Baldur’s Gate 3 Wild Magic Sorcerer Build Guide
Jan. 9, 2023Baldur’s Gate 3 Wild Magic Sorcerer Build Guide
Baldur’s Gate 3 Wild Magic Sorcerer Build Guide– In thisBaldur’s Gate 3 Wild Magic Sorcerer Build Guide, I’m going to cover mySorcerer Build, and show you what I’ve found to work best. I’ll be doing moreBuild GuidesforBaldur’s Gate 3, but let’s look at how you can use aWild Magic Sorcerereffectively.
Be sure to check out our other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds including:Wildheart Barbarian,Draconic Sorcerer,Berserker Barbarian,College of Lore Bard,College of Valour Bard,Oath of Devotion Paladin,Oath of the Ancients Paladin,Oathbreaker Paladin!
The Wild Magic Sorcerer is a funSubclassto play if you intend to focus on roleplaying as opposed to dealing the most amount of damage possible with yourSpells. This is due to how chaotic and random the magical effects are onceTides of Chaosis used. But it isn’t to say that they don’t perform well inCombatbecause they still have access to powerful Spells likeScorching RayandHaste, to name a few.
Similar to theDraconic Bloodline Sorcerer, they also have the same Metamagic Features, making them a tough opponent to face. Even if the Wild Magic Sorcerer doesn’t have as much HP, they can still attain decentACthanks toMage Armour.
In this section, we’ll take a look at how to set up your Sorcerer duringCharacter Creationfor the best results.
For Background, I suggest taking any that provides you withCharisma Skillssince Sorcerers need a good amount of thisAbilityto hit targets with their Spells and to improve the chances of successfully negotiating with and convincingNPCsin dialogue. These areDeception,Persuasion,Intimidation, andPerformance. You’re more likely to get 3 out of 4 should you choose theSoldier,Entertainer, orCharlatanBackground.
The first Race that works well for the Sorcerer Class is theWood Half-Elf. Wood Half-Elves have Darkvision to see and attack better in dark places. They even gainFleet of Footto be able to move more effectively in encounters as well asMask of the Wildto becomeProficientinStealth.
Alternatively, you can pick theDrowwho not only hasSuperior Darkvision, allowing them to see twice as far in the dark as the Wood Half-Elf but alsoDancing Lights. This Cantrip will serve as a light source to benefit allies who need it. And remember that you’re not going to really benefit from the Weapon Proficiencies here since as a Sorcerer, you’ll cast Spells 100% of the time.
For this Build, we’re going to choose Wild Magic, which is a good Subclass if your intention is to roleplay heavily in Baldur’s Gate 3. This is due to Tides of Chaos andWild Magic. Tides of Chaos is a Toggleable Passive Feature that grantsAdvantageon Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, and Saving Throws. This can only be used once before taking aShortorLong Rest. When activated, it’ll increase the chances of initiating Wild Magic Surge where the Sorcerer’s Spells, regardless of level, are subject to triggering a series of random effects. The effect can either work for or against you and your allies.
For instance,Magic Missilecan create a fog to obscure the vision of any creature within the AoE, making combat much more challenging and exciting. You can check out the Wild Magic Feature section of ourBaldur’s Gate 3 Wikito see possible effects that occur.
For Skills, again, it’s not super important, but you’ll have high Charisma and Dexterity, so selecting Skills that fall under these Abilities is ideal. Dexterity hasAcrobatics, Stealth, andSleight of Hand, and I’ve already listed what Charisma Skills there are.
Your primary Ability as a Sorcerer is Charisma as it makes your Spells more effective in combat. As such, you’ll want to increase this Ability to at least 16 in Character Creation, and likely 18 later on. Next, Dexterity is important to the Sorcerer because they’re not proficient withArmor. Any bonus added to this Ability improves their AC, making them more durable in combat. Meanwhile,Constitutionraises their max HP so it also contributes to their survivability.
You can then add points into Wisdom,Intelligence, orStrengthbut it won’t matter as much since they don’t influence your Spells’ effectiveness. However, it’s worth considering that they have an effect on the outcome of your Skill Checks. Your Ability Spread should look something like this:
During Character Creation, you’ll be givenCantripsand Spells to choose from. But unlikeWizards, you won’t have to “Prepare” Spells from a Known Spell List to use them. Instead, you learn a limited number of Spells, which are readily available. As such, you have to be very selective about the ones you intend to learn since Sorcerers don’t have access to ALL of their Spells.
At Level 1, you’ll be able to choose 4 Cantrips. The best ones areDancing Lightsif you didn’t pick the Drow Race,Firebolt,Ray of Frost,Acid Splash, andChill Touch. Dancing Lights allows you to summon a wisp of light for allies who cannot see and hit well in the dark. Firebolt and Ray of Frost are Ranged Attack Spells. Firebolt works very well with barrels of oil orGreasewhile Ray of Frost is effective at slowing down targets. Note that Grease isn’t available to Sorcerers by default unless you pick the Draconic Bloodline Subclass andDraconic Ancestry: Black (Acid)during Character Creation. What you can do here is to cast the Spell using a Scroll or include a Spellcaster in your party who has it.
Next, Acid Splash deals Acid Damage with an explosive AoE to inflict damage on other enemies near your intended target. And finally, Chill Touch deals Necrotic Damage while preventing targets from healing themselves. If you use this against the Undead, you also impose aDisadvantageon their Attack Rolls, making it harder for them to hit you.
At Level 1, the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer can pick 2 Spells, and here, I highly recommend choosing Magic Missile and Mage Armour. Magic Missile is an essential Spell to have because it doesn’t miss and it can finish off enemies, especially when their HPs are low. Mage Armour is the best option you have to increase the AC of your Wild Magic Sorcerer to 13 + Dexterity Modifier since they don’t have access toDraconic Resiliencelike their Draconic Bloodline counterpart.
The good thing about this Spell is it lasts until you take a Long Rest and none of the attacks used against you will remove it. You’ll only spend aSpell Slotbut this is better than having low AC.
At Level 2 onward, you’ll be able to unlearn and learn old and new Spells, respectively, via the Replacement Spell, similar to theWarlock. Unlearning a Spell lets you select what you wish to remove from your list. As a replacement, you’ll get to pick one Spell when you level up. Alternatively, if you want to keep your current list, you can simply ignore this feature and continue to learn new Spells. In this Wild Magic Sorcerer Build Guide, we won’t be unlearning any Spells since the ones we’ve chosen are essential in combat.
Next, I suggest learningChromatic Orb. Chromatic Orb is a great and versatile Spell because it makes you choose the type of Elemental Damage to inflict from afar. It can even be combined withMetamagic: Twinned Spells, which I’ll discuss in the next section.
Sorcery Pointscan be converted to replenish additional Spell Slots and vice versa. It’s aBonus Actionso you can use it on top of casting Spells in the same turn. At Level 2, you gain 2 Sorcery Points, which increase at a rate of 1 point per level. Sorcery Points are used in Metamagic, allowing you to choose ways to manipulate Spells. In the meantime, you’ll be able to pick 2 Metamagic options out of 4. These areCareful,Distant,Extended, and Twinned Spells. I suggest taking Twinned and Distant.
Twinned Spell allows you to target two creatures with Spells that would normally hit just one. It’s a potent Metamagic because what this essentially does is cast a Spell twice using only a single Spell Slot, which is huge for the Sorcerer that only has 3 Level 1 Spell Slots at Level 2. Because of this, you’re able to cast Chromatic Orb, for example, on two targets in the same turn. It even becomes more potent at Levels 3 and 4 because of the total number of Sorcery Points you have.
In an encounter against numerous enemies, Twinned Chromatic Orb Level 1 Spell can be cast twice at Level 2, thrice at Level 3, and so on. This is due to its low cost at only 1 Sorcery Point. So going back to Level 2, you’re able to use Chromatic Orb against 4 different enemies at most.
Comparatively, Distant Spell lengthens the range of some of your Spells to allow you to hit enemies from a greater distance. For example, you’re able to attack hard-to-reach enemies such as Harpies with Magic Missile or Firebolt.
At Level 3, you’ll be able to choose another Metamagic Spell out of 3. These areHeightened,Subtle, andQuickened Spells. Heightened Spell imposes a Disadvantage on the recipient if they need to make Saving Throw Rolls. Subtle Spell lets you continue casting Spells even when Silenced. But among them, it’s best to take Quickened Spell even if it costs 3 Sorcery Points unless you plan on frequently using Saving Throw Spells or you’re always being Silenced, which rarely happens.
In a single turn, Quickened Spell allows you to cast oneAction Spellas a Bonus Action, thereby letting you cast another Spell. This is highly effective against tough encounters and bosses alike since you’re able to use whatever powerful Spell you have, twice. What goes well with it is Scorching Ray. This deals 2-12 Fire Damage against multiple enemies or 6-36 damage to the same target. Overall, that’s a lot of damage, making Scorching Ray very versatile and a must-have Spell.
If you’ve chosen the Drow in Character Creation, you’ll receiveDrow Magic: Faerie Fireat this level. This Spell functions the same way in that you and your allies gain Advantage on Attack Rolls but instead of consuming a Spell Slot, you’ll only use an Action. Just remember that you’ll need to take a Long Rest afterward to recharge it.
Some Cantrips and Spells have effects that are dependent on the Sorcerer’s Concentration to remain active. Concentration is broken if you cast another Cantrip or Spell that also requires Concentration. You can tell which these are because it will say on the Spell itself. For example, if you cast Dancing Lights, but then you cast Faerie Fire, you would stop “Concentrating” on Dancing Lights and begin Concentrating on Faerie Fire.
Moreover, if you take damage while Concentrating on a Spell, you must make aConstitution Saving Throw, and if you fail, then the effect of that Spell ends. Should you succeed in your Saving Throw, however, you maintain your Concentration and the Spell continues. This is why it’s vital for Sorcerers to have average to high Constitution because of the Spells that require this Ability and is wasted if it’s constantly broken.
At Level 4, you’ll gain another Level 2 Spell Slot as well as a Cantrip. Furthermore, you can pick aFeat, and I highly recommend selectingAbility Improvementto increase Charisma to 18. As a Wild Magic Sorcerer, you should prioritize boosting this as much as possible.
For the Cantrip,Shocking Graspis a decent Melee Attack option that deals 1-8 Lightning Damage while preventing the target from reacting to any of your actions. For instance, enemies won’t be able to perform Attacks of Opportunity when you move away, making it multipurpose. Alternatively, you can selectBlade Wardto only take half Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing Damage when attacked with a Melee Weapon.
For the Spell, you can go withCloud of Daggers,Shatter, orSleep. Cloud of Daggers lets you damage adjacent enemies over time whereas Shatter allows you to deal massive burst damage. But remember that similar to Cloud of Daggers, Shatter can damage your allies who are near the AoE so you need to be careful with where to cast it. Lastly, Sleep is a good crowd control Spell since you can momentarily immobilize targets even if there’s a limit set because of their HP.
At Level 5, you can select 1 Level 3 Spell. The great ones to consider areCounterspell,Fireball, and Haste. Counterspell is a Reaction that can significantly throw a wretch in your enemy’s plans as long as they’re located within 18m of you. Doing so will let you stop the corresponding Spell’s effects. But remember that since it consumes the Wild Magic Sorcerer’s Level 3 Spell Slots, you can only use this at most 2 times before taking a Long Rest or converting 5 Sorcery Points into one Level 3 Spell Slot.
Next is the classicEvocation Spellknown as Fireball, which deals huge 8-48 Fire Damage against multiple targets even your allies so you’ll need to carefully cast it. And finally, Haste grants several benefits that greatly outweigh the disadvantage of briefly becoming Lethargic when the condition ends. Not only will your ally take one extra Action every turn, but they also gain +2 AC as well as an Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws.
What’s more, is that if you use Twinned Spell beforehand, you’ll be able to target another party member besides yourself! Once your Wild Magic Sorcerer has Haste, they can perform another Action right away without waiting for the next round. When used on aBarbarianwho hasExtra Attackat Level 5, they’ll be able to take a total of 4 Actions in a single turn, allowing them to slay multiple enemies or bosses efficiently.
As a Drow, you also gainDarkness. What this does is encase affected targets in the dark to blind them. Just remember that you can’t use your Ranged Attack Spells against those who are trapped in Darkness’ AoE.
At Level 6, the Wild Magic Sorcerer gains access to Bend Luck, which grants you some form of control on your ally or enemy’s Attack Roll or Saving Throw. So every time they do this, you can opt to use a Reaction by spending 2 Sorcery Points to make a 1d4 roll. Whatever the outcome is can be added as a bonus on your ally’s Attack Roll, for instance, or serve as a penalty for your enemy, thereby reducing the chances of getting hit.
At Level 8, the Sorcerer will be able to choose another Feat, and here I recommend taking Ability Improvement to increase Charisma to 20, orElemental Adepteven if you don’t have a Draconic Ancestry like the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer.
Elemental Adept makes it so that you’re given the option to choose among several damage types including Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder since you have a wide array of Spells with Chromatic Orb alone. For example, if you go with Fire Damage and cast Scorching Ray, any resistance a target may have against it will be negated, making it so that they receive full damage. Additionally, you’ll never get a 1 on the Damage Roll of say, Scorching Ray, since all of your 1’s automatically get boosted to 2.
At Level 10, the Sorcerer can choose another Metamagic. Here, I recommend taking Extended. Extended Spell doubles the duration of Spell effects like conditions and conjured surfaces. This synergizes well withChromatic Orb: Fireand other damage over time Spells for enemies to stay debilitated longer.
And finally, at Level 12, you can choose the Feat you didn’t previously pick at Level 8.
When it comes to the Wild Magic Sorcerer’sEquipment, and similar to the Wizard, you don’t have to invest inWeaponsand Armor as much compared to other Classes so wielding aQuarterstafforLight Crossbowshould be enough. Since the Sorcerer isn’t proficient with any Armor, you can continue wearing theSorcerer Robeyou’ve started off with because it contributes to your 16 AC when Mage Armour is applied.
In terms ofAccessories, you’ll want to obtain theAmulet of Misty Step,Absolute’s Talisman, andRing of Colour Spray. The Amulet of Misty Step is located in theUnderdarkand grants theMisty Step Spell. This is vital when you intend to change positions to gain an Advantage prior to casting any of your Ranged Attack Spells. You can also use it to escape dangerous situations.
The Absolute’s Talisman from theShattered Sanctumis good for survivability because it restores 1-8 HP when you deal damage, provided that your HP is already low. Finally, there’s the Ring of Colour Spray from theSecluded Covethat grants theColour Spray Spell. This is useful to blind enemies who are nearby in order to lower their chances of successfully attacking you.
The Wild Magic Sorcerer is equally flexible in using Metamagic. In fact, this Subclass has nearly the same features as the Draconic Bloodline except that they won’t get the option of naturally casting Grease and they trigger Wild Magic Surge, making fights unpredictable and exciting. But there’s a chance you might not get invited to parties given how chaotic this Sorcerer is. Note that in terms of Metamagic, the ones you’ll select at Levels 2 and 3 are final, which means you won’t be able to swap them for something else. So it’s best to experiment with every option before leveling up.
Next, you should make it a habit to pre-cast Mage Armour so that when combat starts, you’ll be able to cast other offensive or support Spells. Although you’ll have the same AC as the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, the only real drawback to taking Wild Magic in terms of defense is you’ll lose a Level 1 Spell Slot once Mage Armour is activated. Don’t worry because as your level increases, so does the number of your Spell Slots. Plus, you can convert Sorcery Points anyway to replenish them.
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Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
