While some players in Baldur’s Gate 3 prefer equipping spells that deal the most damage with their builds, there are others who focus more on the simple suffering of their enemies. One of these spells is particularly nasty and can be more powerful than all others even without dealing damage.
Which spell are we talking about? It is the level 3 spell “Sleet Storm,” which Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics of the Storm Domain, and Bards of the College of Lore can learn.
Sleet Storm creates a layer of ice in a 9-meter radius, really covering a large area, making it extremely difficult for all affected targets to move or even stay on their feet.
Although the spell itself does not deal damage, it is a favorite spell of many players and, due to its effect, one of the most powerful spells in the entire game, turning even dangerous fights with particularly many opponents into child’s play.
Here you can see the animated short film for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3:
What is better than a powerful, area-of-effect spell? – Two powerful, area-of-effect spells
What makes Sleet Storm so strong? More precisely, it is not the storm itself that makes this spell so dangerous for your enemies, but the slippery ice surface. Affected creatures must make a Dexterity saving throw starting from their first step on ice or they will slip and fall to the ground.
They cannot take any further action or reaction until their next turn, cannot move any further, and find themselves lying in one of the most vulnerable states in the game. Attackers have advantage on attack rolls against prone enemies, and in the next round, they can only use half of their movement rate, which is already halved by the Sleet Storm. They are completely at the mercy of the spell.
An example of how this can look is shown by the player bejeweled_midnights in a video in the Baldurs Gate 3
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How can you make Sleet Storm an even worse nightmare? Warlocks love Sleet Storm, even though they cannot learn it themselves. Because the spell makes a truly terrible combination with the Warlock-exclusive spell “Hunger of Hadar” – at least for their victims.
The Hunger of Hadar has a radius of 6 meters, which is slightly smaller, but can be placed over the ice surface, ideally where the slipped enemies are already located. The Sleet Storm combined with the dark, tentacle-filled environment ensures that your enemies are not only lying on the ground but are also blind, taking cold damage at the start of each round, taking acid damage at the end of each round, can hardly escape from this environment, and are very vulnerable to attacks.
Anyone particularly sadistic can repeatedly throw enemies into this nightmare through actions like pushing or a repelling “Horrifying Ray.” This strategy is especially suitable for large enemy groups but can also significantly simplify boss fights.
Anyone who wants to use the combination of the two spells needs the obvious caster for Sleet Storm and at least one Warlock who knows Hunger of Hadar. If you want to take on the role of the Warlock yourself, we have a build for you here on MeinMMO, which has been considered the best build for a pure Warlock since Patch 8: Baldur’s Gate 3: Hexblade Build in Patch 8 – Here’s how to build your Hexblade Warlock
