Channel your magical might with our Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build guide
Searching for the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build?If you want to be a mistress of magic, a matron of the mystical, or a master of the mythic, aBaldur’s Gate 3Sorcerer may be the right character class for you. InBaldur’s Gate 3, Sorcerers can draw upon their mystical lineage to smite foes in a truly flexible manner, since they can cast spells without needing to prepare or study them in advance.
Whether you’re using wild magic, channeling the might of a draconic ancestor, or tapping into the universe’s chaos for elemental strength, a Sorcerer embodies pure power. If you’re looking for the best Sorcerer build ideas in Baldur’s Gate 3, here’s everything you need to know, including the best races, subclasses, backgrounds, spells, Metamagic options, and progression ideas.
Note: Looking for lots more builds to choose from? Check out our dedicated list of thebest builds in Baldur’s Gate 3for each class!
Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build basics
Sorcerers leverageCharismaas their primary ability, since their powers come from their innate bloodlines or force of will. They gainSorcery Pointsfor each level past Level 1. You can convert these into spell slots, allowing a broad array of spells to prepare you for every combat scenario possible. As Sorcerers progress, they gain access to severalMetamagicabilities, which you can toggle when casting spells to remix them, granting you even more combat variety.
At Level 1, Sorcerers can choose from the following subclasses:
As they progress, Sorcerers have the option to choose from the following Metamagic options, which expand the possibilities of their spells:
Your race, background, and skills can greatly enhance your Sorcerer character and offer them additional buffs and abilities to help guide them through their journey. These are our best picks for a solid Sorcerer build.
The best Sorcerer race is High Half Elf.
TheHigh Half-Elfsubrace gains an extra cantrip from the beginning of the game, which is a nice way to augment your Sorcerer’s capabilities from the get-go. This is in addition to the Half-Elf benefits ofCivil Militia, which grants added weapon proficiency for your character for spears, pikes, halberds, and glaives, as well as armour proficiency with light armour and shields. Furthermore,Fey Ancestrygrants advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, and also keeps magic from putting you to sleep. Half-Elves also benefit fromDarkvision, allowing them to see in dark and dim light.
The best Sorcerer background is Entertainer.
Entertainers gain proficiency conuses toAcrobaticsandPerformancerolls. Acrobatics is a Dexterity skill that helps your attempt to stay on your feet in a tricky situation, while Performance is a Charisma Skill that impacts your ability to delight audiences with music, dance, acting, and storytelling.
The best Sorcerer skill proficiencies are Arcana and Persuasion.
Arcanameasures your ability to tap into knowledge about spells, magical items, and entities, whilePersuasionimpacts your ability to get what you want without resorting to threats of violence or intimidation.
The best Sorcerer subclass is theDraconic Bloodline. This gives an extra +1 to your max HP at every level and allows you to choose aDraconic Ancestry.
Each Draconic Ancestry option aligns with a color and an element. While your choice may vary based on your team composition, we suggestRed (Fire)as it grants the very powerfulBurning Handsspell right away. At Level 6, your spells that cause fire damage will become more powerful, and you can also become resistant to fire damage. Fire damage is pretty common throughout Fareun, and it’s also a handy go-to whenever you need to burn an enemy to bits.
Sorcerers begin the game with four cantrips and two Level 1 spell slots. Note that spell levels do not correspond with character levels, and generally, spell levels will increase every other character level.
The best Sorcerer cantrips are:
Level 1 Cantrips:Blade Ward, Fire Bolt, Shocking Grasp, Poison Spray
Level 4 Cantrip:Mage Hand
The best Sorcerer spells by spell level are:
Level 1:Burning Hands, Expeditious Retreat, Mage armour, Shield, Thunderwave, Magic Missle
Level 2:Scorching Ray, Hold Person
Level 3:Counterspell, Fireball, Lightning Bolt
Level 4:Wall of Fire, Ice Storm
Level 5:Cone of Cold, Hold Monster
Level 6:Chain Lightning
Sorcerers gain Metamagic options as they progress, gaining two at Level 2, one at Level 3, and 1 at Level 10. The best Sorcerer Metamagic options are
Level 2:Twinned Spell, Distant Spell
Level 3:Heightened Spell
Level 10:Quickened Spell
Sorcerer can choose feats at Levels 4, 8, and 12. The best Sorcerer feats are:
Spell Sniperreduces the dice roll number need to earn a critical hit by 1, from 20 to 19.War Castergives advantage on saving throws to hold Concentration, giving you a better chance to maintain Concentration when taking damage.Alertraises initiative rolls by 5, allowing you to secure a better placement in the game’s combat order.
That’s everything you need to know to pick a Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3. As you continue the game, you may also want to check out our guide tomulticlassing, or, if you’re just in it for the steamy scenes, you can also read up onhow to romance in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re not happy with your Sorcerer build, you can also take a look at ourBaldur’s Gate 3 respec guideand respec your character following the suggestions on ourbest buildsguide.
Disclosure: Former RPS deputy editor Adam Smith (RPS in peace) now works at Larian and is the lead writer for Baldur’s Gate 3. Former contributor Emily Gera also works on it.
