Clerics have many gear to choose from inBaldur’s Gate 3, whether it be on a good playthrough or an evil playthrough. No matter the subclass chosen,Clerics will always have Radiant damageas a part of their kit, which is the most vital damage type to build into. The amount of interactions that Radiant damage has with armor and jewelry is not to be understated.
The best Cleric items typically feature interactions with applying conditions to set up the rest of the party’s damage. Fortunately,most of these armor pieces can be acquired before Act 3, meaning that players will be able to utilize the full Cleric setup far longer than many other builds, which typically require powerful late-game items. These items are alsophenomenal forBG3’s Act 2, as most enemies are Undead and have a vulnerability to Radiant damage.
10Spineshudder Amulet
Apply Reverberation on Spell Attack Rolls
The Spineshudder Amulet can be found in Act 2 within Moonrise Towers,looted from a Mimic in Isobel’s bedroomon the upper floors. Players must pass a DC 30 lockpicking check to get inside, which can be bypassed with high sleight of hand or with spells such as Knock. This amulet has the ability Crackling Resonance, which applies two turns of reverberation when dealing damage with ranged spell attacks.
Scorching Ray is the best spell to pair with this Amulet for maximum Reverberations stacks.
It’s important to note that while this amulet does work well, it does not interact with all Cleric spells.The spells must have attack rolls to make use of this amulet, such asGuiding BoltorScorching Ray. As such, this amulet is not as critical as some other items on this list, and can be swapped out for something like theAmulet Of Misty Stepif desired.
9Coruscation Ring
Apply Radiating Orb While Illuminated
TheCoruscation Ringcan be found in Act 2, in the cellar of Last Light Inn within a trapped chest. The Coruscation Ring has the special ability Arcane Radiance, which inflicts two turns of Radiating Orb on targets that take spell damage while a light source illuminates the wearer. With each stack of Radiating Orb,the affected entity has -1 to Attack Rolls.
Because Radiating Orbs count as a light source, spreading Radiating Orbs to as many enemies as possible will allow all illuminated buffs to be active and debuff their Attack Rolls. The perfect weapon to use with this combination isThe Blood of LathanderLegendary Mace, as it sheds light in an area around it.This means the Cleric will always be illuminated, granting all spell damage the ability to inflict Radiating Orbs.
8Callous Glow Ring
Deal Extra Damage To Illuminated Enemies
TheCallous Glow Ringcan be found in Act 2 within the Gauntlet of Shar, located in the vault room nearBG3’s necromancer Balthazar. This ring pairs very well with the Coruscation Ring, as the Callous Glow Ring allows the wearer to deal additional damage against illuminated targets. Because the Radiating Orb is a light source,all targets afflicted by the condition will take extra damage.
This extra damage from the Callous Glow ability will always occur because all spell damage inflicts Radiating Orb. And as long as the Cleric is wieldingThe Blood of Lathander, enemies that are close enough will also take extra damage,even if they don’t have Radiating Orb stacks. This effect can activate even while it is not the Cleric’s turn due to the nature of items such as the Holy Lance Helm.
7Holy Lance Helm
Deal Damage On Missed Enemy Attacks
TheHoly Lance Helmcan be found in Act 1 by taking the Mountain Pass toBG3’s Githyanki Creche.It can be looted from a chest behind the Eagles in Rosymorn Monasteryafter jumping across some platforms. This helmet is a phenomenal piece of gear that can be used for most of the game, if not all of it, as it has many incredible interactions with these gear pieces.
This helmet can also be slotted out if the Cleric builds into control spells like Hold Person.
This helm has the special ability Smite the Graceless, which forces creatures that miss their Attack Rolls against the wearer to make a Dexterity Saving Throw or take 1-4 Radiant damage. It also provides a +1 to Constitution Saving Throws. Because enemies take Radiant damage on a miss, they will also be afflicted with Radiating Orb and Reverberation.Applying conditions to enemies is incredibly important for Clericsdue to the special ability of the Boots of Stormy Clamour.
6Adamantine Shield
Apply Reeling With Every Dodge
TheAdamantine Shieldcan be created in Act 1 at the Grymforge by combining the Shield Mold and Mithral Ore, as seen inrAAZ’s video on YouTube .Players must defeat Grym, an Adamantine Golem, in order to access the forge.This shield prevents its wearer from being critically hit and appliesthe Reeling condition when enemy attacks miss.
Enemies will often miss the Cleric with all of these gear pieces equipped, so applying yet another condition in response to missed attacks is quite strong.The Reeling condition applies a -1 to Attack Rollsto the inflicted enemy, which is the same effect as Radiating Orb, but without the light source. As such, stacking these conditions on a single enemy acts as a much larger debuff than utilizing these conditions individually.
5Shield of Scorching Reprisal
Extra AC Boost And Resistance
TheShield of Scorching Reprisalcan be acquired in Act 2 just outside of Last Light Inn to the north. It is hidden at the back of the graveyard, where a perception check must be successful in order to dig up the shield.This shield grants the wearer Resistance to Fire damage, as well as the unique bonus action Blazing Retaliation.
If the Cleric is using the Darkfire Shortbow for Fire and Cold Resistance, then the Adamantine Shield is likely better than the Shield of Scorching Reprisal.
Blazing Retaliation increases the user’s Armour Class by 1, as well as inflicting 1-6 Fire damage on enemies that miss the wearer.Clerics already don’t use their bonus action for much, so adding another defensive action per Short Rest is incredibly useful. This Fire damage also stacks with the Holy Lance Helm’s Radiant damage, which can result in absurd amounts of damage to enemies just from dodging an attack.
4Cloak of Displacement
Have Blur Active For Free
The Cloak of Displacement can be bought in Act 3 at Danthelon’s Dancing Axe inBG3’s Wyrm’s Crossing. The Cloak of Displacement grants enemies disadvantage on attack rolls against the wearer, effectively acting as a freeBlurspell. This effect will end if the target takes damagebut will reactivate at the start of the wearer’s next turn.
Because of how many interactions the Cleric has when an enemy misses their attack, this cloak becomes invaluable to increase that likelihood by as much as possible. Not to mention that the higher the Cleric’s Armor Class goes, the stronger this cloak becomes due to how disadvantage works. While this cloak is a great fit for almost every character,I highly recommend using it for the party’s Cleric.
3Gloves of Belligerent Skies
Apply Reverberation With Radiant Damage
TheGloves of Belligerent Skiescan be found in Act 1 inside the Githyanki Creche, in the boss room with Inquisitor W’wargaz, as seen inRoll For Booty’s video on YouTube. These gloves have the special ability Thunderous Conversion, which inflicts two turns of Reverberation against enemies that are dealtThunder damage, Lightning damage, or Radiant damage. Because this can activate with three different kinds of spell damage, these gloves are amazingly flexible.
The Gloves of Belligerent Skies is an excellent way to spread Reverberation around the battlefield with spells such asSpirit Guardians, as any enemies within its radius will be afflicted by the condition. The Holy Lance Helm’s Radiant damage on enemy misses will also apply Reverberation, allowing stacks to build up when it is not even the Cleric’s turn. By stacking Reverberation as high as possible, many enemies will fall prone before they can even finish their turn.
2Boots of Stormy Clamour
Apply Reverberation With Conditions
The Boots of Stormy Clamour can be purchased from the Mind Flayer Omeluum in the Myconid Colony after completing his side quest to investigate the parasite. This special vendor item is one of the best pairs of boots inBaldur’s Gate 3because it is easy to activate its special ability, Arcane Echomalefaction.This ability will inflict two turns of Reverberation on targets that are afflicted by a condition.
Conditions
Radiating Orb
Affected entity has -1 to Attack Rolls per remaining turn. It also sheds bright light in an area surrounding it.
Reverberation
Affected entity has a -1 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution Saving Throws. When the entity has 5 or more turns of Reverberation, it takes 1d4 Thunder damage and must succeed a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw or Fall Prone. The condition is removed afterward. Creatures immune to Thunder damage can’t receive Reverberation.
Reeling
Affected entity has a -1 to Attack Rolls per remaining turn.
These pieces of gear are already applying Radiating Orb and Reeling, which means Reverberation will be afflicted with every instance of damage. Other conditions such as theMelody: Shriekability of thePhalar Aluvelongsword will also apply the condition, as well as deal Thunder damage to activate the Gloves of Belligerent Skies. These boots should be worn for the rest of the playthrough, as there are no better boots for a Cleric.
1Luminous Armor
Radiant Shockwave On All Radiant Damage
The Luminous Armour is the best in slot chest armor for Clerics, even with many seemingly better options, such as theDark Justiciar Half-Plateor the Moon Devotion Robe. Its special ability, Radiating Shockwave, releases a Radiant Shockwave whenever the wearer deals Radiant damage, as seen inPURGE EVIL’s video. This shockwave interacts with nearly every other piece of gear on this list by spreading Radiating Orb and Reverberation across entire groups of enemies with one instance of Radiant damage.
Interactions With Radiant Shockwave
Holy Lance Helm
Activates the shockwave on enemy misses, spreading Radiating Orb and Reverberation.
Coruscation Ring
Radiating Orb applied on all enemies within the shockwave radius.
While the Luminous Armour does not have as high an Armour Class as other late-game items, the utility it provides with its Radiant Shockwave is too strong to pass up. The strongest Cleric subclass to use alongside these pieces of gear is the Light Cleric, but all subclasses perform incredibly well. Using all the items on this list together allows Clerics to solo entire groups of enemies with little to no difficulty inBaldur’s Gate 3.
