This guide focuses on the best Sorcerer build in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Draconic Bloodline Subclass, and includes all components to build a powerful character.
This build has been updated for the Patch 7 version of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Everything About the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3
Sorcerers possess innate magical abilities and manipulate their magic with a class mechanic metamagic. Using metamagic, Sorcerers can add additional range, cast multiple times in a turn, and provide incredible versatility when it comes to spell casting. While their spell book is limited compared to a Wizard, the burst potential is high.
This build is intended for massive area-based damage. Depending on your party composition, you want to assign other companions or players to heal, tank, play in melee, and buff. Your goal is to do what the Sorcerer excels at, lobbing multiple fireballs or similar massive area spells and wiping out groups.
Sorcerer Class Pros | Sorcerer Class Cons |
---|---|
Metamagic Spell Manipulation | Limited Spell Selection |
Massive Area Damage | Fragile |
Sorcery Points Resources | Sorcery Points Resources |
Sorcerer Class Features and Mechanics
The following list presents all the essential Sorcerer Features and Mechanics in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Primary Ability: Charisma
- Subclass: Draconic Bloodline
- Armour Proficiency: Clothing
- Weapon Proficiency: Dagger, Quarterstaff, Light Crossbow
- Preferred Armor: Clothing
- Preferred Weapon: Quarterstaff
- Metamagic: Add effects to spells like changing range, multiple targets, and more.
- Bonus Action: Use meta magic to cast another spell-consuming bonus action.
- Dragon Ancestor: Allows you to specialize in draconic ancestry.
Sorcerer Spell Mechanics
Here is a list of all the essential Spell Mechanics in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cantrips: are like spells, but you can cast them infinitely, and they don’t take your spell slots.
- Spell Slots: At each level, you gain access to more usage of spells and high-tier spells.
- Sorcery Points: can be used to alter your Spells or create extra Spell Slots.
- Concentration: is a spell mechanic that requires you to maintain concentration otherwise the spell effect ends.
For the list of the best spells for the Sorcerer, look below in level progression.
Also Check:- BG3 Interactive Map
BG3 Sorcerer Meta Magic Explained
Sorcerer Metamagic is a unique and powerful feature that sets sorcerers apart from other spellcasting classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. It allows Sorcerers to manipulate and enhance their spells in various ways, granting them incredible flexibility and versatility in their spellcasting. Two Metamagic types are chosen at level 2, with one additional metamagic chosen at levels 3 and 10.
Here is a list of all the metamagic options in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Careful Spell: Allows Sorcerers to prevent harmful Spell effects affecting their allies.
- Distant Spell: Increases the range of the spell by 50%.
- Extended Spell: Double the duration of Conditions, summons, and surfaces caused by spells.
- Heightened Spell: Targets of spells that require Saving Throws have Disadvantage on their first Saving Throw.
- Quicken Spell: Spells that take an Action take a Bonus Action instead.
- Subtle Spell: You can cast spells while Silenced Silenced.
- Twinned Spell: Spells that only target 1 creature can target an additional creature.
The Best Metamagic options are Quickened, Twinned, and Careful spells. Quickened is useful because you can cast two spells in one turn with an action and a bonus action. Twinned can cast two powerful single target abilities like Disintegrate, Blight, or Chromatic Orb. Twinned only consumes one spell slot as well. Lastly, careful spell prevents allies from being damaged with area-based spells like Fireball or Ice Storm. You can combine Twinned and Quickened in the same turn to get cast a double single target spell and immediately follow it up with another spell. Consider Metamagic important to understand and use to get the most damage out of your Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build.
Sorcery Points
An important aspect of the Best Sorcerer Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the amount of Sorcerery Points you get to spend on metamagic. Sorcery Points are a limited resource that you need to recharge via long rest. You earn more per level and it amplifies your power significantly.
Here is a chart giving you a list of Sorcery Points per level in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Sorcerer Level | Sorcery Points |
---|---|
Level 1 | 0 |
Level 2 | 2 |
Level 3 | 3 |
Level 4 | 4 |
Level 5 | 5 |
Level 6 | 6 |
Level 7 | 7 |
Level 8 | 8 |
Level 9 | 9 |
Level 10 | 10 |
Level 11 | 11 |
Level 12 | 12 |
Sorcerer Class and Best Subclass
Draconic Bloodline is the best subclass for the Sorcerer because you gain access to Draconic Resilience, Draconic armour class, and Draconic Ancestor. This allows you to focus on a specific elemental magic type and also have higher survivability. For subclass, we will pick Draconic Ancestry: Red (Fire) which will pair well with the Fireball level 3 spell.
The following is a list of the Sorcerer Subclasses for Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Draconic Bloodline: descendants from dragons, gain breath weapon, resistance to damage, and the ability to add their Charisma modifier to their AC.
- Wild Magic: unpredictable, wild surges of power and spell casting.
- Storm Sorcery: Control the weather, create powerful storms, fly, and deal lightning damage with spells.
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer leans into fire damage with high survivability. It also maintains metamagic allowing you to cast multiple spells in one turn. This class and playstyle is all about big area damage and does it better than anyone. With our race and subclass selections, we will have a lot more spells than the default Sorcerer. Giving us more utility at range or up close. Take the Draconic Ancestry Red Fire for the Burning Hands spell.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Features & Progression
The Draconic Bloodline subclass unlocks the following features and spells:
- Draconic Resilience Hit Points (Level 1): Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1 for each Sorcerer level.
- Draconic Resilience Armour Class (Level 1): Dragon-like scales cover parts of your skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your Base Armour Class increases by 13.
- Dragon Ancestry (Choose Red – Fire) (Level 1): At Level 6, spells that deal with Fire damage are more powerful, and you can become resistant to Fire Damage.
- Elemental Affinity Damage (Level 6): When you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, you add your Charisma Modifier to the damage.
- Elemental Affinity Resistance (Level 6): When you cast a spell that deals damage of the type associated with your draconic ancestry, you can spend 1 Sorcery point to gain Resistance to that damage type.
- Fly (Level 11): You can now fly at will using your movement speed.
Character Creation
Recommended Backgrounds
Charlatan is the Best Background for a Best Sorcerer Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 because you gain proficiency in Deception and Sleight of Hand. Deception scales from Charisma while Deception scales from Dexterity, both of which we suggest a 16 ability score. These skills will help in dialogue and exploring. Here’s a list of the best backgrounds for a Sorcerer:
- Charlatan: Proficiency in Deception (charisma) and Sleight of Hand (dexterity). You’re an expert in manipulation, prone to exaggeration, and more than happy to profit from it. A Charlatan companion is Astarion.
- Entertainer: Proficiency in Acrobatics (dexterity) and Performance (charisma). You live to sway and subvert your audience, engaging common crowds and high society alike.
- Noble: Proficiency in History (intelligence) and Persuasion (charisma). You were raised in a family among the social elite, accustomed to power and privilege. A noble companion is Minthara.
Best Race for Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Build
High Half-Elf is the best race choice for the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 because you gain an extra Cantrip, Fey Ancestry, Darkvision, and Shield Proficiency. A secondary choice is the Human because you gain increased carrying capacity, skill proficiency, and shield proficiency as well. Our third choice would be Dragonborn due to their unique Dragon Ancestry, extra spell, and resistance.
High Half-Elf | Human |
---|---|
Darkvision | Shield Proficiency |
Shield Proficiency | Carry Capacity |
Fey Ancestry | Skill Proficiency |
The Sorcerer racial choice will not influence ability score, as race will get a +2 and +1 to spend regardless. This frees your race choice up to not completely hinder yourself based on ability score, but race features. Each of these races offers unique advantages that can enhance your combat prowess, survivability, or utility. Additionally, consider the roleplaying opportunities and character concepts that resonate with you.
Best Skills for Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Build
Persuasion and Insight are the best skills for the Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3 because they aid in dialogue, exploration, and discovery. In Baldur’s Gate 3, skills represent the abilities and proficiencies of your character that allow them to perform various actions and interact with the game world. Skills are associated with specific attributes and are used to determine the success or effectiveness of certain actions or abilities. They can be edited during character creation or with companions, during respec or reroll screen.
Here are the best skills for Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Persuasion is a Charisma Skill used entirely for dialogue Ability Checks.
- Insight is a Wisdom skill used in dialogue and exploration.
Best Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Ability Scores
Here’s the recommended ability point distribution to maximize the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build:
Ability | Points Goal |
---|---|
Strength | 8 |
Dexterity | 16 |
Constitution | 14 |
Intelligence | 10 |
Wisdom | 10 |
Charisma | 16 |
The Sorcerer’s best ability score will reach 16 Charisma which helps chances to land spells and damage along with 16 Dexterity which helps with Armour Class (AC). 14 Constitution should be next, and these three stats will give you a great blend of damage and survivability. Your damage comes from Charisma and your AC or chance people hit you from Dexterity since we will be wearing clothing not armor with this build.
After you choose the Sorcerer, Draconic Bloodline, race, and background, the game will automatically distribute your abilities in the character creation abilities tab. You will need to reprioritize the stats for the chart for the Best Sorcerer build. Simply use the plus-minus in the character creator and make sure you have the suggested race, or the numbers will be off.
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Spell Slots
Here’s a chart that shows the levels and spell slots unlocked for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build:
Sorcerer Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Level 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Level 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Level 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Level 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Level 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Illithid Powers
Illithid Powers are unlocked later in the game when you learn more about the Mind Flayers and tadpoles. You can gain jars of Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens, and consume them to gain one point. This is essentially another skill tree advancement with some very strong powers. If you decide to advance this skill line, these are the choices we suggest.
Here are the best Illithid Powers for the Sorcerer Build:
- Charm: Channel the dark allure of the tadpole to Charm an enemy that attacks you, preventing them from attacking you until their next turn. This is the priority power you want to obtain because you can force enemies to attack something else.
- Repulsor: Deal force damage and Force Push anything and anyone back 6m. Used if surrounded and or you don’t have Thunderwave.
- Shield of Thralls: Conjure a volatile shield around yourself or an ally, granting the target 10 temporary hit points. If these temporary hit points are lost due to incoming damage, the shield bursts, possibly Stunning nearby foes. This can be a useful defensive shield when expecting or taking pressure.
- Freecast: You have discovered a marvelous adaption within yourself. Spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your next action or spell are removed. Refreshes after a Short or Long rest. Utterly god-tier feature to pair with metamagic making your build obscenely strong because you can cast essentially three spells in one turn. Quickened spell (2x) and Freecast with bonus action (3x).
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Level Progression
Level 1
Level one follow our character creator to pick all correct background, race, skills, and ability distribution focusing on Charisma and Dexterity. Sorcerer also gets to choose their subclass at level one, select Draonic Bloodline and the Draconic Ancestry: Red (fire). You will want to use a Quarterstaff for your weapon and stick to “clothing.” It’s vitally important you do not use any armor on gear slots. The ability score has high Dexterity which will add to our AC total. You can also use spells to pump this up higher, specifically Mirror Image if you have trouble with survivability. At level one, you will have access to four cantrips. You will also have access to two level-one spells along with two very important subclass features.
Here are the most important features at level 1 with a Draconic Sorcerer Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Draconic Resilience Explained
- Dragon Ancestor (Red): Fire is the damage type associated with your dragon ancestor. gain immediate access to the Burning Hands spell.
- Draconic Resilience Hit Points: Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1 for each Sorcerer level. This is one reason you will see much higher health than other casters, making the subclass a great choice.
- Draconic Resilience Armour Class: Dragon-like scales cover parts of your skin. When you aren’t wearing armour, your Base Armour Class increased to 13. 13 AC passively is a massive benefit to using this subclass. Most spell casters wearing light armor rely solely on Mage Armour to raise Armour Class (AC) to level 13. Then you add your Dexterity modifier typically 2 or 3 and reach 15 or 16. With this build, we can reach 16 Dexterity modifiers, passive Draconic Armour Class, and have 16 AC at the very start of the game wearing cloth. This is the mechanic behind why we don’t use Mage Armour on this specific subclass build.
Sorcerer Cantrip Recommendations
- Fire Bolt: Ranged fire spell that deals 1d10 fire damage. Simple ranged attack that can be combined with Grease early on for big area damage.
- Ray of Frost: Call forth a frigid beam of blue-white light and reduce the target’s Movement Speed by 3m. This is a decent attack to prevent a melee aggressor from closing the distance on you.
- Acid Splash: Hurl a bubble of acid that hurts each creature it hits. This is a decent area damage spell that can reduce armor.
- Shocking Grasp: melee ability Lightning springs from your hand and prevents the target from taking reactions. You have an advantage when using this spell on creatures wearing metal armor. Used to shut down melee aggressors with important reaction triggers. Consider this your flex spell which you can use something else in this position.
Sorcerer Spell Recommendations
- Chromatic Orb: Hurl a sphere of energy. It deals 3d8 element damage and creates a surface. This area damage spell is useful to cast at range and control choke points or proc certain elemental effects. The strength of this skill on a Sorcerer is you can use Sorcerery point Twinned and cast it twice even at level 2 with one action. This gives you a ton of power early on and even later in the game.
- Magic Missile: Create 3 darts of magical force, each dealing 1d4+1 Force to its target. The darts always hit their target. The strength of this ability is its 100% chance of landing. It has far lower damage but is useful when you can target up to three separate enemies or finish someone off when you need a guaranteed hit.
At this level use your Chromatic Orb for small area damage and Magic Missile when you need guaranteed damage. Fire Bolt will hit hard and Shocking Grasp does great in melee range. Use Acid Splash if you want to reduce armor on a target and Ray of Frost if you need to flee a melee target chasing you. Level two will introduce Metamagic which gives your build a lot more power early.
Draconic Sorcerer Gameplay & Priorities
During the early phase of BG3, the Draconic Sorcerer is a powerful spellcaster who should equip a quarterstaff as early as possible. Your primary goal should be to recruit at least one melee heavy-hitter to your party. Spellcasters in BG3 feel weak in the first several levels and you’ll likely want a partner to increase your survivability. Moreover, look to acquire the Elixir of Bloodlust or Potion of Invisibility. Bloodlust helps trigger an extra action on kill and Invisibility helps you stay alive if you’re in trouble.
Your overall priority with the Draconic Sorcerer build is the following:
- Complete Prologue
- Recruit Other Companions
- Reached Hollowed City/Druid Grove
- Sell, Stock up, complete quest
- Unlock Withers, respec to proper ability score
- Progress to level 5
- Reach Underdark and Grymforge
Following these steps ensures a strong foundation, especially if you plan on playing solo or on Honour Mode difficulty.
Level 1 Spell Loadout: Firebolt, Ray of Frost, Acid Splash, Shocking Grasp, Chromatic Orb, and Magic Missile.
Level 2
At level two you with our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build you unlock Sorcery Points, Metamagic, and one additional spell. We suggest taking Thunderwave spell and Twinned Spell and Distance Spell for metagmagic class passives.
- Thunderwave: Release a wave of thunderous force that pushes away all creatures and objects (2d8 Thunder). This spell acts as your knockback to melee characters and allows you to create distance and get away. It’s also great to knock enemies off ledges or high positions and keeps you having some defensive capabilities at the early level.
Metamagic as explained above, essentially lets you manipulate spells to add range, cast on multiple targets, and more. Sorcery Points can be converted into additional Spell Slots, allowing you to cast more spells in between long rests. At level two, you get to select two Metamagic Options out of four: Careful, Distant, Extended, and Twinned. We suggest taking Twinned and Distance.
- Twinned Spell: Cast a single target spell on multiple targets.
- Distance Spell: Increase the range of spell.
In the next phase, you get more options, but these are the best at this stage. Twinned combined with Chromatic Orb gives you two casts in a single target which is huge damage early in the game. At this level, you can pick up two more spells and we suggest Thunderwave and Burning Hands.
Level 2 Spell Loadout: Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Burning Hands, and Thunderwave.
Level 3
At Level 3 you will unlock more metamagic options, Heighted, Subtle, and Quickened Spell. Quickened spell is the obvious choice here because it allows us to use an attack as a bonus action, using one action to cast a spell and one via bonus action.
At this level, you can learn another spell, along with replacing a spell. You want to learn Misty Step and replace Thunderwave with Scorching Ray. This will allow you to have two strong level 2 spells, Misty Step to be used infrequently and Scorching Ray for single target kills mainly.
- Misty Step: Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space where you can see up to 18m range. One of the BEST defensive spells early in the game. It’s a teleport when you need it most. Moreover, this spell only requires a bonus action. You can use your action for a high-powered spell, and a bonus action to get away, assuming you have the spell slots.
- Scorching Ray: Hurl 3 rays of Fire, each deal 2d6 Fire damage at 18m range. Think of this spell as an improved Magic Missile, that can miss, but also do a lot of damage when you need it. You can cast on same target or up to three which is great for multi-kills without using and are skill.
Quickened Spell Explained
With Quickened Spell, you have a way to cast area-based damage spells with Sorcery Points. Keep in mind, the cost is substantial early with Quickened Costing 3 Sorcery points. Early on, it’s better to use Chromatic Orb twice with Twinned then at level 5 and beyond you have flexibility in Sorcery Point usage. You may also see Burning Hands or Hellish Rebuke on the spell book chart, and some of those spells can be granted passively depending on your race. Dragonborn also has an additional spell, High Elf Fire Bolt cantrip, and so on. So your spell book might look slightly different depending on the race choice you went with for the Best Sorcerer Build in Baldur’s Gate 3!
Level 3 Spell Loadout: Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, and Misty Step.
Level 4
At Level, you will gain a cantrip, spell, and feat. We recommend taking the Ability Improvement feat for an increase in Charisma by +2 giving you 18 overall. This will help with damage and landing spells.
- Poison Spray Cantrip: a simple cantrip for poison damage. You can take a non-combat-related cantrip in this position as you won’t rely on this much.
- Mirror Image: this is a defensive spell that helps when taking pressure with melee. It creates three images each increasing your AC by 3. They go away each time you get attacked. We err on the side of staying alive, and this will dramatically increase your survival at this level. Feel free to take Cloud of Daggers if you feel less damage at level four. Mainly Chromatic Orb for area damage and Scorching Ray for single target should be the play.
So far, this build is set up mainly for defense as you learn the game. You rely on simple spells like Chromatic Orb for damage and Mirror Image and Misty Step for survival. Things are about to get much warmer, with Fireball coming at level 5!
Level 4 Spell Loadout: Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, and Misty Step.
Level 5
At level 5 with our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build your Sorcerer starts to feel very powerful with access to Level 3 spells. There are a lot of powerful spells to choose from at this point, but here’s suggestions:
- Fireball: Shoot a bright flame from your fingers that explode upon contact, torching everything in the vicinity 8d6 18m range 6m radius. This is the “mega” spell that everyone wants as a Sorcerer, and you start to feel very powerful.
Using Fireball on a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
Up until now, we’ve set up your Sorcerer to be survivable and lean on Chromatic Orb and Twinned Metamagic for damage. This is the point at which we switch to huge damage. With the introduction of Fireball, expect massive area damage. However, you are not an Evocation Wizard, so you do not want to hit friendly targets. Placing the circle radius just at the edge to hit as many targets as possible is the key to using this ability.
With Quickened Metamagic, you can cast this spell and another with a bonus action (3 Sorcery Points). Once you get more spell slots, you guessed it, you can cast two Fireballs on your first turn. The key to mastering the damage output is using Metamagic Quickened for area-based spells and Twinned for single targets. This also applies to buffs, debuffs, and crowd control, not just magic. Typically I fire off my major nuke like Fireball on turn one when enemies are likely to be clumped together and not separated.
Level 5 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball.
Level 6
At level six the Sorcerer will gain an extra level 3 spell slot, and pick up one more spell.
- Haste: Target yourself or an ally to become Hastened which allows an additional action for that character hastened. This spell requires concentration, and the target becomes lethargic when the condition ends after 10 turns. This gives whoever’s targeted a huge advantage in combat at the expense of a level 3 spell. Combine this Twinned metamagic and can cast it on two players.
Adding Haste as a Sorcerer is a massive boost to overall power. You can cast Haste turn one on you and another high-powered damage dealer with Twinned Metamagic. Next, you can still use your action to cast a powerful spell. Later in the game, you can use even more Sorcery Points for Quickened Metamagic and cast yet another spell with your bonus action. This is what makes the Sorcerer the most powerful spell caster in the game, more actions, more spell casting, and more raw power.
Ending Act 1 as a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
By Level 6, you should be close to transitioning out of Act 1. Be sure to visit merchants and stock up on camp and alchemy supplies. Additionally, make sure to look over the best Act 1 items. Furthermore, there are also permanent bonuses you can find in Act 1. Finally, the Grymforge has powerful armor and weapons (Adamantine) that can be used well into Act 3. Consider taking the time to collect the Mithral, Mould, and Craft items before moving on to Act 2, where you won’t be able to return (Shadow-Cursed Lands).
Level 6 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste.
Level 7
At level 7, you will gain access to a higher rank of spells, level 4. We are going to stick with the theme of the build, massive area damage which leads us to the Ice Storm Spell.
- Ice Storm: deal d2d8 bludgeoning damage and 4d6 cold damage in a massive 6m radius. This spell radius is enormous, and you want to make sure not to hit allies with it. Since it’s a level 4 spell, you can use it in conjunction with Fireball. You then have two sources of area damage. The Cold damage is also nice because of the prone status effect.
The gameplay remains the same at this point, using mostly area-based damage abilities. Use mobility for survival and allow melee builds to pressure targets and healers like Clerics and Bards to replenish your health.
Level 7 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm.
Level 8
At level 8 you gain another level 4 spell slot and a Feat. We are going to select Magic Initiate Warlock, and Blight Spell at this level.
- Magic Initiate Warlock feat: You learn 2 Cantrips and a Level 1 spell from the warlock spell list. You can cast the Level 1 spell once per Long Rest. Your Spellcasting Ability for all 3 spells is Charisma.
- Eldritch Blast: fires off a beam of energy 1d10 force damage. This is the best cantrip in the game and is very used when you are out of spell slots or just want force damage. This can also be useful to knock open holes in the walls outside of combat. It’s a huge boost to utility to be able to still do great damage at range when you are tapped out of spell slots.
- Blade Ward: Take only half of the damage from Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing attacks. This is a decent cantrip when expecting incoming melee damage.
- Hellish Rebuke: 2d10 fire damage the next time you take damage, you use your reaction to surround your attacker in hellish flames. This gives you passive return fire damage when taking damage. The damage is significant and it doesn’t cost you an action punishing those who attack you. You can also get Hellish Rebuke from the Asmodeus Tiefling race. If that is the case, then the Spell Sniper Feat is a better choice.
Other Feat Options at Level 8
Having this much utility in a feat is a lot and just what the Sorcerer needs at level 8. If you don’t use Hellish Rebuke and prefer just Eldritch Blast, consider taking the Spell Sniper feat. It helps with critical chance and still gives one cantrip.
- Blight: 9m range, dealing 8d8 necrotic damage. This will help with single-target damage and a different elemental type if someone is susceptible to it. Moreover, they still take half damage on save so it’s consistent damage that can spike a single target. Twinned Metamagic works on this spell for huge single target damage and this is your go-to until level 11.
Level 8 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm, Blight.
Level 9
At level 9, with our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build you can access level 5 spells. We recommend taking Telekinesis.
- Telekinesis: Throw a creature or object up to 18m with a thought. Once per turn, you can use Telekinesis again without expending a spell slot. Heavier items deal more damage. This is a deceptively powerful spell in which you can one-shot kill targets by throwing them off high ledges or into death environments.
As a Sorcerer with level 5 spells, you get access to mostly powerful area-based damage spells. The issue is, that we have plenty of those in our kit, so adding another isn’t necessarily going to improve our power. What we lack is crowd control. This ability is a bit deceptive because you can chuck people off ledges and or use this outside of combat for utility as well. Consider this an added utility spell, though you can go with Cone of Cold if you want even more area-based damage. You can also lean on scrolls for Banishment, Slow, and Confusion which is how I play this class. Loot books and you’ll get them constantly and free up your spell slots for big damage.
Level 9 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm, Blight, Telekinesis.
Level 10
At level 10, the Sorcerer gets access to another spell, cantrip, and class passive.
- Metamagic – Careful Spell: Allies automatically succeed in Saving Throws against spells that require them. This is very useful considering the massive amount of area damage we inflict. It’s a mini Evocation Wizard bonus, eliminating friendly fire from spells like Fireball. I generally prefer to use Quickened and try to aim it properly. But there are situations in which you cannot do this, and chucking a friendly Fireball is the play.
- Mage Hand cantrip: When you cast Mage Hand, the spectral hand is invisible and can carry out additional tasks. Consider this a utility cantrip that can help with outside-of-combat actions and thievery.
- Cloudkill: craft a large cloud that inflicts 5-40 Poison damage per turn. Massive area damage and poison. This is very useful for fights that are expected to stay in one position for a duration because you can reposition this spell though it does cost concentration.
Level 10 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm, Blight, Telekinesis, Cloud Kill.
Level 11
At level 11 the Sorcerer access level 6 spells and my favorite spell in the entire game, which is Disintegrate. Our subclass also unlocks a free Fly movement addition.
Using Disintegrate on a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer
- Disintegrate: Shoot a thin green ray from your finger. If the 50-100 Force damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, it disintegrates into crumbly ash. My favorite spell in the entirety of Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a powerful single-target damage spell that can outright disintegrate targets. While this build is focused on AOE, it’s a must-have in any aresnal for single target pressure.
The trick to using Disintegrate is pairing it with Twinned Magic. As you can see in the picture above (Voldermort look), the spell can hit two targets in one cast, and both nearly hit 80 damage. That’s nearly 160 damage with my action. Moreover, you can then fire up Quickened Metamagic for another cast with your bonus action, typically a follow-up area damage spell. You start to feel god-like at this level and one of the coolest spells in videogame history (I’m a fan if you cannot tell).
- Fly (subclass feature): Fly to a target position up to 18 meters. This allows you tremendous movement potential without the need for Misty Step. Another advantage of this not using Tadpole power or a potion is, that you can move over terrain without going prone or setting on fire. It seems not that important for a spell caster, but saving our bonus action is critical with Quickened Magic.
Level 11 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm, Blight, Telekinesis, Cloud Kill, Disintegrate.
Level 12
You’ve reached the maximum level with our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build. At level 12 the Sorcerer gets an additional level 6 spell and a feat.
- Chain Lighting: deals 10-80 lighting damage Strike an enemy with lightning. Three more bolts will leap from the target, electrifying as many as three other enemies within 18m. Another amazing damage skill that has some area or multitarget potential. What holds the spell back from Disintegrate, is the lowest it can strike is 10, so there’s a wide range of outcomes but has better multi-kill potential.
- Ability Improvement Feat: you want to increase your Charisma to 20 at this point. You will have great damage, and a chance to hit along high defensive capabilities at level 12 with this ability score. Not to mention, you can get gear on top of these bonuses for ever-better gameplay.
Here’s a breakdown of important categories of spells as a Level 12 Sorcerer in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Defensive Spells: Misty Step, Mirror Image
- Single Target: Scorching Ray, Blight, Disintegrate
- Area Damage: Fireball, Ice Storm, Chain Lighting
- Crowd Control: Use scrolls of Slow, Confusion, Banishment, Command, and Sleep
Level 12 Spell Loadout: Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Fireball, Haste, Ice Storm, Blight, Telekinesis, Cloud Kill, Disintegrate, Chain Lighting.
Best Companions for Sorcerer Build
Here’s a list of the best companions for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build:
- Lae’zeal (Fighter): damage, crowd control, and in-your-face aggression which takes the pressure off you.
- Shadowheart (Cleric): buffs, healing, crowd control, and useful to help heal and cc enemies.
- Astarion (Rogue): stealth, lockpicking, critical damage, and an asset in and out of combat.
When putting your party together, consider companions for not only their combat prowess but also their outside abilities and skills that can influence storytelling, dialogue, and exploration. A balanced party will fit the traditional RPG ‘holy trinity’: Tank, Healer, and DPS. Ideally, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you are going to want one tank, one healer, one melee DPS, and one range DPS. Some classes/subclasses can cover both roles, so feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Best Gear for Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Build
In Games like Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll explore the world, loot chests and your enemies’ dead bodies, and complete quests, and all those activities can reward you with useful items, potions, armor, weapons, scrolls, and much more. Progression and finding new gear are part of the game, and you will organically get more powerful weapons during your journeys.
Beginner: Starting the Game
Here’s the best beginner gear for the Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Circlet of Blasting | Free Scorching Ray |
Cape | – | |
Chest | The Protecty Sparkswall | +1 Spell Saves |
Gloves | Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle | Free Scorching Ray |
Boots | Disintegrating Night Walkers | Mobility & Misty Step |
Necklace | Amulet of Misty Step | Free Misty Step |
Ring | Ring of Absolute Force | Free Thunderwave |
Ring | Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands | Free Invisibility |
Weapon 1 Main Hand | Melf’s First Staff | Free Acid Arrow |
Weapon 1 Off-Hand | Adamantine Shield | +2 AC (Half-Elf or Human) |
Weapon 2 Ranged | Bow of Awareness | +1 Initiative |
Below are the Best Act 1 Armour, Weapons, and Equipment for the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer in BG3:
- Circlet of Blasting: Sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony (Alternative Haste Helm).
- The Protecty Sparkswall: Looted in Gilded Chest in Grymforge X: -645 Y: 360 (Alternative Poisoner’s Robe).
- Gloves of Cinder and Sizzle: Sold by Lady Esther at Rosymorn Monastery Trail (Alternative Gloves of Missile Snaring, or Gloves of Hail of Thorns).
- Disintegrating Night Walkers: Found in Underdark from Ne’re NPC (Alternative Cinder Shoes or Boots of Speed).
- Amulet of Misty Step: Found in a Gilded Chest (X386 Y8) in Defiled Temple (Alternative Moondrop Pendant).
- Ring of Absolute Force: Dropped by Sergeant Thrinn in Grymforge (Alternative Ring of Colour Spray).
- Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands: Found in Grymforge Abandoned Refuge (Alternatives The Sparkswall, or Sunwalker’s Gift if Human).
- Melf’s First Staff: Sold by Blurg in the Myconid Colony (Alternatives The Spellsparkler, or Staff of Crones).
- Adamantine Shield Complete the Adamantine Forge Quest in Grymforge use if Human or Half-Elf Race (Alternatives Glowing Shield, or Wood Woad Shield).
- Bow of Awareness: Sold by Vendor Roah Moonglow in the Shattered Sanctum. You can use it even without proficiency for extra initiative!
Advanced: End-Game
The following table presents the best advanced and end-game gear for the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Birthright | +2 Charisma |
Cape | Cloak of the Weave | +1 Spell Save & Roll |
Chest | Potent Robe | +1 AC, Charisma Modifier boost |
Gloves | Quickspell Gloves | Cantrips Bonus Action |
Boots | Helldusk Boots | Mobility & Hellcrawler |
Necklace | Spellcrux Amulet | Restore spell slot |
Ring | Killer’s Sweetheart | Auto Critical |
Ring | Shifting Corpus Ring | Free Invisibility and Blur |
Weapon 1 Main Hand | Markoheshkir | Free Spells, +1 Roll |
Weapon 1 Off-Hand | Viconia’s Walking Fortress | If Human/Half-Elf |
Weapon 2 Ranged | Darkfire Shortbow | Free Haste Spell |
Below are the Best Act 3 Armour, Weapons, and Equipment for the Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer in BG3:
- Birthright: Sorcerer’s Sundries store in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate (Alternative Hood of the Weave, or Helldusk Helmet).
- Cloak of the Weave: Sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee (Alternative Cloak of Protection).
- Potent Robe: Complete the Rescue the Tieflings quest (Alternative Helldusk Armour, Robe of Supreme Defences, or Robe of the Weave).
- Quickspell Gloves: Purchased at Lorroakan’s Projection at Sorcerors’s Sundries (Alternative Helldusk Gloves, or Gemini Gloves).
- Helldusk Boots: Gilded Chest on the top floor of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress (Alternative Disintegrating Night Walkers).
- Spellcrux Amulet: Drop by The Warden in Moonrise Towers Prison X: 569 Y: -650 (Alternative Amulet of Greater Health).
- Killer’s Sweetheart: Found inside the Gauntlet of Shar ( X: -833 Y: -729). (Alternative Ring of Free Action).
- Shifting Corpus Ring: Drop by Fist Marcus at the Last Light Inn (Alternative Crypt Lord Ring).
- Markoheshkir: At Ramazith’s Tower (Alternatives Staff of Spellpower, or Incandescent Staff).
- Viconia’s Walking Fortress: Looted from Viconia DeVir during Shadowheart’s companion quest (Alternative Shield of Devotion).
- Darkfire Shortbow: Sold by Dammon Last Light Inn Act 2 (Alternative Gontr legendary bow).
Best Sorcerer Consumables, Potions, and Items
The following list represents the best individual use consumable items that will aid in our Sorcerer Build:
- Potion of Greater Healing: 8d4 + 8 healing and removes burning.
- Potion of Invisibility: Become invisible for 1 minute. Attacking or casting spells ends the status.
- Potion of Flying: 10 turns of flying.
- Potion of Speed: 3 turns of an increased action via the Haste condition.
- Potion of Angelic Slumber: fall asleep for two turns, then restore all spell slots, hit points, and abilities.
- Elixir of Bloodlust: Once per turn when you kill a foe, you gain HP 5 temporary hit points and an additional action.
- Elixir of Peerless Focus: gain advantage on concentration saves (ingredients Sublimate of Belladona, and any ashes).
- Elixir of Vigilance: gain +5 bonus initiative and you cannot be surprised (ingredients sublimate of bloodstained hook, any ashes).
- Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation: gain a level 3 spell slot (ingredients Solution of Night Orchid, any Vitriol).
- Elixir of Viciousness: increase your critical hit chance (ingredients Vitriol of Shadowroot Sac, any Ashes).
- Elixir of Universal Resistance: gain resistance to all damage (ingredients Vitriol of Divine Miasma, any Sublimate).
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Gameplay Tips and Tricks
Here are some more detailed tips for playing a Sorcerer effectively in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Metamagic: Always look to use this resource to cast spells multiple times.
- Bonus Action: Make sure to expend this with metamagic or potion, even hide.
- Knockback: Use a spell-like Thunderwave to knock melee aggressors back or off ledges.
- Area Damage: Try to make as much area damage as possible with spells like Fireball and Chromatic Orb.
- Rest Constantly: Your spell slots will quickly run out after one or more fights, especially if challenging.
- Positioning: Always try to keep your distance so you can hit enemies and avoid needless melee damage.
- Crowd Control: Use your crowd control abilities when in trouble and needing to relieve pressure from you or an ally.
- Use Consumables: Potion of Speed gives you an additional action and can be found during the tutorial.
- Big Nuke: Fire off your big spell like Fireball when you can hit the maximum number of enemies.
- Misty Step: Save a level 2 spell in case you need to retreat via Misty Step.
Remember, this build guide serves as a foundation, and you can always adapt it to suit your preferences and the needs of your campaign. Enjoy playing our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build Guide!
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Changes in Patch 7 for BG3
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer combat and gameplay did not see any changes with the release of Patch 7 for Baldur’s Gate 3. The main focus of the patch and update was mod manager, in game modding tool, and evil dialogue and cut scenes. Consequently, don’t expect many gameplay differences outside of honor mode difficulty.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer Build Summary Guide
Subclass: Draconic Bloodline
Armor: Cloth
Weapons: Quarterstaff and Shield
Background – Charlatan
- Strength 8
- Dexterity 16
- Constitution 14
- Intelligence 10
- Wisdom 10
- Charisma 16
Level Progression
- Level 1 – Chromatic Orb Spell
- Level 2 – Twinned and Distance Metamagic
- Level 3 – Quickened Metamagic, Misty Step Spell
- Level 4 – Feat +2 Charisma
- Level 5 – Fireball Spell
- Level 6 – Haste Spell
- Level 7 – Ice Storm Spell
- Level 8 – Feat Magic Initiate: Warlock
- Level 9 – Telekinesis Spell
- Level 10 – Careful Spell Metamagic
- Level 11 – Disintegrate
- Level 12 – Feat +2 Charisma
Looking For More About Baldur’s Gate 3?
Thank you for reading Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline Build Guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3. Also, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!