Knowledge Cleric build - The Walking Archives - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Knowledge Domain Cleric Build - The Walking Archives

This build is a bit different from my others. Generally, one would concentrate on combat, however, Knowledge Cleric is better suited for role-playing and learning more about the game world via various ability checks.

Of course, the core of the Cleric is maintained, you can use healing spells like - Healing Word and Mass Healing Word. Moreover, you have the all-powerful Spirit Guardians​ that can debuff enemies with Radiant Orb explosions and stacks of Reverbation.

What makes the Knowledge domain special? First, you will get Blessings of Knowledge​ to obtain expertise in two skills. As you progress more possibilities of improving skills will be obtained. However, one thing that is generally overlooked is the array of control spells that you will get. These will help you save Prepared Spell Slots and access unique cleric options like Confusion​ and Potent Spellcasting.

So let's go into the build!

Class Contribution

The build mostly goes into Cleric to obtain all the core parts of the build. The sorcerer will provide some help with managing spell Concentration.

11 Knowledge Domain Cleric

• Blessings of Knowledge​ to gain expertise in Intelligence-related skills.
• Knowledge of the Ages​ gives proficiency in chosen skills of the ability, it could be Charisma for dialogue checks or Perception for world exploration.
• Access to a wide variety of control spells - Hold Person, Confusion, Dominate Person, without requiring to prepare them.
• Improve the damage of your cantrips with Potent Spellcasting​ for additional damage based on the Wisdom modifier.
• Access to healing and support spells - Mass Healing Word​ and Healing Word.
• Can apply wet status for other casters with Create or Destroy Water, helping to make enemies vulnerable to Lightning and Cold damage.
• Spirit Guardians​ - the ultimate cleric spell, to debuff enemies, making them miss their attacks. To make the most out of it you will need some gear.
• Proficiencies with shields, and medium armor, allowing to improve defensive capabilities further.

1 Sorcerer

• Provides Constitution Saving Throw proficiency which will help maintain spell concentration.
• Access to Shield, which is an excellent cheap survivability boost if the situation demands it. The +5 Armour Class is a huge boon, allowing you to avoid deadly attacks.
• Access to a variety of cantrips like Friends, which are especially useful if you are the main character, as you can win over some of the dialogues with low charisma.
• Unique Storm Sorcerer feature - Tempestuous Magic, giving a huge boost in mobility.

Leveling Overview

Here is a concise table with all the main picks during your leveling progression. For more detailed reasoning, I go further in the article. Also, do not forget to check the recommended gear as it is crucial.

Level	Class	Selection
1	Cleric 1	Cantrips: Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy​, Guidance​
		Subclass: Knowledge Domain
		Recommended Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Command, Inflict Wounds, Sanctuary, Healing Word​
		STR - 8, DEX - 16, CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 16, CHA - 10
		Skills: any
2	Cleric 2	-
3	Cleric 3	Recommended Prepared Spells: Lesser Restoration, Enhance Ability, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon​
4	Cleric 4	Cantrips: Produce Flame​
		Feat: Ability Improvement - +1 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
5	Cleric 5	Recommended Prepared Spells: Spirit Guardians, Glyph of Warding, Mass Healing Word​
6	Sorcerer 1 (respec as first level)	Cantrips: Friends, Minor Illusion, Light, Mage Hand.
		Spells: Shield, Magic Missile​
		Subclass: Storm Sorcery
7	Cleric 6	-
8	Cleric 7	-
9	Cleric 8	Feat: Ability Improvement +2 Wisdom or War Caster: Concentration​
10	Cleric 9	Recommended Prepared Spells: Flame Strike​
11	Cleric 10	Cantrip: any
12	Cleric 11	Recommended Prepared Spells: Heroes' Feast, Planar Ally​

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Knowledge Cleric build. Some of these choices are impactful as you cannot respec them.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc.

Race	Features	Description
Wood Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.	The race picks are very similar, the main difference is weapon proficiencies. However, the cleric subclass will already provide everything that you need. The most important aspect is the increased movement speed that you will need when using Spirit Guardians.
Wood Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy​	The race fits perfectly with the theme of the build. The Githyanki gain Astral Knowledge​ which will give even more proficiencies together with Knowledge of the Ages.
Rock Gnome	Gnome Cunning​ Darkvision​	This race is purely for the build idea. It gains expertise in History skills which stack up well with the overall skill setup of the build. However, as this is a small race you do lose movement speed which is important for Clerics.

Class

Overview
Cleric
Clerics are representatives of the gods they worship, wielding potent divine magic for good or ill.
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.
Domain Spells​	Unique spell list accessible based on your cleric subclass.

Cantrips

Cantrips	Description
Sacred Flame​	The main damage cantrip of clerics deals radiant damage. Early in the game, it is underwhelming, due to low Spell Save DC, but later it can be a decent option when you are saving spell slots.
Thaumaturgy​	Especially recommended if you are the main character as it will help with Intimidation checks.
Guidance​	The most important cleric cantrip, which improves various ability rolls, works on yourself and party members.

Subclass

Overview
Knowledge Domain
Features
Blessings of Knowledge​	Gain 2 skills and expertise in intelligence-related skills.
Command​	A strong control spell that works for 1 turn and does not require a concentration slot.
Sleep​	It is a great spell for a few early-level encounters but loses its purpose later on.

Deity

As the build name implies, I recommend going with Oghma. The diety is all about sharing knowledge with the world, which you have plenty of thanks to multiple skill proficiencies. Of course, feel free to pick anything else.

Prepare Spells

Clerics get plenty of good level-1 spells. You might not have enough slots to equip them all but don't worry, more will be available as you level up. Choose your preferred ones.

Spells	Description
Guiding Bolt​	The main, long-range damage spell for the cleric in the early game.
Create or Destroy Water​	Excellent spell to keep on hand. It can be useful when allies will cast Cold or Lightning spells to double their damage.
Inflict Wounds​	If enemies are close to you, this is the go-to spell, which a strong damage rolls. It can also crit, inflicting even more damage.
Command​	One of the best control spells in the game, if you have a high chance of landing it. What makes it special is that it does not use a concentration slot.
Sanctuary​	Use this spell to make the ally untouchable, for example, if they have low HP, or you want to divert the enemy's attention.
Healing Word​	The best healing spell, due to its cheap cost and ability to revive downed targets without wasting action points. Moreover, later with The Whispering Promise ring you can buff specific allies.
Bless​	This is an excellent spell, however, I would only use it before combat and in the early game. It loses value later on, especially with some excellent items you can get in Act 1 like The Whispering Promise.
Shield of Faith​	Excellent early game spell, that can be used to improve defensive capabilities. I would not use it too much at higher levels as you get better use for concentration slots.

Background

Backgrounds are mostly for role-playing and you can pick whatever you prefer. However, for optimizations, I would do some strategic prioritizing. I would pick anything related to Intelligence and Wisdom. For Charisma (in this case Persuasion), I would skip it altogether. You could use Knowledge of the Ages​ to get bonuses for these from level 2.

Background	Skills	Description
Folk Hero	Animal Handling Survival	Both wisdom skills, that cleric can cover well. Fits, the build from a roleplay perspective.
Sage	Arcana History	Fits the build extremely well in terms of role play and together with Blessings of Knowledge​ you have a sturdy setup to cover Intelligence checks.
Acolyte	Insight Religion	Insight is a Wisdom skill and Religion although Intelligence fits well with Cleric's theme.
Outlander	Athletics Survival	Mainly relevant for Survival skill which is wisdom-based.

Abilities

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

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	Not relevant ability
Dexterity	16 (15+1)	Improves the initiative and Armour class bonus to medium armors.
Constitution	15	Constitution will help to maintain spell concentration when getting hit. Moreover, it will increase the overall HP pool.
Intelligence	8	Generally, this would be an irrelevant stat. But the build does get bonus proficiencies to Intelligence skills. To counteract the negative effects you could add 2 points from Charisma here. However, I do think dialogue checks are more important in the game.
Wisdom	16(14+2)	The main spellcasting ability for clerics. This should be maximized to have success with spells.
Charisma	10	With various proficiency bonuses, I would recommend setting Charisma to 10, so that there would be no penalty to dialogue checks, which can be extremely important in the game.

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. Overall, Knowledge Cleric is all about getting the most skill proficiencies, so cover anything that you do not have. I would skip charisma ones, as you will get bonuses for them via Knowledge of the Ages.

• History
• Insight
• Medicine
• Religion

Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the Knowledge Cleric 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 a feel for the class you can start picking your options

Level 2

This is where you will have left the tutorial area, and will start exploring the world. 

Action	Description
Turn Undead​	Excellent against undead enemies, making them run away.
Knowledge of the Ages​	Gain proficiency in all skills of the selected ability. I recommend using it on Charisma, to help with dialogue checks.

Level 3

At this level the Cleric gets access to Level 2 spells, further expanding the spellbook. Moreover, new always-ready spells are introduced.

Spells	Description
Calm Emotions​	Unfortunately, I did not find much use for this spell, besides a few encounters in the game.
Hold Person​	The spell is useful throughout the game, especially as it can be upcast to hit multiple targets. Although clerics get this in prepared spells, this will save you a spell slot.

Prepared Spells

Spells	Description
Lesser Restoration​	I recommend being aware that you have this spell, as there are situations where it might be useful. It does not have to be always in the prepared spell list.
Warding Bond​	Excellent spell, that you can use to greatly improve the survivability of one of your party members.
Hold Person​	Can be situationally useful, especially if you have an 80%+ chance to land it. This then opens up an easy way for Advantage and guaranteed critical hits from the 3-meter range.
Spiritual Weapon​	Gives a good use for bonus action. The weapon deals okay damage and can act as a distraction.
Enhance Ability​	Almost a mandatory spell to have by someone in the group. This can help with various ability checks and turn the tables to your side.

Level 4

Level 4 brings the first feat, it will be a huge improvement.

Cantrips

Cantrip	Description
Produce Flame​	It can be used to light the area around you, but also deals 1d8 fire damage. This is a good cantrip to have on hand, especially if enemies have high Wisdom and Sacred Flame​ has low chance to hit.

Feat

Here you can select from a few choices, based on your playstyle and what kind of playthrough you are doing.

Level 5

This level is a huge milestone, and that is why no multiclassing happened before. Access to level 3 spells makes Cleric an extremely powerful build.

Feature	Description
Destroy Undead​	When you use Turn Undead, you will also deal bonus radiant damage. I think this is a good addition, but nothing fancy as it has niche uses.

The Knowledge Domain subclass also gains special spells:

Spell	Description
Speak with Dead​	A great spell to have on hand when exploring the world. Talking with NPCs can reveal story bits and the lore.
Slow​	Although this spell is powerful, I do think it is not as good. The problem is that enemies can still attack, and this can easily break concentration or inflict substantial damage with spells.

Prepared Spells

Now, this is probably the most important section as you will gain some game-changing spells, allowing you to win many encounters.

Spell	Description
Spirit Guardians​	This is one of the strongest cleric spells, that will be your bread and butter throughout the game. It will be used to weaken enemies using the Radiating Orb status effect.
Remove Curse​	This can be useful throughout the game in case you or a party member gets cursed.
Glyph of Warding​	You can use this Glyph to apply various damage types and effects. For example - fire, cold, lightning, etc. The main highlight is Sleep, which works on multiple enemies and can outright win you an encounter.
Mass Healing Word​	Using this as a bonus action together with The Whispering Promise will buff all allies with the Bless​ effect.

Level 6 - respec to Sorcerer Lv 1

Now, to further empower Cleric and its capabilities you will have to respec at Withers and pick Sorcerer as a first class. Here are the main reasons for this switch:

• Get proficiency in Constitution Saving Throws. This is important as it allows you to sustain Concentration on spells while being hit.
• Access to defensive spells like Shield.
• Have the correct spellcasting modifier on items, which depends on the last class taken via multiclassing (it will be Cleric).

You could also go with Rogue which would give you Expertise​ in two additional skills and 4 more proficiencies. It would make you even more knowledgeable about the world. However, this does sacrifice a large combat potential which I do not think is worth it.

Class

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

Cantrips

Take those cantrips that do not rely on damage as they will be using the Charisma modifier, which will be low for Cleric.

Cantrip	Description
Light​	This cantrip will be useful together with the Coruscation Ring or Callous Glow Ring to enable their effects.
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.
Blade Ward​	Can be useful in some situations, where an ally might be in a pinch, and you have no good use for action otherwise.
Mage Hand​	Can be used to solve some puzzles and overcome obstacles.
Minor Illusion​	Can be used to distract targets before engaging them in combat and pull them together. It is also useful for pickpocketing to move unwanted eyes away from your character.

Spells

Spells	Description
Shield​	Very good spell that can ensure +5 Armour Class giving a good survivability boost.
Magic Missile​	I recommend this spell. It is not very powerful, but it can be used to specifically hit a foe, with multiple attacks and using Callous Glow Ring apply a lot of Radiating Orbs to weaken its hit chance.

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

Reuse the same ones from the 1st level - STR - 8, DEX - 16, CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 16, CHA - 8.

Level 7 - Cleric Lv 6

This level unlocks one of the major features of Knowledge Cleric:

Feature	Description
Read Thoughts​	This special action of Knowledge Domain, does consume Channel Divinity Charge. The thought reading helps with some dialogue checks and solving various situations.

Level 8 - Cleric Lv 7

Level 4 spells are unlocked, also new permanent spells are added:

Spells	Description
Confusion​	One of the strongest control spells can trivialize various encounters. This makes enemies attack each other, skip their turns, or sometimes do normal things. The good thing is that has no friendly fire, so it's excellent to be used in the middle of the battle.
Otiluke's Resilient Sphere​	A very niche spell, that is an upgraded version of Sanctuary​. Although it uses a Concentration slot, the target is immune to all damage, and can safely avoid any kind of tight situation. It can also work on enemies that have low Dexterity, as you can disable them and take care of other foes in the meantime.

Prepared Spells

Sadly, there is nothing much to recommend. The spells can be situationally good. However, none of them will change the core rotations of Knowledge Cleric.

Level 9 - Cleric Lv 8

A new subclass feature is unlocked. Moreover, you can select one more feat.

Feature	Description
Potent Spellcasting​	This is a good Knowledge Domain feature. It will improve the damage of Sacred Flame​ and other offensive cantrips when you want to save spell slots against weaker foes.

Feat

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement	+2 Wisdom is the optimal pick here, especially if you have not reached 20 Wisdom with Auntie Ethel Hair. War Caster: Concentration​ would be relevant if you do not have items with a Concentration Saving Throw advantage.
War Caster: Concentration​	This will help maintain spell concentration while being hit. However, I think it is not mandatory, especially as you will have Constitution Saving Throw proficiency from Sorcerer dip. Moreover, some items can help with this - Amulet of Greater Health, Steelwatcher Helmet, etc.
Alert​	If you constantly want to go first and avoid any surprise rounds, this feat guarantees that.

Level 10 - Cleric Lv 9

Level 9 gives access to a few additional spells and a new list of level 5 prepared options.

Spell	Description
Dominate Person​	It can be useful to take over some specific enemy NPCs. However, I do think that there are better options to apply control and for cheaper.
Telekinesis​	Situationally useful, and can help with throwing enemies off the ledges.

Prepare Spells

Spell	Description
Greater Restoration​	Removes negative status effects, that can be useful in some situations.
Flame Strike​	Deadly spell that creates a pillar of fire dealing both fire and radiant damage.

Level 11 - Cleric Lv 10

Now you will get access to the highest tier spell slot - level 6, which will allow casting and upcasting some really powerful spells.

Feature	Description
Divine Intervention​	Once per playthrough action that can be used to activate special effects. To be fair, I usually forget to use it, but it can be extremely useful during Honour Mode playthrough.

Cantrips

Pick any cantrip, they will have a minor impact at this stage.

Level 12 - Cleric Lv 11

This is the last level, and the cleric will access level 6 spells.

Prepare Spells

Spell	Description
Heroes' Feast​	Buff your allies with temporary health points. This makes them more likely to survive difficult encounters.
Planar Ally​	Summon a companion, that can deal adequate damage and also act as a distraction.
Blade Barrier​	Deadly barrier, that can harm multiple foes if placed correctly on the choke point.

Maximizing Ability Scores

Now, as the build progression is covered there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities. As I already mentioned, I recommend this build with Auntie Ethel Hair +1 Wisdom, as it will help to better implement the idea of it.

1. Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Wisdom if you pick this choice.
2. Feat 1 - Ability Improvement - +1 Wisdom, other goes to Constitution.
3. Feat 2 - Ability Improvement - +2 Wisdom
4. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Wisdom.

These will allow you to reach 20-22 natural Wisdom, which is enough for a good Cleric setup.

Potions, Elixirs and Consumables

Let's take a look at what consumables you can use to further empower the build.

Potions

These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	In case you or your other casters have a Concentration spell slot taken and cannot cast Haste, use this potion. It acts similarly, but the effect is just for 3 turns.
Potion of Animal Speaking	Although not something powerful, it is worth stocking up and saving a spell slot.
Potion of Invisibility	Can be used to get a perfect position before the encounter starts or leave the encounter if it comes to worst.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.

Be sure to activate them before combat as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.

Consumable	Description
Elixir of Bloodlust	Very effective elixir that gives another action point if you kill an enemy. I would say this is the best one to use to maximize your output through the turn.
Elixir of Battlemage's Power	Gain 3 stacks of Arcane Acuity. I would say this should be the most used elixir for higher spell success.
Elixir of Peerless Focus	Another good choice that allows to better maintain spell Concentration.
Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation	Grant's a single level 3 spell slot. Could be useful in case you are preparing for a longer encounter.
Supreme Elixir of Arcane Cultivation	Grant's a single level 4 spell slot. Could be useful in case you are preparing for a longer encounter.
Elixir of Vigilance	For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even surprise mechanics. However, if you have Alert​ this becomes redundant.

Illithid Powers

This special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers.

At first, you can only use the base powers. As you move to Act 3, you will be able to unlock the outer ring powers.

Illithid Power	Type	Description
Favourable Beginnings	Base	Beneficial power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits.
Luck of the Far Realms​	Base	Guarantees a critical hit, use it on important targets, that you want to make sure are killed. This works well with spells like Inflict Wounds​ which have attack rolls.
Cull the Weak​	Base	Can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Backlash​	Base	A great way to weaponize your reaction before obtaining Counterspell.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	Can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially relevant for the main character.
Black Hole​	Elite	Very powerful spell that can be used to pull enemies together.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	Can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell. This is especially relevant as you will have a disadvantage on mental saving throws.
Freecast​	Elite	Remove the cost of spell slots or charges.
Mind Sanctuary​	Elite	You can now use action and bonus action interchangeably, giving two full spell casts each turn. It's not as important for you, but it will help other casters in the group.

Equipment Recommendations

Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximize the Knowledge Cleric Build. Items are especially important as they take the build to the next level thanks to their unique effects.

Act 1

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Blood of Lathander	Extremely good weapon if you do not care about Phalar Aluve unique effects. The Lathander's Light​ effect will help you activate additional debuffs from enemies and make combat easier in Act 2.
	Phalar Aluve	This is one of the best weapons in the game for a supporting class like Cleric. If you can precast its Phalar Aluve: Melody before combat, I recommend using it both to improve companion damage or attack rolls.
	Defender Flail	If you do not care about the unique effects, this is a go-to choice. The bonus Armour Class will help you avoid enemy hits and activate Holy Lance Helm.
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	Gives bonus initiative, allowing one to go earlier in combat.
Shield	Adamantine Shield	It provides a substantial defensive boost by reducing critical hit damage.
	Safeguard Shield	Gives a bonus to saving throws, easily accessible early in the game.
Head	Holy Lance Helm	A solid helmet that will deal 1d4 radiant damage if the enemy misses you. Moreover, it will also activate any reverbation effects from Gloves of Belligerent Skies.
	Haste Helm	Improves movement speed, allowing one to reach important targets easily, early in the game.
Cloak	-	Nothing relevant for the build
Armor	Luminous Armour	This is the best armor for the whole game.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	One of the best gloves for builds that apply status effects via various damage sources. This will create Reverbation, increasing the chance of making the enemy Prone.
	Hellrider's Pride	Defensive gloves that give damage resistance to those that the Cleric heals. Perfect combo to be used with Healing Word​/Mass Healing Word​ + The Whispering Promise.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The best boots in terms of offensive damage. They will give Reverbation stacks when you apply status effects, for example, Spirit Guardians.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	One of the best boots, giving a total advantage for movement on difficult surfaces. It also gives Misty Step​ to increase that mobility.
	Boots of Speed	Excellent boots that improve movement capabilities, especially useful when you are running around with Spirit Guardians​ active.
Amulet	Amulet of Restoration	The best cleric amulet early in the game. Use the spells together with The Whispering Promise to apply buffs on your allies.
Rings	The Whispering Promise	The best ring for a cleric early in the game. This will apply Bless​ to allies when you use the Mass Healing Word.
	Crusher's Ring	Excellent ring that will allow you to move around more. This is especially useful before you obtain Tempestuous Magic​ from Sorcerer dip.
	Ring of Protection	The bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability.

Act 2 - mid-game

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	-	Continue using weapons from Act 1, as nothing comes close in terms of usefulness.
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	Still the best bow, as initiative plays a vital role for a Cleric.
	Darkfire Shortbow	Can be useful to precast Haste​ in some encounters.
Shield	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield for casters as it gives +1 Spell Save DC, increasing spell success.
	Sentinel Shield	What makes this shield amazing is that by wearing it you will be going first most of the time during encounters. This is a great way to apply Radiating Orb and Reverbation on enemies using Spirit Guardians.
Head	Fistbreaker Helm	Adds +1 Spell Save DC improving spell success.
Cloak	Thunderskin Cloak	Because most of the enemies you come across will have Reverbation this cloak will further help to weaken those foes.
	Cloak of Protection	Improves survivability and Saving Throw success. You want to equip this cloak to maintain that good Armour Class.
Armor	Luminous Armour	The best armor for clerics using Radiant damage.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Stil the best gloves for the Cleric.
	Luminous Gloves	Alternative option, that will add 2 more Radiating Orb stacks as you inflict damage.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	Still the best boots in terms of applying various conditions.
Amulet	Amulet of the Harpers	Allows casting a Shield​ spell, and can be a lifesaver if attacked heavily for one turn.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	The ring's bonus radiant damage will help activate Gloves of Belligerent Skies and get more Reverbation stacks.
	Coruscation Ring	This will help with building Radiating Orb stacks. However, with all the effects you will be applying, this might be overkill as you will already be proccing Luminous Armour.
	Ring of Mental Inhibition	Excellent ring that can be used to apply Mental Fatigue from failed Saving Throws against your spells.
	Ring of Spiteful Thunder	Adds another Dazed effect that can be procced after 5 Reverbation stacks are activated and Thunder damage gets applied.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

To be fair if you are interested in doing the standard cleric strategy - Spirit Guardians, run around and debuff enemies, weapons from Act 1 are plenty.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Markoheshkir	The ultimate caster weapon. Generally, it would be taken by a Sorcerer or Wizard, but in case you are not using them, definitely try using this one with its unique effects.
Ranged	Hellrider Longbow	The bonus initiative is an excellent boost to go early in combat. If it is not a surprise round, it is almost guaranteed.
Shield	Viconia's Walking Fortress	One of the best shields in the game. Overall, it serves more of a defensive role giving advantages on Spell Saving Throws.
	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield for casters as it gives +1 Spell Save DC, increasing spell success.
Head	Hood of the Weave	One of the best headwear for spellcasters, giving +2 Spell Save DC. This can be contested by other casters as it is in high demand.
Cloak	Cloak of The Weave	Improves Spell Save DC. However, the main caveat is that this cloak is in demand by all casters.
	Cloak of Displacement	Provides an increased chance of avoiding enemy attacks with attack rolls.
Armor	Luminous Armour	Still the best armor in the game.
Gloves	-	Reuse the same gloves from previous acts.
Boots	-	Reuse the same boots from previous acts.
Amulet	Amulet of The Devout	Overall, the best amulet for Cleric builds. Gives additional Channel Divinity Charge and improved Spell Save DC.
Rings	-	Reuse the same rings from previous Acts.

Build Mechanics

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Knowledge Cleric Build. This will help you utilize it to the fullest and correctly use various actions and spells throughout the game.

Important Mechanics and Combos

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively. Knowledge Cleric has very interesting combos if you are willing to invest some time in the setup.

Understanding what the Knowledge Domain is about

So picking this subclass on Cleric is more about role play and enjoying the game, rather than maximizing the damage. For that, there are other subclasses like Tempest Cleric or Light Cleric. Still, knowledge cleric offers plenty of control spells to make it useful throughout the game.

However, the main thing why you would pick one is its capability to be proficient in multiple skills. This allows them to pass more ability checks than normal clerics and opens up unique role-play opportunities. Of course, this does have a minimal impact on combat, but being able to uncover the world's mysteries, and persuade someone to leave you without combat is a sight to behold.

Healing and Buffs

The main misunderstanding about clerics is that people assume they should only be healing and supporting. However, this is far from the truth. In general, the best healing mechanic is just throwing potions, which is efficient, and cheap in comparison.

Overall, healing should be limited and in my opinion, used sparingly. My recommended spells are Healing Word​ and Mass Healing Word. These are cheap to use and cost only bonus action, which does not interfere with your important spells that will be covered later.

However, the major highlight is that those healing spells activate The Whispering Promise ring buffing your allies. This is very valuable early in the game, so that your party has a higher hit chance, making combat easier.

In addition, there are other items that you can use - Hellrider's Pride or The Reviving Hands later in the game with more defensive bonuses.

Spirit Guardians - Cleric's bread and butter

So the most important spell for Cleric is Spirit Guardians. With the correct gear that I recommend each enemy you touch, will apply various status effects like Reverbation, Prone, and Radiating Orb.

So you are like a running Beyblade damaging everything that you touch and also weakening their combat potential. Just remember the core items to make this work - Luminous Armour, Boots of Stormy Clamour, and Gloves of Belligerent Skies. There are some other options, but overall these are the best picks.

So the idea is to run around and have as many as possible enemies touched by your light. However, this might be limiting in some cases, where enemies might be on higher ground or behind covers. This is where the next step comes in...

Tempestuous Flight

Taking a level 1 dip into Sorcerer unlocked one of the features that will greatly improve Light cleric mobility - Tempestuous Magic. This will allow you to fly at the cost of bonus action, not use movement speed, and avoid opportunity attacks.

While flying any enemies you touch with Spirit Guardians, will be affected by it. This is an excellent way to spread Radiating Orbs and debuff most of the enemies in the combat zone.

Reverbation and status effects

The main highlight of the Light Cleric build is the sheer amount of status effects that you will be applying - Reverbation, Prone, Radiating Orb, Daze, etc. This can greatly weaken foes and make them harmless to your group.

The main highlight in my opinion is Reverbation. This at first weakens enemy strength, dexterity, and constitution saving throw proficiencies. As it stacks to 5, the enemy will get damaged with 1d4 thunder. This is finished by making the enemy prone if they fail a saving throw.

Once the enemy is prone they are easy pickings for your melee characters and waste their precious movement speed to stand up. To get these effects consistently be sure to use Boots of Stormy Clamour and Gloves of Belligerent Skies.

Early Game Combat

Let's cover how you should progress combat levels 1-6. This plays as a normal Archer, where you utilize mostly your weapon attacks and a few spells.

• Remember to activate Knowledge of the Ages​ and I would suggest Charisma. This will help with dialogue checks and will make you a decent party face.
• For early encounters use normal spells like Guiding Bolt and, Inflict Wounds. To save spell slots I would prioritize Produce Flame​ followed by Sacred Flame​ to inflict damage if in need of ranged attack.
• If you can use Bless​ to buff allies before combat. Once you get The Whispering Promise, you can forgo the spell and use Healing Word​ or Mass Healing Word​ to buff your allies.
• Create or Destroy Water​ is an excellent spell if you have other casters that use Cold or Lightning spells.
• Once you obtain Spirit Guardians​ use these to run around the battlefield and debuff the enemies. Check the equipment section for the items that work the best with it.
• Your bonus action has plenty of uses. The already mentioned healing spells, but you can also summon Spiritual Weapon, which can deal additional damage and distract foes.
• Glyph of Warding​ can be used to put enemies to sleep without a Concentration slot. It is excellent if you see a few of them grouped up.
• If things are turning for the worse, you can always use Sanctuary​ to save an ally or use it to flee combat.

Late Game Combat

Late game is where this build lifts off and can attack and cast spells on the same turn:

• Spirit Guardians​ are still your bread and butter for most of the combat encounters. You want to weaken most of the enemies before they get their turn.
• Heroes' Feast​ is an excellent spell to buff up your group with additional temporary HP and some resistance. Planar Ally​ is another great level 6 spell. Sadly, you have a limited amount of these so pick wisely.
• Confusion​ is one of my favorite spells and works well in a large area against multiple targets. It could be used to follow up after the initial round with Spirit Guardians.
• Your cantrips, especially Sacred Flame​ will become quite effective as your Spell Save DC increases. Moreover, level 8 cleric gains Potent Spellcasting​ which will improve its damage further.
• Flame Strike​ is an excellent spell when you want to dish out damage, especially on the second turn, once you have prepared everything and weakened foes.
• Otiluke's Resilient Sphere​ can be useful in certain situations. For example, disabling an enemy with low Dexterity, or saving yourself in case there is a dire situation.

Build Variations

Here are some variations that work similarly and utilize the same classes at their core.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the best Knowledge Cleric Build for Baldur's Gate 3. This build is more aimed at those looking for Role-playing experience or wider exploration of the world. Still, having the core of cleric is still a powerful combat option, being able to support, damage and control foes at will.

Cheers!