BG3 Tempest Cleric Sorcerer Build Guide – Best Stats and Spells

When it comes to blasting, spellcasters are the way to go in Baldur's Gate 3. While Wizards are my first thought for creating a powerful damage-dealing spell slinger, it turns out a Tempest Cleric Sorcerer multiclass build can dish out insane amounts of damage, too. Let's take a look at how to create this powerful build in Baldur's Gate 3.

Best Tempest Cleric Sorcerer Build in Baldur's Gate 3

You can either create the extremely powerful Tempest Cleric Sorcerer build with your custom character, or respec another character with this build. Shadowheart is the obvious choice, but you can change Gale or even Wyll to fit this build. If you play a custom character, I recommend a Dragonborn with lightning breath as an additional option to inflict lightning damage.

• Race - Dragonborn (Blue/Bronze)
• Classes -
  • Cleric (Tempest) - 4
  • Sorcerer (Storm Sorcery) - 8
• Stats (Starting) -
  • Strength - 8
  • Dexterity - 10
  • Constitution - 14
  • Intelligence - 8
  • Wisdom - 16
  • Charisma - 17

Having a spread of eight levels in Sorcerer and four in Cleric allows you to get access to nearly all of your most powerful Lightning spells and as many Ability Score Improvements (ASIs) as possible; ASIs can be used to bump up your Charisma to inflict maximum damage with your spell, as well as make it easier to hit and harder for enemies to save.

That said, you only need two levels in Tempest Cleric to gain access to Destructive Wrath. If you prefer to dip into Sorcerer more, you are free to do so (and if you do, it's recommended you get the +1 Charisma bonus from Auntie Ethel). I prefer the extra two levels in Cleric to get the ASI or additional feats like Elemental Adept to prevent enemies from resisting my Lightning damage.

Related: BG3 Sorcerer vs Wizard – All Differences & Similarities

Best Spells for Tempest Cleric Sorcerer in Baldur's Gate 3

• Chromatic Orb (Sorcerer)
• Call Lightning (Sorcerer)
• Lightning Bolt (Sorcerer)
• Chain Lightning (Sorcerer)
• Thunderwave (Cleric)

How to Play Tempest Cleric Sorcerer in Baldur's Gate 3

This build relies on Thunder and Lightning damage, with the latter being your strongest weapon. The Tempest Cleric's Destructive Wrath Channel Divinity will make your lightning spells deal maximum damage, which is then doubled when you inflict wet status on a target.

At level three, with a spread of two levels in Cleric and one level in Sorcerer, you can deal 48 damage in a single turn with Chromatic Orb. At level five, you can learn Call Lightning, which allows you to use the same strategy to inflict 60 Lightning damage with a single spell. Or, you can use Lightning Bolt to inflict 96 damage. However, Chain Lightning is capable of dealing 160 damage per target, though this is a level six spell.

The most important thing is to ensure you have created water to inflict the wet status on enemies. To do so, use the Create Water spell, or have a character throw a water bottle at enemies. Once you have done this, line up your Lightning spells and unleash destruction. If you cannot create water, you can still use Thunder spells to inflict massive amounts of damage.

The Sorcerer's Metamagic will also come in handy here. Using Twinned Spell will let you cast a spell twice and inflict double the damage. With this strategy, you can blast the most important target and outright kill them or leave them seriously wounded.

Worth noting is Patch 3 changed how Lightning Charges, Damage Riders, and the Destructive Wrath mechanics work. As a result, the Tempest Cleric Sorcerer build has been slightly nerfed, but is still capable of outputting great damage. Most of the classes abilities and damage output were not affected, but you may notice less damage through methods not mentioned above.

For more information on Baldur's Gate 3, check out Baldur’s Gate 3 Gale Build Guide and How to Find Gale in Baldur’s Gate 3 (Location) on Pro Game Guides.