In this post, I will go through the Storm Sorcerer Build for Baldur's Gate 3. It is a lightning incarnate which is a master of Lightning. Draw some Icicles and look at your double Lightning damage. Moreover, Storm Sorcerer can empower the spells using metamagic to cast even triple spells per turn

Contents

Storm Sorcerer Build
Short overview
Starting the Game
Detailed Leveling Progression
General Tips
Conclusion

Storm Sorcerer Build

The build concentrates on making a Sorcerer that primarily casts Lightning spells. We take the Storm Sorcerer subclass which is perfect for this. It also gives a huge mobility boost by allowing you to Fly via bonus action after a spell is cast. The goal is to reach level 5 as soon as possible to unlock Lightning Bolt, hitting multiple enemies in a straight line.

stomr sorcerer combat lightning bolt water surface baldurs gate 3

Moreover, to further empower our build we are also multiclass dipping into Tempest Cleric. Why? It gives heavy armor proficiency, some healing spells, and Destructive Wrath allowing you to maximize lightning/thunder spell damage. So you not only increase your survivability in the late game but also deal the maximum possible damage by using Channel Divinity charge

Being a sorcerer is also a good choice for the main character. As you will participate in dialogues, there will be many options to roll Persuasion, Performance, etc. checks. You can easily be the face of the party as you have high Charisma, and cantrips like Friends and Thaumaturgy allowing you to easily pass these checks.

Short overview

This is a short overview and progression of the build. Use it to get a quick glance if you want to pick the best options without going deep into the explanations. A more detailed description with texts, suggestions, and improvements can be found in the next sections.

Storm Sorcerer Leveling Overview

Level	Category	Choice
1	Abilities	Str 8, Dex 16 (15+1), Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 17 (15+2)
	Class	Sorcerer 1
	Cantrips	Friends, Minor Illusion, Fire bolt, Ray of Frost
	Spells	Magic Missile, Mage Armour
	Subclass	Storm Sorcery
	Skills	Athletics, Acrobatics, Intimidation, Persuasion, Performance
2	Class	Sorcerer 2
	Spells	Thunderwave
	Class Passives	Metamagic: Twinned Spell, Metamagic: Distant Spell
3	Class	Sorcerer 3
	Spells	Shatter
	Class Passives	Metamagic: Quickened Spell
4	Class	Sorcerer 4
	Cantrips	Shocking Grasp
	Spells	Shield
	Feat	Ability Improvement - Charisma +2
5	Class	Sorcerer 5
	Spells	Lightning Bolt
	Replace Spell	Mage Armour -> Haste
6	Class	Cleric 1
	Cantrips	Thaumaturgy, Produce Flame, Guidance
	Subclass	Tempest Domain
7	Class	Cleric 2
8	Class	Sorcerer 6
	Spells	Counterspell
9	Class	Sorcerer 7
10	Class	Sorcerer 8
	Spells	Banishment
	Feat	Spell Sniper
11	Class	Sorcerer 9
	Spell	Telekinesis
12	Class	Sorcerer 10
	Cantrips	Blade Ward
	Spells	Hold Monster
	Class Passives	Metamagic: Heightened Spell

Starting the Game

We start with the early game. I would go into what are the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for Storm Sorcerer. Some of these choices are impactful as you cannot respec them.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc. I think races that have shield proficiency really benefit the Sorcerer build.

If you are having difficulties making a choice, pick whatever you prefer in terms of looks or roleplay. "The perfect race pick" is important if you are min-maxing or doing a Tactician run.

Race	Features	Description
High Half-Elf	Civil Militia - You have weapon proficiency with Spears, Pikes, Halberds, and Glaives, and Armour Proficiency with Light Armour and Shield Darkvision - Grant a creature the ability to see in the dark out to a range of 12m. Fey Ancestry - You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.	I think this is the "optimal" choice. High Half-Elfs get a cantrip, Darkvision, and also shield proficiency. More or less everything that you need for a good Sorcorer
Human	Civil Militia - You have weapon proficiency with Spears, Pikes, Halberds, and Glaives, and Armour Proficiency with Light Armour and Shield Human Versatility - Select and additional Skill to be proficient in. Your carrying capacity is increased by a quarter	This is one of the rare occasions where I would recommend going with a human. You can get Shield proficiency that will be valuable throughout the game for various bonuses and increased Armour class.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy - A lifetime of relentless training gave you Armour Proficiency with Light and Medium Armour, as well as Proficiency with the Shortsword, Longsword, and Greatsword	They have a few unique actions like Misty Step and Psyonic Jump. Moreover, they get Medium armor proficiency for higher AC.

Class

We start the build with Sorcerer. First, it will give us Constitution Saving Throw proficiency. Second, we want to get level 3 spells as soon as possible. They have very powerful options like Lightning Bolt. After that we can dip into Cleric.

Overview
Sorcerer
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.

Cantrips

The sorcerer gets 4 cantrips. This is a lot, allowing us to make some good choices:

Cantrips	Description
Friends	If you are the main character and do most of the dialogues, this is also a good choice as it gives an advantage during rolls.
Fire bolt	Use this cantrip to deal moderate damage or light up barrels with oil. Perfect if you want to save spell slots
Ray of Frost	Opposite to Fire Bolt, you can deal ice damage if enemies are resistant to fire damage.
Minor Illusion	Lure enemies together from stealth with the cantrip. Then use Shatter, Thudnerwave, or any other area of effect spell, to deal huge damage.

minor illussion attract enemies baldurs gate 3

Spells

Sorcerers cannot prepare spells. This means that what they choose during the level-up screen - is what they can use. This can easily cause paralysis especially if you are new to the game. Here are my recommendations for what to pick early:

Spells	Description
Magic Missile	I really recommend this spell. It is not very powerful, but it can hit multiple enemies and does not miss. You can easily finish off a straggler with a few HP and damage the second foe
Mage Armour	Until we reach level 6 and get heavy armor proficiency, this spell will give us 13 Armour Class. Pair this with a dexterity bonus and we have 16 Armour Class at the start of the game. The same as a heavy armor user

Subclass

Overview
Storm Sorcery
Features
Tempestuous Magic	After you cast a Level 1 spell or higher you can Fly as a bonus action until the end of your turn without receiving Opportunity Attacks.

Abilities

Now let's take a look at the abilities of the Sorcadin build. Correct allocation will allow us to maximize the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses.

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	We do not need strength as we will not be in close range often.
Dexterity	16 (15+1)	High dexterity will give a bonus Armour Class until we get Heavy Armor Proficiency from Cleric multiclass. Another important aspect is that we will get higher initiative allowing us to start the combat earlier to disable or take out enemies before they can do anything.
Constitution	14	The constitution will give us bonus HP and increase the success of Constitution Saving Throws
Intelligence	8	Not really important stat for us
Wisdom	10	We get 10, to not get any negative modifier for Wisdom Saving Throws, as there are many of them.
Charisma	17 (15+2)	The main ability of Sorcer build. It determines our spell success, and spell difficulty. Moreover, it is used for many dialogue checks, ensuring that you can trick or persuade NPCs.

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your roleplaying and background decisions. However, you would still want those that will give you the best benefits. My recommendations are to pick those at which you have a high ability modifier:

Acrobatics
Persuasion
Deception
Performance
Intimidation

Detailed Leveling Progression

Here is the detailed progression for the build to get you started. You can use it as a guideline because early games can be daunting and overwhelming. Later on, once you get the feel for the class you can start picking your own options

Level 2

Instantly at level 2, we get some sweet stuff. First, we get an additional level 1 spell slot, and second 2 sorcery points are added. They can be used for creating spell slots, additional spellcasting, etc. Last, we unlock special metamagic mechanic

Actions	Description
Create Sorcery Points	Spend Spell Slots to gain Sorcery Points. Once you get some more metamagic options, you could sacrifice spell slots, to cast two spells in one turn or increase your range
Create Spell Slot	Spend Sorcery Points to unlock a Spell Slot. You could create a higher tier spell slot, to increase the damage over what you can at the current level

Spells

Spells	Description
Thunderwave	Do you see an enemy close to the ledge? Or they are close to you? Use Thunderwave to knock them back and deal thunder damage. It can instantly kill foes that are thrown from the ledge.

Class Passives

Sorcerers get access to unique actions - metamagic. They allow to consumption of sorcery points to enhance spellcasting. New metamagic options will be unlocked as we level up as you have more and more Sorcery Points.

Passives	Description
Metamagic: Twinned Spell	Spells that only target 1 creature can target an additional creature
Metamagic: Distant Spell	Increase the range of spells by 50%. You can easily now avoid the penalty for the lack of range if this situation happens when spellcasting

Level 3

We unlock the level 2 spell slots and spells. We also gain another option for metamagic, this time much better

Spells and Replace Spell

Level 2 spells are okay, nothing that is groundbreaking. Here are a few recommendations of what you can take. You also can replace spells, but I do not recommend doing that yet at this stage.

Spells	Description
Shatter	A perfect spell for Storm Sorcerer. Has a decent area of effect, and is more effective against inorganic enemies.
Cloud of Daggers	This can be used to target multiple enemies and is very good in passages or choke points. The spell deals damage when it's cast and when the enemy's turn begins. This means you do 2x damage by default.

Class Passives

We are getting another metamagic selection. The good thing is that two new options are introduced. Here is my recommendation:

Passives	Description
Metamagic: Quickened Spell	By consuming 3 Sorcery points a spell can be cast using bonus action instead of action points. You can cast two damage spells one after another. Or later, you could use Haste and then two spells at the same turn. This unlocks tactical possibilities.

Level 4

We get our first Feat selection that will greatly improve both offense and defense. The Sorcerer also unlocks another level 2 spell slot and can select an additional spell.

Cantrips

We can choose another cantrip. Here is my recommendation:

Cantrips	Description
Shocking Grasp	This will allow casting lightning spells from short-range and utilize the bonus damage of Heart of the Storm

Spells

Spells	Description
Shield	I cannot stress enough how powerful this spell is. You can use the level 1 spell slot, to increase your armour class by 5. The result is that you can avoid most of the attacks during the turn.

Feat

For the first Feat, there is nothing much to recommend. You really only want to improve your ability score for a higher spell success chance and more damage

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement	Allocate 2 ability points to Charisma. This will increase the modifier by 1 resulting in higher spell success.

Level 5

And we finally reach level 3 spells. Moreover, we get 2 level 3 spell slots for upcasting.

Spells

There are a lot of good spells at this tier, so it's hard to choose what to pick. But as we are a Storm Sorcerer, there is only one and true contender:

Spells	Description
Lightning Bolt	A lightning spell that hits all enemies in a direct line. Try to get the best position possible to hit as many foes as you can. Moreover, try to wet enemies with party members for double damage.

Replace Spell

We also need to do some spell replacement. At level 6 we will be getting Cleric multiclass. This will give heavy armor proficiency, meaning that we can remove Mage Armour. Switch it with Haste

storm sorcerer replace spell level 5 baldurs gate 3

Spells	Description
Haste	A very powerful spell that gives an additional action point. In a sense, you can cast two spells. Add Metamagic: Quickened Spell, and you can cast 3 spells per turn!

Level 6 - Cleric Lv 1

We take our first dip into multiclassing via Cleric class. Why would you go here? Although Clerics mainly do healing, the Tempest subclass, gives very powerful reactions that enhance lightning and thunder damage via Channel Divinity. More or less you will be able to deal maximum possible damage with Lightning Bolt. Crazy, yeah?

Not only, that but we get Heavy Armour proficiency, allowing us to wear one of the strongest armors in the game.

Class

By taking Cleric we also get a level 3 spell slot.

Overview
Cleric
Features
Domain Spells	You gain spells from your domain. They are always prepared.

Cantrips

You are able to choose 3 cantrips with Cleric multiclass. Here are some suggestions:

Cantrip	Description
Thaumaturgy	Gain an Advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks. I think it is mandatory if the Sorcerer is your main character
Sacred Flame	An option to have Radiant damage source. Otherwise, the cantrip is nothing special.
Guidance	Probably the most useful cantrip in the game. Can be used to improve the chances of successful ability rolls. Especially useful in dialogues. Take it if you do not have other party members who can cast it
Produce Flame	This cantrip is useful in Act 2, where you will have most of the areas covered in darkness. You can cast it on yourself or allies to make the combat easier in case anyone does not have Darkvision.

Subclass

The best match for Storm Sorcerer - Tempest Domain cleric.

Overview
Tempest Domain
Features
Wrath of the Storm	Strike back at an attacking creature, potentially dealing 2 -16 Lightning damage. On a failed Saving Throw you deal half of a 2 -16 Thunder damage roll.

Prepared Spells

Unfortunately, we are only able to take a few spells. Here are a few that you should consider:

Spell	Description
Sanctuary	A last resort spell that you can save your ally from being killed. This will divert enemy attention from them as long as they don't do aggressive attacks
Bless	We can use it to boost multiple ally attack rolls. This is great for general use, but especially good if your party members have Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter feats. It requires concentration so be aware of that

Level 7 - Cleric Lv 2

Feature	Description
Destructive Wrath	This is a very powerful subclass feature. We can use Channel Divinity to deal the maximum amount of damage when using Lightning or Thunder damage.

We also unlock the Turn Undead spell. There are a few places where you can use this spell, but to be honest, I never used it.

Spell	Description
Turn Undead	Pray to Turn all undead that can see you. Turned enemies cannot take action and can only move.

Level 8 - Sorcerer Lv 6

We are back to Sorcerer multiclass and we got everything we needed from Cleric. We get our first level 4 spell slot, which can be used to upcast spells. Moreover, we unlock additional subclass features and gain new spells.

Features	Description
Heart of the Storm	When you cast a Spell of level 1 or higher that deals Lightning or Thunder damage, you cause a small, local storm. All enemies within 6m take additional Lightning or Thunder damage equal to half your Sorcerer level.
Heart of the Storm: Resistance	You are Resistant to Lightning and Thunder damage.

And you gain multiple spells related to your subclass for free:

Spells	Description
Call Lightning	A perfect skill to hit multiple enemies that are close to each other. Combine it with Destructive Wrath for huge damage. Also, it can be reused next turns without expending spell slots if your concentration is not broken. However, it will break other spell concentration
Sleet Storm	Amazing crowd control spell that disrupts spellcaster concentration and creates Ice surfaces. After one turn this changes into water. It can be electrified or wet enemies can be hit for double damage.
Gust of Wind	Creates a wide cone of wind that pushes enemies 5 meters and throws them off balance. Personally, I use Thunderwave which also deals damage.
Create or Destroy Water	You can use this spell to make your foes wet. It is a perfect choice to be used with Metamagic: Quickened Spell. After that follow up with Lightning Bolt or Call Lightning for double damage.
Thunderwave	Allows to knockback targets and deal thunder damage. We already have it, so it will be replaced with another spell.

Spells

We are still able to choose between level 3 spells.

Spells	Description
Counterspell	Another powerful spell that can counter almost any spell that foe casts. Even if you don't use it often, it is good to have it as it will notify you of what enemies are casting and let you decide the next steps

Replace Spell

Remove Thunderwave, because we got it from our subclass for free. I recommend selecting one of these:

Spells	Description
Slow	You can target up to 6 foes to slow them down. If most of them succeed the combat will become drastically easier and you can overwhelm almost anyone
Hypnotic Pattern	Very deadly against low Wisdom enemies. The spell has a huge area of effect. The only downside would be that it only works for two turns, but this should be enough to take out a few foes.

Level 9 - Sorcerer Lv 7

We reach level 4 spells. There are a few powerful options that will synergize well with our Storm Sorcerer build

Spells and Replace Spell

I recommend a few spells that you can take. This also includes replacement options. I would probably remove either Shatter or Magic Missile

Spell	Description
Ice Storm	Drops Icicles from the sky that deal both ice and physical damage. Creates an Ice surface, which can make enemies fall. Moreover, the ice melts on the next turn and turns to water. You can then use lightning spells on wet enemies for double damage
Blight	A very strong single-target spell, it has 8d8 rolls and can one-shot most medium enemies.
Dominate Beast	Take control of enemy beasts to fight on your side. Targeting someone with low Wisdom will allow you to break enemy ranks as they scramble and start fighting each other.

Level 10 - Sorcerer Lv 8

The level-up gives the first level 5 spell slot. You can cast very powerful spells by upcasting current ones. moreover, a new Feat is unlocked

Spells and Replace Spell

Spell	Description
Banishment	Remove the target from the battlefield. This can be perfect for making the encounter easier and even disabling enemy buffs temporarily - like auras. The most important thing is that it does Charisma Saving Throw which is very rare and good to have

For replacement, it's your choice, you can pick something you want to try or discard a spell you do not use.

Feat

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement	Put one point into Charisma, and another where you prefer. The result is maximized Charisma with maximum spell success.
Spell Sniper	Doubles the chance of spell spell-critical hit, making your lightning spells even more powerful. Moreover, you gain additional cantrip choices. Pick Eldritch Blast, it is the most powerful cantrip in the game. You can then use metamagic to cast it twice or thrice. Note: As of Patch #2 this feat does not work

Level 11 - Sorcerer Lv 9

And we get to Level 5 spells. All of them are very powerful, but you will be able to cast them one or two times. Moreover, we get a level 6 spell slot, to enable upcasting.

Spells and Replace Spell

There are many good choices here but I do not think any of them is "the best". I list a few alternatives that you are free to choose, based on your playstyle. Probably you will still continue using Lightning Bolt and Call Lightning for the highest possible damage.

Spell	Description
Cone of Cold	A decent option that targets multiple foes in a cone. The downside is that it does not create any ice or water surface, so besides damage, there are no pros in using it.
Telekinesis	I love this spell. First thing it allows you to play with enemies and throw them around the battlefield. Second, it can be recast without using a spell slot, which is another huge benefit.

Level 12 - Sorcerer Lv 10

We reached the last level of the build. The sorcerer class gives the last sorcery point, a new cantrip option, a spell, and one metamagic selection.

Cantrips

You are free to take any cantrip that you find useful. More or less the build has been finished, so this is just a good addition:

Cantrips	Description
Mage Hand	Quality of Life spell, that you can use to summon a hand. It can solve some puzzles, pick and throw objects. It can also shove enemies from ledges.
Blade Ward	Reduce incoming piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning damage by half. If you are fighting against enemies that use physical attacks this in theory doubles your HP.

Spells and Replace Spell

Now, we can select the last spell of the build. Generally, pick anything you want to add to the Sorcerer's arsenal. For spell replacement, again, remove what you don't use

Spell	Description
Hold Monster	Similar to Hold Person, it allows putting monsters in place. Add a nearby melee attacker or go close with your spell for guaranteed critical hits.
Dominate Person	You can make a person fight for you. Similar to Dominate Beast, this can make encounters much more difficult for enemies as their ranks could fall apart from one strong fighter joining your side.

Class Passives

Passives	Description
Metamagic: Heightened Spell	Targets of spells that require Saving Throws have a Disadvantage on their first Saving Throw. It will give a higher success of spell success. But overall, at this point in the game, it will not matter much.

General Tips

Now I would like to cover some general tips on how to play Storm Sorcerer Build.

Twinned Spell and Haste

Even if you did not plan this, Sorcerer can be extremely powerful support. At level 5 you gain access to level 3 spell slots and Haste. This spell gives 2 action points per turn, meaning you could double your damage output.

metamagic twinned spell description bg3

To do this you need to activate Metamagic: Twinned Spell and then cast Haste. You can now target two targets. I recommend doing this on yourself and another group member. This way two members in your party have double amount of actions. This will make your combat encounters much easier.

Use the Create Water spell

So if we want to hit enemies for the largest amount of possible damage, we need to make them wet. Wet enemies even if they have resistance to Lightning, get bonus damage. Due to this, you should always try to create wet surfaces in most encounters. Now how you can do that?

create water baldurs gate 3

In the early game, Clerics and Druids gain this spell, so having them cast it is one option. Another option is to throw water bottles. And last, you could get Rain Dancer staff from Arron merchant druid in the Druid Grove

Even if enemies are resistant to lightning you can make them wet which removes this resistance

The good thing is that at level 6 Storm Sorcerer you will also gain create water by default. However, you generally want someone else to cast it, to save action or bonus action points (if using metamagic). You also have Sleet Storm, which can be used to create an Ice surface, which melts the next turn into water.

Use metamagic to empower your first turn

You can use the Metamagic mechanic to create some powerful spell combos. My favorite would be Quickened Spell. It allows casting a spell via bonus action. Here are some good combos:

Haste and then cast two spells on the first turn and three on the second.
Hold Person or Monster, and then cast spells for guaranteed critical hits.

metamagic quickened spell heightened spell baldurs gate 3

Moreover, you can use Metamagic: Heightened Spell to create a disadvantage on Saving Throws on enemies. Meaning your spells have a much higher chance of success

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Storm Sorcerer build for Baldur's Gate 3.

Cheers!