Stars Cleric Build - The Radiant Pillar - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

In this post, I will go through the Ultimate Cleric Build - The Radiant Pillar for Baldur's Gate 3. The build is all about creating an ultimate Radiating Orb​ and Reverberation​ debuffer that weakens foes and can have limitless spell concentration.

Stars Cleric Build - The Radiant Pillar

So the goal here is to encompass the very popular Cleric multiclass build - 9 Cleric/2 Stars Druid/1 Sorc. This became possible after patch 8, once Star Druid was added. The build plays more or less as the base Cleric in terms of playstyle and can work with any of its subclasses.

The main feature difference from standard builds is that you gain two game-changer features:

• minimum rolls of 10 on Constitution Saving throws - making it very easy to maintain concentration
• Dazzling Breath, which only costs a bonus action, and hits with radiant damage.

This further empowers the powerful Spirit Guardians​ kit and makes this spell unstoppable. So you are awarded for aggressive play, and have almost no downsides when standing on the frontlines. Any enemy will be debuffed, thanks to your wide offensive options.

What makes this build guide special is that it can run with any of the subclasses. Be it Life, Death, or Knowledge domains. You name it. What I will cover here is the core kit of building Radiating Orb​ and Reverberation​ stacks. For unique spins on each subclass mechanics, check the specific cleric subclass builds. I will give a short overview in the later parts of the guide.

So let's jump into the build!

Class Contribution

I do see merit in some variations to ensure that you can freely use all of the capabilities.

9 Cleric

• Proficiencies in a wide array of armors and weapons.
• Access to support spells like Healing Word, Mass Healing Word, Sanctuary, etc.
• Aid​ to empower the ally's survivability with a solid HP boost each long rest.
• 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.
• A solid list of cantrips - Thaumaturgy, Toll the Dead, etc.

2 Stars Druid

• Enables effective melee weapon hits with Shillelagh.
• Starry Form: Dragon​ gives a huge boost to constitution saving throw rolls, making it very hard for you to lose spell concentration.
• Dazzling Breath​ - area of effect radiating attack that applies debuffs.

1 Storm 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 cantrips - Friends, Booming Blade, which are great all around. The latter is especially good if you do melee attacks, as it is a free damage boost.
• Unique Storm Sorcerer feature - Tempestuous Magic, giving a huge boost in mobility.

Synergy with other builds

The Stars Cleric, is there to weaken foes, and for this reason, it can act independantly without depending on the party setup. Otherwise, it would depend on your subclass, but I would not worry about it. One composition that cleric will always work in:

Lightning/Cold Party

A cleric can easily apply Wet​ on enemies using Create or Destroy Water​ spell. This does impede your own action economy, but opens up your party members for huge damage potential:

• The main highlight would be Land Druid. A very popular variation of it is Thundersnow Herald, which comes with both Cold and Lightning spells for total annihilation.
• Sorcadin with access to Lightning Bolt.
• Many of the Sorcerer and Wizard variations - Storm Sorcerer, Talos Dragonling Build, Cold Sorcerer, Abjuration Wizard, etc.

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: Toll the Dead, Thaumaturgy, Guidance​
		Subclass: Any
		Abilities: STR - 8, DEX - 16 (15+1), CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 17(15+2), CHA - 8
		Skills: Persuasion, Medicine, Insight
2	Cleric 2	-
3	Cleric 3	-
4	Cleric 4	Feat: Ability Improvement - +1 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
5	Cleric 5	-
6	Cleric 6	-
7	Respec Character: Level 1 - Sorcerer 1 Level 2-7 - Cleric 6	Cantrips: Friends, Minor Illusion, Light, Booming Blade​
		Spells: Shield, Magic Missile​
		Subclass: Storm Sorcery
8	Druid 1	-
9	Druid 2	Subclass: Circe of the Stars
10	Cleric 7	-
11	Cleric 8	Feat: Ability Improvement - +2 Wisdom
12	Cleric 9	-

Build Variations

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

Setup	Description
11 Cleric 1 Sorcerer	The standard version of most of the Cleric builds. You gain Heroes' Feast​ and Divine Intervention,​ which are great for maximizing the party's survivability in Honour mode runs.
10 Cleric 2 Stars Druid	Gain the Star Druid's features, mainly high CON saving throws and Dazzling Breath,​ while sacrificing the mobility of Storm Sorcerer. Still gives you Divine Intervention,​ which can be used once, and later you could switch to the current build's setup.
6 Cleric 4 Storm Sorcerer 2 Stars Druid	Gives access to Metamagic: Twinned Spell​ and Metamagic: Quickened Spell​ for better spellcasting potential, without limiting the core capabilities of the cleric.

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Stars Cleric build. If you have already started playing, feel free to do a respec at Withers and follow along. This will make it easy to follow the build step by step.

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.
High Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry	These subraces are great for getting some bonus cantrips. The highlights would be: Minor Illusion​ - distract NPCs or trick enemies to go to a specific place, perfect for setting up combat Friends​ - helps with various charisma checks, but can leave enemies aggressive if cancelled while near them.
High Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry
Half-Orc	Savage Attacks​ Relentless Endurance​ Darkvision​	The half-orc features are a good addition for this kind of build, where you will engage in frontline combat.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy​	Githyanki comes with a wide array of utility actions like Astral Knowledge, Misty Step, etc. These can help both in combat and world exploration.

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
Toll the Dead​	A solid cantrip that gets increased damage when enemy doesn't have full HP.
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

Here you have various options, and to be fair, it all depends on the flavor you would like to have. Overall, I would say Light Cleric, Tempest Cleric, are all very powerful options. They are followed by Nature and Death Clerics. The weakest are War, Trickery, Life, and Knowledge, as they have very niche, effective options.

Subclass	Description
Light Cleric	A powerful subclass that offers access to a plethora of Fire spells - Scorching Ray, Fireball, etc. It works well with items like Hat of Fire Acuity. Light Cleric also offers Warding Flare,​ which works both on oneself and allies. Another powerful addition is the area of effect radiant spell - Radiance of the Dawn,​ allowing you to apply all those sweet debuffs in a huge area.
Tempest Cleric	The storm variation offers various features related to lightning and thunder elements. The biggest highlight is Destructive Wrath,​ which deals maximum damage with lightning spells. This can easily be doubled using Wet, making it a cakewalk to eliminate a group of enemies with one spell. You also get Thunderbolt Strike,​ which helps to push enemies around the field. The main highlight is the radiating electrified water, enabled using items like - The Watersparkers + The Sparkswall + Callous Glow Ring.
Death Cleric	A new subclass that offers feature-stacked early levels and, to be fair, a nice flavour of necromancy. Reaper​ is a powerful feature allowing double necrotic cantrip casting. Channel Divinity: Touch of Death​ is a fun and powerful channel divinity to maximize melee attack and Inflict Wounds​ damage. The subclass can also fully utilize necrotic Spirit Guardians​ thanks to the Callous Glow Ring; this way, all the standard revorb gear works. Moreover, all of the necrotic damage ignores resistances thanks to the Inescapable Destruction​ feature.
Nature Cleric	A flavourful and enjoyable subclass with a nature theme. It gets access to plenty of features. From the start, you can be one of the strongest melee hitters thanks to Shillelagh​ + Torch. As you progress and unlock Spike Growth,​ you can create debuffing fields that weaken foes and stop them in their tracks. Dampen Elements​ is a solid reaction, giving elemental damage resistance when needed. All of this is topped off with nice nature spell list - Grasping Vine, Sleet Storm, etc.
Life Cleric	One of the more controversial subclasses. It's goal is to maximize healing, which by itself sounds nice. Sadly, it does drain you of important resources - actions, that can be used to weaken or even kill foes. Still, when the whole party needs healing Preserve Life​ + Blessed Healer​ + Disciple of Life​ does the job in a spectacular way to save the day.
War Cleric	A powerful level 1 dip, but as a full class it has much to ask for. It does serve well as a buffer for your martials with War God's Blessing​, to make sure that an ally hits an enemy, especially useful on Great Weapon Master: All In​ users. Otherwise, it offers all the standard stuff cleric has.
Knowledge Cleric	This is fully roleplay option, that gets a ton of skill proficiencies. Still, it also get's cool control spells - Hold Person​, Confusion​, Slow​, etc. When well used, these can result in easily winning full encounter.
Trickery Cleric	Somewhat disappointing subclass. The most important feature in my opinion is Invoke Duplicity​ which creates a double, that can give an easy advantage, specifically in the early game. Other features offer stealth themed actions like Blessing of the Trickster​, Pass Without Trace​ or Channel Divinity: Cloak of Shadows​. However, these either are epxensive to use, or greatly impair the cleric, in terms of concentration slots.

Deity

Take any that you feel best represent your flavour

Background

Backgrounds serve a few purposes:

1. They give a role-playing option of your previous history, if you are into that
2. It gives skill proficiencies, meaning that you get an additional bonus when you roll that skill check in which you are proficient. This depends on your proficiency bonus, which increases as you level up.

Here are my recommendations based on this build

Abilities

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

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your role-playing 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 or are useful in general:

• Persuasion
• Medicine
• Insight

Level 1 Prepared Spells

Spells	Description
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.
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 cast Cold or Lightning spells to double their damage.
Inflict Wounds​	A solid melee spell that inflicts terrific damage for the amount of spell slots it costs.
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.
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 amazing 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.

Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the Stars 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

By this time, you should have landed on the Ravaged beach already and started exploring the initial area. You might need 1 additional encounter if you did not obtain enough XP in the Nautiloid.

Action	Description
Turn Undead​	Excellent against undead enemies, making them run away.
Cleric Feature	Unlocks the cleric Domain-specific action.

Level 3

At this level, the Cleric gets access to Level 2 spells, further expanding the spellbook. Moreover, new always-ready spells are introduced depending on the subclass you have picked.

Prepared Spells

Spells	Description
Aid​	I think this is one of the best additions as it gives a solid boost to the health pool for all party members. Try to cast it with the highest level spell slot. It also works on summons.
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.
Spiritual Weapon​	Gives a good use for a bonus action. The weapon deals okay damage and can act as a distraction.
Warding Bond​	Excellent spell, that you can use to greatly improve the survivability of one of your party members.
Hold Person​	It can be situationally useful, especially if you have an 80%+ chance of landing it. This then opens up an easy way for Advantage and guaranteed critical hits from the 3-meter range. However, I did not use it much with the cleric.
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 always be in the prepared spell list.

Level 4

Cantrips

Cantrip	Description
Light​	This cantrip will be especially useful later on, once you reach Act 2. It will also help activate items like the Callous Glow Ring.

Feat

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 subclass also unlocks additional level 3 spells, depending on which one you have picked.

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​	The spell has two variations - necrotic and radiant. Of course, the build theme would want to use the necrotic one. However, it is inferior especially when early and mid-game contain powerful radiant items - Luminous Armour, Gloves of Belligerent Skies, etc.
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 Glyph of Warding: 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.
Remove Curse​	This can be useful throughout the game in case you or a party member gets cursed.
Daylight​	This spell can be useful in a few encounters, which makes them numerous time easier. It is especially useful in Act 3, against Cazador.

Level 6

An additional Channel Divinity Charge is added, making it easier to use another domain-specific action. Moreover, you get another domain action depending on your subclass.

Level 7 - 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 the defensive spell Shield.
• Additional cantrips such as Friends, Booming Blade, etc.

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
Booming Blade​	As this build aims to use melee attacks, Booming Blade​ is free and a solid option to use for free to increase damage.
Light​	Although this cantrip was taken, you can do it again here and pick another one once you level up as a cleric.
Minor Illusion​	A powerful cantrip that can help lure enemies to one place before combat. Then you can exploit this for area of effect spells or attacks to inflict large amounts of damage or control.
Friends​	This can be situationally useful, especially as the main character. The main problem is that if it is cancelled near the target NPC, they will attack. So only do that once you are further away.

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 Orb​ 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

Use the same ability scores as when starting with Cleric. Wisdom will still be the main spellcasting stat.

Continue leveling into Cleric Lv 1-6

Once you are done with the first level of sorcerer, you can multiclass back into cleric:

Go through levels 1-6 of Cleric, as you already did.

Level 8 - Druid Lv 1

This is the first level that multiclasses into Druid. It will give a few benefits:

• Enable effective melee attacks using the Wisdom modifier, thanks to Shillelagh.
• Starry Form: Dragon​ - which gives minimum rolls of 10 for Constitution Saving Throws, making it very easy to maintain spell concentration.
• Dazzling Breath​ - powerful breath attack that uses a bonus action and inflicts radiant damage, activating various items at your disposal.

There are a few other goodies, but they are minor compared to these.

Class

Overview
Druid
Druids channel the elemental forces of nature and share a deep kinship with animals. Mastery of Wild Shape allows them to transform into beasts from all over the Realms.
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.

Cantrips

Spells	Description
Shillelagh​	Enables you to effectively use stave weapons using your Wisdom modifier.
Any	Pick any other cantrip

Prepared Spells

Here are a few recommendations for prepared spells. These are utility ones, as most of the offensive ones will be obtained via cleric.

Spells	Description
Longstrider​	Improves movement speed. It is free to cast outside of combat, and can also be used on allies.
Enhance Leap​	Enables easier exploration via jumping long distances
Speak with Animals​	A decent utility spell, especially if you forget to stock up on Potion of Animal Speaking.

Level 9 - Druid Lv 2

The goal here is to obtain the subclass feature. This gives those nice features that take the Cleric build to the next level.

Subclass

Now you are ready to pick the subclass. As you can expect:

Overview
Circle of Stars
Features
Wild Shape Charge	Allows you to turn into one of the Starry Form.
Star Map	Gives charges to cast Star Map: Guiding Bolt, which does not consume a spell slot.
Starry Form​	Unlocks new forms that each give different actions or bonuses. The most important one here is Starry Form: Dragon.
Star Map: Guiding Bolt​	Similar to a normal Guiding Bolt, but uses Star Map instead of a spell slot.
Guiding Bolt​	The base spell from the cleric list.
Guidance​	Gives the spell without needing to choose it as a cantrip.

Level 10 - Cleric Lv 7

Level 4 spells are unlocked, also new permanent spells are added, depending on your subclass.

Prepared Spells

Spells	Description
Freedom of Movement​	As this spell does not use Concentration, it can be a great helper in certain situations. However, the level 4 spell slot is a huge cost.

Level 11 - Cleric Lv 8

The last subclass features are unlocked. These are either types of Divine Strike, like Divine Strike: Elemental Fury, Divine Strike: Necrotic,​ or just Potent Spellcasting.

Feat

Level 12 - Cleric Lv 9

This is the last Cleric level, which gives level 5 spells and domain-specific permanent spells. These depend on the subclass.

Prepared Spells - Level 5

Spells	Description
Flame Strike​	A simple yet effective area of effect spell that inflicts both radiating and fire damage. This will activate Reverberation​ and Radiating Orb​ if wearing appropriate items.
Insect Plague​	Excellent spell, that deals piercing damage and applies Difficult Terrain. If you have a party member with Bhaalist Armour, it can apply Aura of Murder​ for double damage.
Greater Restoration​	Not required spell, but can be useful in certain situations.

That's it, the build is done!

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.

Wisdom

1. 17 Wisdom - character creation.
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 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 have short-term effects for a few turns.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	This is a very powerful potion. It gives an additional action point, which can be used to cast a spell or attack. The activation is generally by drinking using a bonus action. However, you can stack together with party members and make one member Throw​ it on the ground, giving Hastened​ to everyone.
Potion of Invisibility	It can be used in two ways - the first one is to enter combat with a Surprised​ round, causing enemies to skip their turn. Another option is to leave combat if you see that it is not going in your favour.
Potion of Animal Speaking	An easy way to get the Speak with Animals​ effect.
Terazul	Gives Hastened​ and stacks with other sources of it. This is a late-game consumable.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last for the whole day, before making a long rest. This makes exlixirs 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	The elixir gives an easy option to get an additional action point - just kill a foe. This can then be used to attack one more time or cast a full spell.
Elixir of Battlemage's Power	Improves Spell Save DC, making it easier to land spells.
Elixir of Peerless Focus	Makes it easier to maintain spell Concentration
Elixir of Vigilance	For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even Surprised​ mechanics.

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, also called Elite.

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 with attack rolls.
Luck of the Far Realms​	Base	It's an easy way to ensure you land critical hits, especially good with Divine Smite.
Cull the Weak​	Base	It can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Backlash​​	Base	Excellent way to deal additional damage with reaction, early and mid game.
Ability Drain​	Base	Decreases enemy ability score, free use, so worth getting it.
Shield of Thralls​	Base	Excellent option for bonus temporary HP. It can also apply Stunned on foes after it is destroyed.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	It can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially those relevant to the main character.
Black Hole​	Elite	Allows for easily pulling enemies together for effective use of the area of attacks.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	It can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell.
Freecast​	Elite	Allows for freely casting a spell without resource limitation.

Equipment Recommendations

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

The build plays mostly like a standard cleric, with a few variations to maximize its necrotic spells.

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. Sunbeam​ is also a powerful spell to get this early in the game.
	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 and 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.
	Staff of Arcane Blessing	This works together with The Whispering Promise and healing spells. What this staff gives is an additional 1d4 to rolls on spell attacks - Inflict Wounds, Chromatic Orb, etc. So it's useful if you have other casters around
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	Gives bonus initiative, allowing one to go earlier in combat.
	Gandrel's Aspiration	Gives an easy advantage against Monstrosity-type enemies.
Shield	Adamantine Shield	It provides a substantial defensive boost by reducing critical hit damage. It also applies a Reeling​ effect.
	Absolute's Warboard	Decent shield if you got Absolute's Brand from True Soul Priestess Gut (Lv. 4) in Goblin Camp.
	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 Reverberation​ 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	The best armor pick, for most of the game, later you will get more options, for the necrotic theme.
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 Reverberation​ 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 in the early game. Use the spells together with The Whispering Promise to apply buffs to your allies.
	Amulet of Misty Step	Grants Misty Step​ for moving on the battlefield.
Rings	The Whispering Promise	The best ring for a cleric early in the game. This will apply Bless​ to allies when you use the Healing Word​ or 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 the Sorcerer dip.
	Ring of Protection	The bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability. This improves the chances of activating the Holy Lance Helm
	Ring of Absolute Force	Gives +1 damage boost on 5 Reverberation​ stacks detonation.

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	-	Bows from the previous Act.
	Darkfire Shortbow	It 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 Reverberation​ on enemies using Spirit Guardians.
Head	Fistbreaker Helm	Adds +1 Spell Save DC, improving spell success. This is not a hugely important item, so you can give this to another caster and continue using the previous act gear.
Cloak	Thunderskin Cloak	Because most of the enemies you come across will have Reverberation,​ 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	Still the best gloves for the Cleric.
	Gloves of Battlemage's Power	These gloves can be used to stack Arcane Acuity​ via Spirit Guardians. Credits: Bluemajere
	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 are in terms of applying to various conditions.
	Evasive Shoes	Gives a bonus to armor class.
Amulet	Amulet of Restoration	Continues to provide good value.
	Periapt of Wound Closure	Excellent amulet for Honour Mode runs, reducing your chances of wiping.
Rings	The Whispering Promise	The ring is useful if you are buffing allies via healing.
	Crusher's Ring	Remains a solid option for enhancing movement speed.
	Ring of Mental Inhibition	With Dazzling Breath,​ you can debuff enemies and weaken their saving throws.
	Callous Glow Ring	This item adds a radiant damage rider. Sadly, this does not create a separate instance if you use Spirit Guardians,​ so no additional Radiating Orb​ stacks. Still, it gives +2 damage on each enemy tag, and can be used with necrotic Spirit Guardians.
	Ring of Spiteful Thunder	Adds a Dazed​ effect that can be proc after 5 Reverberation​ stacks are activated and Thunder damage gets applied.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	-	Previous Act weapons. Overall, you can also use caster weapons like Markoheshkir, which give a huge offensive boost in terms of spell success. But I would only do that, if you don't have other casters.
	Staff of Cherished Necromancy	By eliminating a target, you can use Life Essence​ to cast free level 6 Inflict Wounds.
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.
Ranged	Hellrider Longbow	Gives a solid boost to initiative.
	Bow of Awareness	Improves initiative.
Head	-	Previous Acts headwear
Cloak	Cloak of Displacement	It provides an increased chance of avoiding enemy attacks with attack rolls.
	Thunderskin Cloak	As you will cover enemies with Reverberation, this gives a chance to apply Dazed​ on foes.
Armor	Luminous Armour (BiS)	In terms of combat potential, this is still a powerful armor choice as it applies Radiating Orb​ effects.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Continues to help with stacking Reverberation.
	Gloves of Battlemage's Power	These gloves can be used to stack Arcane Acuity​ via Spirit Guardians. This helps you to land any other spells, and specifically Inflict Wounds​ for high single-target damage. Credits: Bluemajere
	The Reviving Hands	Leans more into the support side, applying Blade Ward​ for everyone.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour (BiS)	Best offensive boosts, helping to build Reverberation​ stacks.
	Helldusk Boots	One of the best boots makes it easy to move across various terrains and resist effects.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	One of the best boots makes it easy to move across various terrains and resist effects.
Amulet	Amulet of The Devout (BiS)	The ultimate cleric amulet gives an additional Channel Divinity charge.
	Fey Semblance Amulet	A solid defensive amulet to help resist spell effects.
Rings	-	No changes to the rings from the previous acts.

Build Mechanics

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the 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.

Effectively choosing cantrips

One trick that I first missed is correctly choosing which cantrip to use. This is more important early in the game, as later, it's easy to get a high success chance. The idea is that some spells like Bone Chill​ use attack rolls, and Toll the Dead​/Sacred Flame​ target enemy saving throws.

What this means is that enemies that have low armour class are better targets for attack roll spells. However, if the enemy has a low target saving throw stat (Wisdom, Charisma, etc.), you are better off using spells that use Saving throws

As you can see, the difference can be huge. So, try to use the one that is most appropriate against a specific enemy and their stats.

Spirit Guardians as bread and butter

So the most important spell for a Cleric is Spirit Guardians. With the correct gear, I recommend that each enemy you touch will apply various status effects such as Reverberation, 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.

Another core addition is the Dazzling Breath​ from Starry Form: Dragon, which gives a radiating damage source with your bonus action. So additional debuffs can be applied, sometimes without even needing Spirit Guardians​ if you want to save spell slots.

Revorb and status effects

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

The main highlight, in my opinion, is Reverberation. This at first weakens the enemy's 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.

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 a 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 Orb​ and debuff most of the enemies in the combat zone.

Healing and Buffs

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 a 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.

Another aspect is camp casting. This means that you can apply long-term buffs that persist throughout the whole day. A few of them that the cleric has:

• Aid​ - gives 5 HP, which scales based on spell slot level used.
• Warding Bond​ - can be used to reduce incoming damage against allies.

Early Game Combat

This part would cover how the build plays up until level 6

• For early encounters, you can use offensive cantrips like Toll the Dead​ or, if you need more damage, spells like Inflict Wounds​ or Guiding Bolt.
• 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.
• Glyph of Warding​ can be used to put enemies to sleep without a Concentration slot. It is excellent if you see a few of the targets grouped up.
• The best option for casting at this stage is radiating Spirit Guardians​ + Luminous Armour + Gloves of Belligerent Skies + Boots of Stormy Clamour. This allows for easily debuffing multiple enemies.
• 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

This covers the combat options for the late game:

• 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.
• Dazzling Breath​ becomes a very powerful bonus action use, and can replace Spirit Guardians​ for smaller encounters when you want to save spell slots.
• You can use some of the high-level spells in appropriate situations, like Flame Strike​ on a group of enemies, or Insect Plague​ when you have someone with Bhaalist Armour equipped nearby.
• Use the appropriate Cleric subclass tactics, which I have mentioned previously.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Stars Cleric Build for Baldur's Gate 3. This is a well-optimized setup, giving a powerful progression and maximum debuffing options to weaken foes. It's all about the radiant damage here

Cheers!