While the Cleric class in BG3 generally won’t be pushing for high damage numbers compared to the dedicated DPS classes, Baldur’s Gate 3 Light Domain Clerics bridge the gap better than the other subclasses by providing a decent mix of radiant damage and supporting capabilities from the backline.
If you are opting for a tanky while decent damaging class, the Light Domain subclass for Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a great pick, especially after the build we have made for you.
How good is Light Domain Cleric in BG3?
Light Domain Clerics have high-range spells and attacks, making them a nightmare from afar. They can deal a decent amount of damage and can survive difficult combat situations due to their high AC and HP. These features make Light domain the most desirable cleric build for combat-oriented people.
However, Light Domain cleric build is not ideal for players looking to play as support. Their slow speed also makes them vulnerable against agile enemies. A lot of spells that Light clerics use require heavy concentration.
Starting Abilities and Skills for Light Domain Cleric
| Race | Human, Wood Elf | You primarily want to pick the human race for the racial benefit, i.e., pick an additional skill proficiency. You can also go for Wood Elf, primarily because their Longbow proficiency supports your goal of keeping your distance from enemy attacks due to its spectacular range. |
| Ability Point Distribution | CON 13(+1), WIS 14 (+2) (Default for rest) | Wisdom and dexterity are your main stats. Even though you’ll be hanging in the back primarily, a bit of constitution is recommended not only to give yourself a bit of a safety margin with hit points but also because it contributes to your concentration, reducing interruption when taking a stray hit while casting a spell. |
| Skills | Persuasion, Insight, Religion, Perception |
Best Background for light domain cleric
For the Light Domain subclass of Clerics in BG3, your priority should be given to Wisdom-enhancing backgrounds. As such, Folk Hero is the best background for our build. The background gets you Survival and Animal Handling skills, which benefit from Wisdom. Through these skills, you can interact with various animals and beasts, like the Owlbeast.
Best Feats for Light Domain Cleric
Since we are going with a single class build, the Light Domain Cleric in BG3 will get the full advantage of 3 feat points. Below are our recommendations for the best feats to pick for the Light Domain subclass
Ability Improvement: Invest both ability points into Wisdom as the goal is to hit the level 20 Wisdom ability cap by endgame. It truly benefits most of your spells.
War Caster or Spell Sniper: Concentration is an important stat, and even as a cleric primarily in the backline, some of your supporting abilities are susceptible to interrupts from stray hits. The War Caster skill allows you to mitigate these interruption risks for maximum DPS or Support uptime.
Alternatively, while ‘Spell Sniper’ has a bug prevalent as of now, assuming it will be patched later, you can consider this as an alternative if interruptions are not a big deal in your experience. We purposefully ignored the level 3 domain spell ‘Scorching Ray’ because the cantrip Eldritch blast fulfills a similar role but with more benefits, especially as you level the skill up, without taking up any spell slots. Spell Sniper would help to improve spell damage in this case.
Ability Improvement: Invest another ability point to reach 20 Wisdom.
Best Spells for BG3 Cleric Light Domain
The spells we will use for Light Domain Cleric in BG3 can be divided into two sections. We will be covering both of them separately. At each level, you have the option of unlocking general spells as well as those that are exclusively available to the Light Domain subclass.
Domain-specific spells
Level 1: Pick Faerie Fire to prevent invisibility and make a foe more susceptible to damage.
Level 3: Pick Flaming Sphere. Summons are nice, and the flaming sphere has illumination benefits and acts as a shield to soak up hits, potentially wasting enemy turns.
Level 5: Pick Fireball as a staple damage dealer.
Level 7: Pick Guardian of Faith. Much like Flaming Sphere, the guardian can soak up damage for you but punish enemies for every attack made against party members, provided both are in a circle it created.
Level 9: Pick Flamestrike. The mix of radiant on top of fire damage helps keep it relevant for AoE damage, especially for fire-resistant foes, while also being less risky compared to the alternative, ‘Destructive Wave.’
General Spells
You can start picking these from level 1; the idea is to strike a balance in your offensive and supportive spell repertoire. Cantrips you’ll want to include are primarily offensive ones, such as Sacred Flame.
Level 1: Guiding Bolt for main damage, Cure wounds for healing
Level 2: Command for crowd control.
Level 3: You could consider ‘Blindness as it can reduce enemy accuracy, making them susceptible to miss attacks.
Level 4: Prayer of Healing. Good utility out of combat.
Level 5: Mass Healing Word. AoE healing and takes a bonus action instead of action.
Level 6: Protection from Energy. It’s a nice spell to increase a resistance of your choice.
Level 7: Banishment for temporary crowd control.
Level 9: Contagion is a solid debuff spell to turn the tide of battle.
Level 10: Create Undead is a solid choice for an additional meat shield.
Level 11: Planar Ally. You can choose between 3 summons, i.e., cambion, deva, djinn. Whichever you choose, they act as crucial allies for dangerous encounters.
Best armor and weapons for light domain cleric
Helm: Wapira’s Crown – Restore health for yourself after healing an ally.
Back: Cloak of the Weave – +1 point to spell save DC and Spell attack rolls while stacking damage on your next cast after absorbing a weakened enemy spell per short rest.
Armor: Slippery Chain Shirt – Automatic disengagement when you heal a creature.
Hands: Hellrider’s Pride – Healing an ally will grant them improved resistance to various weapon damage types.
Amulet: Amulet of Restoration – Gain access to Healing Word and Mass Healing Word, very useful spells.
Melee weapon: The Blood of Lathander – A great mace with the sunbeam spell tacked on, dealing damage and blinding foes. Lathander’s Light is a nice benefit, too, acting as a light source to overcome impaired vision during darkness.
Offhand: Shield of Devotion – The extra spell slot can be handy.
Rings: The Whispering Promise and Ring of Salving
BG3 Light Domain Cleric build level progression
| Level | Unlocks | Description |
| 1 | It Consumes a channeled Divinity Charge and 1 action to deal Radiant Damage. | |
| 2 | Radiance of the Dawn class action, Level 1 Spell slot | It Consumes a channelled Divinity Charge and 1 action to deal Radiant Damage. |
| 3 | Flaming Sphere Domain spell, Level 2 Spell slots, Level 1 Spell slot | |
| 4 | Level 2 spell slot, Ability Improvement | Increase the Wisdom ability to level 19. |
| 5 | Level 3 spell slots, Fireball domain spell | Deals a lot of damage to one or a group of enemies. |
| 6 | Improved Warding Flare class feature, Level 3 spell slot. | When an ally is attacked, this allows you to use your reaction to impose a disadvantage on an enemy’s attack roll, potentially causing them to miss. |
| 7 | Guardian of the Faith domain spell, Level 4 Spell slot | Guardian of Faith was recommended previously to act as a damage sponge and to potentially damage opponents who take turns attacking allies. |
| 8 | Potential Spellcaster subclass feature, Level 4 Spell slot, War caster or Spell Sniper feat | This class feature adds your Wisdom modifier to damage you deal from any Cleric Cantrips. |
| 9 | Flamestrike domain spell, Level 4 Spell slot, Level 5 Spell slot | Flamestrike for the mixed radiant and fire damage in the best spells section. |
| 10 | Level 5 Spell slot | |
| 11 | Level 6 Spell slot | |
| 12 | Ability Improvement feat | Max your Wisdom ability to 20 |
