Swarmkeeper Build - Sanctifier of Swarms - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Swarmkeeper Ranger Build - Sanctifier of Swarms

Swarmkeeper is a new subclass that offers a new option for ranger playstyle. The main highlight is probably its Gathered Swarm ability, offering a choice between - Legion of Bees, Cloud of Jellyfish​ and Flurry of Moths. These give a slight boost in damage, allow teleporting or applying debilitating effects, depending on your choice. Legion of Bees​ will play an important role in forcing positions on enemies.

This can then be mixed with Writhing Tide,​ allowing it to freely move on difficult terrains, without receiving any negative effects. Together, these unlock a pretty neat playstyle, where you can fight in Spike Growth​ or outside, and punish enemies that try to leave it.

The next step is one of the weapon options. My recommendation is to use Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, as it enables the use of weapons like  Sorrow, Nyrulna, effectively. Sorrow is especially attractive option as it comes with Sorrowful Lash,​ allowing you to pull enemies. I guess you can see where this is going. The Swarmkeeper creates a deadly spike field and either pushes or pulls enemies inside it, so they receive damage and waste their movement speed.

The build has a lot of customisation, from full debuffer with Luminous Armour, Boots of Stormy Clamour, to damage maximiser using Bhaalist Armour and Nyrulna. So the setup offers a truly unique playstyle and utilises underused mechanics.

So let's jump into the build!

Class Contribution

Here are what contributions and benefits you get from the class picks:

7 Swarmkeeper Ranger

• Minor features, and spin on roleplay via Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer selections
• Selection of Fighting styles, to slightly improve combat capabilities
• Spell slots for casting spells - Ensnaring Strike, Spike Growth, etc. Decent spells for progressing through the game.
• Gathered Swarm - choice of different swarms - Cloud of Jellyfish, Flurry of Moths​ and Legion of Bees.
• Prey's Scent​ is an upgraded version of Hunter's Mark​ for your swarms, to deal additional damage.
• Additional spells - Faerie Fire​, Mage Hand​, Web​, etc.
• Extra Attack​ for improved weapon combat performance.
• Writhing Tide​ - enables you to freely move on various surfaces without incurring their effects and weakening or damaging you.

4 Cleric

Here you have various options for the subclass. My main recommended contenders are:

• Nature (Thorn Whip​)
• Light (Warding Flare, Radiance of the Dawn​)
• Tempest (Wrath of the Storm, Destructive Wrath​)

I will cover the subclass selection later in the post, but overall, all of them are solid contenders.

Base features

• Proficiencies in a wide array of armours and weapons.
• Choice of Deities, to unlock new dialogue choices
• 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.
• Large array of prepared spells - Blindness, Hold Person, Command​ and others

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 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.
• Minor Illusion​ can be used to outright break encounters by forcing enemies into groups before the fights start.

Build Variations

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

Setup	Description
7 Swarmkeeper 5 Stars Druid	This variation offers Starry Form, specifically Starry Form: Dragon,​ to make it easier to maintain spell concentration. Moreover, you get Dazzling Breath​ and various Druid spells to help in combat.

Synergy with other builds

The build goal is to apply ground effects and fight either inside or outside of them. This does limit the potential of synergetic builds, as Spike Growth​ can chip away at your ally's health. Of course, this can be circumvented with Land's Stride: Difficult Terrain​ and Helldusk Boots to some degree.

Notice about Clerics

If you party has a cleric, especially one that utilizes Spirit Guardians​, you might have significant item overlap. For example Luminous Armour, Boots of Stormy Clamour are items that the cleric would want.

This does not mean that you cannot use the build.

Piercing Setup

Here, I mainly recommend Archer options, especially if you will obtain Bhaalist Armour. You can equip the armour and stand on the frontlines to apply Aura Of Murder​, while your ranged characters chip away with double damage.

• Ranged builds deal piercing damage - Hunter Ranger, Arcane Archer, Sword Bard Archer, Gloomstalker Assassin, etc. Of course, they can also have Bhaalist Armour equipped, but this increases their risk, and also applies Threatened,​ which reduces attack rolls.
• Melee martials with piercing weapons can also be effective, if they stand close to the Spike Growth​ or walk on it. This does inflict damage, but late in the game, they can safely take a few ticks - Bardadin, Battle Master, Sorcadin, Bladelock, or any other melee option.

Controllers

Almost any party can benefit from good controllers that use Hold Person, Glyph of Warding: Sleep,​ or Hold Monster. They guarantee a 100% critical chance and allow you to maximise the whole group's damage.

• Fire Sorcerer - one of the most reliable builds for this type of setup, with Hat of Fire Acuity + Scorching Ray​ to build Arcane Acuity. After that, use the control spell with a 100% success chance.
• Spellsword build - Sorcadin, Bardadin, Swords Bard Archer is the standard option for gish controllers, as they get access to Band of the Mystic Scoundrel + Helmet of Arcane Acuity for a very high spell success chance, and the already mentioned spell options.
• Lorecerer - similar to Fire Sorcerer, can use the same combo and can easily apply total control. Sadly, it is just limited to Hold Person and Glyph of Warding.
• Other caster-related builds - Lore Bard or even Arcane Trickster with access to unlimited scrolls. They get nice features that help them improve their spell success chance.

Cold and Lightning casters

The side effect of this build is that it has access to Create or Destroy Water. This is not the main function that it will use, but it can play a significant role in boosting the party damage (and yours) for lightning and cold spells via Wet.

• In terms of cleric choices Tempest Cleric is the best pick. They get Call Lightning​ and more theme-related spells + effects to utilize Wet​ conditions.
• Sorcadin with access to Lightning Bolt.
• And.... Many of the Sorcerer variations - Storm Sorcerer, Talos Dragonling Build, etc. Bladesinger is another option, as it has access to all standard caster spells.
• My personal favourite - Abjuration Wizard Tank. It deals cold damage with Armour of Agathys. Of course, as a wizard, it can still cast all the Cold/Lightning spells. But it might need to walk on the Spike Growth, which would eat away its Arcane Ward.

Difficult Terrain effects

Few classes can freely walk on Spike Growth, thanks to Land's Stride: Difficult Terrain. So these have a perfect synergy:

• Circle of Land Druid, although it is a caster, so it can stay further away.
• Beast Master Ranger - can move freely on these surfaces, and it has flying companions.
• Hunter Ranger - ranged build, that can still walk on these surfaces
• Wildheart Barbarian - a frontline character that is perfect for these kinds of situations

Leveling Overview

Here is a concise table with all the main picks during your levelling progression. For more detailed reasoning, I go further in the article. Also, do not forget to check the recommended gear, as it is crucial and can drastically change how the build works.

Level	Class	Selection
1	Ranger 1	Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter​
		Natural Explorer: Urban Tracker​
		Abilities: +1 Dexterity Auntie Ethel Hair: STR - 8, DEX - 17 (15+2), CON - 14, INT - 8, WIS - 16 (15+1), CHA - 10 No Auntie Ethel Hair: STR - 8, DEX - 17 (15+2), CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 16 (15+1), CHA - 8
		Skills: Any
2	Ranger 2	Spells: Ensnaring Strike​, Hunter's Mark​
		Fighting Style: Defence​
3	Ranger 3	Spells: Longstrider​
		Subclass: Swarmkeeper
		Gathered Swarm: any, my recommendation Legion of Bees​
4	Ranger 4	Feat: Great Weapon Master: All In​ or Ability Improvement - Dexterity +2
5	Ranger 5	Spells: Spike Growth​
6	Ranger 6	Favoured Enemy: Sanctified Stalker​
		Natural Explorer: Wasteland Wanderer: Fire​
7	Ranger 7	Spells: any
8	Respec Character: Level 1 - Sorcerer 1 Level 2-8 - Ranger 7	Cantrips: Booming Blade​, Light​, Minor Illusion​, Friends​.
		Spells: Shield, Magic Missile​
		Subclass: any
9	Cleric 1	Cantrips: Thaumaturgy, Guidance, any
		Subclass: Light Domain
10	Cleric 2	-
11	Cleric 3	-
12	Cleric 4	Feat: Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity or Sentinel: Vengeance​

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Swarmkeeper 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.	Gives a movement speed increase, which improves your overall positioning capabilities during combat. It will be especially useful for this build where you will want to either push or pull enemies at a precise angle.
Wood Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.
Half-Orc	Darkvision​ Relentless Endurance​ Savage Attacks​	A perfect fighter race gains additional rolls for critical hits, but most importantly, can stand up instead of being Downed.
Zariel Tiefling	Darkvision​ Hellish Resistance​ Thaumaturgy​	A great race that offers unique looks and a few standout features. I recommend Thaumaturgy​ as it helps immensely with dialogue checks without any negative consequences. The additional smites, like Searing Smite,​ can be helpful for a little more damage in the early and mid game.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy​	A very versatile race that unlocks some good actions for combat and exploration.
High Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry	These picks are relevant mainly for the Booming Blade​ cantrip. However, as the build takes a dip in Sorcerer later on, I think it loses its importance as a race choice
High Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry

Class

Overview
Ranger
Rangers are unrivaled scouts and trackers, honing a deep connection with nature in order to hunt their favoured prey.

Favoured Enemy

This is a set of abilities unique to the Ranger class. Based on your selection, you can get new spells or unique effects against specific enemy types. Generally, anything works here based on your role-playing choices. I would choose:

Passive Feature	Description
Bounty Hunter​	Ensnaring Strike​ is a decent early-game spell, and this helps land it more easily.

Natural Explorer

You also get these nature-related boons for the Ranger. These are based on the class experience in nature and how it can survive in different conditions.

Feature	Description
Urban Tracker​	A free Sleight of Hand proficiency, helping to cover more skill options.

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 Swarmkeeper build. Correct allocation will allow you to maximise the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses.

Abilities	Description
With Auntie Ethel Hair +1 Dexterity: Strength - 8 Dexterity - 17 (15+2) Constitution - 14 Intelligence - 8 Wisdom - 16 (15+1) Charisma - 10	This is my recommended setup, which would enable me to maximise Dexterity. For some weapons, like Sorrow, you will want to utilise the Elixir of Hill Giant Strength to use them effectively. For feats, you will only need Ability Improvement +2 Dexterity or +2 Wisdom, as Auntie Ethel Hair will allow you to round Dexterity to 18.
No Auntie Ethel Hair: Strength - 8 Dexterity - 17 (15+2) Constitution - 15 Intelligence - 8 Wisdom - 16 (15+1) Charisma - 8	This option means you will need to round up both Dexterity and Constitution with the Ability Improvement feat. This is still a good setup, but it results in a lower Dexterity value overall. It is not a problem if you use Elixir of Hill Giant Strength extensively.

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your role-playing and background decisions. However, you would still want those who 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:

• Athletics
• Investigation
• Stealth
• Animal Handling
• Survival

Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the Swarmkeeper 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.

Spells

Spell	Description
Ensnaring Strike​	Together with Bounty Hunter, this gives a very high chance of succeeding and provides an easy way for Advantage.
Hunter's Mark​	Excellent spell to utilise a bonus action in the early game. It provides easy bonus damage to help with combat.

Fighting Style

Style	Description
Defence​	Gives armour class boost, increasing the chances to avoid attacks.

Stocking on the Elixir of Hill Giant Strength

Well, there is a trick early in Act 1, after you reach the first settlement - Druid's Grove. There, you can stock up on some powerful potions for Acts 1 and 2 - Elixir of Hill Giant Strength.

What do they do? They increase the Strength to 21 until a Long rest. More or less, this negates any need to have an investment in Strength if you plan to use it till the late game. This enables using various two-handed weapons, not just Finesse ones, and maximizes combat potential in the early game.

This is somewhat gimmicky, however, if you are interested, here is a guide on how to farm Elixir of Hill Giant Strength.

Level 3

Spells

Spell	Description
Longstrider​	Make sure that at least one member in the party has this spell. It enables buffing everyone in the group without using spell slots for free movement speed.

Subclass

Overview
Swarmkeeper
Features
Prey's Scent​	Your swarms deal additional damage against targets marked by Hunter's Mark.
Mage Hand​	Pretty nifty cantrip, that can be extremely useful to throw various items or interact with the world.
Faerie Fire​	It can help to gain an easy Advantage, albeit expensive to use for the Swarmkeeper build.

Gathered Swarm

Swarm	Description
Legion of Bees​	This swarm will be particularly useful to control enemy positioning via pushing and inflicting piercing damage.
Cloud of Jellyfish​	In case your party relies on Wet​ conditions, the lightning damage will be doubled and applying Shocked​ can be useful in certain situations, especially if allies follow up with Dexterity Saving Throw spells.
Flurry of Moths​	Deals Psychic damage, which, late in Act 2, can be doubled with Resonance Stone. Sadly, the Blinded​ effect will finish before enemy's turn starts, making it limited in use.

Level 4

Feat

Feat	Description
Great Weapon Master: All In​	A very powerful feat, that greatly improves combat capabilities. The main problem is the penalty to attack rolls. However, this can be negated by disabling the effect or getting various bonuses. I recommend checking the Attack Roll Guide on how to maximise your hit chance.
Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity	Might be a simpler option if you don't want to manage attack rolls, especially if you run Finesse weapons like Phalar Aluve.

Level 5

Feature	Description
Extra Attack​	This allows attacking two times instead of one, theoretically doubling the build's damage output.
Web​	A decent spell, that can force enemies to be stuck in place and reduce their movement speed.

Spells

Spell	Description
Spike Growth​	This will be one of your main spells for most of the game. It has special interactions with various items found throughout the game, slows enemies and inflicts damage.

Level 6

Favoured Enemy

To be fair, any option works here, as they have a minor impact:

Feature	Description
Sanctified Stalker​	This choice is here thematically, while Sacred Flame​ can be used later on as a ranged attack when saving resources.

Natural Explorer

Feature	Description
Wasteland Wanderer: Fire​	Gain fire resistance, which is the most widely used element.

Level 7

Feature	Description
Writhing Tide​	This will be one of the core features of the build, allowing you to freely walk on various surfaces, specifically  Spike Growth.

Spells

Spell	Description
Any	To be fair, the core spells from Ranger are already taken, so pick anything you fancy - Enhance Leap, Lesser Restoration, etc.

Change Swarm

In general, this is the last level to switch Swarms (after that, you will need to do a respec). So if you have decided on what you like specifically, this is the time to choose. For example, Legion of Bees​ will now not be as useful, as you will mainly try to "pull" enemies instead of pushing. Still, there will be situations where the latter is still an option.

Or if your party utilises plenty of Wet, a Cloud of Jellyfish​ will give a decent damage boost per turn and also weaken Dexterity Saving Throws.

Level 8 - Respec to Sorcerer Lv 1

Now, to further empower the build and its capabilities, you will have to respec at Withers and pick Sorcerer as the first, level 1 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 Ranger.

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​	Gives a light source, making it easier to activate Callous Glow Ring.
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

Here is the hard part. It's truly hard to recommend anything specific here, as none of the subclasses bring a huge twist to the build. Overall, go with something that feels the most relevant to you. Here are a few variants:

• Storm Sorcery - gives access to Tempestuous Magic​ for additional mobility
• Shadow Magic - Strength of the Grave​ can be a pretty neat and useful passive.
• Wild Magic - if you are into some randomness
• Draconic Bloodline - I would say this is the weakest option, maybe Draconic Ancestry: White (Cold)​ would be the most useful for Armour of Agathys​

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 Ranger. Wisdom will still be the main spellcasting stat.

Skill Proficiencies

Pick anything, if the main character, I would prioritise the Charisma ones

Continue levelling into Ranger Lv 1-7

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

Now you can go through levels 1-7 of Ranger with the same (or different) choices as before.

Level 9 - Cleric Lv 1

This is where things will start going to the next level, with more spells and features.

Multiclass into Cleric

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
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.
Any	Can take anything as the third option, Bursting Sinew​ can be an interesting option to try.

Subclass

Here you have lots of options to choose from, and they depend on which aspects of the build you wish to emphasise. Here is a short overview:

• Light - comes with Warding Flare​ and Radiance of the Dawn​
• Nature - probably fits them the most thematically, comes with Thorn Whip​ cantrip, which can help pull foes closer.
• Tempest - although you do not use lightning spells, you could activate them via scrolls, which would allow you to utilize Destructive Wrath​ for significant damage, if your party utilises the Wet​ mechanic.
• War - War Priest​ can be a great option for additional attack with a bonus action, and Guided Strike​ is great in case you need a large boost to attack rolls.

Going with the theme of the build of "Sanctified":

Overview
Light Domain
Features
Warding Flare​	Allows you to impose a disadvantage on enemy attack, this is an easy way to have a chance of avoiding enemy attacks.
Light​	Excellent cantrip that will be useful in dark areas, especially Act 2.
Burning Hands​	A situationally useful spell, however, it's nothing fancy.
Faerie Fire​	Excellent spell that you can use to enable attack roll advantage for your allies, useful in the early game.

Deity

Here are a few recommendations for deities: Helm, Lathander, Eilistraee, and Mielikki.

Abilities

Take anything

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.
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.
Command​	One of the strongest spells in the game, giving a concentrationless control option to disable an enemy. You can use Command: Approach​ or Command: Flee​ to control how the enemy moves and lead them on Spike Growth​ to activate damage.
Healing Word​	Although you are not a healer, having a bonus action fallback in case an ally goes down is good.

Level 10 - Cleric Lv 2

Action	Description
Turn Undead​	Excellent against undead enemies, making them run away.
Radiance of the Dawn​	One of the better cleric actions, it can deal a decent amount of radiant damage in a large area. Also removes any Darkness.

Level 11 - Cleric Lv 3

Spells	Description
Flaming Sphere​	A separate summon, that can be a great distraction and deals some damage. However, it pales to other spell options, especially as you get to higher levels.
Scorching Ray​	Excellent attack spell, that also works well with Hat of Fire Acuity to stack Spell Save DC.

Level 2 Spells Recommendations

Here are recommendations for spells to be prepared

Spell	Description
Hold Person​	A powerful spell that I recommend casting on targets which have a decent amount of HP, and you have a success chance of 80%+. This paralyses them and gives a guaranteed source of critical hits.
Blindness​	Concentrationless spell, that can disable your biggest nemesis - ranged enemies, and force them to move closer.

Level 12 - Cleric Lv 4

Cantrips

Take anything

Feat

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity	This option is the best choice if you plan on using Finesse weapons or want to maximise your armour class using Bhaalist Armour.
Ability Improvement - +2 Wisdom or +2 Concentration	I would recommend this choice if you are using Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength to maximise your strength. This way, you can improve your spellcasting potential further.
Sentinel: Vengeance​	The feat can be situationally useful if you will be staying close to another ally. Another aspect is that your weapons will also have long reach (if you use Sorrow or The Dancing Breeze), which will make it easier to activate.

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.

Dexterity

So this ability score is quite important, and as we talked already, there are a few main ways to maximize it:

1. 17 Dexterity - the base from character creation.
2. Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Dexterity if you pick this choice.
3. Feat - Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity.
4. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Dexterity.

This results in 22 Dexterity, with a +6 modifier to attacks.

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.

Coatings

These are short-term coatings, used on the weapon. Only one can be activated at a time:

Consumable	Description
Oil of Accuracy	The attack roll bonus is pretty good, which improves your chances of hitting.
Diluted Oil of Sharpness	Helps with attack and damage rolls.
Drow Poison	Can put foes Sleeping​ giving an easy way to hit with critical hits.
Karabasan's Poison	Can apply Paralysed​ on foes, giving an easy source of critical hit guarantees.

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	As you will be able to easily kill at least the weakest foe, this ensures additional attacks per turn. This is the strongest elixir option in most cases.
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength	Sets the strength value to 21 until the Long Rest. This is a perfect option for the early game, while you are limited to 17 Strength. Here is a farming guide for Elixir of Hill Giant Strength. You can then set the strength to 8 and put those points elsewhere.
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength	Available later in the game, the elixir sets the strength to 27. Excellent option to be used in case, Elixir of Bloodlust is unavailable, or you have missed some of the strength boosts.
Elixir of The Colossus	Provides bonus damage of 1d4 and some other good bonuses.
Elixir of Viciousness	Reduces the requirement for critical hit rolls.
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, 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 when you need an instant damage boost.
Cull the Weak​	Base	It can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Overload​	Base	It can help give a slight damage boost. The main issue is that this cannot be activated outside of combat, so you will have to use an action point.
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.
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.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	It can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	It can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially those relevant to the main character.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	It can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell.
Black Hole​	Elite	Truly powerful ability that can pull enemies together into one place

Equipment Recommendations

Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximise the Swarmkeeper 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 (Two-Handed)	Unseen Menace	Gives a very easy advantage option, greatly increasing hit chance.
	Sorrow	For now, be sure to grab this weapon. You will need Spike Growth​ + Writhing Tide​ to effectively walk on the spikes and then pull enemies using the weapon's Sorrowful Lash.
	Phalar Aluve	These are both Dexterity-based weapons, meaning they are an option if you would like to avoid using the Elixir of Hill Giant Strength. The Phalar Aluve is one of the best support weapons thanks to Phalar Aluve: Melody. Larethian's Wrath is just a badass sword that hits multiple enemies for full damage.
	Larethian's Wrath
	Svartlebee's Woundseeker	One of the best early game weapons with a boost to attack rolls against enemies that have already received damage.
	Sword of Justice	A solid greatsword option with special shield action.
Ranged	Hand Crossbow +1	Solid ranged weapon option. Just equip two of these so that you can attack with your bonus action.
	Bow of Awareness	Gives bonus initiative, allowing one to go earlier in combat.
	Gandrel's Aspiration	Gives easy Advantage against monstrosities for all weapon attacks.
Head	Holy Lance Helm	If the party is not running a cleric, this becomes a pretty solid headwear option.
	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	One of the best headwear for pure weapon damage increase.
	Haste Helm	Improves movement speed, allowing one to reach important targets easily, early in the game.
Cloak	-	Nothing really of note here.
Armor	Luminous Armour	The Luminous Armour can play a vital role in making the build work better with Spike Growth​. You will need the Callous Glow Ring for it to work effectively.
	Adamantine Scale Mail	A solid armour option, with Reeling​ effect and damage reduction.
	Githyanki Half Plate	The most relevant early-game armour, that you can take from Lae'zel
Gloves	Gloves of the Growling Underdog	Gives easy advantage on attacks, making it an easy choice to counteract the effects of Great Weapon Master: All In​ penalty to attack rolls.
	Gloves of Baneful Striking	Applies the Baneful Strike​ effect, which weakens foe saving throws, making them perfect targets for control actions or spells. This can make many bosses easier, as you can now land spells with a higher chance.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The best boots in terms of combat potential, as they will allow you to apply Reverberation​ via various interactions.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	One of the best boots in the game for walking on Difficult Terrain. It also comes with Misty Step​ when you are in need of high mobility.
	Boots of Genial Striding	Excellent boots to help move through Difficult Terrain.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	If you can acquire it, this can be the best amulet option for most of the game.
	Amulet of Branding	Excellent amulet that gives an easy vulnerability source for the mid-game.
	Amulet of Misty Step	Gives a free Misty Step,​ which greatly improves your mobility.
Rings	Ring of Protection	Bonus armour for survivability.
	Caustic Band	Improves damage on each hit.
	Crusher's Ring	Movement speed boost, which is especially important in some big area fights in Act 1.

Act 2 - mid-game

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Sorrow	It will be useful here once you get the Writhing Tide​ feature at level 7. You can now use Sorrowful Lash​ to pull enemies to yourself while standing inside Spike Growth.
	Selûne's Spear of Night	A pretty solid weapon option that has the Moonmote​ effect. Perfect for enemies that are close to you, which inflicts additional damage, and slows them.
	Shar's Spear of Evening	A solid weapon choice that gives advantage on saving throws if the area is Lightly Obscured. Sadly, it will not be as effective if you are using Luminous Armour, which will apply Radiating Orb​.
	Halberd of Vigilance	One of the first weapons with a +2 enchantment comes with a Force damage rider. It has a long reach, perfect for attack of opportunities.
	Drakethroat Glaive	The weapon is used to enchant other weapons with Draconic Elemental Weapon​ for different elemental damage riders.
Ranged	Darkfire Shortbow	Although not mandatory, this bow is useful as it can apply Haste​ without spell slots. Best used before combat, or continue using Act 1 weapons.
Head	Coldbrim Hat	A pretty decent hat option that can activate the additional debuff of Encrusted with Frost.
Cloak	Cloak of Protection	Improves armour class and Saving Throw success.
	Cloak of Elemental Absorption	Helps to absorb elemental damage, which can then improve your weapon attacks.
Armor	Luminous Armour	Overall, this is the best armour, as now it will synergise well with Spike Growth​ + Callous Glow Ring.
	Dark Justiciar Half-Plate	The armours give advantage on constitution saving throws, making it pretty easy to maintain spell concentration
	Dark Justiciar Half-Plate
	Yuan-ti Scale Mail	I would only wear this if you have 16 dexterity, to make it a competitive armour.
Gloves	Gloves of Battlemage's Power	These will be the best gloves for the build. They will allow to easily stack Arcane Acuity​ from various interactions and effects. The highlight is that each tick from Spike Growth​ will activate these.
	Flawed Helldusk Gloves	A solid glove option that comes with bonus fire damage.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The best boots option.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	Continues to be the best amulet in terms of damage boost.
	Amulet of the Harpers	Excellent pick with Shield​ spell, without using your spell slots.
	Periapt of Wound Closure	Excellent amulet that can help in tight situations when you are Downed.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	A powerful ring option that will be the cornerstone for the build. Not only does it give more damage, but it also activates Luminous Armour and other effects from items.
	Strange Conduit Ring	A pretty solid ring option for additional psychic damage on hit while concentrating on spells.
	Ring of Protection	Improves armour class, making it easier to avoid enemy attacks.
	Shadow-Cloaked Ring	Gives additional damage boost while the target is at least Lightly Obscured.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

Piercing Weapons

I recommend these weapon if you plan on using Bhaalist Armour. This means much higher damage, but you lose some of the debuffing capabilities of Radiating Orb​.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Shar's Spear of Evening	Listed the weapons in terms of being "powerful". Shar's Spear of Evening, requires an evil decision, which is not for everyone. Nyrulna is truly great weapon, and includes special actions - Zephyr Break​ and Zephyr Flash,​ which offer really good weapon actions. The last is Selûne's Spear of Night, which can kind of be good with its Moonmote​ effect, however, it is only once per long rest.
	Nyrulna
	Selûne's Spear of Night

Slashing Weapons

If you plan on continuing to use Luminous Armour, here are the weapons that I recommend:

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Sorrow	Already mentioned the weapon. I would continue using it if you extensively utilized Sorrowful Lash​.
	The Dancing Breeze	A pretty neat weapon that comes with Whirlwind Attack​, hitting multiple enemies around you.
	Nyrulna	Its still a good weapon even without Bhaalist Armour, especially as it has neat weapon actions.

Other Items

Slot	Item	Description
Ranged	Vicious Shortbow	In terms of pure damage boost, this is the best bow, especially as you can easily guarantee critical hits via Hold Monster​/Hold Person.
	Hellrider Longbow	Gives a whooping +3 to initiative, almost guaranteeing being first in most encounters.
	The Dead Shot	Reduces the critical roll requirements, giving a slight average damage boost.
Head	Holy Lance Helm	Continues to be the best choice if you are using Gloves of Battlemage's Power.
	Helmet of Arcane Acuity	Either use this or Gloves of Battlemage's Power to stack Arcane Acuity​.
	Helm of Balduran	The headwear comes with Critical hit immunity and auto-healing. This is a perfect combo with Broodmother's Revenge.
Cloak	Cloak of Displacement	The strongest cloak in the game, with a significant boost to defensive capabilities.
Armor	Luminous Armour	My recommended armour is best in slot for the build. It will allow us to maintain the powerful synergy of Spike Growth​ + Callous Glow Ring for the Radiating Orb​ effect.
	Bhaalist Armour	If your aim is damage, this armour gives Aura Of Murder​, which doubles piercing damage. With this in mind, Nyrulna, Shar's Spear of Evening can deal huge amounts of damage.
	Armour of Agility	Solid medium armour option with high armour class.
	Armour of Persistence	It's also a good option if your chosen cleric subclass will give the heavy armour proficiency.
Gloves	Gloves of Battlemage's Power	The best glove option to easily stack Arcane Acuity.
	Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength	If you dumped strength and used Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, this is a direct upgrade, freeing the elixir slot, and giving an easy way to maximise strength.
	Legacy of the Masters	Powerful glove option, which improves both attack rolls and damage. This helps reduce Great Weapon Master: All In​ penalties.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	Continues to be the best boot option for activating Reverberation.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	Gives a direct damage boost for your weapon attacks.
	Amulet of The Devout	Gives +2 Spell Save DC and additional Channel Divinity charge for cleric abilities.
	Amulet of Greater Health	Allows maximising Constitution, which greatly improves your spell concentration.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	The best ring in my opinion, which allows activating Luminous Armour and procs on Spike Growth​.
	Strange Conduit Ring	Gives 1d4 psychic damage while concentrating on spells.
	Ring of Protection	A direct armour class boost.
	Eversight Ring	Allows you to see through Darkness​ if your party is running this mechanic.
	Ring of Regeneration	Can be equipped to automatically activate Broodmother's Revenge in combat.

Build Mechanics and Interactions

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Swarmkeeper Build mechanics and interactions. These will help you understand what is happening and why, and maybe give you ideas on your own playstyle.

Core Mechanics and Combos

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.

How Swarms work

The core mechanic of what makes Swarmkeeper unique is its Swarms, which each give 3 actions - damage, teleport and utility. These activate when you attack, and you get a prompt window to make your choice. Sadly, this is once per turn.

Swarm	Description
Legion of Bees​	This swarm will be particularly useful to control enemy positioning via pushing and inflicting piercing damage.
Cloud of Jellyfish​	In case your party relies on Wet​ conditions, the lightning damage will be doubled and applying Shocked​ can be useful in certain situations, especially if allies follow up with Dexterity Saving Throw spells.
Flurry of Moths​	Deals Psychic damage, which, late in Act 2, can be doubled with Resonance Stone. Sadly, the Blinded​ effect will finish before the enemy's turn starts, making it limited in use.

I personally found Legion of Bees​ very useful with the Spike Growth​ as it allowed me to push enemies inside it.

Managing Great Weapon Master

The most important aspect of most two-handed builds is correctly utilizing Great Weapon Master: All In​ and its -5 attack roll penalty. By putting effort into minimising the debuff, from level 4, you can get 10 flat damage boosts, making most of the enemies a cakewalk.

• Bless​ from a Cleric, Paladin, or The Whispering Promise ring for a 1d4 bonus.
• Spells like Faerie Fire, and Blindness​ give an advantage to attackers.
• Oil of Accuracy or Diluted Oil of Sharpness, for a 1 and 2 attack roll bonus.
• Gloves of the Growling Underdog - can be obtained in Goblin Camp and give an advantage for attack rolls.
• Phalar Aluve: Sing​ gives 1d4 to attack rolls.

Now, if you want more in-depth information, I have a guide covering how to increase attack rolls, which lists a lot of options and combinations. You can then pick the bonuses based on your party setup.

Strength and Dexterity-based weapons

One thing that might be easily overlooked is that some weapons have Finesse property (Phalar Aluve, The Dancing Breeze), which means that they use either strength or dexterity (depending on which is higher). While others only work with strength (Sorrow, Nyrulna, etc). This is an important distinction and opens up slightly different elixir options.

For example, with Dexterity weapons, you can use your natural Dexterity for the attack rolls, and then a free elixir slot to activate something like Elixir of Bloodlust for an extra attack once an enemy is killed.

For strength weapons, there is a problem: the build does not invest in this ability. There is an easy fix - Elixir of Hill Giant Strength or Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength, which greatly increases this stat, without you needing any investment. This is great, as now you have more weapon options to use.

Spike Growth for Area Control capabilities

The build's cornerstone spell is Spike Growth. You will acquire it at ranger level 5, and it will use level 2 spell slots. It will serve a few purposes:

• Slow down enemies
• Damage enemies
• Inflict various conditions (Reverberation, Radiating Orb​) via Boots of Stormy Clamour + Luminous Armour + Callous Glow Ring.
• Get stacks of Arcane Acuity​ via Gloves of Battlemage's Power when the enemy gets damaged.

Of course, it will damage you, but this can be circumvented by using the Writhing Tide​ feature of Swarmkeeper, giving you a safe spot in this firstly dangerous zone. With this in mind, you will want to keep enemies on Spike Growth,​ and here the section offers some help:

Controlling enemy positioning

The most important aspect of this build is knowing what tools it has to control the enemy positions. This enables you to force enemies on Spike Growth​ and greatly limit their combat capabilities. Here are the main tools:

• Legion of Bees​ - offers a way to push enemies once per turn
• Sorrowful Lash​ - a bonus action attack that can pull enemies toward yourself
• Thorn Whip​ - can be obtained from a Nature cleric, uses a main action point, and pulls enemies toward yourself.
• Command​ - has different variations, but the build mainly needs - Command: Approach​, Command: Flee,​ which would force targets to move via the difficult terrain.
• Black Hole​ - if you have obtained Partial Ceremorphosis, this is one of the best "clumping" spells in the game.
• Void Bulb - throw it to detonate, and pull enemies toward the centre.

Stacking Arcane Acuity and a high spell success chance

Gloves of Battlemage's Power is what enables a very easy way to obtain Arcane Acuity​ via Spike Growth. Each damage tick will trigger the gloves and improve your Spell Save DC. This enables you to build up a high spell success chance even without involving yourself too much in combat.

Another option is Booming Blade,​ with your weapon attacks. This also gives a few stacks, which helps to improve the Spell Save DC.

With a high spell success chance, you can follow up with various control spells - Command, Hold Person, Blindness. Moreover, don't forget the huge amount of scrolls in the game. You can use something like Scroll of Glyph of Warding, Scroll of Confusion, Scroll of Hypnotic Pattern, etc., to disable large groups of enemies and turn the tide of the encounter.

Build Combat loop

This section covers the main steps on how to use the build. I do recommend reading the mechanics section before, as it will give more insights into how everything works and why things are as they are.

Act 1

This covers the early parts of the game, mostly Act 1 levels 1-5:

• The combat in the early game is pretty simple. Where possible, use Hunter's Mark​ to improve your damage.
• Ensnaring Strike​ can be used to get an easy advantage, but remember it uses full action, so it becomes less useful once you get Extra Attack​.
• Use your preferred swarm to inflict damage or apply conditions. Sometimes, even the teleport is a good option, as it costs no resources.
• Disable Great Weapon Master: All In​ if needed to increase the hit chance.
• Don't forget to buff yourself and allies with Longstrider.

Level 5 - 6:

• Here, you will obtain Spike Growth,​ and it plays a big role further down the road. My recommendation would be to cast it, where enemies will be forced to walk on it.
• Use Legion of Bees​ to push enemies into the spikes once you land an attack.

Act 2

Obtaining Callous Glow Ring, Writhing Tide​ changes your playstyle:

1. Precast Writhing Tide​ if you can see an incoming encounter. Otherwise, use it during combat
2. Try to position yourself as close as you can to the enemies, or the biggest group. Of course, near the bosses you might want to avoid them.
3. Cast Spike Growth​ on yourself. This will be your playing field, where you want the enemies to come.
4. Use Sorrowful Lash​ from Sorrow to pull enemies toward yourself into the spikes
5. Use Legion of Bees​ to push away enemies close to you, so that they would be force to move through the spikes.

Once you obtain Gloves of Battlemage's Power, stuff gets serious:

• You can now cast Command​ on enemies with a high success chance and force them to move onto Spike Growth. It is also good on ranged foes, to force them to come to you.
• Use Radiance of the Dawn​ to deal area of effect radiant damage, and apply debuffs.
• Use Booming Blade​ to inflict additional damage with the weapon and activate Gloves of Battlemage's Power.

Act 3

More cleric spells will be unlocked here:

• You can now switch the tide in some encounters with multi-target Hold Person​ or just use Scroll of Hold Monster to disable bosses. Use them once you have some stacks of Arcane Acuity​.
• You can use Create or Destroy Water​ to cover enemies in Wet​. This enables your casters or you with lightning scrolls to deal double damage.
• Blindness​ is an awesome concentrationless spell. I would recommend using it on mages and archers, to force them to come close and luckily, step on Spike Growth.
• If you are using Bhaalist Armour, your weapon damage and spike damage will be doubled.
• With Luminous Armour, you want to keep enemies on your spikes so that they would constantly get Radiating Orb​ and Reverberation​ debuffs.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Swarmkeeper build for Baldur's Gate 3. This uses the radiant theme of Sanctified Stalker ​to create an area controller that utilizes Spike Growth. The result is a unique playstyle that enjoys free movement thanks to Writhing Tide​ and high spellcasting from itemisation.

Cheers!

Credits

Thanks, David and Grousedrum, for the review.