This saved us numerous times in the fight against Gortash + elder brain, at one point soloing nearly an entire encounter. My other characters were all also custom builds, but this one held up the best. Great video!
@@VideosOfSumit true strike is basically a useless cantrip, to the point where not taking anything might be considered equal or better. a lot of people watching these vids are into optimization so it irks them to see an unoptimal thing being taken and, even worse, recommended.
A one-level dip in Tempest cleric allows Gale to learn Create Water, wear heavy armour, and even take Heavy Armour Master which further reduces incoming damage. But it comes at the cost of significantly raising your AC which means enemies will miss you more often.
2 levels in warlock as well in the early levels allows the wizard to generate arcane ward with using spell slots with armor of shadows and also having armor of agathys
If you use Shadowheart as well, a Tempest Shadowheart and Abjuration tank Gale are a great companion pair. She boosts his damage, can keep bonding ward on him, etc. It's *chefs kiss
Use the exploit to get Raphael’s helldusk armor in act 1. It gives you heavy armor prof. and has damage reduction built in. Have an ally cast create water so you can focus on dealing damage. Maybe stack up encrusted with frost gear
If playing this from the very start it's best to start as Sorcerer for con save and Armor of Agathys and take at least 1 level in Tempest Cleric. Temp Cleric gets you wrath of the storm for more retaliation damage and having at least medium armour is better defence early on. You're not tanky from early game until you can build up arcane ward. When you respec you can dump Cleric if you want but wrath of the storm stacks with the other retaliation damage and you'll still get improved abjuration with 10 wizard and level 6 spell slots as Wizard, Cleric and Sorc are all full casters. Always will be best to take Sorc first for con save. Also, Glyph of Warding is your go to damage spell for this build as it's an abjuration spell. You'd want enemies wet to double the cold damage from retaliation damage and damage from lightning or cold glyph of warding. You destroy the battlefield with glyph of warding on this build as you do damage on your turn and their turn when they hit you. Even throwing a water bottle on an enemy on your turn and forcing a retaliation attack moving to them and away from them is effective haha
True, it's definitely an optimization I should have mentioned to begin with Sorcerer! The CON proficiency is super important. Tempest Cleric has the great advantage of letting you use heavy armor, which with the right suit like the Adamantine Splint means you don't even lose damage reduction! (Except what you might get from clothing like the Bonespike Garb). Definitely a strong build variation!
Haven’t seen anyone comment this but in case you want some free easy stacks of ward (and a feee agathys use if you dont have a better robe to wear) then I recommend grabbing the icebite robes in act 2. They’re in a sarcophagus in the graveyard outside the house of healing and gives you a free lvl 3 cast of AoA. Not much but easier than repeatedly spamming mage armor when going warlock
This is a very cool and hilarious build. Turning Gale into a super tank makes me want to try it on my next run. I love Gale's personality but I almost never use him. I don't even know why. He's definitely going to be my wing man on my next run. Maybe I'll bring along Wyll and Halsin and we can do a good boys run. lol
Well, since lvl 10 every short rest gives you a bonus of wizard level to your arcane ward. There are 3 mercs and several companions in your camp that could dip 2lvl bard for the short rest song. If you know what I mean 😉
Important to note that not only is gale the best origin companion for this build because of the aforementioned reasons, he can also get a permanent advantage on concentration checks buff early in act 2 fairly easily. This coupled rebuilding him to start as a sorcerer (con save prof.) makes him a great choice to avoid dropping those costly concentration casts.
Great build! Tip: You can also start as sourcerer at level 1 to gain proficency in con ST ( or respec at elevel 7 starting with sourcerer 1 and wizard 6 ) And for the preparing arcane ward you have a nice chest near withers, ... why not lock it xD (unfortunatelly i just realized that Arcane Lock is not a ritual spell ... i'm sad! but great idea tho)
Yes! Starting sorcerer is a great optimization that I definitely should have mentioned, con saves are super helpful for this build of course. And yeah, I was surprised arcane lock isn't a ritual as well - there are no ritual abjuration spells in the game, probably to prevent this very build from getting ward for free!
@@Cephalopocalypsethat is my tought as well. I used this build with a dip in war cleric (war cleric 1, sorc 1 wizard 10, in this specific order order) to add HA proficiency and 3 extra attack each day using a bonus action, and he is still unkillable and shoot lasers from his eyes too in the end xD Very fun build that can do everything quite effectivly, even without war cleric i think, but i'm martial at core so xD. I don't discard caster complitely, i use spells and find them powerfull and at late levels VERY powerfull but i still want some martial capability in my casters to help early ... except cleric that is quite powerful on his own but don't scale as much as arcane users do, at least not in this game
@@Cephalopocalypse Technically, you don't need the level 10 abjuration wizard feature if you go 2 levels in Warlock for Armour of Shadows. However, this obviously doesn't give you level 6 spell slots, so that's something else to consider.
@@Norrieification For multiclass characters, spells are cast using the attribute you learned the spell from. A sorcerer/wizard would cast spells gained as a sorcerer using charisma and those learned from your wizard using intelligence. However, unless a spell requires a saving throw or attack roll, there is no attribute involved. So spells such as mage armor, shield, armor of agthys, protection from evil, invisibility, false live, mirror image, etc., etc. it really doesn't matter. Cast away.
I know this is very late, but aside from the other benefits of being a cleric including the tempest cleric on taken hit reaction lightning/thunder damage you can cast sanctuary as a *bonus action* on team mates to get +1 arcane ward per turn. VERY helpful and frequent benefit.
I’m not sure how the Warlock Mage Armor invocation worked with Arcane Ward before, but you can currently cast it repeatedly for Ward stacks if you switch to Med armor briefly to cancel the Mage Armor (since you can’t manually cancel the buff like you can a concentration skill). It’s free Arcane Ward stacks, but it’s annoying to do with mouse & keyboard, even worse with controller, prevents you from getting your 6th level spell slot, and is probably one of the exploit type things you were referring to at the beginning. I personally got annoyed and respected, but it is an option. I also like this build with 1 level into cleric (war probably) for armor proficiency as I really like the Adamantine heavy armor and shield with this type of build. I wasn’t using Gale though so I needed armor and shield proficiency anyway. Another great video!
In an early patch, you could just recast it over an existing mage armor - I didn't consider just equipping armor to get around the fix though! Kind of glad I didn't try that though because the fewer people who subject themselves to that torturous-sounding process the better imo :P Thanks so much! :D
you can put the armor you're wearing on your hotbar to remove it and equip it very rapidly, put it next to the free mage armor and u can max the ward very quickly
@Cephalopocalypse IMO the mage armor to have slotless max stacks before battle is less juicy when you consider that now we know even on high difficulty long rests are essentially free. Conserving your slots across 4-5 battles is just something you'll never need to do. So just "waste" some slots to stack up and use that extra level to get another Wizard level :)
@KanonHara The supply cost is so low, even on honor, that you'd never run out, even resting after every encounter. Also, rarely do rests cost narratively - that is for most of the game you can just...leave and rest, and when you get back all NPCs are in the same places and act as if no time has passed.
The warlock version does still work. Just have to keep swapping out your clothing for armour and then back again to then cast the mage armour again. And each time increases your arcane ward without using spell slot.
It would be nice in a video like this if you showed a bit how well this functions at mid levels like 6-7. Right now I'm in an honor mode run at level 5 and this character is very outclassed by other builds but I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong
If you mean damage wise that makes sense. It has to use a lot of spell slots on the shield. It's more of a stalling build but imo you only need one huge dps, for me that's Karlach right now
Blade Ward is only this broken because the hardcap is x2 the Wizard level(24), it should be x1(12). Late game it's literally like wearing one of the epic heavy chest plates in the game that reduce incoming damage, but it's 10 times better. Even 12stacks max is insane because of the way damage resistance works in the calculation, but at least you would have to spend double the resources to maintain being the best tank.
I was curious if this build would be a good caster of Warding Bond? Would they be able to resist the shared damage? If so, maybe they could cast it on all party members?
Cool build, ill probably start as sorcerer for con proficiency. I know gear isnt important for the core loop of this build but what would you recommend? Just spell dc gear? Also should i keep my AC low to encourage enemies to attack me or should i still make my AC high as possible? (Im not sure if the game ai actually works this way)
Great call - I should definitely have mentioned that you want to start with sorc or place it at level 1 if you respec the character! For gear the *best* option is anything with damage reduction on it; I think there's a barbarian clothing that gives you flat DR and since that stacks so well with arcane ward it's very powerful. Then spell DC gear as you say. I *think* the AI targeting will *usually* try to focus things it's easier for it to hit, but I'd probably just put the best AC you can get on anyways - since this build doesn't get great dex and only has light armor, you'll still usually be the lowest AC in a party. There are some incredible robes for wizards though which you'll eventually just end up using regardless
Not only can you get the con prof, but you also get ( I think ) better cantrip distribution, ie your utility cantrips on sorcerer as they don’t use your spell modifier. Letting you pick different damage cantrips as a wizard.
Thank you so much for this! Going to start an Honour run soon and I think im using at least 3 of your builds!! Quick question, which outfit is Gale wearing in your builds? I sorta like it but not sure i've seen it before.
You should add that abjuration scrolls can be used to get arcane ward charges. There are lots of those sold by merchants for low prices. No need to spend spell slots.
What are some good videos to watch if I wanted to see build details (like the ones shown here) in action? I’m starting to understand, and attempting to apply, some of the spell mechanics laid out in videos like this, but would love to see someone discussing their thought process while actually playing 🤔
Also it's more than +3 + warcaster because you can and should take your sorc dip as your first level for con proficiency once you decide to take said dip.
One small note to the build. Getting hit is a core of this build, so according to how the enemy AI work on tactician it will prioritize low AC or concentrating target. You can use this to your advantage by not casting mage armor and get swarmed ez.
Holy crap. That's scary. - So, in this build you do have to take care with AOE spells to avoid killing your own party, correct? Would you change anything for a Balance'd group play? I'd planned to just stick with Evocation for Gale, but... damn. I just hit level 4 with my monk and my default party is Me, Gale, Karlach & Shadowheart - figured I need to go through the story with at least a few of them. (Still in Act 1, just about to hit the Goblin Camp and rescue the Druid ... hopefully)
Thanks! Yes, with this build you do have to be careful to avoid hitting your allies with spells - you'll find you pretty quickly get the hang of positioning to make that easy though! I don't think you need any changes for Balanced, but one thing to keep an eye on is making sure your party all has good AC - the enemies will often target the character they can hit most easily, so you'll want to make sure the rest of your party is a less tempting target than Gale. My other build guides almost all put a high priority on getting good ACs, so if you want ideas on that check them out ;)
I played this in the first week using armor of shadows, equipping and unequipping armor, while spamming mage armour. Has that been changed? ( it’s a boring build to play, so I only had it on a hireling once )
The Warlock version still works; you need to equip some armor to dispel mage armor, then you can recast it. However: this version is better, you have a higher overall caster level.
Is there anything you'd change about this build, knowing what you know now about Meta e.g. item ability based off Cha rather than Int because Sorcerer was last level 1?
Would Elemental Adept: Cold be a terrible idea? Considering it sounds like the feat selection is not too critical and we are really relying on Armor of Agathys damage?
I´m trying this build with my party and all goes well as a tank, but when you fight against another spellcasters the first thing they do is take you off match. You get hold person on you, counterspell, fear, and so on. It´s really anoying because the other members of the party do the job done and you end up just watching. Don´t know how to fix this. Any Ideas?
If your willing to lose a lvl of wizard instead or sorc put 2 lvls into lock and get free cast of shadow armor put your normal gear on your hot bar and some random medium armor to remove it and you have free stacks of ward
Is there a way i could adapt this to be a support wizard, im doing a playthrough without shadowheart currently as a scorcerer player character with gale, astarion, lazel since i never got to experience all 3 characters stories. My current plan is to be have gale a tempest cleric but its lacking in both healing and damage capability.
Yes, it's because you're level 8! The max stacks are capped at double your abjuration wizard level (which you have 7 of since you have the one level of sorcerer)
I haven't played an abjuration wizard before. Does the arcane ward condition decay over time since it says 22 turns? So you really want to do this right before combat rather than at the stsrt of a day?
I'm assuming although it's not necessary that it would be good to respec at some point to start off as Sorc for the CON save proficiency? Great build, looking forward to trying it out, I almost felt bad for poor Minsc 😆
Do I understand correctly that the only reason to start off with Draconic Sorcerer is to have proficiency in CON saving throws? Could we not just take the Warcaster feat?
The sorcerer level is primarily to obtain the spell Armour of Agathys, which synergizes amazingly well with Arcane Ward. Taking it first does net you the CON save proficiency as well, although you probably could just feat in Warcaster, or Resilient Constitution with an odd-numbered Constitution stat while remaining a single-classed wizard, if that's the main intention.
It depends! They'll (almost) always attack him if he's the only unit they can reach, so you want him to play a little ahead of the rest of the team. They also care a lot about hit chance and advantage, and this build has fairly low AC so they'll often target him as the easiest thing to hit. Finally I think they do prioritize spellcasters, though that's just anecdotal and I don't know that for certain, but if true it means they should prefer to hit him as a full spellcaster.
This character would be better off taking a level of sorcerer at level 1. This way scrolls and other items will use Intelligence instead of Charisma to determine the spell DC and proficiency with Constitution saves would be gained at level 1.
Its funnt to me that wizard, a book nerd, has the potential of being a best tank in the game. NOw i gotta make a shield dwarf armored wizard - defensive focused magic would fit a dwarf character really well.
Genuine question not trying to be a smart, smart ass. Why dip level into sorcerer instead of taking magic initiate warlock feat? By not taking 12th level wizard you’re already giving up a feat, so I’m curious what you are gaining.
As pointed out in other comments, you should respec to sorc level first for con save proficiency. That's a big benefit for 1 level in sorc over the 12th level in Wizard. But it's an interesting discussion to be sure. Surprised nobody else has mentioned it yet.
AoA lasts for as long as it still has hit points remaining. It gives you 5 temp hp/level, and until the last of those is lost will return the full damage.
@@Cephalopocalypse thanks a lot for the explanation. so I guess the official description is kinda misleading... damn to remove 30hp (upcast AoA) from this build is very hard so u get a lot of damage from cold reaction. woah, amazing.
I would rather recommend to pick Magic Initiate: Warlock feat for the Armor of Agathys instead of dipping into sorcerer. The reason is scroll's spellcasting ability is determined by the class the character most recently took a first level in. So in another words if you pick sorcerer as your secondary class all scrolls will use Charisma modifier instead of intelligence even if you level up Wizard after you dip into Sorcerer.
No, taking level 1 sorc then wizars is way better because constitution profociency is essential for any caster. That's basically 2 feats for 1 level for the purposes of this build.
This was changed in a patch - you used to be able to move the companions' human skill proficiency around, but they changed it so it's locked on persuasion for both gale and wyll (imo a bad change, I'm still not sure why they did it)
Hey I can clearly see the wizard, he is not Invincible!! Didnt need to cast a spell or a potion to detect him! :D:D:D:D Yes yes, I know I know, its an old old joke..... xD If you know where its from, well then you know
True! You do lose out on 6th level spells, but since you'll usually be using your 6th level slot for armor of agathys that doesn't matter as much, and the heavy armor from cleric lets you use the adamantine splint (or other armors that reduce incoming damage by 2) and not actually give up any damage reduction.
I personally don't think so - it still costs you the spell slot, so it's not like you're getting it for free. Of course, what you think is an exploit is a super personal decision, so if it makes you feel weird you can just use Glyph of Warding in combats to proc your ward - it's a great combat spell anyways!
In another comment, he mentioned that this was a very gear independent build, but also said that items that increase mobility and Saving DC are ideal. As for the gear on Gale in the video, it's Mourning Frost (Act 1, Underdark) and Robe of the Weave (Act 3, Ramazith's Tower)
Since warlock is a full caster as well. Would going two levels in warlock for AoA and a free cast of mage armor be worth it? Or do you lose out on 6th level wizard spells?
Sadly yeah, you'd lose out on 6th level spells. Warlock spellcasting counts differently and doesn't stack with other casters for total caster level. It's still a strong build, and lets you build arcane ward for free if you don't mind some tedium though! You cast mage armor, then equip armor, which cancels it, then unequip and cast again - takes a while but you can max out your ward without spending anything.
@@Cephalopocalypse makes sense thanks for clarifying! Too bad we can’t go higher than level 12 (without mods). A 7 Ancients paladin with the blade ward heavy armor combined with arcane stacks. Would be fun with all the melee smiting on top
what the heck are you doing with mage hand or minor illusion that can't be solved with shocking grasp? and why are you doing expeditious retreat instead of longstrider?
I'm not 100% sure what you mean with this question - those are pretty different spells! You use them for out of combat utility, like grouping enemies, stealing easily, distracting people, climbing through holes, and tanking hits. Shocking grasp is a melee attack Longstrider is great, so you can definitely grab it! Remember you'll get every 1st level spell pretty quickly from scrolls as well.
@@PrimarchRoboleonFrenchyman I don't get it. I never ran into a quest or trapped room that couldn't be solved with sleight of hand proficiency rolled at advantage. Maybe people don't bring a rogue?
This saved us numerous times in the fight against Gortash + elder brain, at one point soloing nearly an entire encounter. My other characters were all also custom builds, but this one held up the best. Great video!
Oh nice! Glad to hear it :D
“Or take True Strike to annoy RUclips commenters…”
I like how you slid that in there! 😂
didn't get this joke tbh :P
@@-_Nuke_- me neither, can someone explain?
@@VideosOfSumit true strike is basically a useless cantrip, to the point where not taking anything might be considered equal or better. a lot of people watching these vids are into optimization so it irks them to see an unoptimal thing being taken and, even worse, recommended.
A one-level dip in Tempest cleric allows Gale to learn Create Water, wear heavy armour, and even take Heavy Armour Master which further reduces incoming damage. But it comes at the cost of significantly raising your AC which means enemies will miss you more often.
2 levels in warlock as well in the early levels allows the wizard to generate arcane ward with using spell slots with armor of shadows and also having armor of agathys
You could just use really bad heavy armor. I think the lowest one is like 14ac.
If you use Shadowheart as well, a Tempest Shadowheart and Abjuration tank Gale are a great companion pair. She boosts his damage, can keep bonding ward on him, etc. It's *chefs kiss
Use the exploit to get Raphael’s helldusk armor in act 1. It gives you heavy armor prof. and has damage reduction built in. Have an ally cast create water so you can focus on dealing damage. Maybe stack up encrusted with frost gear
If playing this from the very start it's best to start as Sorcerer for con save and Armor of Agathys and take at least 1 level in Tempest Cleric. Temp Cleric gets you wrath of the storm for more retaliation damage and having at least medium armour is better defence early on. You're not tanky from early game until you can build up arcane ward. When you respec you can dump Cleric if you want but wrath of the storm stacks with the other retaliation damage and you'll still get improved abjuration with 10 wizard and level 6 spell slots as Wizard, Cleric and Sorc are all full casters. Always will be best to take Sorc first for con save. Also, Glyph of Warding is your go to damage spell for this build as it's an abjuration spell. You'd want enemies wet to double the cold damage from retaliation damage and damage from lightning or cold glyph of warding. You destroy the battlefield with glyph of warding on this build as you do damage on your turn and their turn when they hit you. Even throwing a water bottle on an enemy on your turn and forcing a retaliation attack moving to them and away from them is effective haha
True, it's definitely an optimization I should have mentioned to begin with Sorcerer! The CON proficiency is super important.
Tempest Cleric has the great advantage of letting you use heavy armor, which with the right suit like the Adamantine Splint means you don't even lose damage reduction! (Except what you might get from clothing like the Bonespike Garb). Definitely a strong build variation!
It just occurred to me that if you use Flame Shield: Chill, you're dealing 96 points of damage on every hit to targets splashed by water.
If I could insert the Jack Nicholson “YES” GIF I would 😁
Haven’t seen anyone comment this but in case you want some free easy stacks of ward (and a feee agathys use if you dont have a better robe to wear) then I recommend grabbing the icebite robes in act 2. They’re in a sarcophagus in the graveyard outside the house of healing and gives you a free lvl 3 cast of AoA. Not much but easier than repeatedly spamming mage armor when going warlock
Great video, easy to understand, definitely looking out for more bg3 builds and content from you sir!
Thanks so much! New videos every day ;)
This is a very cool and hilarious build. Turning Gale into a super tank makes me want to try it on my next run. I love Gale's personality but I almost never use him. I don't even know why. He's definitely going to be my wing man on my next run. Maybe I'll bring along Wyll and Halsin and we can do a good boys run. lol
Well, since lvl 10 every short rest gives you a bonus of wizard level to your arcane ward. There are 3 mercs and several companions in your camp that could dip 2lvl bard for the short rest song. If you know what I mean 😉
cheese the only way you can progress?
Important to note that not only is gale the best origin companion for this build because of the aforementioned reasons, he can also get a permanent advantage on concentration checks buff early in act 2 fairly easily. This coupled rebuilding him to start as a sorcerer (con save prof.) makes him a great choice to avoid dropping those costly concentration casts.
first got into D&D via forsaken lands (mud) and my favorite class was battlemage and this gets *really dang close*. Thanks for doing the work!
This is an insane build, great work!
Thanks very much! This was a super fun one :D
Great build! Tip: You can also start as sourcerer at level 1 to gain proficency in con ST ( or respec at elevel 7 starting with sourcerer 1 and wizard 6 )
And for the preparing arcane ward you have a nice chest near withers, ... why not lock it xD (unfortunatelly i just realized that Arcane Lock is not a ritual spell ... i'm sad! but great idea tho)
Yes! Starting sorcerer is a great optimization that I definitely should have mentioned, con saves are super helpful for this build of course. And yeah, I was surprised arcane lock isn't a ritual as well - there are no ritual abjuration spells in the game, probably to prevent this very build from getting ward for free!
@@Cephalopocalypsethat is my tought as well. I used this build with a dip in war cleric (war cleric 1, sorc 1 wizard 10, in this specific order order) to add HA proficiency and 3 extra attack each day using a bonus action, and he is still unkillable and shoot lasers from his eyes too in the end xD Very fun build that can do everything quite effectivly, even without war cleric i think, but i'm martial at core so xD. I don't discard caster complitely, i use spells and find them powerfull and at late levels VERY powerfull but i still want some martial capability in my casters to help early ... except cleric that is quite powerful on his own but don't scale as much as arcane users do, at least not in this game
@@Cephalopocalypse Technically, you don't need the level 10 abjuration wizard feature if you go 2 levels in Warlock for Armour of Shadows. However, this obviously doesn't give you level 6 spell slots, so that's something else to consider.
If you go sorcerer first do you cast with Charisma or with Intelligence?
@@Norrieification For multiclass characters, spells are cast using the attribute you learned the spell from. A sorcerer/wizard would cast spells gained as a sorcerer using charisma and those learned from your wizard using intelligence. However, unless a spell requires a saving throw or attack roll, there is no attribute involved. So spells such as mage armor, shield, armor of agthys, protection from evil, invisibility, false live, mirror image, etc., etc. it really doesn't matter. Cast away.
I know this is very late, but aside from the other benefits of being a cleric including the tempest cleric on taken hit reaction lightning/thunder damage you can cast sanctuary as a *bonus action* on team mates to get +1 arcane ward per turn. VERY helpful and frequent benefit.
I’m not sure how the Warlock Mage Armor invocation worked with Arcane Ward before, but you can currently cast it repeatedly for Ward stacks if you switch to Med armor briefly to cancel the Mage Armor (since you can’t manually cancel the buff like you can a concentration skill). It’s free Arcane Ward stacks, but it’s annoying to do with mouse & keyboard, even worse with controller, prevents you from getting your 6th level spell slot, and is probably one of the exploit type things you were referring to at the beginning. I personally got annoyed and respected, but it is an option.
I also like this build with 1 level into cleric (war probably) for armor proficiency as I really like the Adamantine heavy armor and shield with this type of build. I wasn’t using Gale though so I needed armor and shield proficiency anyway.
Another great video!
In an early patch, you could just recast it over an existing mage armor - I didn't consider just equipping armor to get around the fix though! Kind of glad I didn't try that though because the fewer people who subject themselves to that torturous-sounding process the better imo :P
Thanks so much! :D
you can put the armor you're wearing on your hotbar to remove it and equip it very rapidly, put it next to the free mage armor and u can max the ward very quickly
@Cephalopocalypse IMO the mage armor to have slotless max stacks before battle is less juicy when you consider that now we know even on high difficulty long rests are essentially free. Conserving your slots across 4-5 battles is just something you'll never need to do. So just "waste" some slots to stack up and use that extra level to get another Wizard level :)
@@FormerRuling what do you mean long rests are essentially free?
@KanonHara The supply cost is so low, even on honor, that you'd never run out, even resting after every encounter. Also, rarely do rests cost narratively - that is for most of the game you can just...leave and rest, and when you get back all NPCs are in the same places and act as if no time has passed.
The warlock version does still work. Just have to keep swapping out your clothing for armour and then back again to then cast the mage armour again. And each time increases your arcane ward without using spell slot.
It would be nice in a video like this if you showed a bit how well this functions at mid levels like 6-7. Right now I'm in an honor mode run at level 5 and this character is very outclassed by other builds but I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong
If you mean damage wise that makes sense. It has to use a lot of spell slots on the shield. It's more of a stalling build but imo you only need one huge dps, for me that's Karlach right now
Blade Ward is only this broken because the hardcap is x2 the Wizard level(24), it should be x1(12).
Late game it's literally like wearing one of the epic heavy chest plates in the game that reduce incoming damage, but it's 10 times better.
Even 12stacks max is insane because of the way damage resistance works in the calculation, but at least you would have to spend double the resources to maintain being the best tank.
I was curious if this build would be a good caster of Warding Bond? Would they be able to resist the shared damage? If so, maybe they could cast it on all party members?
Cool build, ill probably start as sorcerer for con proficiency. I know gear isnt important for the core loop of this build but what would you recommend? Just spell dc gear? Also should i keep my AC low to encourage enemies to attack me or should i still make my AC high as possible? (Im not sure if the game ai actually works this way)
Great call - I should definitely have mentioned that you want to start with sorc or place it at level 1 if you respec the character!
For gear the *best* option is anything with damage reduction on it; I think there's a barbarian clothing that gives you flat DR and since that stacks so well with arcane ward it's very powerful. Then spell DC gear as you say. I *think* the AI targeting will *usually* try to focus things it's easier for it to hit, but I'd probably just put the best AC you can get on anyways - since this build doesn't get great dex and only has light armor, you'll still usually be the lowest AC in a party. There are some incredible robes for wizards though which you'll eventually just end up using regardless
Not only can you get the con prof, but you also get ( I think ) better cantrip distribution, ie your utility cantrips on sorcerer as they don’t use your spell modifier. Letting you pick different damage cantrips as a wizard.
Thank you so much for this! Going to start an Honour run soon and I think im using at least 3 of your builds!! Quick question, which outfit is Gale wearing in your builds? I sorta like it but not sure i've seen it before.
You don’t get it until ACT 3 it’s something you get from sorcerers sundries.
You should add that abjuration scrolls can be used to get arcane ward charges. There are lots of those sold by merchants for low prices. No need to spend spell slots.
What are some good videos to watch if I wanted to see build details (like the ones shown here) in action? I’m starting to understand, and attempting to apply, some of the spell mechanics laid out in videos like this, but would love to see someone discussing their thought process while actually playing 🤔
Also it's more than +3 + warcaster because you can and should take your sorc dip as your first level for con proficiency once you decide to take said dip.
One small note to the build. Getting hit is a core of this build, so according to how the enemy AI work on tactician it will prioritize low AC or concentrating target. You can use this to your advantage by not casting mage armor and get swarmed ez.
Holy crap. That's scary. - So, in this build you do have to take care with AOE spells to avoid killing your own party, correct?
Would you change anything for a Balance'd group play? I'd planned to just stick with Evocation for Gale, but... damn.
I just hit level 4 with my monk and my default party is Me, Gale, Karlach & Shadowheart - figured I need to go through the story with at least a few of them. (Still in Act 1, just about to hit the Goblin Camp and rescue the Druid ... hopefully)
Thanks! Yes, with this build you do have to be careful to avoid hitting your allies with spells - you'll find you pretty quickly get the hang of positioning to make that easy though!
I don't think you need any changes for Balanced, but one thing to keep an eye on is making sure your party all has good AC - the enemies will often target the character they can hit most easily, so you'll want to make sure the rest of your party is a less tempting target than Gale. My other build guides almost all put a high priority on getting good ACs, so if you want ideas on that check them out ;)
I played this in the first week using armor of shadows, equipping and unequipping armor, while spamming mage armour. Has that been changed? ( it’s a boring build to play, so I only had it on a hireling once )
The Warlock version still works; you need to equip some armor to dispel mage armor, then you can recast it. However: this version is better, you have a higher overall caster level.
Is there anything you'd change about this build, knowing what you know now about Meta e.g. item ability based off Cha rather than Int because Sorcerer was last level 1?
Would Elemental Adept: Cold be a terrible idea? Considering it sounds like the feat selection is not too critical and we are really relying on Armor of Agathys damage?
I´m trying this build with my party and all goes well as a tank, but when you fight against another spellcasters the first thing they do is take you off match. You get hold person on you, counterspell, fear, and so on. It´s really anoying because the other members of the party do the job done and you end up just watching. Don´t know how to fix this. Any Ideas?
Glyph of warding is so good for this build. Summon a water myrmidon for aoe wet and glyph of warding cold will both dmg and replenish arcane ward
If your willing to lose a lvl of wizard instead or sorc put 2 lvls into lock and get free cast of shadow armor put your normal gear on your hot bar and some random medium armor to remove it and you have free stacks of ward
Is there a way i could adapt this to be a support wizard, im doing a playthrough without shadowheart currently as a scorcerer player character with gale, astarion, lazel since i never got to experience all 3 characters stories. My current plan is to be have gale a tempest cleric but its lacking in both healing and damage capability.
Hey, I could only get 14 stacks of the abjuration shield on this build. Is it because I'm still level 8 or did it get nerfed?
Yes, it's because you're level 8! The max stacks are capped at double your abjuration wizard level (which you have 7 of since you have the one level of sorcerer)
@@Cephalopocalypse thanks!
I haven't played an abjuration wizard before. Does the arcane ward condition decay over time since it says 22 turns? So you really want to do this right before combat rather than at the stsrt of a day?
I'm assuming although it's not necessary that it would be good to respec at some point to start off as Sorc for the CON save proficiency? Great build, looking forward to trying it out, I almost felt bad for poor Minsc 😆
Yep, that's definitely correct.Thanks!
Do I understand correctly that the only reason to start off with Draconic Sorcerer is to have proficiency in CON saving throws? Could we not just take the Warcaster feat?
The sorcerer level is primarily to obtain the spell Armour of Agathys, which synergizes amazingly well with Arcane Ward.
Taking it first does net you the CON save proficiency as well, although you probably could just feat in Warcaster, or Resilient Constitution with an odd-numbered Constitution stat while remaining a single-classed wizard, if that's the main intention.
I don’t understand how you can spam arcane lock. It s not a ritual spell.
You use all spellslots until you get full arcane ward outside of combat. You spam it, but still use the spell slots
Could you do an update to this video?
but will the enemie ai attack gale if hes in a full party?
It depends! They'll (almost) always attack him if he's the only unit they can reach, so you want him to play a little ahead of the rest of the team. They also care a lot about hit chance and advantage, and this build has fairly low AC so they'll often target him as the easiest thing to hit. Finally I think they do prioritize spellcasters, though that's just anecdotal and I don't know that for certain, but if true it means they should prefer to hit him as a full spellcaster.
This character would be better off taking a level of sorcerer at level 1. This way scrolls and other items will use Intelligence instead of Charisma to determine the spell DC and proficiency with Constitution saves would be gained at level 1.
Its funnt to me that wizard, a book nerd, has the potential of being a best tank in the game. NOw i gotta make a shield dwarf armored wizard - defensive focused magic would fit a dwarf character really well.
Does protection of good and evil stack? Or are you casting it multiple times to get more stacks of arcane ward?
It does not stack, and upcastingf it also adds nothing. It is purely for the Arcane Ward.
Genuine question not trying to be a smart, smart ass. Why dip level into sorcerer instead of taking magic initiate warlock feat? By not taking 12th level wizard you’re already giving up a feat, so I’m curious what you are gaining.
As pointed out in other comments, you should respec to sorc level first for con save proficiency. That's a big benefit for 1 level in sorc over the 12th level in Wizard. But it's an interesting discussion to be sure. Surprised nobody else has mentioned it yet.
@@skrappy3387 that the missing piece, proficiency in con it then worth the level 12 of wizard. Definitely worth it then.
fantastic build :) what gear would you recommend?
This build is extremely gear-independent, to be honest. Anything that increases your save dc or gives you mobility options will be very useful though.
Would it be better to start with Sorc either from level 1 or respect @ level 6 for their con save r is it better to have level 1 Wizard?
Respec at level 6 caster multiclass feels useless at low levels
this is pretty much a standard vanilla abjuration wizard and is probably not tested in solo tactician (probably the true test of a power build)
Can we see a build to basicallt get bladesinger essentially using the current subclasses in the game please 🙏
Sure! I've been looking into how to make a viable melee wizard, I'll see what I can do!
why armor of agathys doesnt end after the melee hit? am I tripping or reading the skill description wrong? so confused
AoA lasts for as long as it still has hit points remaining. It gives you 5 temp hp/level, and until the last of those is lost will return the full damage.
@@Cephalopocalypse thanks a lot for the explanation. so I guess the official description is kinda misleading... damn to remove 30hp (upcast AoA) from this build is very hard so u get a lot of damage from cold reaction. woah, amazing.
Exactly!
But what gear are you using? Would like to know what I should look for.
I believe he's using Mourning Frost (which you gather from the Underdark in Act 1) and Robe of the Weave (which you get wayyy later in Act 3)
I would rather recommend to pick Magic Initiate: Warlock feat for the Armor of Agathys instead of dipping into sorcerer. The reason is scroll's spellcasting ability is determined by the class the character most recently took a first level in. So in another words if you pick sorcerer as your secondary class all scrolls will use Charisma modifier instead of intelligence even if you level up Wizard after you dip into Sorcerer.
No, taking level 1 sorc then wizars is way better because constitution profociency is essential for any caster. That's basically 2 feats for 1 level for the purposes of this build.
How can you take sleight of hand? It's not possible in my game.
This was changed in a patch - you used to be able to move the companions' human skill proficiency around, but they changed it so it's locked on persuasion for both gale and wyll (imo a bad change, I'm still not sure why they did it)
Hey I can clearly see the wizard, he is not Invincible!! Didnt need to cast a spell or a potion to detect him! :D:D:D:D
Yes yes, I know I know, its an old old joke..... xD If you know where its from, well then you know
17:17
If you wet them then they take double dmg. 1 lvl cleric gets you that and heavy armors
True! You do lose out on 6th level spells, but since you'll usually be using your 6th level slot for armor of agathys that doesn't matter as much, and the heavy armor from cleric lets you use the adamantine splint (or other armors that reduce incoming damage by 2) and not actually give up any damage reduction.
@@Cephalopocalypse yup. And if you want to cast more you can do the blade ward armor and cast glyph and wreck
Wouldn't spamming Arcane Lock on a chest to boost your Ward be considered an exploit?
I personally don't think so - it still costs you the spell slot, so it's not like you're getting it for free. Of course, what you think is an exploit is a super personal decision, so if it makes you feel weird you can just use Glyph of Warding in combats to proc your ward - it's a great combat spell anyways!
@@Cephalopocalypse Fair enough. I'm probably too cautious because I really have an aversion to exploits and bugs. Thanks for the quick answer!
Lol true strike triggering opportunity attacks from the comment section😂😂😂
And automatically entering rage!
Bro what equipment are you using (staff / armor) I can’t tell
Staff = Mourning Frost (Underdark, Act 1)
Armor/Clothing = Robe of the Weave (Ramazith's Tower, Act 3)
@@sarthryn3877 it has been seven months I finished this game like 5 months ago 😑
@@azura2.03 LMAOO I expected as much 😭 do another playthrough trust
What’s the recommended gear?
In another comment, he mentioned that this was a very gear independent build, but also said that items that increase mobility and Saving DC are ideal.
As for the gear on Gale in the video, it's Mourning Frost (Act 1, Underdark) and Robe of the Weave (Act 3, Ramazith's Tower)
I don't think that "Humans" are a race... Shouldn't they be a "Species"?
In real life, yes. Not in D&D as you just fall under the mortals category with other races like Gnomes and Drows for example.
@@Mystra hmm I see!
Since warlock is a full caster as well. Would going two levels in warlock for AoA and a free cast of mage armor be worth it? Or do you lose out on 6th level wizard spells?
Sadly yeah, you'd lose out on 6th level spells. Warlock spellcasting counts differently and doesn't stack with other casters for total caster level. It's still a strong build, and lets you build arcane ward for free if you don't mind some tedium though! You cast mage armor, then equip armor, which cancels it, then unequip and cast again - takes a while but you can max out your ward without spending anything.
@@Cephalopocalypse makes sense thanks for clarifying! Too bad we can’t go higher than level 12 (without mods). A 7 Ancients paladin with the blade ward heavy armor combined with arcane stacks. Would be fun with all the melee smiting on top
what the heck are you doing with mage hand or minor illusion that can't be solved with shocking grasp?
and why are you doing expeditious retreat instead of longstrider?
I'm not 100% sure what you mean with this question - those are pretty different spells! You use them for out of combat utility, like grouping enemies, stealing easily, distracting people, climbing through holes, and tanking hits. Shocking grasp is a melee attack
Longstrider is great, so you can definitely grab it! Remember you'll get every 1st level spell pretty quickly from scrolls as well.
Mage hand make many quest or trapped room easy
@@PrimarchRoboleonFrenchyman I don't get it. I never ran into a quest or trapped room that couldn't be solved with sleight of hand proficiency rolled at advantage. Maybe people don't bring a rogue?
Why not 2LvL Warlock for Armour of Shadows instead of Sorcerer?
He explains it saying mage armor no longer stacks. Though you can take 1 level warlock also for armor of agathys
Kill karlach with this build with wyll in your party
🔥🔥🔥
Lewis Steven Taylor Anthony Robinson Charles
Nice timestamps
Thanks!
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