Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3offers plenty of spells for any spellcasting class, but some spells are better suited to individual classes. It can be a minefield to traverse when deciding which spells to learn and prepare when leveling up as a Cleric, and it’s important to ensure those precious available spells don’t go to waste. FromPlanar AllytoRevivify and Blindness, the Cleric class features many spells to tailor to any individual playstyle, but some spells are much more useful than others.
Typically playing in a more supportive role, the Cleric will prioritize support spells like healing and curse removal. This isn’t to say the Cleric class doesn’t have plenty offun offensive spells on offer, but it’s important to make an informed decision when picking new spells. Here are somespells to avoid when playing as a ClericinBaldur’s Gate 3.
7Resistance
Provides Small Resistance And Poor Action Economy
Resistance can be very useful in the small handful of situations where it crops up inBaldur’s Gate 3. Resistance is not dissimilar from Guidance, with both providing 1d4 bonus to rolls. The difference is that Guidance is for ability checks, and Resistance applies its bonus to saving throws instead. This doesn’t come up as frequently, as Guidance is more often available and prompted when making ability checks, whereas saving throws will generally be from something like a spell or trap, which is pretty hard to prepare for.
What’s more, it’s not often that Resistance will come in handy during combat, as its poor action economy means anyone casting this spell will have to, typically,forgo their attack or support optionon their turn. The fact that it’s a concentration spell is an additional negative, as more often than not, concentration can be better spent on more useful spells.
6Silence
Situational Spell That Requires Concentration
In theory, Silence is a great spell that has the ability to completely nullify any enemy casters. In practice, however, it’s hard to get as much value as possible out of this spell. Firstly, the radius of Silence is 18m, which means most characters will be able to leave its sphere of influence within one turn after dashing. This means burning a 2nd level spell slot to simply waste the movement of characters who may still be able to attack or cast spells.
Moreover, the fact this spell is concentration is really not a huge bonus. Whilst it lasts a long time (up to 100 turns), it’s very rare that a player will ever get as much out of this spell as it says on the box; more often than not, a player’s concentration will be broken long before the spell ends naturally. Overall, this makes Silence one of those spells that falls short in practice but looks great on paper.
5Barkskin
Rarely Useful For High AC Clerics
Clerics are able to wield shields and wear both light and medium armor. This means it’s not that uncommon for them to boast a particularly high Armor Class, especially if playing Shadowheart, who lends herself well toa high AC build.
This is where theBarkskinspell falls a little short. Instead of granting a bonus to Armor Class, which would be a welcome change, it instead sets the creatures Armor Class to 16. More often than not, Clerics are going to have a higher Armor Class than 16, meaning this spell is best to be cast on an ally instead, though any allies that might find use of a buff to their Armor Class may already have a higher AC than 16.
4Prayer Of Healing
Worse Alternative To Short Rests
ThePrayer of Healingis another spell that seems really great on paper, but it doesn’t get used as frequently as one might think. This second level spell heals all allies that the caster can see for up to 16+Wisdom hit points, which is no small amount and is not too shabby for a second level slot.
The problem with this spell is that it can only be cast outside of combat, and there’s very little reason that players would use this spell over healing potions,which are plentiful and cheap enoughinBaldur’s Gate 3. Overall, it is basically just a worse alternative to a short rest, which restores 50% of all available hit points to every member of the party, irrespective of their location and line of sight to another caster.
3Magic Weapon
Provides A Measly Bonus At A High Cost
Magic Weaponis anothersecond level cleric spellthat should be avoided. It provides a pretty weak bonus and is often not a great use of a second level spell slot. Magic Weapon infuses any weapon with a +1 bonus to both attack and damage rolls. This is a pretty small bonus inBaldur’s Gate 3, where special items and weapons with a bonus to hit are exceedingly common.
Furthermore, Magic Weapon, like some of the particularly bad spells on offer, is a concentration spell. If the creature who casts this spell is somehow making good use out of it, it won’t be long before an enemy breaks concentration for the caster, and it becomes a non-magical weapon once again. Players will typically be better off using a spell to damage enemies for a better payoff than the +1 bonus provides.
2Fog Cloud
Spells Disaster For Allied Characters
Fog Cloudis a first level Cleric spell that hinders any allies just as much as it hinders enemies.Available to Tempest Domain clerics, it can last up to five minutes and over an 18m radius, blinding anyone inside and providing heavy obscurity to those within, too. Whilst it can be great for allowing allies to make a last-ditch retreat to safety, it will not be that useful in-game.
Whilst it might be possible to use this to hinder enemies, it then means any martial characters won’t be able to effectively unleash their barrage of attacks on enemies, as they will suffer disadvantage on attack rolls. Fog Cloud covers everything within a certain radius instead of afflicting particular enemies, making this a one-size-fits-all spell that will often provide just as many problems for allies as it does foes.
1Grasping Vine
Weak Alternative To A Useful Cantrip
Grasping Vineis a fourth level spell, which can actually be very useful. That said, it’s the cost and benefit that are granted from this spell that make it one that should be avoided. It uses a fourth level spell slot and has the ability to pull enemies toward the caster, with a range of 9m, it can be very useful when placing enemies in compromising positions on the battlefield. Whilst it is a concentration spell, this is actually a benefit, as it would quickly become worthless if it could only be used once in exchange for a fourth level spell slot.
However, the payoff granted from this spell, even in optimal scenarios, is generally not that great. Players may be better off achieving similar (albeit, less powerful) effects from theThorn Whipcantrip, which has the same range and pulls the target 3m closer toward the caster, which can still be very useful for pulling enemies into precarious environments.
