four levels, your character can pick a feat. Our suggestions of best feats for the Life Domain Cleric are
Level 4: Use your feat to add +2 Ability points to Wisdom. The main goal of the Life Cleric is healing and this helps you in doing that.
Level 9: Unlock War Caster. This allows you to maintain concentration while using spells like Shocking Grasp
Level 12: Ability Improvement. Use Your Feat to max out Wisdom by giving it +1 additional points.
Best Spells for BG3 Cleric Life Domain build
While for the most part, your spells unlocked will be fixed, below is my recommendations of the spells you should unlock or prepare as you level up your Life Domain build in BG3.
Level 2: Mass Healing Word. Heals up to 6 characters which are useful at lower levels.
Level 5: Pick Beacon of Hope and Revivify. Beacon of Hope heals the maximum amount of HP while the other can revive others.
Level 9: Greater Restoration and Mass Cure Wounds are some good spells that can heal multiple characters or have a high effect on one.
Best Armor and Weapons
Helm: Helm of Balduran – Attackers can’t land critical hits on you. You are immune to stun and your HP increase by +1 every turn.
Chest: Robust Chain Shirt – Below 50% hp, deals 1d4 piercing damage to the opponent when hit with a melee weapon.
Gloves: Reviving Hands – Healing a creature automatically provides him, Blade Ward.
Cape: Vivacious Cloak – Gains 7 hit point temporarily after casting a spell.
Boot: Boots of Aid and Comfort – Gives 3 temporary hit points to a creature that is healed.
Necklace: Amulet of Greater Health – The amulet stolen from House of Hope increases your Constitution score to 23.
Rings: Ring of Protection and The Whispering Promise.
Melee Weapon: Legendary Mace Blood of Lathander is as always one of the best choices with any Cleric subclass in BG3 thanks to its weapon enchantment and radiant damage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleric Life Domain build level progression
Level 1: At level 1, you will receive three cantrips. Cantrips are weak spells that you can use anytime and there is no limit to using them. You will get three cantrips; Sacred Flames, Guidance, and Light.
Level 2: Gain one level 1 spell slot, Channel Divinity Charge, and Preserve Life Action. This action heals you and your allies. You will also unlock the spell Turn Undead.
Level 3: You will get another level 1 spell slot along with two level 2 spell slots. Two class-specific spells will also be given that do not need any preparation, Aid and Lesser Restoration. Aid heals your allies and increases their hit points while the other one cures a creature from any disease, poison, blindness, or paralysis.
Level 4: You will unlock another level 2 spell slot, your fourth Cantrip, Thaumaturgy, which gives you an advantage while doing the intimidation skill check making dialogues easier. A Feat is also unlocked at this level which has been explained in the Feats Section.
Level 5: At this level, you will gain two level 3 spell slots. The Class feature Destroy Undead is unlocked and deals 4-24 radiant to undead when you turn them. Two class-specific spells are unlocked. Revivify, revive an ally but they have only 1 HP and Beacon of Hope, upon healing, your companions will gain maximum hp, and they also get an advantage on wisdom saving and death saving throws.
Level 6: Gain an additional level 3 spell slot and Channel Divinity Charge. The blessed Healer subclass feature is also unlocked. When you heal others, you will also be healed.
Level 7: You will unlock one level 4 spell slot. Life Domain Spells unlocked at this level are Death Ward which prevents a creature from dying, and Guardian of Faith which summons a guardian to help you during the fight.
Level 8: Your 2nd level 4 spell slot will be unlocked along with Divine Strike: Life action. This action adds a 1d8 radiant damage to your current weapon damage. Your second feat is also unlocked.
Level 9: You will unlock your first level 5 spell slot. You will also unlock two Life Domain spells. Mass Cure Wounds heals you and your nearby allies, and Greater Restoration, touching a creature negates effects of charm, curse, stun, or petrification.
Level 10: Unlocks the 2nd level 5 spell slot. Also unlocks the Divine Intervention in BG3. This feature can only be used once in the whole adventure so use it wisely.
Level 11: Unlocks Level 6 spell slot.
Level 12: Unlocks the last feat slot. My recommendation is mentioned above.
