Cleric is an extremely helpful class for you to have in your party in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you take Shadowheart with you throughout the campaign, chances are you know how helpful she is in a fight. She can be a fantastic frontline fighter, and she can consistently throw out useful spells to your team, assisting them in battle.
However, when it comes to selecting a subclass for Cleric, there are a lot of options to consider. These options can be difficult, and each of the seven options has advantages and disadvantages. Here’s what you need to know about the best Cleric subclasses, and seeing them ranked in Baldur’s Gate 3.
What Is The Best Cleric Subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3?
There are seven options for you to pick when selecting your Cleric Subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3. You have Life Domain, Light Domain, Trickery Domain, Knowledge Domain, Nature Domain, Tempest Domain, and War Domain. Each follows a similar tree when leveling up, providing a variety of useful spells and abilities, but they vary in their subclass features. For example, the Life Domain has the Cleric providing additional hit points to targets they heal based on their spell’s level, and the War Domain allows them to spend a War Charge to use another attack against an enemy.
Your choice of subclass will vary based on your playstyle and what you need to fill out for your party. It’s an extremely flexible class, so you can pick from these seven. However, given my time in Baldur’s Gate 3, I feel that the Life Domain, Tempest Domain, and War Domain are some of the best choices for your party.
How to Play A Life Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3
Although the Life Domain Cleric is primarily focused on healing, they’re still deadly, and have access to a variety of spells. They can unleash powerful energy to do away with the dead or throw powerful spells in the middle of a fight. However, they’re going to be one of the best healers in Baldur’s Gate 3, and as you progress through the game, it’s difficult to feel like you can safely leave your camp without having one in your party.
Related: Best Rogue Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 – All BG3 Rogue Subclasses, Ranked – Gamepur
The Life Domain Cleric doubles down healing and makes it feel like the most helpful class in the game. What’s better is if you multiclass with Paladin, you’ll unlock additional healing spells, and if you want to perform an attack against an enemy, you’ll get the chance to use Smite, and that’s always a plus.
How to Play A Tempest Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3
If you want to play a Cleric with far more aggressive spells, the Temptest Domain might be the one for you in Baldur’s Gate 3. Rather than focusing on healing, or supportive spells, the ones you unlock as a Temptest Domain have to do with unleashing Lightning, Thunder, and unleashing gusts of wind, potentially using them to upset the battlefield and knock enemies off their feet.
It’s a far more aggressive style of Cleric than the Life Domain, but Temptest is ideal for making short work of multiple enemies. You still have access to a handful of helpful healing spells, meaning you can continue to support your Baldur’s Gate 3 team and keep them alive, but you have the option to unleash Thunderwave, Shatter, or Call Lightning.
How to Play A War Domain Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3
Like the Temptest Domain, the War Domain Cleric is a more aggressive choice in Baldur’s Gate 3. Again, you still have access to the healing spells that every Cleric can use as they level up, but you also can unlock the chance to perform additional attacks. These come from your War Charges, which you acquire as you level up. You’ll also have the chance to increase your attack rolls, making them stronger.
The War Domain does benefit from your Cleric using a multiclass. This might mean putting a few levels into Paladin, or going with Fighter if you feel this fits better with your playstyle. Given how Paladin plays in Baldur’s Gate 3, I feel like these two are a better choice together, and they complement each other well.
These are the top three subclasses I think stand out the most in Baldur’s Gate 3. With seven choices, it is hard to choose the right one because it comes down to your party and overall playstyle. Still, the Life Domain, Temptest Domain, and War Domain are standout choices to help get you through the harrowing campaign.
