Clerics are one of the classicDungeons & Dragonsclasses alongside wizards, paladins, and fighters and are wonderfully adapted from the page to the screen inBaldur’s Gate 3. From mending wounds to buffing allies, keeping the cleric at their best gives the whole party a much better chance at survival. So, choosing the right feats when leveling up is crucial to build astrongBG3cleric.
Despite being the least played class inBaldur’s Gate 3for custom characters, clerics are an important part of any adventuring party, with Shadowheart filling that role for many. Seen by many as mere healers, clerics bring a lot to the table and are a fun, versatile class, with thecleric subclasses inBG3offering very different experiences. Gaining feats at levels four, eight, and 12, great choices are those that help with spell concentration and survivability.
10Tough - Increased Hit Points
It’s Important To Keep The Party Healer Alive
Tough is a fantastic all-around feat for any class inBG3, increasing the party’s chances of success in a very simple way. With this feat, the cleric’shit point maximum will be increased by two each time for each levelthey have. This is very helpful for clerics who might have to focus on the health of party members before themselves, and if the healer goes down, the whole team can follow.
10 Feats Worth Getting In Baldur’s Gate 3
Feats in Baldur’s Gate 3 are not always the same as they are in D&D 5e, and many have been improved to make the video game experience better.
Tough can sometimes be overlooked when choosing feats, as two hit points don’t sound like a lot. But the best part of the Tough feat is that the bonus hit points apply retroactively. This means that regardless of when this feat is taken, the cleric will receive24 extra hit points by level 12, easily helping them stay standing for a few more rounds.
9Martial Adept - Extra Choices In Combat
Give The Cleric Better Options To Control Battle
While cleric is primarily a support class, that doesn’t mean they can’t also deal some damage, and giving any character extra combat options is always a good thing. The Martial Adept feat is great as it allows the cleric tolearn two maneuvers from thefighter Battle Master subclassand gain a Superiority Die to fuel them. This will give the cleric more options should they end up in melee combat with enemies without having to rely on other party members.
Martial Adept
Learn two maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass and receive a Superiority Die to fuel them. Regain expended Superiority Dice after a short or long rest.
There are some great choices for maneuvers, and they manage to cover a few different play styles. For my clerics, I like to pick Evasive Footwork to impose a disadvantage on melee attacks for a round or a Disarming Attack to make enemies drop their weapons. However,with 14 to choose from, it really comes down to personal playstyleand priorities.
8Skilled - Gain New Skill Proficiencies
Extra Help Out Of Combat For Player Characters
Baldur’s Gate 3isn’t just a game about combat, and the player characters will often find themselves using different skills throughout all three acts. At character creation, clericscan gain proficiency in two skills: history, insight, medicine, persuasion, and religion. However, that will still leave them lacking in certain areas, and that’s where the Skilled feat can really help.
Skilled
Gain proficiency in three skills.
Skilled lets the cleric gain proficiency in three new skills, with skills that rely on Wisdom being the best choice. Skills like perception and survival are top choices as they are frequently used inBG3and also use the cleric’s high Wisdom score. Finally, if it wasn’t chosen at level one, the third choice would be a great way to pick up a key cleric skill, like medicine, religion, or history.
7Ritual Caster - Learn Two New Spells
Cast Useful Spells Without Needing A Spell Slot
Clerics have access to some great spells inBG3, but there’s no such thing as having too many spells. Ritual Caster is one of my favorite feats, as it lets the clericlearn two ritual spells from a choice of six. This can add some awesome utility spells into the cleric’s repertoire, further enhancing the versatility of the class and opening up new options in and out of combat.
Ritual Caster
Learn two ritual spells from a choice of six.
Ritual spells are fantastic inBG3because they allow powerful and useful spells to be cast without using vital spell slots.A great choice for a cleric isLongstrider, which can be used to buff the party after each long rest to increase their movement and doesn’t require concentration. Otherwise,Speak with Animals,Disguise Self, orFind Familiarare excellent options depending on the cleric’s domain.
The spellSpeak with Deadis also an option with the Ritual Caster feat. However, all clerics gain this spell at level five, with theThe Amulet Of Lost Voicesa good source until then.
6Shield Master - Bonus To Dexterity Saving Throws
Extra Protection Against Enemy Spells
Clerics are one of the classes that are proficient with shields, and it’s always a good idea to make use of that. Shields are great ways to boost a character’s AC, and with clerics that boost is the perfect way to keep them safe while they focus on the rest of the party. Shield Master enhances the bonus gained from using a shield by giving the clerica flat plus two bonus to their Dexterity saving throws while holding a shield.
Shield Master
Plus two bonus to Dexterity Saving throws. Block: Use a reaction if a spell forces a Dexterity saving throw. Take half damage on a fail, none on a success.
Shield Master also has a toggleable passive feature that allows the cleric touse their reaction to shield themselves from spells. If a spell forces a Dexterity saving throw, a reaction can be used to lessen the damage. On a failed to save, the cleric would take half damage, while on a success, they take none at all.
5Heavy Armour Master - Reduced Incoming Damage
Great Early Game Choice To Decrease Non-Magical Damage
While not all cleric subclasses can wear heavy armor, the majority can, and the difference it can make during battle is fantastic. Heavy Armour Master is perfect as it allows any character with proficiency in heavy armor to make the most of it. The featincreases the cleric’s Strength score by one, which also helps with weapon attacks for Strength-based weapons like maces and spears.
Heavy Armour Master
Increase Strength score by one, to a max of 20. Incoming damage from non-magical attacks decreases by three.
However, the best aspect of Heavy Armour Master is that itreduces all incoming damage from non-magical attacks by threewhile wearing heavy armor. Three points of damage might not sound like much, but when multiple enemies are attacking, this can quickly add up and save the cleric from going down. This makes Heavy Armour Master a great early and mid-game feat, especially when paired withAdamantine Splint Armourwhich is one of many greatitems for clerics inBG3.
Of the seven cleric Domains, only Light, Trickery, and Knowledge don’t gain proficiency in heavy armor, and it is worth considering the Heavily Armoured feat for them during a playthrough.
4Mobile - Increased Movement Speed
Don’t Let Difficult Terrain Get In The Way Of Healing
Mobile is a fantastic feat for any character, but it is especially useful for clerics who may need extra movement speed to get to a downed party member. With Mobile, the cleric’smovement speed will be increased by three meters/10 feet, giving the average character 12 meters/40 feet of movement each round. This is perfect for repositioning and quickly castingCure Woundsor evenRevivifyduring tough battles.
Mobile
Increases movement speed by three meters/10 feet. Evade Difficult Terrain: Difficult terrain doesn’t cause half-speed after taking dash action. Evade Opportunity Attack: After making a melee attack on a target, movement will not provoke opportunity attacks from that target.
Mobile alsoprevents difficult terrain from slowing down the cleric if they use the dash action, allowing them to use their full movement rather than half. Finally, Mobile: Evade Opportunity Attack prevents enemies from taking attacks of opportunity after the cleric moves after making a melee attack on that target. The best part is this passive feature will still trigger, even if the attack misses.
3Durable - Better Short Rests
Regain Full Hit Points Between Long Rests
The cleric is the quintessential support character, providing much-needed healing and buffs for the rest of the party. As such, it’s best to try and keep the cleric in top condition at full hit points. Durable is one of my favorite feats as it allows a character toregain their full hit points on a short restinstead of only half their hit point maximum.
Durable
Increase Constitution score by one, to a max of 20. Regain full hit points during short rests.
This very simple change makes a huge difference, especially at higher levels when the fights get significantly tougher. There are also certain areas inBG3where the party cannot leave to return to camp for a long rest, which is denoted by the mini-map glowing red. Durable alsoincreases the cleric’s Constitution ability score by one, which is most beneficial if the score has been left on an odd number at character creation.
2Resilient: Constitution - Gain Proficiency In Saving Throw
Protect The Cleric From Harmful Spells & Maintain Concentration On Their Own
Resilient is a great feat that covers the main six abilities inBG3, allowing for a fantastic level of flexibility when building a character. The feat increases the chosen ability score by one andgrants proficiency in that ability’s saving throws. For a cleric, the best choice by far is Resilient: Constitution, as that will not only impact their hit points but also affect saves made to maintain spells.
Resilient: Constitution
Increase Constitution score by one, to a max of 20. Gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
InBG3, just as inDnD, when a spellcaster needsto maintain concentration on a spell, they need to make a Constitution saving throw. However, there are also plenty of spells and effects inBG3that require Constitution saving throws such asHarm,Blight, andStinking Cloud. Resilient: Constitution pairs well with Durable to increase a character’s Constitution score by two, increasing the modifier.
The other options for Resilient are Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma, with Dexterity being an excellent second choice for clerics of Constitution is not chosen.
1War Caster - Advantage To Maintain Concentration
Keep Vital Spells Up & Gain A New Reaction Cantrip
Finally, one of the best feats for any spellcaster is Warcaster, , just like Resilient: Constitution, helps maintain concentration on spells. Unlike Resilient, War Caster specifically focuses on saving throws to maintain spells, bygiving the cleric advantage on Constitution saving throws. This works well with Resilient as the cleric would be able to add their proficiency bonus but also take the higher roll.
War Caster
Gain advantage on saving throws to maintain spell concentration. Gainshocking graspto use as an attack of opportunity reaction.
War Caster also allows the cleric to castShocking Graspas a reaction when a target moves out of melee range.Shocking graspis agreatBaldur’s Gate 3cantripas it not only deals lightning damage but alsoprevents the target from using their reaction for one turn. However, unless the cleric already has ashocking graspfrom another source, they can only use it as an attack of opportunity.
