Best BG3 Sorcerer Build – Maximum Spellpower!

Welcome to the best BG3 Sorcerer Build. The Sorcerer is a powerful Charisma Spellcaster with access to a wide range of Spells.

Table of Contents for the BG3 Sorcerer Build:

1. Introduction to the Sorcerer Class
   1. BG3 Sorcerer Class Guide
   2. Subclasses Comparison
   3. Why Choose the Wild Magic Subclass
2. Sorcerer Build Leveling Progression
   1. Sorcerer Character Creation (Level 1)
   2. Early-Game Level 2-4
   3. Mid-Game Level 5-8
   4. Late-Game Level 9-12
3. Sorcerer Equipment
   1. Early-Game Sorcerer Gear
   2. Best Sorcerer Gear (Late-Game)
4. Sorcerer Build Extras and Tips & Tricks
   1. Sorcerer Tips & Tricks
   2. Illithid Powers

Please visit our Best BG3 Builds overview page for more builds. To get an overview of all classes please visit the BG3 Classes overview page. The Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Build works for both PC and Console (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).

For this BG3 Sorcerer Build, we’ll be using the Wild Magic subclass of the Sorcerer. Wild Magic is powerful and volatile, and your Spells will sometimes surge to cause unpredictable effects in combat. Most of these effects are positive, so despite its randomness, the Wild Magic Sorcerer remains a fun and chaotic class to play.

Here is a quick overview of the main Strengths and Weaknesses of the Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3:

BG3 Sorcerer Class Guide

The BG3 Sorcerer is a pure spellcaster class, meaning the class possesses a wide range of spells, but limited options with weapons and armour. At first glance, the class seems very similar to the Wizard, and you may be left wondering what exactly the difference between the two classes is.

To begin with, the Sorcerer uses Charisma for its Spellcasting Ability, instead of Intelligence. This means that when building the Sorcerer, you should focus on improving your Charisma stat, while Intelligence is mostly unimportant.

The Sorcerer has access to many of the same spells as Wizards do, but the Sorcerer cannot learn as many of them throughout a playthrough. However, the Sorcerer makes up for this limitation by being much more mechanically enriched than the Wizard class, able to manipulate and interact with their magic in a much more interactive, and potentially powerful way.

The Sorcerer gains access to a class mechanic called Metamagic, where they can spend Sorcery Points to enhance their spells in various ways, or to replenish a spent Spell Slot. We will go into more detail on this mechanic later in the guide, but at a glance, Sorcerers can use their Sorcery Points to do things like:

• Split a Spell, causing a single-target spell to target two creatures instead
• Double the duration of a Spell
• Improve a Spell’s range by 50%
• Cast a Spell with a Bonus Action instead of an Action, effectively allowing you to cast two spells in one turn.

One weakness of the Sorcerer is that they cannot wear Armour – Therefore it is recommended to use the Mage Armour spell to improve your defensive abilities. Once cast, the spell continues to protect you until your next Long Rest (unless you die) so I would suggest making it a habit to cast it after every camp.

BG3 Sorcerer Subclass Comparison

Below is a quick comparison of the subclasses for the Sorcerer class in BG3. The currently available subclasses are Wild Magic, Draconic Bloodline, Storm Sorcery, and Shadow Magic (Coming in Patch 8).

Wild Magic Sorcerer Subclass

Your powers come from ancient forces of chaos. They churn within you – waiting to burst free at any time.

The Wild Magic Sorcerer‘s magic is more chaotic than that of other spellcasters, and every time they cast a spell, there is a chance for a random effect to occur. These effects are usually positive or at least amusing, but sometimes they can be detrimental. The potential Wild Magic Effects are listed below. Skip reading the table if you’d prefer it to be a surprise!

Once per Short Rest, Wild Magic Sorcerers can activate Tides of Chaos to gain Advantage on their next Attack Roll, Ability Check or Saving Throw – with the side-effect of increasing the likelihood of Wild Magic Surges.

When you reach Level 11, you can use your Reaction to direct a Wild Magic surge to enemy spellcasters whenever they cast a spell – this can cause complete chaos and can also be very fun. No two fights will ever be quite the same when you have a Wild Magic Sorcerer in your party.

Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Subclass

Your veins carry draconic magic, the result of a powerful dragon ancestor.

Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers gain a +3 bonus to their Armour Class when they’re not wearing armour, thanks to their scaly skin. They also get an extra 1 HP per level, up to a maximum of 12 extra HP at Level 12.

You can choose a specific draconic ancestry, and your choice will have a couple of effects on your character:

• You will immediately unlock an extra spell based on your choice
• At Level 6, you gain an affinity with the element associated with your draconic bloodline (for example, Fire from the Red, Gold and Brass Bloodlines). You become Resistant to that element, and your spells that deal that type of damage become more powerful (your Charisma Modifier is added to the damage).

Finally, at Level 11, Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers gain the ability to Fly.

Storm Sorcerer Subclass

Whether crackling with the energy of ancient deluges or pierced by gales and hurricanes, your lineage is a strange tapestry scrawled by a tempest.

Storm Sorcerers gain additional mobility by riding localised winds created by their magic, and they can deal extra Lightning and Thunder damage when casting spells that deal in these elements.

They can fly up to 9 metres using a Bonus Action after casting any spell on their turn (not a Cantrip). This flight also ignores enemy Opportunist Attacks.

At Level 6, they become Resistant to Lightning and Thunder damage, and whenever they deal Lightning or Thunder damage with a spell, nearby enemies take the same type of damage as a bonus, equal to half of your Sorcerer Level. You also unlock some storm-related spells, most notably Thunderwave and the powerful Call Lightning.

At Level 11, you can retaliate against melee attackers with Thunder that damages them and potentially pushes them away.

Shadow Sorcerer Subclass

As a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, you deal in a form of magic that makes you deadliest in darkness. This subclass gives its sorcerer Superior Darkvision, as well as the ability to Shadow Walk between places of dim light or darkness. It also lets you call forth the perfectly homebrewed Hound of Ill Omen to harass your foes, and use Strength of the Grave to prevent you from being downed – ideal for those attempting Honour Mode runs.

Why We’re Using the Wild Magic Subclass

We found that both the Wild Magic and Storm Sorcery subclasses are quite strong for the BG3 Sorcerer. While the mobility and conditional damage buffs of the Storm Sorcerer can be pretty useful, we thought that the chaotic nature of the Wild Magic subclass was more fun, and it often lets you get extra value from your Spell Slots in surprising and unpredictable ways.

If you want a more predictable approach to the Sorcerer, then the Storm Sorcerer or even Draconic Bloodline subclass will work just fine with this build, but you may want to tweak the recommended spells (later in the guide) to fit the elemental type that your build specialises in if you go down that route. The three Sorcerer subclasses, while perhaps seeming quite radically different, are actually pretty similar and you can easily respec from one subclass to another to give each one a try, if you want.

BG3 Sorcerer Build Character Creation (Level 1)

In this section, we’ll be explaining the best picks for your Sorcerer Build during Character Creation, namely the best Background, Skills, Race, Abilities, Cantrips and Spells.

Race and Subrace

Below are our top 5 picks for this build’s race (and subrace). If you don’t like any of the options on this list, feel free to choose something different. Generally speaking, the difference between the races is fairly small; this choice can be helpful but isn’t a big deal.

1. Wood Elf – We rate the Wood Elf highly on a lot of our builds, primarily because we value their extra base Movement Speed which is useful in many combat encounters. Wood Elves also get immunity to magical Sleep, Advantage against being Charmed, Darkvision, Perception and Stealth Proficiency, and Proficiency with some extra ranged weapons, most notably the Longbow. You can also choose Wood Half-Elf, which has many of the same advantages.
2. Drow – Similar in many ways to the Wood Elf. The Drow gets the same resistances to Charm and magical Sleep, and their darkvision is upgraded to Superior Darkvision. They have Perception Proficiency and get access to the Dancing Lights Cantrip, and the Faerie Fire and Darkness Spells as they level up. Faerie Fire can be especially useful for making multiple enemies more vulnerable to attacks (or keeping track of them in low visibility).
3. Human – Humans are a handy race because they get an extra 25% Carrying Capacity. You also get to choose one extra Skill to be Proficient with, and a bunch of extra weapon and armour Proficiencies (which we won’t be making specific use of in this build, but you could if you wanted to try something more experimental)
4. Githyanki – Githyanki can choose an Ability each after Long Rest, and gain Proficiency in all Skills related to that Ability until the next Long Rest. This can be handy for many ability checks that you’ll encounter throughout your playthrough. The Gith also get access to the Mage Hand Cantrip, and as they level up they’ll also unlock Enhance Leap and Misty Step, increasing their mobility markedly. They also get Proficiency in all types of Swords, as well as Light and Medium Armour, which again we’ll not be using in this guide, but you can give them a try if you want to do something a bit different.
5. Strongheart Halfling – The Halfling is a pretty decent race for a variety of builds thanks to its passive features. When you roll a 1 (Critical Miss/Fail) you’ll automatically get 1 free reroll, so it’s very unlikely that you’ll get critical misses. Halflings also have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Frightened, which is handy because fear can be a particularly troublesome condition in BG3, impairing your ability to move and debuffing your attacks. Strongheart Halflings also have Advantage on Saving Throws against the Poisoned condition, and 50% Resistance to Poison damage.

Class Selection

Here, you want to select the Sorcerer class for our BG3 Sorcerer Build.

Cantrips

You’ll need to choose four Cantrips for your Best Sorcerer Build during Character Creation. Cantrips are basic Spells that can be cast as many times as you like, with no limitations besides turns and actions. You can cast the same Cantrip every turn if you want.

We recommend choosing the following four Cantrips:

• Fire Bolt – Launch a bolt of fire at an enemy, dealing 1-10 Damage. A good damage Cantrip that works as long as you have a line of sight to the enemy.
• Ray of Frost – Call forth a beam of frost to deal 1-8 Cold Damage to an enemy, and reduce their movement speed. Good for slowing an enemy down, or against creatures who are Resistant to Fire.
• Poison Spray – Projects a puff of poisonous gas. Deals more damage than Fire Bolt, but can only be used at close range.
• Bone Chill – Deals damage and prevents the target from getting any healing until their next turn. An undead target also receives Disadvantage on Attack Rolls. Useful Cantrip to use if you want to counter enemy healing, against undead or against targets who are Vulnerable to Necrotic Damage or Resistant to Fire and Ice Cold damage.

Spells

The Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 must also choose two Spells to start the game with. Spells consume a Spell Slot when cast, and Spell Slots can only be replenished by taking a Long Rest.

We recommend starting with the following Spells for our Sorcerer Build:

• Mage Armour – This spell is essential for the Sorcerer, because they don’t have Proficiency with conventional armour types and have to wear normal clothing as a result. Mage Armour will put your Armour Class on par with other classes, and the higher your Dexterity Modifier is, the more you’ll get out of it. This spell lasts until the next long rest and doesn’t require Concentration, so I recommend casting it immediately after every Long Rest.
• Magic Missile – A very good early-game damage spell that shoots three projectiles at an enemy, each one dealing 2-5 Force Damage. The target cannot avoid this damage, and the projectiles cannot miss. If you need to guarantee some decent damage against an enemy, then this is the Spell to use.

Subclass Selection

Sorcerers need to choose their subclass in the class menu at the very beginning of the game. For this build, we’re going to use the Wild Magic subclass.

Background

The most important Abilities for the Sorcerer are Charisma and Dexterity. Therefore it makes the most sense to choose Backgrounds that will buff CHA and DEX based Skills.

The best option here is probably Entertainer, which gives you Acrobatics and Performance Proficiency. Acrobatics is not usually available as a manual skill choice for Sorcerers, but you can get it by being an Entertainer, and this will help your character to resist being pushed by enemies, which might not sound like a big deal, but being pushed to your death from a great vantage point by an angry jumping Githyanki is only funny the first couple of times. If your chosen Race was human, then you can manually choose Acrobatics as a Skill, so in this case you could go with another Background like Charlatan.

Ability Points

The most important Ability for the Sorcerer is Charisma, which is used as your Spellcasting Attribute when playing this class. High Charisma will improve the reliability of your spells.

Dexterity is also very important, in this case, it’s primarily used to improve your Armour Class – Sorcerers have no Armour Proficiency. This means they’ll have to settle for wearing Clothing, and a high Dexterity score is vital for defending themselves. It also helps to scale some important Skills, like the aforementioned Acrobatics skill.

The third most important ability is Constitution. This is used to increase your Maximum Hitpoints, and also increases the likelihood of you passing Concentration Checks (continuing to channel the effects of an ongoing Concentration Spell after taking damage).

With all of this in mind, we recommend going for an ability spread that looks something like the following:

• 8 Strength
• 16 Dexterity
• 14 Constitution
• 10 Intelligence
• 10 Wisdom
• 16 Charisma

Skill Proficiencies

In addition to the Skill Proficiencies gained from their Background, the Sorcerer can choose two other Skills to become Proficient at.

Out of the available options, I recommend going with Deception and Intimidation.

If you’re a Human, you get a third pick (with less restrictions), and in that case I’d personally spend it on Persuasion, unless you didn’t choose the Entertainer Background, in which case spend it on Acrobatics instead.

BG3 Early-Game Sorcerer Build Levelling Guide

Below is a step-by-step guide for levelling up with this Wild Magic BG3 Sorcerer build, including the recommended choices where needed. We’ll start with the earliest levels 2-4, where you will begin adding to your arsenal of spells and learn how Metamagic can be used to empower your spells.

Level 2

At Level 2, your Sorcerer Build will unlock a powerful feature unique to the class – Sorcery Points.

You start with two Sorcery Points unlocked, and will gain more as you level up further. You can convert Sorcery Points to Spell Slots and vice versa, or you can spend the Sorcery Points to empower your spells by using Metamagic abilities.

For now, you can only choose two Metamagic abilities to unlock, from the following options:

• Careful Spell – Allies automatically succeed Saving Throws against spells that require them.
• Distant Spell – Increases the range of the spell by 50%. Spells with a range of 1.5m are increased to 9m.
• Extended Spell – Double the duration of Conditions, summons, and surfaces caused by spells.
• Twinned Spell – Spells that only target 1 creature can target an additional creature. Costs 1 Sorcery Point per Spell Slot level used. Cantrips also cost 1 Sorcery Point. For spells that don’t shoot a projectile, the targets need to be close enough together.

For now, we recommend unlocking Distant Spell and Twinned Spell, as these are the most powerful Metamagic abilities available to the Sorcerer at Level 2.

In addition, you can now unlock 1 additional Spell. We recommend choosing Thunderwave, a conal AoE that deals Thunder Damage in the chosen direction and can knock enemies back, potentially knocking them off a cliff or ledge for heavy falling damage.

Alternative: If your party keeps getting overwhelmed by waves of weak enemies at this early stage of the game, you could also try the Sleep spell, which forces enemies up to a HP limit into a magical slumber that cannot be resisted by most creatures. Note that a sleeping target will wake immediately upon taking any damage, so this spell only works for slowing down enemies and making them more manageable, not as a hard stun.

Level 3

At Level 3, your Sorcerer Build will gain another Sorcery Point, and must also choose another Metamagic ability, either from the two that you didn’t choose previously or one of the following three new ones:

• Heightened Spell – Targets of spells that require Saving Throws have Disadvantage on their first Saving Throw. Costs 3 Sorcery Point per spell.
• Quickened Spell – Spells that take an Action take a Bonus Action instead. Cost 3 Sorcery Point per spell.
• Subtle Spell – You can cast spells while Silenced. Costs 1 Sorcery Point per spell.

Of these options, we highly recommend choosing Quickened Spell, which allows you to cast two Spells in the same turn. This is great if you need to deal a lot of damage (or other effects) very quickly.

You also gain access to Second Level Spells at Level 3, and can choose one new Spell to unlock.

We recommend unlocking Scorching Ray, a Second Level Spell that launches 3 rays of Fire at specific targets, each one dealing 2-6 damage when it hits. You can launch them at different targets or the same target. This makes for a nice combo with Quickened Spell too, potentially allowing you to deal heaps of Fire Damage in one turn.

Alternative: If you want your Sorcerer to specialise more in imposing debuffs and stuns on enemies rather than dealing damage, then go with Heightened Spell instead of Quickened Spell, and replace Scorching Ray with Hold Person. Then from now on, when you want to ensure you have a very good chance of stunning a dangerous enemy, you can combo Heightened Spell with Hold Person. Enemies stunned with Hold Person also take guaranteed Critical Hits when attacked in melee, but will make a new attempt to break free from the stun at the start of each turn.

Level 4

At Level 4 you gain another Sorcery Point, and you’ll also need to choose a new Feat for your Sorcerer Build.

Feats are strong passive effects that can be used to enable a particular type of build, or simply to provide a buff to your Abilities. In this case, we’ll be doing the latter. Take Ability Improvement and put both points into Charisma. This will increase your CHA to 18. Your Spellcasting Ability will be considerably better after doing this.

You also get to choose one more Cantrip. I recommend taking Blade Ward, a neat little spell that gives you 50% resistance to enemy melee weapon damage. This is useful to have on turns when you don’t have any good spellcasting options available and want to give yourself a bit of extra protection instead.

Finally, at Level 4 you can also unlock another new Spell. Since we still don’t have any good Concentration Spells, we’ll grab Cloud of Daggers, a fairly small AOE that deals decent slashing damage to all within. The AOE lasts for up to 10 turns, as long as you can keep Concentration. It works especially well in chokepoints.

BG3 Mid-Game Sorcerer Build Levelling Guide

This is the mid-game section of our levelling guide. In this part of the game, enemies are getting tougher and you need to ensure you’re getting the most out of your class. These levelling choices will help you to do that.

Level 5

At Level 5, you’ll get another Sorcery Point, access to Third Level Spells, and one more Spell to unlock. Your Skill Proficiency Bonus is also improved from +2 to +3.

We recommend grabbing Fireball, a huge AOE spell that deals up to 48 damage to all creatures in the area.

Alternative: If Fireball is already going to be covered by someone else in your party, then go with Haste instead. This is a Concentration Spell that gives a crazy buff to the target. They’ll get an increased Armour Class, movement Speed, improved Dexterity Saving Throws and an extra Action each turn, for as long as you concentrate on the spell. When the spell expires, the target becomes Lethargic for 1 turn, preventing them from moving or performing Actions. As long as you can keep the effect going for two or more turns, then you’ll get a payoff from this Spell. Cast it on your best damage dealer and let them cause havoc! With the Best Sorcerer Build, you can combo this with Twinned Spell to give two people Haste at once.

Level 6

At Level 6, you unlock another Sorcery Point. You’ll also be able to choose one more Spell to learn.

If you didn’t already grab the Haste spell, then it’s worth getting that now. If you have both Haste and Fireball already, then getting the Fly spell is bound to come in handy sooner or later, as it lets you fly over gaps that are too big to jump across, access high areas or descend without taking fall damage. It’s a great spell for exploration, and the creative player may find uses for it in combat too.

You’ll unlock the Bend Luck ability here too. Bend Luck is a Reaction, where the Sorcerer can choose to roll a d4 to add to or subtract from the Attack Roll of a character they can see. This can be used to help allies or hinder enemies. Doing this will cost two Sorcery Points.

Level 7

At Level 7, you’ll gain access to some more powerful spells.

You earn your first Fourth Level Spell Slot, and can learn one more spell, as usual.

Ice Storm is a strong AOE spell that you can now pick up, dealing Cold damage in a fairly large area and creating an ice surface, which may knock characters prone when they try to traverse it.

You’ll also earn one additional Sorcery Point.

Level 8

As with all classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, at Level 8 it’s time to unlock another Feat for your character.

We recommend choosing the Ability Improvement Feat, and using it to increase your Charisma to 20. This will give you the best possible spellcasting rolls for your Sorcerer.

As usual, you’ll unlock another Sorcery point and another spell. Depending on what you feel your party is lacking, any of the following spells may be good options for you to get here:

• Confusion – An AOE that causes all characters within to become confused, forcing them to spend their turn attacking random creatures (including their allies), running around aimlessly or just passing their turn. Enemies can resist the effect by winning a Saving Throw, however.
• Blight – Deals 8-64 Necrotic Damage to a single target. Undead and Constructs are immune, while Plants are vulnerable and roll their Saving Throw with a Disadvantage. The main weakness of this spell is that targets who Save will take no damage at all, so it’s risky using it if your success chance isn’t really high.
• Dimension Door – Teleport yourself and one adjacent character to a location that’s within sight. Great for getting yourself and a friend out of trouble, or to a useful location that’s not easily accessible by walking/jumping.

I find Dimension Door to be the most useful of these spells, but if your party is already well kitted out with mobility spells then it might be better to branch out and grab one of the other options instead.

Finally, at Level 8, you will receive one more Fourth Level Spell Slot, allowing you to cast 2 spells of this tier per Long Rest.

Late-Game Levelling Guide for the BG3 Sorcerer Build

We’ll now wrap up this levelling guide with the final four levels, 9-12. Here you’ll gain access to an assortment of powerful spells that, used wisely, will help you to face the very dangerous foes who lurk in Act III.

Level 9

At Level 9 you’ll gain access to even more powerful forms of magic for your Sorcerer Build.

You unlock the following features at this level:

• Another Sorcery Point, now giving you 9 in total.
• Another Fourth Level Spell Slot, giving you 3 in total.
• Your first Fifth Level Spell Slot, allowing you to learn and cast spells of this tier.

You can choose one more spell to unlock, too. At this point, I strongly recommend getting Insect Plague. This summons a large AOE of swarming locusts, causing the area to be Difficult Terrain and dealing 4-40 Piercing Damage to any who enter the swarm. This works especially well in Chokepoints, and can put you firmly in control of a fight that would otherwise be difficult.

Level 10

At Level 10 you’ll gain another Sorcery Point, and another Fifth Level Spell Slot, giving you 2 in total.

You can also choose one more Spell. I recommend getting Hold Monster, essentially an upgraded version of the Hold Person spell that can completely stun any creature that fails the Saving Throw.

You’ll also need to choose one more Metamagic at this level. I recommend going with Heightened Spell, which is useful for landing stuns and other effects on powerful enemies with high Abilities. Normally those targets are quite likely to succeed their Saving Throw against spells like Confusion or Hold Monster, but with Heightened Spell they must roll with a Disadvantage.

Alternative: If you already chose Heightened Spell earlier in the game, then go with Quickened Spell instead, which allows you to cast a Spell with a Bonus Action rather than an Action.

Level 11

At Level 11, your Sorcerer Build becomes even more proficient at Spellcasting, and can direct their Wild Magic at enemy spellcasters in a more controlled manner.

As usual, you gain another Sorcery Point at this level, giving you 11 in total.

You gain a Sixth Level Spell Slot, and the ability to learn and cast these spells. You can choose one new spell to unlock here, too.

Chain Lightning is a great spell to unlock here. It deals 10-80 Lightning Damage, which can fork from the primary target to up to three secondary targets. This is great for dispatching tightly packed groups of enemies. It can get especially crazy if you use it as a Twinned Spell.

Finally, you’ll unlock a pretty complicated feature for the Wild Magic Sorcerer, called Controlled Chaos.

Controlled Chaos allows you to spend your Reaction to direct a (usually negative) Wild Magic effect to an enemy Spellcaster, when they cast a spell. The effect is randomly selected from the list in the Wild Magic Subclass Guide.

Most of the time, this effect will cause something helpful (or at least amusing) to happen, but occasionally, you will draw the short straw and buff the enemy.

Level 12

If you reached this point, then you have finished leveling your Sorcerer up to the highest level. Congratulations!

At Level 12, you’ll need to select one more Feat for your character. I recommend choosing the War Caster Feat. This will give you Advantage on Concentration Saving Throws, which should help to reduce those annoying situations where you take a light hit and lose Concentration on your spell. You can also use your Reaction to cast Shocking Grasp on an enemy who is passing out of your melee range.

Aside from your Feat, you’ll gain another Sorcery Point and be able to choose one more spell to unlock. If you’re having a hard time surviving the combat, then choosing Globe of Invulnerability will help you to stay alive during tough fights. It summons an AOE that makes everyone within immune to damage for 3 turns.

Otherwise, go with Sunbeam, a Concentration Spell that lets you summon a powerful beam of sunlight every turn, dealing heavy Radiant AoE damage. Try to keep your Sorcerer safe from damage when using this spell, as losing Concentration on a Level 6 spell usually means you won’t be able to use another one until after your next Long Rest. You can get a lot of value out of Sunbeam if you maintain Concentration and get off several successful recasts.

Best BG3 Sorcerer Build Equipment

In this section, we have powerful equipment recommendations for the Wild Magic BG3 Sorcerer Build. We’ve included both an early-game and a late-game variant of the build, so you don’t need to wait until Act III to make use of it. Early-Game equipment is obtainable in Act I and the earlier parts of Act II, while Late-Game equipment is found in Act III and the latter parts of Act II.

Sometimes early-game equipment may make it into the late-game section, as a few items obtained early in BG3 are powerful enough to compete with items not found until much later in the game.

Early-Game Gear

The table below shows the recommended early-game setup for the Wild Magic Sorcerer. Check below the table for more information about each item, including where to obtain it. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of the items, and don’t be afraid to try new things not mentioned here, either. This is only a guideline and the build can still work fine if some equipment is different for you.

Slot	Icon	Item	Effects	Location
Head		The Shadespell Circlet	When obscured in Shadow, gain +1 Spell Save DC	Sold by Omeluum in the Underdark, after helping him to investigate the Parasite
Cloak		Cloak of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Chest		The Protecty Sparkswall	+1 to Spell Save DC +1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws if you have at least 1 Lightning Charge	Looted from a gilded chest at the far end of the trapped bridge in Grymforge
Gloves		Bracers of Defence	+2 to Armour Class, if you have no armour or shield equipped	Looted from a gilded chest in the secret area of the Apothecary’s Cellar
Boots		Boots of Genial Striding	You cannot be slowed down by Difficult Terrain	Sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony
Necklace		Pearl of Power Amulet	Recover a Spell Slot up to Third Level, once per Long Rest	Sold by Omeluum in the Myconid Colony
Ring 1		Ring of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Steal the Sacred Idol in Druid Grove (quest)
Ring 2		Crusher’s Ring	+3 metres Movement Speed per turn	Dropped by Crusher in the Goblin Camp
Main Weapon		The Spellsparkler	Gain 2 Lightning Charges when you deal damage with a Spell or Cantrip Each charge has a +1 bonus to Attack Rolls and +1 bonus Lightning Damage on attacks Reaching 5 charges consumes them all to deal 1d8 bonus Lightning Damage	Rescue Counsellor Florrick from the fire in Waukeen’s Rest
Second Weapon		Any	You can equip any Ranged Weapon that you have Profiency with We’ll usually use Cantrips, so won’t get much use out of this weapon	N/A

The Shadespell Circlet

The Shadespell Circlet adds +1 to your Spell Save DC rating whenever your character is standing in a shadowy area. This makes it harder for enemies to resist all of your Spells and Cantrips that impose a Saving Throw (i.e. not Attack Rolls). For example, an enemy trying to roll a save against your Hold Person spell will now need to roll 1 higher to be successful.

The Shadespell Circlet can be purchased from Omeluum in the Underdark Myconid Colony. You must first complete his quest to help him investigate the parasite.

Cloak of Protection

One of the first cloaks available in BG3 and also one of the most useful, the Cloak of Protection gives you a +1 buff to your Armour Class and Saving Throws, making for a solid defensive item. It is sold by Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn, Act II.

The Protecty Sparkswall

The Protecty Sparkswall improves your Spell Save Difficulty Class by 1, making all of your spells that impose Saving Throws a little bit harder for enemies to resist. You’ll also gain a +1 bonus to your own Armour Class and Saving Throws as long as you have at least one Lightning Charge, something that you’ll be able to get with the early-game melee weapon of this build. Looted from a gilded chest at the far end of the trapped bridge in Grymforge, Act I.

Bracers of Defence

The Bracers of Defence boost your Armour Class by+2 as long as you are not wearing armour or a shield. This condition applies to us all the time, making this an excellent defensive item. It can be looted from a gilded chest in the secret area of the Apothecary’s Cellar, beneath the Blighted Village in Act I.

Boots of Genial Striding

The Boots of Genial Striding prevent you from being slowed down by Difficult Terrain, providing you with a decent boost to your mobility. Note that other affects associated with terrain types, such as the chance to slip on ice or taking damage from spikes, will still apply even with the boots equipped. These boots are sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony in the Underdark, Act I.

Pearl of Power Amulet

The Pearl of Power Amulet is a decent early-game item for any spellcaster in BG3. Once per Long Rest, it allows you to restore a Spell Slot of third level or lower. This lets you cast an extra spell before you need to take a Long Rest to replenish your Spell Slots. It is sold by Omeluum in the Myconid Colony, however you must complete his quest to investigate the parasite before you can trade with him.

Crusher’s Ring

Crusher’s Ring gives you 3 metres of extra Movement Speed per turn, which is great for improving your mobility and staying one step ahead of melee enemies who might be chasing you. This is especially important if you chose a race with low mobility, such as a dwarf, halfling or gnome. It is dropped by Crusher in the Goblin Camp, Act I.

Ring of Protection

The Ring of Protection has the same effect as the Cloak of Protection, making it another decent defensive item, important for a class like the Sorcerer which cannot wear armour. It is granted to you as a reward by Mol in the Druid Grove for completing the quest to steal the sacred idol.

The Spellsparkler

The Spellsparkler is an excellent early-game weapon for any spellcaster. Whenever you deal damage with a Spell or Cantrip, you gain 2 Lightning Charges, a special type of buff only granted by some equipment.

Each Lightning Charge gives you a +1 bonus to Attack Rolls and causes your attacks to do 1 bonus Lightning Damage. When you reach 5 charges, they are consumed to deal 1d8 bonus Lightning Damage on your next attack. This gives you a considerable bonus when attacking enemies, and with this staff all you need to do is keep casting Spells and Cantrips to benefit from this mechanic. This staff also activates the defensive buff on The Protecty Sparkswall, mentioned above.

To get the Spellsparkler, you need to rescue Counsellor Florrick from the fire in Waukeen’s Rest during the Rescue the Grand Duke quest in Act I. Meet with the Counsellor outside the burning building and you’ll get a choice of rewards, one of which is the Spellsparkler.

Late-Game

The table below shows the recommended late/end-game setup for the Wild Magic Sorcerer. In the late-game we will be putting a little more emphasis on improving the Spell Save Difficulty Class stat, making it harder for enemies to succeed their Saving Throws against our spells.

Slot	Icon	Item	Effects	Location
Head		Hood of the Weave	Gain +2 Spell Save DC at all times	Sold by Mystic Carrion in Philgrave’s Mansion
Cloak		Cloak of the Weave	+1 to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls	Sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee, once her special stock is unlocked
Chest		Potent Robe	+1 to Armour Class Your Cantrips deal bonus damage equal to your Charisma Modifier (Should be +5 by now) Gain THP equal to your Charisma Modifier at the start of every turn	Given as a reward by Alfira for completing the Rescue the Tieflings quest in Act II
Gloves		Helldusk Gloves	+1 to Strength Saving Throws +1 to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls Rays of Fire (Unique Cantrip)	Dropped by Haarlep in the House of Hope.
Boots		Helldusk Boots	You cannot be forcefully moved by enemy Spells or Actions You’re immune to Difficult Terrain You can use a Reaction to succeed a Saving Throw that you were about to fail	Looted from a locked gilded chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress
Necklace		Spellcrux Amulet	Recover a Spell Slot of any level, once per Long Rest Can be used in combat, and only requires a Bonus Action	Looted from the Warden in Moonrise Towers Prison
Ring 1		Ring of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Steal the Sacred Idol in Druid Grove (quest)
Ring 2		Ring of Feywild Sparks	+1 to Spell Save DC When Tides of Chaos is active, you will always trigger Wild Magic when casting spells	Carried by Auntie Ethel in The Blushing Mermaid – Basement
Main Weapon		Markoheshkir	+1 to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls Arcane Battery – Cast any spell for free, once per Long Rest Kereska’s Favour, once per Long Rest	Found inside a Globe of Invulnerability in Ramazith’s Tower
Second Weapon		Any	You can equip any Ranged Weapon that you have Profiency with We’ll usually use Cantrips, so won’t get much use out of this weapon	N/A

Hood of the Weave

The Hood of the Weave improves your Spell Save DC by +2, meaning enemies will have to roll 2 more points in any given Saving Throw to succeed it. This makes many of your spell effects harder to resist. It is sold by Mystic Carrion in Philgrave’s Mansion, Act III.

Cloak of the Weave

The Cloak of the Weave is useful mainly because it adds another +1 bonus to your Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls, making your spells harder to resist. This cloak also lets you absorb elemental damage once per Short Rest, reducing the damage of the incoming attack by 50% and then adding 1d6 of the same element to your next attack. It is sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee, once her special stock is unlocked.

Potent Robe

The Potent Robe improves your Armour Class by 1, but more importantly, it gives bonuses to characters with high Charisma, which is perfect for a Charisma-based spell caster. Once you have increased your Charisma to 20, you’ll get the following benefits:

• Your Cantrips deal +5 bonus damage
• At the start of your turn, you gain 5 Temporary HP.

If your Charisma is still at 19 when you get the Potent Robe, these bonuses will be +4 instead of +5.

It is given as a reward by Alfira for completing the Rescue the Tieflings quest in Act II. This quest will only be available if you completed Save the Refugees in Act I and protected the Druid Grove from the Goblins. If that applies to you, then you can start the quest by speaking to the Tieflings at Last Light Inn.

Helldusk Gloves

The Helldusk Gloves give a +1 bonus to your Strength Saving Throws and infuse your weapon attacks with 1d6 bonus Fire Damage. More importantly, they give a +1 bonus to spell Attack Rolls and Spell Save DC, making all of your spells more likely to have the desired effect against enemy targets.

The gloves are dropped by Haarlep in the House of Hope.

Helldusk Boots

The Helldusk Boots prevent you from being forcefully moved by an enemy’s spells or actions, and give you immunity to the effects of Difficult Terrain. You can also use a Reaction to succeed a Saving Throw that you would have failed, making these extremely good defensive boots. As another added bonus, you get access to the Hellcrawler action, which allows you to teleport and deals fire damage to anyone at the destination.

These boots can be looted from a locked gilded chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress. Take them before Gortash’s coronation to avoid making NPCs in the area hostile.

Spellcrux Amulet

The Spellcrux Amulet is pretty much a direct upgrade from the Pearl of Power Amulet that we were using in the early-game section. It allows you to replenish one spell slot of any level, once per Long Rest. Unlike the Pearl of Power amulet, you can use the effect in combat, and doing so only costs a Bonus Action, making the amulet easier to use.

It is looted from the Warden in Moonrise Towers Prison, Act II.

Ring of Feywild Sparks

The Ring of Feywild Sparks is a late-game ring that is especially designed for the Wild Magic Sorcerer subclass. Equipping the ring increases your Spell Save DC by 1, and makes it so that a Wild Magic Surge is guaranteed to occur when you cast a spell, if you have toggled on your Tides of Chaos feature.

This ring is carried by Auntie Ethel in The Blushing Mermaid – Basement.

Markoheshkir

A Legendary quarterstaff, Markoheshkir is one of the strongest weapons in the game for “full spellcaster” classes like the Sorcerer. It gives several bonuses:

• +1 bonus to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls
• Arcane Battery – Once per Long Rest, remove the Spell Slot cost of your next spell.
• Kereska’s Favour – Gain a special elemental buff of your choice until your next Long Rest, unlocking a special buff and new abilities. This is especially good because it doesn’t require Concentration. You can choose from the following variants:
  • Sizzling Cataclysm – Gain 50% Resistance to Acid Damage. Can cast Melf’s Acid Arrow and Hunger of Hadar once per Short Rest. Acid Spells deal extra Acid Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you inflict 1 turn of Noxious Fumes, causing nearby creatures to take 1d4 Acid Damage per turn.
  • Deadlier than Arsenic – Gain 50% Resistance to Poison Damage. Can cast Cloudkill and Ray of Sickness once per Short Rest. Poison Spells deal extra Poison Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you inflict 1 turn of Poisoned on the target, causing Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and Ability Checks.
  • Bone-Shaking Thunder – Gain 50% Resistance to Thunder Damage. Can cast Shatter and Destructive Wave once per Short Rest. Thunder Spells deal extra Thunder Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you inflict 1 turn of Reverberation on the target, causing a -1 penalty to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution Saving Throws.
  • Bolts of Doom – Gain 50% Resistance to Lightning Damage. Can cast Chain Lightning and Lightning Bolt once per Short Rest. Lightning Spells deal extra Lightning Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you gain 1 Lightning Charge.
  • Frost of Dark Winter – Gain 50% Resistance to Cold Damage. Can cast Cone of Cold and Ice Storm once per Short Rest. Cold Spells deal extra Cold Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you inflict 1 turn of Encrusted with Frost, causing Disadvantage on Dexterity Saving Throws and possibly Freezing the target if they reach 7 stacks.
  • Flame of Wrath – Gain 50% Resistance to Fire Damage. Can cast Fireball and Wall of Fire once per Short Rest. Fire Spells deal extra Fire Damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. When you deal Spell damage, you gain 1 turn of Heat, causing you to take 1d4 Fire Damage per turn but allowing you to use Heat Convergence to convert your Heat stacks to bonus Fire damage on your next attack.

The staff is found inside a Globe of Invulnerability in Ramazith’s Tower in Act III. Use a See Invisibility Spell, Scroll or Elixir to find the lever which disables the globe.

Sorcerer Build Tips & Tricks

Remember to cast Mage Armour after each Long Rest, to give you some much-needed survivability!

Keep looking out for inventive ways to make use of your Metamagic Abilities. Used correctly, you can double the value of your spells, or come up with solutions that would normally be impossible, like hitting a distant enemy with what is usually a close-range spell. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice Sorcery Points for Spell Slots instead, too. You can always reverse the process if you don’t consume all of your Spell Slots.

Try to stay mindful of positioning when playing your Sorcerer Build in combat. Remember that having melee enemies in your face will give you a Disadvantage on your Attacks, and having the High Ground will give you an Advantage (this only applies to Spell Attack Rolls, like Firebolt and Scorching Ray). If you keep getting caught in bad positions, you can use the Misty Step Spell to teleport. Make use of Crowd Control Spells like Thunderwave to keep enemies from reaching you.

Don’t be afraid to sometimes use an AOE spell like Cloud of Daggers or Fireball on a single target, if you just need some reliable extra damage.

If you have no Spell Slots left or don’t want to expend any at the moment, then your best bet is usually to cast a Cantrip like Fire Bolt on the enemy, as these have unlimited uses. Swinging your melee weapon is only advised if a melee enemy has got into close range (thus giving all your Cantrips Disadvantage) and you cannot retreat safely without provoking an Opportunist Attack.

Sorcerer Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Illithid Powers are unlocked later in BG3 when you learn more about Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. By eating Jars of Mind Flayer Parasites you gain one point. This is another optional skill tree that you can get access to if you want. Here are some of the best Illithid Powers for the BG3 Sorcerer Build with the Wild Magic subclass:

• Concentrated Blast: Allows you to deal extra damage to a target when you are Concentrating on a spell, potentially also healing if the target is Concentrating too. Ideally you will spend a lot of time Concentrating on Spells, so you should be able to get good use from this.
• Cull the Weak: When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 psychic damage to nearby enemies. This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.
• Fly: This can be used to reach hard to get to places or change positions in combat. Use this to keep your Sorcerer safe from enemy attacks, so your Concentration won’t get disrupted as easily.
• Black Hole: This power creates an area-based effect that pulls in and slows targets. It’s particularly useful for crowd control, allowing you to cluster enemies together for area-of-effect attacks or to isolate them from vulnerable allies.
• Psionic Backlash: This is a top-tier reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3. This allows you to deal psychic damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell. This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell. The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.

Related Baldur’s Gate 3 Content:

• Druid Build – Circle of the Moon
• Bard Build – College of Lore
• Ranger Build – Hunter
• Monk Build – Way of Shadow
• Monk Build – Way of the Four Elements
• Monk Build – Way of the Open Hand
• Fighter Build – Battle Master
• Barbarian Build – Berserker
• Warlock Build – Great Old One
• Cleric Build – Light Domain
• Rogue Build – Thief
• Wizard Build – Evocation School
• Paladin – Oath of Ancients
• More Baldur’s Gate Guides & Builds