As limited as magic in Baldur’s Gate 3 may be, it can be incredibly powerful: A Reddit user has created a magic build that can deal up to 2016 (!) points of damage in a single round. To help you defeat your opponents with a snap of your fingers, we have put together this guide.
What happened? Reddit user King-mollusk posted their wizard/sorcerer/cleric build. With this specific build, their spell Lightning Bolt deals 2016 damage in a single round, which can be split among up to four enemies.
Since most tough opponents have between 100 and 200 hit points, this spell can quickly end even the most challenging fights. Even the current “highest health” boss with over 600 hit points looks pale in comparison.
You can read an effective strategy for such a challenging boss fight here:
Lightning Bolt: How to Recreate the Wizard Build
What items do you need? For the build to reach its full potential, you will need the following two items:
- Markoheshkir: You can find the battle staff in Ramazith’s Tower, which is located in Baldur’s Gate. It gives you a +1 bonus to your spell save DC and attack rolls with spells.
Additionally, the staff can be used as an Arcane Battery, allowing you to cast a spell without using a spell slot.
On top of that, the weapon grants you the spell Kereska’s Favor. - Amulet of the Believer: You can find this amulet in the basement of the Stormweaver’s Tabernacle. This item also gives you a bonus to your spell save DC: +2.
Which spell do you need? You will achieve 2016 damage points with the spell “Lightning Bolt.” With this, you shoot a bolt that can hit a primary target and then chains to up to three other enemies within an 18-meter radius.
The spell is a 6th-level spell and requires an action. Your targets must make a Dexterity saving throw. Even on a successful save, they still take half damage.
If your target is weak against lightning attacks, they take double damage. To ensure this, make sure the enemy is wet. Shadowheart or Gale can cast “Create Water” on the enemies, for example. The spell doesn’t count as an attack, so you can trigger it as preparation before the fight.
Alternatively, you can throw a bottle or barrel of water. As long as all your desired targets end up well-drenched, it works.
The Classes for Your OP Magic Build
What class levels should you take? For an optimal build, you need a combination of three different classes. Here you will find a selection of our articles on the fundamentals of multiclassing.
Here are the classes and levels you should take:
- 1x Wizard: One level is enough to give you the ability to learn spells from scrolls.
- 9x Sorcerer: Choose the subclass “Storm Sorcerer” at level four.
- 2x Cleric: Take the Domain of Storms for the cleric.
Which attributes should you focus on for the build? Since spell damage increases with your intelligence, you should invest most points in this attribute. Charisma is also the basis for many spells and can also be emphasized accordingly.
What traits and abilities do you need? You spend your spell points on “Quickened Spell” and “Twin Spell.” The former turns a bonus action into an action and costs three spell points. The latter allows you to cast two spells with one cast. You will spend six points here.
Through the cleric, you also have “Divine Intervention.” With the passive ability “Destructive Wrath,” your enemies always take full attack damage – provided you hit. This ensures that you maximize your spells’ potential.
1. Lightning Bolt deals 10d8 damage on a cast, which means a maximum of 80 damage to the primary target. Your battle staff adds an additional four damage: 80 + 4 = 84
2. Normally, secondary targets only take half damage. However, if you focus your divine power “Destructive Wrath,” they also take full damage: 84 x 4 = 336
3. If your enemies are wet, they are vulnerable to lightning damage and take double damage: 336 x 2 = 672
Your battle staff Markoheshkir gives you the ability to cast Lightning Bolt multiple times per turn. In combination with your nine spell points, you can cast Lightning Bolt up to three times in a single turn.
Use your spell points for the metamagic abilities “Quickened Spell” and “Twin Spell.”
The final calculation: 3 x 672 = 2016
We have not yet been able to thoroughly test this build. Therefore, we have relied on the Reddit post as well as our own experience for this article.
Have you already seen the build in full action? How many damage points have you managed to deal so far? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
If you are generally interested in playing a magic-using class, you can check out our Gale build here:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Gale Build – How to play your wizard correctly
