The Cleric class in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the textbook supporting class. You generally won’t be pushing for high damage numbers compared to the dedicated DPS classes. But your main goal is to support your team and lay the groundwork for everyone to succeed, especially for the more difficult encounters. War Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 differs from the other Cleric subclasses in that they are meant to play a much more active role as front-line tanks that absorb enemy damage on top of clerical support duties.
Starting Abilities and Skills for War Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3
Before you can get to the meat of the War Domain Cleric build in BG3, you must make the right choices during character creation. Our recommendations for a War Domain Cleric are given below.
| Class | Cleric | – |
| Sub-Class | War Domain | – |
| Race | Half-Orc | The Half-Orc race is ideal for this particular Cleric build. The race-exclusive skill ‘Relentless Endurance’ is especially alluring for the tanky nature of this build, allowing you to nullify an otherwise fatal attack once. Coupled with their high Strength allows flexibility in ability point distribution so you can funnel the rest into Wisdom comfortably. |
| Ability Points Distribution | STR 15, Con 16, Wis 16. Rest is default | Wisdom, Strength, and Constitution are your main 3 abilities. Wisdom will dictate your spell slots, spell attack roll modifier, and spell saving throw threshold, while Strength allows you to equip heavy weapons and armor and modify your melee weapon damage. Constitution leads to increased hit points, and for a tank build, investing in it is of utmost importance. |
| Skills | Medicine, Insight | – |
Best Background
When picking the War Domain subclass, you’ll want to pick a background that contributes to your main class stat or ability, i.e., Wisdom. Among the various backgrounds that grant proficiencies, as a Cleric, your choices boil down to either Acolyte or Hermit backgrounds. The Acolyte background grants you Insight proficiency, while the Hermit background grants you Medicine proficiency.
The Insight proficiency bonus from Acolyte is applicable in many quests and allows you to see through any lies. Since there are many dialogues and actions that require an insight check, it can be quite handy.
Otherwise, the Hermit’s Medicine proficiency can be good for diagnosing illnesses among NPCs and party members alike. Ultimately, the choice is yours based on what you value.
Best Feats for Cleric War Domain Build
The best feats for our War Domain Cleric build in Baldur’s Gate 3 are.
| Level | Feat | Unlocks |
| 4 | Tough | Increase your HP by 2 for every level you gain. |
| 8 | War Caster | This feat allows you to maintain your concentration by ignoring interruptions while casting spells. |
| 12 | Ritual Caster | Allows you to learn two ritual spells of your choice. |
Best Spells for War Domain Cleric Build
As a War Domain Cleric in BG3, your goal is to keep yourself alive as long as you can while twisting the tide of battle so your allies can capitalize on openings much more easily. You can start selecting these spells from level 1 onwards, with a greater focus on crowd control over damage.
| Level | Spells | Description |
| 1 | Shield of Faith | Cast on a party member to increase their armor class by 2. |
| 2 | Magic Weapon | This level 2 transmutation spell changes any weapon into a magical one. It gains a +1 advantage on attack and damage rolls. |
| 3 | Spirit Guardians | Summon spirits that protect an area of 3m around you. Any enemy within this range takes 3-24 radiant or necrotic damage per turn for the next 10 turns. Their movement speed is also reduced by half. |
| 4 | Stoneskin | You can cast this spell on any party member, and they will receive half the amount of physical damage. |
| 5 | Hold Monster | Allows you to paralyze any creature. Any attack on the creature from within 3m is always critical. |
Best armor and weapons
Helm: Helm of Balduran – Gain +2 health at the start of each turn and +1 to armor class and saving throws. Also grants Stun immunity and prevents you from being critically hit.
Back: Mantle of the Holy Warrior – This basically comes packed with your alternate level 5 domain spell, Crusader’s Mantle. Grants a nice additional radiant damage buff to your party, elevating DPS capability.
Armor: Adamantine Splint Armor – Reduces incoming damage by 2 while also granting immunity to critical hits. It also triggers the reeling status against melee attacks, making it quite good for overall sustenance.
Hands: The Reviving Hands – Healing your allies will grant them resistance akin to ‘Stoneskin’ via Blade Ward buff, while reviving allies will grant them a second wind akin to ‘Relentless Endurance.’ via Death Ward buff.
Amulet: Amulet of Greater Health – Increases Constitution to 23.
Melee weapon: Devotee’s Mace – Through the class action “Healing Incense Aura” bound to the mace, you and your allies are healed at the start of each turn for ten turns.
Ring 1: Ring of Regeneration – During combat, this ring heals you for 1-4HP at the start of your turn.
Ring 2: Ring of Salving – Healing another creature also grants you 2HP.
Baldur’s Gate 3 War Domain Cleric Build level progression
| Level | Unlocks | Subscription |
| 1 | Race, Background, and Ability Points Distribution. Level 1 spell slot unlocks. Martial Weapon proficiency. War Priest subclass feature. | Choose from the recommendations. Prepare the Shield of Faith spell. You are now proficient with heavy armor. War Priest allows you to perform an additional attack as a bonus action. |
| 2 | Additional Level 1 spell slot unlocks. Guided Strike reaction. | Consumes a Channeled Divinity Charge and boosts your ally’s or your attack rolls. |
| 3 | The level 2 spell slot unlocks. Additional Level 1 spell slot. | Choose and prepare the Magic Weapon spell. |
| 4 | The first Feat unlocks. Additional Level 2 spell slot. | Tough to gain an additional 8HP instantly. |
| 5 | Level 3 spell slot unlocks. | Choose and prepare Spirit Guardian spell for crowd control. |
| 6 | War God’s Blessing subclass feature. Additional Level 3 spell slot. | Buffs an ally and gives them a +10 bonus on their attack rolls. |
| 7 | Level 4 spell slot unlocks. | Choose and prepare Stoneskin for enhanced survivability. |
| 8 | The second Feat unlocks. Divine Strike: Warmaster action. Additional Level 4 spell slot. | Choose War Caster feat to improve your concentration. Divine Strike adds 1-8 damage on top of your regular melee attacks. |
| 9 | Level 5 spell slot unlocks. Additional Level 4 spell slot. | Choose and prepare the Hold Monster spell to help your allies annihilate the enemies. |
| 10 | Additional Level 5 spell slot. | – |
| 11 | Level 6 spell slot unlocks. | We are not interested in level 6 spells for this build, so ignore it. |
| 12 | The final Feat unlocks. | Ritual Caster to learn two ritual spells. |
Is War Domain Cleric any good in Baldur’s Gate 3?
War domain Clerics excel in fighting on the frontlines while protecting their allies with support spells. They can turn their party members invincible while debuffing the enemies and making them prone to extra damage. Due to their proficiency with heavy armor, this Cleric subclass can withstand a lot of punishment without even flinching.
However, they lack extra agility and are not as good healers as the rest of the Cleric subclasses. When compared to the Paladin class, they lack additional dialogue options but are better by having a protective deity at their sides all the time. Moreover, the Paladin class’s primary focus is on dealing with damage, while the War Domain cleric excels in both support and combat.
To improve this build, we recommend that you multiclass it with the Fighter (9/3). You will be sacrificing one feat while gaining some amazing bonuses from the fighter class, like Action Surge and Fighting Style actions.
