Hey pals! As of patch 6, you can't use Twin Spell on Witch Bolt or Chain Lightning any more. Witch Bolt will still be your best single target spell, but when you need to hit multiple enemies, just use Chromatic Orb (lightning) twinned instead. Enjoy!
@@Stargetsu Call lightning will scale off Charisma since it is gained through Sorcerer subclass feature. It cannot be learned by scrolls and wizards don't get the spell.
Yes, spells you learn from a class use the class's casting stat. Spells you use from other sources - illithids, scrolls, items & equipment - use the casting stat of the class that you last took a level one in (barbs use CHA, fighters and rogues INT). Nicely explained.
@@iptfLet’s say your level 4, and your progression was Wizard-> Cleric->Sorcerer->Wizard your spell DC for scrolls would be based off Charisma since Sorcerer was your last unique class you took despite your last level being in Wizard. So if you follow sorcerer->Cleric->Wizard your scrolls would be based off intelligence, and will remain so if you only take any further levels in those 3 classes.
You can also stack crit items with this build. Without changing anything on it, you could get the bow, helmet, cloak, and elixir for a crit range of 16-20. If you swap starting stats to get 17 int and include hag hair int then you still have 20 int and can pick up the feat Spell Sniper to reduce the threshold by 1 more. If you are willing to drop the staff, then you can get two more weapons and drop the threshold to 13-20.
This is the thought that went through my head when he said that you can crit with witch bolt. Apparently if you also play as the dark urge you can lower your crit threshold by 2 points?
Criminally underrated creator for Baldur's Gate 3! Just wanted to say a huge thanks for helping this complete bg/d&d newbie with builds and helping me understand the mechanics of the game. I've completely fallen in love with this genre! Thanks again! I've been sending your vids to the bois and they feel the same. You deserve way more subscribers. Cheers! ❤
@@spenceregerton5268 Yeah, it works a treat for destroying concentration, and proning most of the pack. The only problem then is getting your melee crew onto them for crits without them slipping also. Only two boots insure against it... Hoarfrost and Night Walkers. Dilemma.
Bg3 is my first dnd style game period, so i went through my first playthrough completely blind. Seeing that you could optimize things this much is wild to me. I did a land druid drow which i feel was really balanced and fun but i definitely struggled to defeat certain enemies and found myself using some cheesy strategies like shoving the prison gaurds of the cliff with by luring them over with the cat form. Thanks for the video, was a ton of fun to watch even if i didnt understand how a lot of it works
ive been doing this witch bolt combo after realizing it can crit with twinned spell it does 500 damage for me consistently over 2 foes 150 on the non crit one and 300 with the crit really crazy
Nice to see more people figuring out witch bolt. Witch bolt is the best single/double target spell in the game. A couple of tips from my own running my own witch bolt build: 1. another option for sustainable auto-crit is to dip 3 levels of assassin. Gets you advantage as well. 2. theres no point in reactivating witch bolt as the dmg is inferior to a cantrip such as shocking grasp or ray of frost which will does 6d8, double the dmg of the activation of WB 2d12. bonus: noticed the name of the channel. By any chance are you a player/fan of gloomhaven?
I'm loving this. It has finally gotten me away from my typical rogue/ranger play style -- something I was very accustomed to from D:OS2. And having only ever played DnD video games (mostly BG2), not TT DnD, this has helped me come to understand the casters a great deal more. Is there a comparable "ice/coldfrost" sort of build? Or are those lacking in comparison to other elements? Anyways, thank you for the detailed explanations in all of your content! I often find myself shouting "BUT WHYYY!?" at so many videos out there, and you analyze everything, down to the numbers, which is precisely the content I am always in search of but can never find.
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the videos - it's awesome how many different playstyles this game supports so it's great that you're finding this helpful for exploring those!
I think that relying on charisma and using storm sorcery's spells like call lightning could be more effective for killing groups of enemies, while still being able to use powerful spells from wizard that don't rely on intelligence.
There are a few disadvantages in that setup: You don't get CHA-Chainlightning, you can't swap out the lightning spells to deal with resistances and you'll only have 1 wizard spell slot, so while you are able to learn all the spells you can hardly use them. Also, you'll loose either the prof in CON-Saves or the ability to use your CHA-Modifier with items. Yeah, not really being able to use Call Lightning hurts, but on the INT-Build you still got Fireball, and later you get Chainlightning. And lets be honest, for AoE-Duties against clustered enemies we prefer the Spirit-Guardian-Radiant-Orb-Cleric anyway ^^ If you really want to go for Sorc as your main class I'd recommend to drop Wizard alltogether and just use the spellscrolls to cast the handful of supportspells instead of swapping out you single Wizardslot every few seconds. Yeah, you can use the INT-Headpiece, but thanks to Cleric you have better options, and again, you can just use the spellscrolls when you need them...
@@Hoonsy2you …you get chain lightning from markoheshkir and it uses charisma. And not focusing intelligence doesn’t suddenly mean you’ll only have 10 or less intelligence. Huh? Not to mention spirit guardians being vastly less damage than call lightning. Con saves is inconsequential when you can easily have a hireling transmutation wizard give you a transmuter stone (and craft potions for you). As for just using scrolls, that really isn’t as powerful as getting access to even 1 6th level wizard summon as much as you want. And again, you don’t have to drop intelligence to the negatives. I would argue the headband you get is a great option even over other headgear a lot of the time.
Great build. Personally I’d probably go with blue dragon blood sorcerer and drop the wizard dip. You lose the scroll scribing but get an extra feat for more ability improvements or something saucy like duel wielder for double staffs and other combos.
That could work without the Wiz dip for sure! Though you'd have to go 8 Sorc 4 Cleric for the extra Feat. You'd miss out on Call Lightning spell until you get the Markoheshkir Staff. Hmmm!
Good point. But from a quality of life option. Having 1 wiz is amazing. If you like playing the game being super magic ie casting ritual spells, enhanced leap, and other fun spells. Switching in and out spells having wizard is beautiful 😻 but I'd also do dragon for flavor
Would the damage from Markoheshkir's Call Lightning not stack with Wisdom in that case? If you picked Cleric last. And if you pick Cleric first you miss out on Constitution Proficiency from Sorc. How should one approach that build?@@doomrot
@@srenjensen2625 Great question, I tested it. Yes Call Lightning from Markoheshkir would be Wisdom-based Spell Save DC if you pick Sorc 1st and Cleric 2nd. But Witch Bolt would still be your primary zapper, backed up by Lightning Bolt (both in the Sorc spell lineup). Call Lightning would just be a free spell slot cast in this case when you don't need to bring out the big guns. That said, there isn't a lot of Concentration needed for this build. The damage from Witch Bolt concentration recast is negligible at lvl 12. So cleric 1st then sorc 2nd would be a great choice as well to get more power out of Markoheshkir free spells. It's really up to you.
I ran a similar build, but i had 14 dex and I did 6 sorc, 4 wizard (for sculpt spells and feat), 2 cleric. All high level spells were covered by wizard and sorc was there for a some spells like misty step (where my lower proficiency wouldn’t matter). That being said, this character was not the face of the party, so having 10 charisma was fine. I also stuck with 10 wisdom because all I wanted was a healing spell and create water.
I feel as if a two-level wizard dip would help for the subclass evocation wizard simply because it turns friendly fire off for your spells so allies need not worry for possible electrocution but do keep in mind that electrified water is entirely different and they still will take damage from that
Shocking grasp as maining sorc and charisma with canttip neck and the chest is insanely powerful for a lightning build. I have it hit between 40-100+ damage, twinning that saves from having to use spell slots too.
@@Cephalopocalypse thats what i wanted to ask. I know that this build oneshots everything but it looks very depending on resources. Do i have to take long rest every 3-4 fight with this build?
@@GolompReformed Not really! You actually end up much MORE sustainable than most wizards - remember you don't RELY on the combo, since you still have a full array of wizard spells. You just have the option to instantly solve an encounter a couple times per day, which for another character would probably require multiple spell slots to beat.
Pretty sure u can twin chain lightning too which is insane if you get the targets wet before Also you are officially the BG3 RUclips content goat imo, all ur builds are sound and flexible. Videos are well organized and easy to follow, you’re the man, man
the water / electricity combo can be efficient with any build that has access to these elecro spells no need to even cast crate water as u can simple through water bottles around enemies even outside combat quite a broken thing
I literally just finished my first full playthrough of BG3 last night using this build on my main character. I'd played a ton in balanced mode beforehand but the finished playthrough was on tactician mode. With few exceptions, this build was amazingly strong for every fight and I think because of all of the splash damage you can get out of this most hard/boss fights only took a few turns to complete. I had Shadowheart as a Cleric/Gloomstalker, Gale as open hand slappy monk, and Jaheira as moon druid/light cleric for backup dps/support/cc. There really wasn't a challenge too tough for me, even though I hadn't done most of act 3, especially the bigger encounters like Gortash and Orin, the steel hand factory and house of grief. I'd beaten Raphael before in balanced but I didn't find him very difficult at all because I'd already figured out to use black tentacles under him and his fight becomes pretty trivial. This build however, once you get access to chain lightning, was more lightning God than lightning lord! Thanks for the video!
Much better IMO is 2 cleric / 2 divination wizard/ rest sorc - Max out charisma - Your markoheshkir will be charisma based, you will have 2 feats. Charisma is easiest stat to put above 24. All your spell as sorcerer will do tons of dmg, and if you learn the chain lkightning as a wizard it will be int based, but you can use arcane alurity by casting thunder dmg and then quicken the chain lightning. You can use terazul + action potion to just evaporate everything. And combined with 2 pala /10 bard you will be unstoppable. Note: only spells with attack rolls can crit (roll a 20) whereas spells with a save spell DC can't crit - part of the trade off for getting at least half damage rather than a total miss. Chain lightning can't crit, Lightning bolt can't crit - so chromatic orb on lvl 6 + vulnerable + crit can output more dmg.
I'm only level 10 and it's great to have ALL THE SPELLS. It's seriously so many spells. Having just re-spec'ed from straight Wizard, the only thing I kinda miss is evocation - I just have to be cautious and not nuke my friends... But I also hardly need friends anymore anyways!
You are better off not taking that 9th level of sorcerer and rather taking a 2nd level of wizard to get the evocation school. That way, you can launch lightning bolts without fear of hurting your allies.
Level 10 sorcerer doesn't provide much compared to the one level wizard dip, but if I went 10-2 sorcerer cleric split, then the build would be less stat hungry, as you would be fine with 8 or 10 int, and max charisma instead. You could also take 17 charisma at the start, go to 18 with Ethel, then 20 with ASI, and have another feat for alert to do this all at the start of combat. You'd lose some utility spells and chain lightning, but you would get access to all of the combo spells needed for combat anyway, and would be a better party face no?
That is not a Wizard build, it is a Sorcerer, with a touch of Wizard and a sprinkle of Cleric. Pretty awesome though. Your explanations are helping me understand so much more of what all these Dex, Int, and other modifiers actually mean and do. Thanks.
Careful spell is the best metamagic after twin bc you can do any aoe dmg or crowd control without hitting your own guys. Hypnotic pattern shuts down entire areas
I used a pure Storm Sorc Gale for my Honkur mode run to destroy the steel bois. I wasn't sure what the Legendary would be for the boss steely boi, so I went in loaded for bear. Was a little bit unnecessary, which made me really cocky for Cazador, where the run almost died due to everyone getting swarmed.
I wouldn't call it a Wizard build if the majority of all the levels is in Sorcerer.... Intruiging to know, but I am searching for Wizard builds to prove to my friend who says "Sorcerer is better in every way, wizard is shit" wrong. This just proves him right xD great build and vid though!
In fairness, abjuration wizard using wet effects is the better option for more sustained damage throughout a playthrough. The lightning Sorc is a nuke and insane for single target damage, but abjuration wizard set up correctly will deal more damage across the battlefield and isn't as reliant on spells as a resource and so isn't as reliant on long rests early on. Depends whether you want a boss killer or something that's more flexible
This build reminds me a little of the Stormwarden character from the 1984 novel of the same name, part of the Cycle of Fire trilogy, by Janny Wurts. Yes I'm old.
To all my ps5 users, is anyone else experiancing that creat water is broken and cant be upcast as well as does not cost a spell slot. Seems to be bugged as a cantrip! Hope larian fixes soon because while not using a spell slot is nice the radius stays so small it can be really hard to use in critical moments
If you’re going with an elemental damage type for your main form of damage output, probably should take a feat for elemental adapt so creatures don’t just get resistance to all of your damage
Not worth it, Lightning Resistance is very rare to begin with and you're already using Create Water to get around it. For this specific build War Caster is probably the only must have Feat.
On paper, OP is right. In BG3 though, enemy resistances aren't as important because there's set encounters in the game. There isn't a DM to actively counteract the ridiculious power combos. For the limited encounters that try to negate the build you have 3 other characters to pick up the slack or the entire spellbook of the wizard dip to try a different tactic. Sacrificing a ASI bump for 99% of enounters isn't worth the feat that comes into play for the couple instances where resistance (because elemental adept doesn't change immunity) comes into play. You can always twin another spell. Ie. I cast FIREBALL. (probably disintegrate, CoC, wall of ice, etc instead in BG3's case)
There is also an item that allows you to use your channel twice, so using your second action to cast chain lightning brings the total to a fun and balanced (150 (doubled from luck of the far realms) + 160) 460. This means that only ONE enemy in the entire game survives a turn from this character (that being my boy Raphael, rocking 666 HP). PD: This is not taking into account any other damage boosting items, lightning charges, or ilithid passives, which (although I doubt it) could boost the damage over 666.
@Cephalopocalypse Recently just stumbled upon your content. Liked and Subscribed, thank you!. Dumb question from me: Since CHA is the skill that can be maximized the most in the game, wouldn't it be better to take Sorcerer as the last new class in the build to have items/scrolls use CHA for attack rolls and spell save DCs? I would gladly trade my prof on CON saving throws for the ability to use CHA for the staff spells, scrolls, and all the other Sorcerer cantrips/spells that use attack roll or spell SDC. What am I missing?
Amulet of the Devout is a very nice item for this build and worth calling out specifically. The extra use of Channel Divinity is very nice. I played a very similar build for a while, and even though my save DC was insane I still had some enemies with evasion save for 0 damage against my lightning bolts, and there's some lightning immune enemies that are pretty challenging if you're used to depending on the build for damage (Ansur was tough for me). Thanks for all your content.
My Wizards suck lol. I'm 40 hours in just finished act 1 and tbh I have no idea what any of the dice rolls mean haha. But am learning and now know why everyone loves this game 😅❤
I'm currently running a Lightning Sorcerer build and I think there's a better way to do this. Level 1-5 you want to go Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, the +3 to AC and extra hit points are very helpful and frees up a spell choice as you wont need Mage Armour, but I also find that I increasingly just don't use the class features from Storm Sorcerer, the AOE Lightning damage from Level 6 is tiny and I'd rather use an off hand Crossbow than fly most of the time. I'd go White for Armour of Agathis and boost survivability further but Blue for free Witch Bolt isn't bad either. With Auntie Ethels hair and an ASI you can be CHA 20 at Level 4. At Levels 6-7 you respec to take Tempest Cleric for 2 levels for obvious reasons but also the mentioned quirk of the game using your most recently taken class for spell abilities, and then Sorcerer for the rest. At Level 9 I respec to start with 2 Levels of Evocation Wizard (not having to worry about frying party members with Lightning Bolt is great, just remember that Call Lightning is a Conjuration spell and not Evocation), 2 levels of Tempest cleric and then Draconic Sorcerer the rest of the way. War Caster and Duel Wielding are the two Feats I'd take using the mirror in the House of Grief for +2 Charisma to bring you to 20, or just swap Duel Wielding for an ASI if you're not going to get to the Mirror. Wizard isn't really needed for spellcasting but even if you do want to use Wizard Spells against something thats Lightning Immune you can get a Spellsave DC of 20 and +10 to spell attack rolls just from gear alone with an INT of 10 and dumping Dex to boost INT will help that further. Duel Wielding is for Markoheshkir and Staff of Spellpower to get 2 uses of Arcane Battery per short rest but Viconia's shield or any other staff with +1 to Spellsave DC and attack rolls is good. For a full playthrough I'm not happy with all the respecing you have to do but the games quirk of using your most recently taken classes spellcasting modifier for item abilities is very annoying.
The main issue I seem to have with this build is that, yes, you have access to a LOT of potential spells to choose from, but your prepared wizard spell list is only 4 spells wide due to having 1 level in wizard.
It's true, though you do get 6 prepared spells (1 from your level and 5 from your INT bonus). Luckily, you only need them for your damage spells, since you can take all the utility spells you want on sorcerer, and the game lets you freely swap prepared spells any time outside of combat so you can make changes as needed. Take a couple lightning spells and a couple crowd control spells and you'll have more than you need! This build would be much more restrictive in tabletop where you have to actually prepare your spells for the day in advance, but also "wet" doesn't exist in tabletop so the combo wouldn't work anyways.
I've watched n loved many of your videos n I was wondering if you could do a build (unless you did n I missed it in which case can I get a link) surrounding the fun spell Artistry of War. It seems fun n powerful n would love to see what you could do with it
I'm enjoying these guides. Sadly, it will take a long time ot get to see the full awesomeness at max level. It would be interesting to see how it performs ate various levels, say 4 and 8, to get an idea how viable it is while leveling naturally.
So I'm not through with the video yet but I don't really understand why we invest so much into charisma if we only use damaging spells learned from wizard anyway?
I use a build close to this. I think of the sorcerer spells as my “always prepared“ spells. Sometimes I am going to want one of those to be a spell with a saving throw, in which case a charisma of 14 means it has a reasonable chance. I also use this build as my party face, which means the charisma 14 is useful to let me get through conversations. You are right that if you never use any sorcerer spells with saves or to hit rolls and you don’t use this character as your face, you might as well dump charisma.
You said which bolt is inefficient damage. I think you mean unimpressive at first. Being as it lasts multiple rounds I would say it's the most efficient spell for damage. Least cost for consistent yield over a length of time. Very efficient. Just not a huge burst.
Why do we need the wizzard level at all? we can go with draconic bloodline sorcerer, so we get witch bolt right away, and also benefit from lightning spells buff at lvl 6. so, all we need is 2 levels of tempest domain cleric to get access to destructive wrath, and the rest we stick with sorcerer. So, we push charisma instead. That way we can be the party face with great charisma, and we also benefit from the potent robe's buff. I don't feel like there are any extra spells, that we need to learn from scrolls, so we should be pretty well equipped for the task at hand.
Without the wizard level, we lose: - either con save proficiency or the correct casting stat for items - access to a ton of extra spells, including the secret spells - access to 6th level spells, including Chain Lightning
That’s annoying that recasting Witch Bolt doesn’t maintain its spell level. Would it be worth using concentration on Call Lightning instead? That would sacrifice the twinned spell, but you’d get better damage if you made use of the AoE.
i went for a charisma spellcasting , 8 16 14 12 8 16 stats , fets dual wilder and ability +2 cha, dual wield mako whit rhapsody, devout amulet, spellmight gloves, weave hood ,cloak and robe, rings i like the callous glow and coruscation in my casters, bow of awareness for +1 ini, dayle bloodlust elixer, spellbook wiz is chain lightning + whatever i like summon myrmidon, cleric just water, sorc i go for shield , hold person and monster, mistystep and door, haste, counter, greater and normal invis, lightining bolt, same build , i just think it goes better , no need for dex gloves, and more dmg due to more charisma with the lightining dmg draconic line, int cast gives more spell options but most of the time you just cast 3-4 spells
It does work, but it's not terribly synergistic - the lightning set really wants you to be making attacks that multihit to build charges quickly, whereas this build is about one giant strike
@@Cephalopocalypse Ahh, thanks! It's all really new to me. Any idea what would be a good mix for that sparty set...and will it only be viable for a short while since the armour rating is so low? Lots of things don't seem clear to me. That staffs don't help spells/cantrips do damage but are used for melee attacks and that wizards/warlocks/clerics can sometimes better use a sword than something like a staff is really weird to me. Also how armours work: Laezel can use everything and heavy seems best to e, but there's no stats that seem to indicate that "14" heavy armour is better than medium/light/clothing. And all these sets seem quite confusing to me.
Very creative but I am not understanding why witch bolt is the best choice over lightning bolt in the usual case. And I am not fully understanding why you are taking Wizard at all since both lightning spells are sorcerer spells? Not saying you are wrong I am just not getting it. Witch bolt uses concentration to cast unlike lightning bolt. The repeatable witch bolt that you maintain with concentration over time does not scale with level so that continuing bolt is pretty much useless after low levels. Lightning bolt does not use concentration and still scales up. Also if you use your concentration for haste you can cast anything twice without sorcery points - as you mention including lightning bolt. If you combine twinning with haste thats four lightning boots in one turn. And haste lasts ten turns not 3 like speed potion. So why rely on witch bolt which means you cannot use haste (because of the concentration)? Just to get a critical hit? So you will want to use witch bolt only if you are guaranteed a critical hit or have advantage?
To answer "why wizard," the point is to have a fully-featured wizard with all the bonuses from sorc and cleric. That means you don't *have to* use lightning only, and you get access to pretty much all the arcane spells in the game, which you can pick and choose at any time. Tons of utility along with all the damage. Just more options. You also get the right stat for items as well as level 6 spells, which you would miss otherwise.
Question so I understand it right: The have checks the stat not on the last career level you added but the last caster class edit is why you chose wizard last and it doesn’t matter that you level up sorcerer after?
My current playthrough is with a Lvl 12 Draconic Sorcerer(Levels 1, 6-12)/Tempest Cleric(2&3)/Divination Wizard(4&5) with 20 Cha, wearing the Warped Headband of Intellect. My understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that Markoheskir's Chain Lightning uses the Spell Save DC from Sorcerer in this build, as the last level taken. You can take Witch Bolt as a Sorcerer, and the Portent Dice from having a 2nd level of Divination has repeatedly been useful.
sry if this is a silly question, but whats ur bread and butter damage spell with this build? and do you learn chain lightning naturally with this or do you have to use scrolls? thanks
@@lodestar1853 As my PC has Alert, almost always cast Haste first, then Chain Lightning after Shadowheart casts Create Water. Can cast a 2nd Chain ightning, using the Wizard Spell Save DC which is 20, vs. 22 for Sorcerer Spells.
@@bretthughes27 i thought you can only learn chain lightning at storm sorce lv 11? did you obtain the spell by learning it off a scrollsor do you cast using scrolls? sorry if my question isn't clear
@@lodestar1853 Learned Chain Lightning from Scroll, which I assumed uses the Wizard Spell Save DC, but understood that the Chain Lightning that I cast with Markoheskir is using the higher Sorcerer Spell Save DC.
You lose on 1 sorcery point, but i think it is more interesting to get 1 more level of wizard and add the divination subclass for the 2 fixed dice rolls you get as a reaction that is really usefull for a lot of things, specially for the "This has to die" moment and give a bad dice roll for the lightning damage save I am using a similar build, but instead of sorcerer I am using lore bard as a main character for the "good at everithing" aspect of it.
All wizard spells will always use INT (anything we learn from a scroll) and items will use the save DC of your last NEW class. It's very unintuitive and not how it works in tabletop, so I hope they fix it at some point.
Am I correct in assuming you can dump CHA and put more points into DEX if you dont want to use the gloves of dexterity? All spells should be INT based, yes?
Any particular reason not to take cleric first? I didn’t pick up in the video any reason sorc and cleric had to go in that order. Cleric first would give more hit points I believe, hence why I am asking.
I’m missing something I think or maybe a nerf because when I twin bolt I must target two instead of focusing one target. Like I said might be missing something. Awesome content btw
I'm a recent subscriber of this channel . Loving the builds but there is something I would ask for a build request 1. A sumg barbarian like something like bard + barb 2. Can this lightning concept be applied to make a melee character like raiden from metal gear rising ?
1. For bard/barb go college of swords and any flavor of barbarian. You can use bard flourish while raging. 2. I would do, for a melee version, a wizard fighter combo. Maybe Eldritch knight or champion with some wizard.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone 😊. I also had one question in mind , I love dwarf races in dnd especially when I'm self inserting myself in the story . Any tips on how to get around 20AC with a barbarian using unarmoured defense ? I'm trying to make a dwarf barb going gorilla mode on anything that even looks at him funny .
What do you think about using the Warped Headband of Intellect (granting 17 int) and using the points elsewhere like in Charisma or Wisdom? Some guides I read recommend it but since you then can‘t get the int to 20 it might be not that good. Or maybe as an option at lower levels when you can‘t have 20 int anyway…? I‘d like your expert opinion on that :)
You can definitely do that. Dump int. wait till you get the headband. Use it until you get the needed headgear or when you can get 20 int. Then respec.
My issue with this is the chance to hit. I have to use up a destructive wrath prior to hitting. Even in your example you only had 70% to hit. I took out Dror Ragslin in the first round using this method. Later I've gone through entire battles trying and failing to hit with witch bolt, the character mostly useless and carried by his teammates. It's very inconsistent.
I'm doing my first solo playthrough with this build, I am doing it on balance mode as I want to learn to play as a one man army. I must say that is not ideal, I just reached level 6, I need to fight nails and teeth to survive every encounter, with no chance at a bonus action, unless I bust out a potion of speed, no strength to use melee weapons unless I use an elixir, it's not easy to do impactful damage in one turn, especially with multiple targets. I'm sure the build will be very strong later down the line, but gee.. also need to long rest after every battle cause spell slots run out. Not my favourite build I must say. I like better the fighter one where I can launch the weapon and it returns in my character's hands.
Will it be beter to get a Cleric first for WIS and CHA prof, then wiz, then sorc for CHA main ability from scrolls/items and get CON prof with transmutter stone? Cleric and Wizard pick up only utility spells, to avoid CHA checks, Sorc get all dmg spells.
why not just build for charisma like a normal sorcerer? once you pick up wizard you can respec and pick sorc last so everything runs off charisma. Are you going sorc first fist for the con save proficiency? I feel like if this is a party face the loss of the save proficiency is well worth having a high charisma and good dex. You could also run charisma based and respec into int once you find the headband that gives 18 int in act 1
I feel like the problem with a build like this is you get one strong attack per long rest, where your using a majority of sorc points and your one level 6 spell just on one attack.
Don't forget you're also a fully-powered wizard. Just because you *can* use the combo doesn't mean you have to - and even if you do, you can use lower level spell slots on things with less health. Another wizard is likely to have to spend their level 6 spell *and* other resources to kill a major boss. Being able to oneshot them means you're actually MORE sustainable.
@@Cephalopocalypse a fair point, I don’t disagree that wizards are an insanely useful Swiss Army knife even when they’re not dishing out their spike of damage. But if my main character is a wizard I don’t really wanna stay in the back supporting for most my fights
Love your vids! But please, i has question ! If i go lvl 1 sorc, lvl 2 wizard and then rest lvls sorc. Will the dc for spells learned be off Cha? Or will spells learned from scroll ie wizard be from int? Also ik items dc are based off of last class picked? So in this above example off of Cha? Any help is appreciated
Spells you learn from scrolls will always use your wizard casting (so INT) - only wizards can scribe spells, so they count as wizard spells. Any spells you learn from levels in Sorcerer will use your CHA, since they're sorcerer spells. The really confusing part is spells you *cast* from scolls or items, which use your last NEW class chosen - so in your example, those would also use INT. It's unintuitive but the bottom line is if you want to go that build, just max INT and make sure you're casting spells you prepare on the wizard page of your spellbook and you'll be fine!
@@Cephalopocalypse dude your the man. Honestly best bg3 content creator. Think I'll just go lvl 1 wiz and then rest sorc. I want my charisma. Thanks again.
Great video. I’m using your builds but I have to say it’s annoying that you never went through all the replace spells and cantrips for multiple levels. It made it super confusing because I did not know what you did and didn’t use. I would not skip around if I were you and explain every step, not all of us are on the computer and us who are following on the PlayStation cannot skip around like you can. We need to see every step thoroughly. Keep up the good work but please in the future try to hit every point and be clear what you chose for each level. You are obviously very knowledgeable and the builds are great! It is just a little confusing for me and my friends who are trying to use your builds! I don’t want to sound like a negative critic like everyone else on the internet. You are great
Ceph - what are your thoughts on 1 less Sorc level so that you can pick up Wiz subclass? You still get the feat at sorc 8, and you can convert spell slots to sorc points.
If you're concentrating on haste wouldn't Chromatic orb (1d8 + 1d8 per level => max 7d8=56) be a ok alternative to witch bolt (1d12 per level => max 6d12 = 72)? With first and second spellslot it'll hit harder and when you get third and haste you get to throw twice as much orbs. It'd be expensive in resources but not bad if you can't one shot the bad guys.
Yes Chromatic Orb is a suitable alternative if only casting level 1 or 2 spells, also higher level spells if you are already concentrating. Also depends on your resources, as you mentioned, because Witch Bolt can be recast without using a spell slot (tho only at lvl 1 power). It's situational for sure.
On the discussion about The order you select classes and what stat is used for casting. Does the same thing apply to physical damage? For instance if my main build is a finesse rogue using dex and then take a couple levels in fighter towards the end, is strength a factor in damage output?
Sorry, I may have been misleading here - the order you take classes only matters for specifically spells you cast *from items* - a staff will use your caster stat for the most recently taken NEW class, for example. Spells you actually cast from knowing them or scribe from scrolls will use the caster stat for the class you learned them from: Cleric spells will always use wisdom, etc. Class order will have no effect on your weapon attacks or anything else, other than what skills and saves you get at level 1. The items thing is confusing but honestly you can ignore it pretty safely, just a weird quirk of the game - hope that helps!
You said to pick wizard last but I noticed that at level 12 you picked sorcerer and there is a star over the Charisma stat. Is my primary spell modifier still intelligence where do I need to actually pick wizard last
I’m actually doing a 4 sorc party with no equipment and basically shredding everything with haste, scorching ray and sanctuary Playing 2 sorc 2 monk when going around tho
What if you have the spell sparkler from act 1? I’m playing Dark Urge, just defeated Orin, I got the markosher staff, can I build my dark urge like this and use spell sparkler with my electric urge for even more?
I believe that they patched out ability to learn any level spells for wizard. Recently, I tried scribing level 2 spell on my level 2 wizard and got an error that I'm not proficient enough to learn it. Was able to scribe it once reaching level 3....
You still need to have slots of the appropriate level, you just don't need to have *wizard* levels of the appropriate level. So a level 2 character can never learn 2nd level spells, because they don't have 2nd level spell slots, but a multiclassed wizard 1 / cleric 2 can learn 2nd level wizard spells (and 1st level cleric spells)
Questions: 1) Is there a way include evoker: lightning specialist in this build to be able to ignore resistance checks ? Waste of time? 2) If a wizard respecs into a different build that still includes wizard, do they lose or retain all the spells they previously transvribed from scrolls ?
1) If you change your level 1 stats a little to start with 17 int and use the Hag Hair on int then you can drop 1 ASI and hit 20. That said, there is only 1 notable fight I can think of that might be worth this change.
Will this work if you are primarily a cleric and some sorc, bring wisdom up for the cleric for all other spells? Or will that cause low damage cuz which bolt will take damage from charisma?
![The ONE SHOT LIGHTNING LORD - [Updated] BG3 Patch 7 Honour Mode Build Guide](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yGcfb0_dAEY/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey pals! As of patch 6, you can't use Twin Spell on Witch Bolt or Chain Lightning any more. Witch Bolt will still be your best single target spell, but when you need to hit multiple enemies, just use Chromatic Orb (lightning) twinned instead. Enjoy!
Was just coming here to post this.
Still can nuke absolutel hell out of anyone. I was using chromatic orb already since it's so cheap and scales quite well should you need a twin cast
Dos this mean that Call Lightning is now better to prioritize over witch bolt? And if so, then taking Sorcerer as your last learned class is better?
Twin spell works with markoheshkirs version of chain lightning still. You can also twin witch bolt but only if you upcast it.
@@Stargetsu Call lightning will scale off Charisma since it is gained through Sorcerer subclass feature. It cannot be learned by scrolls and wizards don't get the spell.
This build just helped me Oneshot the red dragon and the netherbrain in my honor mode playthrough, thanks bro fun af build
Awesome, glad to hear it!
Bro, you explain the “why’s” so well, and definitely appreciative of that. Keep it coming man. Great video!
I love listening to these like a podcast, thanks for the Honor mode builds
seconding this, his voice is just perfect to listen too
Yes, spells you learn from a class use the class's casting stat. Spells you use from other sources - illithids, scrolls, items & equipment - use the casting stat of the class that you last took a level one in (barbs use CHA, fighters and rogues INT).
Nicely explained.
that's so dumb. i would rather it be a int only, or it gives you a choice if you have multiple caster classes.
One tiny correction though If you learn a scroll it will be using intellect because it gets put in your wizard spell book
NOT "last took a level one in" but last unique class you took. In this case Wizzard
@@milordas Hmm. What do you mean by last unique class?
@@iptfLet’s say your level 4, and your progression was Wizard-> Cleric->Sorcerer->Wizard your spell DC for scrolls would be based off Charisma since Sorcerer was your last unique class you took despite your last level being in Wizard. So if you follow sorcerer->Cleric->Wizard your scrolls would be based off intelligence, and will remain so if you only take any further levels in those 3 classes.
You can also stack crit items with this build. Without changing anything on it, you could get the bow, helmet, cloak, and elixir for a crit range of 16-20. If you swap starting stats to get 17 int and include hag hair int then you still have 20 int and can pick up the feat Spell Sniper to reduce the threshold by 1 more. If you are willing to drop the staff, then you can get two more weapons and drop the threshold to 13-20.
This is the thought that went through my head when he said that you can crit with witch bolt.
Apparently if you also play as the dark urge you can lower your crit threshold by 2 points?
@@Rain1 Yes, dark urge does let you lower the threshold by 2 more, but only during the final fight of the game.
@@crimsonaaron oh. Lol. Well I guess that doesn't really matter much then haha
Now I can't help but think of the end ROTJ, except before Palpatine zaps Luke, he awkwardly hurls a bucket of water at him.
Criminally underrated creator for Baldur's Gate 3! Just wanted to say a huge thanks for helping this complete bg/d&d newbie with builds and helping me understand the mechanics of the game. I've completely fallen in love with this genre! Thanks again! I've been sending your vids to the bois and they feel the same. You deserve way more subscribers. Cheers! ❤
Thanks so much! Appreciate the kind words :D
Yeah I’d second that. Have been playing since launch but new to d&d. your explanations have been hugely helpful
Agreed
Another useful water aspect. Cast Sleet Storm (with an Ally) then have them cancel it, for a massive water surface area.
I think the plus to that is knocking concentration from enemies, but you would have to use a lvl 3 spell slot to do it :/
@@spenceregerton5268 Yeah, it works a treat for destroying concentration, and proning most of the pack. The only problem then is getting your melee crew onto them for crits without them slipping also. Only two boots insure against it... Hoarfrost and Night Walkers. Dilemma.
@@antonyfaulkner8649helldusk boots do too according to the wiki
Love the honor mode builds! And your BG3 content in general. Thank you!
Thanks very much!
Bg3 is my first dnd style game period, so i went through my first playthrough completely blind. Seeing that you could optimize things this much is wild to me. I did a land druid drow which i feel was really balanced and fun but i definitely struggled to defeat certain enemies and found myself using some cheesy strategies like shoving the prison gaurds of the cliff with by luring them over with the cat form. Thanks for the video, was a ton of fun to watch even if i didnt understand how a lot of it works
ive been doing this witch bolt combo after realizing it can crit with twinned spell it does 500 damage for me consistently over 2 foes 150 on the non crit one and 300 with the crit really crazy
Nice to see more people figuring out witch bolt. Witch bolt is the best single/double target spell in the game. A couple of tips from my own running my own witch bolt build:
1. another option for sustainable auto-crit is to dip 3 levels of assassin. Gets you advantage as well.
2. theres no point in reactivating witch bolt as the dmg is inferior to a cantrip such as shocking grasp or ray of frost which will does 6d8, double the dmg of the activation of WB 2d12.
bonus: noticed the name of the channel. By any chance are you a player/fan of gloomhaven?
So. Tried this build out in my tactican playthrough, and holy shit. This was just as fun as my Githyanki gunslinger build.
4 witch bolt is also useful for keeping track of enemies that can go invisible or duplicate them selves such as Anti Ethal for example
I'm loving this. It has finally gotten me away from my typical rogue/ranger play style -- something I was very accustomed to from D:OS2. And having only ever played DnD video games (mostly BG2), not TT DnD, this has helped me come to understand the casters a great deal more. Is there a comparable "ice/coldfrost" sort of build? Or are those lacking in comparison to other elements?
Anyways, thank you for the detailed explanations in all of your content! I often find myself shouting "BUT WHYYY!?" at so many videos out there, and you analyze everything, down to the numbers, which is precisely the content I am always in search of but can never find.
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the videos - it's awesome how many different playstyles this game supports so it's great that you're finding this helpful for exploring those!
I think that relying on charisma and using storm sorcery's spells like call lightning could be more effective for killing groups of enemies, while still being able to use powerful spells from wizard that don't rely on intelligence.
There are a few disadvantages in that setup: You don't get CHA-Chainlightning, you can't swap out the lightning spells to deal with resistances and you'll only have 1 wizard spell slot, so while you are able to learn all the spells you can hardly use them. Also, you'll loose either the prof in CON-Saves or the ability to use your CHA-Modifier with items.
Yeah, not really being able to use Call Lightning hurts, but on the INT-Build you still got Fireball, and later you get Chainlightning. And lets be honest, for AoE-Duties against clustered enemies we prefer the Spirit-Guardian-Radiant-Orb-Cleric anyway ^^
If you really want to go for Sorc as your main class I'd recommend to drop Wizard alltogether and just use the spellscrolls to cast the handful of supportspells instead of swapping out you single Wizardslot every few seconds. Yeah, you can use the INT-Headpiece, but thanks to Cleric you have better options, and again, you can just use the spellscrolls when you need them...
@@Hoonsy2you …you get chain lightning from markoheshkir and it uses charisma. And not focusing intelligence doesn’t suddenly mean you’ll only have 10 or less intelligence. Huh?
Not to mention spirit guardians being vastly less damage than call lightning.
Con saves is inconsequential when you can easily have a hireling transmutation wizard give you a transmuter stone (and craft potions for you).
As for just using scrolls, that really isn’t as powerful as getting access to even 1 6th level wizard summon as much as you want. And again, you don’t have to drop intelligence to the negatives. I would argue the headband you get is a great option even over other headgear a lot of the time.
This build only get 1 wizard slot? I thought the spell slots were based on effective caster level.
Great build.
Personally I’d probably go with blue dragon blood sorcerer and drop the wizard dip. You lose the scroll scribing but get an extra feat for more ability improvements or something saucy like duel wielder for double staffs and other combos.
That could work without the Wiz dip for sure! Though you'd have to go 8 Sorc 4 Cleric for the extra Feat. You'd miss out on Call Lightning spell until you get the Markoheshkir Staff. Hmmm!
Good point. But from a quality of life option. Having 1 wiz is amazing. If you like playing the game being super magic ie casting ritual spells, enhanced leap, and other fun spells. Switching in and out spells having wizard is beautiful 😻 but I'd also do dragon for flavor
Would the damage from Markoheshkir's Call Lightning not stack with Wisdom in that case? If you picked Cleric last. And if you pick Cleric first you miss out on Constitution Proficiency from Sorc. How should one approach that build?@@doomrot
@@srenjensen2625 Great question, I tested it. Yes Call Lightning from Markoheshkir would be Wisdom-based Spell Save DC if you pick Sorc 1st and Cleric 2nd. But Witch Bolt would still be your primary zapper, backed up by Lightning Bolt (both in the Sorc spell lineup). Call Lightning would just be a free spell slot cast in this case when you don't need to bring out the big guns.
That said, there isn't a lot of Concentration needed for this build. The damage from Witch Bolt concentration recast is negligible at lvl 12. So cleric 1st then sorc 2nd would be a great choice as well to get more power out of Markoheshkir free spells. It's really up to you.
@@doomrot Thank you for the answer.
I ran a similar build, but i had 14 dex and I did 6 sorc, 4 wizard (for sculpt spells and feat), 2 cleric. All high level spells were covered by wizard and sorc was there for a some spells like misty step (where my lower proficiency wouldn’t matter).
That being said, this character was not the face of the party, so having 10 charisma was fine. I also stuck with 10 wisdom because all I wanted was a healing spell and create water.
I feel as if a two-level wizard dip would help for the subclass evocation wizard simply because it turns friendly fire off for your spells so allies need not worry for possible electrocution but do keep in mind that electrified water is entirely different and they still will take damage from that
Shocking grasp as maining sorc and charisma with canttip neck and the chest is insanely powerful for a lightning build. I have it hit between 40-100+ damage, twinning that saves from having to use spell slots too.
Amulet Of The Devout would be great for this build. Gives an additional Channel Divinity charge and +2 Spell Save DC.
Awesome video, thanks!
Great call! That makes you much less rest-dependant
@@Cephalopocalypse thats what i wanted to ask. I know that this build oneshots everything but it looks very depending on resources. Do i have to take long rest every 3-4 fight with this build?
@@GolompReformed Not really! You actually end up much MORE sustainable than most wizards - remember you don't RELY on the combo, since you still have a full array of wizard spells. You just have the option to instantly solve an encounter a couple times per day, which for another character would probably require multiple spell slots to beat.
Pretty sure u can twin chain lightning too which is insane if you get the targets wet before
Also you are officially the BG3 RUclips content goat imo, all ur builds are sound and flexible. Videos are well organized and easy to follow, you’re the man, man
Yep, you can even hit the same target multiple times with the branches, which is insane damage. Thanks so much!
If you’re willing to be a bit patient you can grab the circlet from the ogres for the int boost and use those stats elsewhere, too
the water / electricity combo can be efficient with any build that has access to these elecro spells
no need to even cast crate water as u can simple through water bottles around enemies even outside combat
quite a broken thing
5:18 Oh my!
Thanks for this build! Looking forward to trying it and letting my Gale out of Abjuration jail.
Great in-depth guide, most 50 minute guides aren’t worth the time so kudos and thank you for your time on this!
I literally just finished my first full playthrough of BG3 last night using this build on my main character. I'd played a ton in balanced mode beforehand but the finished playthrough was on tactician mode. With few exceptions, this build was amazingly strong for every fight and I think because of all of the splash damage you can get out of this most hard/boss fights only took a few turns to complete. I had Shadowheart as a Cleric/Gloomstalker, Gale as open hand slappy monk, and Jaheira as moon druid/light cleric for backup dps/support/cc. There really wasn't a challenge too tough for me, even though I hadn't done most of act 3, especially the bigger encounters like Gortash and Orin, the steel hand factory and house of grief. I'd beaten Raphael before in balanced but I didn't find him very difficult at all because I'd already figured out to use black tentacles under him and his fight becomes pretty trivial. This build however, once you get access to chain lightning, was more lightning God than lightning lord! Thanks for the video!
Much better IMO is 2 cleric / 2 divination wizard/ rest sorc - Max out charisma - Your markoheshkir will be charisma based, you will have 2 feats. Charisma is easiest stat to put above 24. All your spell as sorcerer will do tons of dmg, and if you learn the chain lkightning as a wizard it will be int based, but you can use arcane alurity by casting thunder dmg and then quicken the chain lightning. You can use terazul + action potion to just evaporate everything. And combined with 2 pala /10 bard you will be unstoppable.
Note: only spells with attack rolls can crit (roll a 20) whereas spells with a save spell DC can't crit - part of the trade off for getting at least half damage rather than a total miss.
Chain lightning can't crit, Lightning bolt can't crit - so chromatic orb on lvl 6 + vulnerable + crit can output more dmg.
I'm only level 10 and it's great to have ALL THE SPELLS. It's seriously so many spells. Having just re-spec'ed from straight Wizard, the only thing I kinda miss is evocation - I just have to be cautious and not nuke my friends... But I also hardly need friends anymore anyways!
You are better off not taking that 9th level of sorcerer and rather taking a 2nd level of wizard to get the evocation school. That way, you can launch lightning bolts without fear of hurting your allies.
Or you can just position appropriately.
Bro lmfao. Just reposition your party what is this object impermanence
That doesn't mean whatever you think that means
Level 10 sorcerer doesn't provide much compared to the one level wizard dip, but if I went 10-2 sorcerer cleric split, then the build would be less stat hungry, as you would be fine with 8 or 10 int, and max charisma instead. You could also take 17 charisma at the start, go to 18 with Ethel, then 20 with ASI, and have another feat for alert to do this all at the start of combat. You'd lose some utility spells and chain lightning, but you would get access to all of the combo spells needed for combat anyway, and would be a better party face no?
That is not a Wizard build, it is a Sorcerer, with a touch of Wizard and a sprinkle of Cleric. Pretty awesome though. Your explanations are helping me understand so much more of what all these Dex, Int, and other modifiers actually mean and do. Thanks.
Heyyyy, thanks for the video! I'm about to go to the gith creche in my Honour run and definitely using this on my Gale!
Awesome, enjoy!
Just use the 17 Int helm and drop int for more Charisma. Chaotic Orb (Lightning) instead of Witch Bolt is more effective.
What makes it more effective out of curiosity?
Extended spell + greater invisibility + stealth archer is a slept on op combo
I assume you go sword bard ? That sub class is so OP :(
Careful spell is the best metamagic after twin bc you can do any aoe dmg or crowd control without hitting your own guys. Hypnotic pattern shuts down entire areas
You could run a duergar with this so to be invisible at the start of fights after level 5 as well.
Definitely! The best race for this build for sure - though halfling to avoid misses or gnome for the saves are also solid picks.
I used a pure Storm Sorc Gale for my Honkur mode run to destroy the steel bois. I wasn't sure what the Legendary would be for the boss steely boi, so I went in loaded for bear. Was a little bit unnecessary, which made me really cocky for Cazador, where the run almost died due to everyone getting swarmed.
I wouldn't call it a Wizard build if the majority of all the levels is in Sorcerer....
Intruiging to know, but I am searching for Wizard builds to prove to my friend who says "Sorcerer is better in every way, wizard is shit" wrong. This just proves him right xD
great build and vid though!
In fairness, abjuration wizard using wet effects is the better option for more sustained damage throughout a playthrough. The lightning Sorc is a nuke and insane for single target damage, but abjuration wizard set up correctly will deal more damage across the battlefield and isn't as reliant on spells as a resource and so isn't as reliant on long rests early on. Depends whether you want a boss killer or something that's more flexible
This build reminds me a little of the Stormwarden character from the 1984 novel of the same name, part of the Cycle of Fire trilogy, by Janny Wurts. Yes I'm old.
To all my ps5 users, is anyone else experiancing that creat water is broken and cant be upcast as well as does not cost a spell slot. Seems to be bugged as a cantrip! Hope larian fixes soon because while not using a spell slot is nice the radius stays so small it can be really hard to use in critical moments
Off-topic, are you a Dragonborn player?
That's a thing that happens sometimes but I also realised that if you do Split Screen and try to level up with your friend the game will always crash
Yes. And it still isn’t fixed 😢
If you’re going with an elemental damage type for your main form of damage output, probably should take a feat for elemental adapt so creatures don’t just get resistance to all of your damage
I would think the resist ignore and min roll boost makes up for the 1 less spell attack/dmg modifier
Not worth it, Lightning Resistance is very rare to begin with and you're already using Create Water to get around it. For this specific build War Caster is probably the only must have Feat.
On paper, OP is right.
In BG3 though, enemy resistances aren't as important because there's set encounters in the game. There isn't a DM to actively counteract the ridiculious power combos.
For the limited encounters that try to negate the build you have 3 other characters to pick up the slack or the entire spellbook of the wizard dip to try a different tactic.
Sacrificing a ASI bump for 99% of enounters isn't worth the feat that comes into play for the couple instances where resistance (because elemental adept doesn't change immunity) comes into play.
You can always twin another spell. Ie. I cast FIREBALL. (probably disintegrate, CoC, wall of ice, etc instead in BG3's case)
There is also an item that allows you to use your channel twice, so using your second action to cast chain lightning brings the total to a fun and balanced (150 (doubled from luck of the far realms) + 160) 460.
This means that only ONE enemy in the entire game survives a turn from this character (that being my boy Raphael, rocking 666 HP).
PD: This is not taking into account any other damage boosting items, lightning charges, or ilithid passives, which (although I doubt it) could boost the damage over 666.
@Cephalopocalypse
Recently just stumbled upon your content. Liked and Subscribed, thank you!.
Dumb question from me: Since CHA is the skill that can be maximized the most in the game, wouldn't it be better to take Sorcerer as the last new class in the build to have items/scrolls use CHA for attack rolls and spell save DCs?
I would gladly trade my prof on CON saving throws for the ability to use CHA for the staff spells, scrolls, and all the other Sorcerer cantrips/spells that use attack roll or spell SDC.
What am I missing?
Amulet of the Devout is a very nice item for this build and worth calling out specifically. The extra use of Channel Divinity is very nice. I played a very similar build for a while, and even though my save DC was insane I still had some enemies with evasion save for 0 damage against my lightning bolts, and there's some lightning immune enemies that are pretty challenging if you're used to depending on the build for damage (Ansur was tough for me).
Thanks for all your content.
True! Great item for the build, making you much less rest-dependent. Thanks!
Okay so I tried it, and that electrical damage is CRAZY
I feel like chromatic orb would be more effective. Yes it does slightly less damage at max level but it’s not concentration so you can twin haste
My Wizards suck lol. I'm 40 hours in just finished act 1 and tbh I have no idea what any of the dice rolls mean haha. But am learning and now know why everyone loves this game 😅❤
I'm currently running a Lightning Sorcerer build and I think there's a better way to do this.
Level 1-5 you want to go Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, the +3 to AC and extra hit points are very helpful and frees up a spell choice as you wont need Mage Armour, but I also find that I increasingly just don't use the class features from Storm Sorcerer, the AOE Lightning damage from Level 6 is tiny and I'd rather use an off hand Crossbow than fly most of the time. I'd go White for Armour of Agathis and boost survivability further but Blue for free Witch Bolt isn't bad either. With Auntie Ethels hair and an ASI you can be CHA 20 at Level 4. At Levels 6-7 you respec to take Tempest Cleric for 2 levels for obvious reasons but also the mentioned quirk of the game using your most recently taken class for spell abilities, and then Sorcerer for the rest.
At Level 9 I respec to start with 2 Levels of Evocation Wizard (not having to worry about frying party members with Lightning Bolt is great, just remember that Call Lightning is a Conjuration spell and not Evocation), 2 levels of Tempest cleric and then Draconic Sorcerer the rest of the way. War Caster and Duel Wielding are the two Feats I'd take using the mirror in the House of Grief for +2 Charisma to bring you to 20, or just swap Duel Wielding for an ASI if you're not going to get to the Mirror. Wizard isn't really needed for spellcasting but even if you do want to use Wizard Spells against something thats Lightning Immune you can get a Spellsave DC of 20 and +10 to spell attack rolls just from gear alone with an INT of 10 and dumping Dex to boost INT will help that further.
Duel Wielding is for Markoheshkir and Staff of Spellpower to get 2 uses of Arcane Battery per short rest but Viconia's shield or any other staff with +1 to Spellsave DC and attack rolls is good.
For a full playthrough I'm not happy with all the respecing you have to do but the games quirk of using your most recently taken classes spellcasting modifier for item abilities is very annoying.
This is better for people that want Gale to have a lore friendly build. He is absolutely a Wizard.
I want to See you doing Ethel at Level 4 in Honour Mode
The main issue I seem to have with this build is that, yes, you have access to a LOT of potential spells to choose from, but your prepared wizard spell list is only 4 spells wide due to having 1 level in wizard.
It's true, though you do get 6 prepared spells (1 from your level and 5 from your INT bonus). Luckily, you only need them for your damage spells, since you can take all the utility spells you want on sorcerer, and the game lets you freely swap prepared spells any time outside of combat so you can make changes as needed. Take a couple lightning spells and a couple crowd control spells and you'll have more than you need!
This build would be much more restrictive in tabletop where you have to actually prepare your spells for the day in advance, but also "wet" doesn't exist in tabletop so the combo wouldn't work anyways.
I've watched n loved many of your videos n I was wondering if you could do a build (unless you did n I missed it in which case can I get a link) surrounding the fun spell Artistry of War. It seems fun n powerful n would love to see what you could do with it
I'm enjoying these guides. Sadly, it will take a long time ot get to see the full awesomeness at max level. It would be interesting to see how it performs ate various levels, say 4 and 8, to get an idea how viable it is while leveling naturally.
Enjoying the builds.
Thanks!
So I'm not through with the video yet but I don't really understand why we invest so much into charisma if we only use damaging spells learned from wizard anyway?
I agree. I'd rather have 14 dex and give the gloves to another character.
I use a build close to this. I think of the sorcerer spells as my “always prepared“ spells. Sometimes I am going to want one of those to be a spell with a saving throw, in which case a charisma of 14 means it has a reasonable chance. I also use this build as my party face, which means the charisma 14 is useful to let me get through conversations. You are right that if you never use any sorcerer spells with saves or to hit rolls and you don’t use this character as your face, you might as well dump charisma.
If you are the face of the party, 14 CHA won’t hurt
Because the build uses the gloves of dex, that’s why you can put the rest of the stats to CHA
@@mrvncstlyeah good luck running around in honor mode with 8 DEX before you can get the gloves..
You said which bolt is inefficient damage. I think you mean unimpressive at first. Being as it lasts multiple rounds I would say it's the most efficient spell for damage. Least cost for consistent yield over a length of time. Very efficient. Just not a huge burst.
Why do we need the wizzard level at all? we can go with draconic bloodline sorcerer, so we get witch bolt right away, and also benefit from lightning spells buff at lvl 6. so, all we need is 2 levels of tempest domain cleric to get access to destructive wrath, and the rest we stick with sorcerer. So, we push charisma instead. That way we can be the party face with great charisma, and we also benefit from the potent robe's buff. I don't feel like there are any extra spells, that we need to learn from scrolls, so we should be pretty well equipped for the task at hand.
Without the wizard level, we lose:
- either con save proficiency or the correct casting stat for items
- access to a ton of extra spells, including the secret spells
- access to 6th level spells, including Chain Lightning
That’s annoying that recasting Witch Bolt doesn’t maintain its spell level. Would it be worth using concentration on Call Lightning instead? That would sacrifice the twinned spell, but you’d get better damage if you made use of the AoE.
i went for a charisma spellcasting , 8 16 14 12 8 16 stats , fets dual wilder and ability +2 cha, dual wield mako whit rhapsody, devout amulet, spellmight gloves, weave hood ,cloak and robe, rings i like the callous glow and coruscation in my casters, bow of awareness for +1 ini, dayle bloodlust elixer, spellbook wiz is chain lightning + whatever i like summon myrmidon, cleric just water, sorc i go for shield , hold person and monster, mistystep and door, haste, counter, greater and normal invis, lightining bolt, same build , i just think it goes better , no need for dex gloves, and more dmg due to more charisma with the lightining dmg draconic line, int cast gives more spell options but most of the time you just cast 3-4 spells
Does this work with that weird lightning armour set?
Speedy lightfeet, Jolty vest, Sparky hands, Spellsparker etc?
It does work, but it's not terribly synergistic - the lightning set really wants you to be making attacks that multihit to build charges quickly, whereas this build is about one giant strike
@@Cephalopocalypse Ahh, thanks!
It's all really new to me.
Any idea what would be a good mix for that sparty set...and will it only be viable for a short while since the armour rating is so low?
Lots of things don't seem clear to me. That staffs don't help spells/cantrips do damage but are used for melee attacks and that wizards/warlocks/clerics can sometimes better use a sword than something like a staff is really weird to me.
Also how armours work: Laezel can use everything and heavy seems best to e, but there's no stats that seem to indicate that "14" heavy armour is better than medium/light/clothing.
And all these sets seem quite confusing to me.
Very creative but I am not understanding why witch bolt is the best choice over lightning bolt in the usual case. And I am not fully understanding why you are taking Wizard at all since both lightning spells are sorcerer spells? Not saying you are wrong I am just not getting it.
Witch bolt uses concentration to cast unlike lightning bolt. The repeatable witch bolt that you maintain with concentration over time does not scale with level so that continuing bolt is pretty much useless after low levels. Lightning bolt does not use concentration and still scales up. Also if you use your concentration for haste you can cast anything twice without sorcery points - as you mention including lightning bolt. If you combine twinning with haste thats four lightning boots in one turn. And haste lasts ten turns not 3 like speed potion.
So why rely on witch bolt which means you cannot use haste (because of the concentration)? Just to get a critical hit? So you will want to use witch bolt only if you are guaranteed a critical hit or have advantage?
To answer "why wizard," the point is to have a fully-featured wizard with all the bonuses from sorc and cleric. That means you don't *have to* use lightning only, and you get access to pretty much all the arcane spells in the game, which you can pick and choose at any time. Tons of utility along with all the damage. Just more options.
You also get the right stat for items as well as level 6 spells, which you would miss otherwise.
Question so I understand it right: The have checks the stat not on the last career level you added but the last caster class edit is why you chose wizard last and it doesn’t matter that you level up sorcerer after?
Yes that’s correct
Did you know in act one there's an ogre that has a crown that gives you 17 int if you kill him and two other ogres. Its in the blighted village.
That's true, but you want more than 17 int for a wizard.
My current playthrough is with a Lvl 12 Draconic Sorcerer(Levels 1, 6-12)/Tempest Cleric(2&3)/Divination Wizard(4&5) with 20 Cha, wearing the Warped Headband of Intellect. My understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that Markoheskir's Chain Lightning uses the Spell Save DC from Sorcerer in this build, as the last level taken. You can take Witch Bolt as a Sorcerer, and the Portent Dice from having a 2nd level of Divination has repeatedly been useful.
sry if this is a silly question, but whats ur bread and butter damage spell with this build? and do you learn chain lightning naturally with this or do you have to use scrolls? thanks
@@lodestar1853 As my PC has Alert, almost always cast Haste first, then Chain Lightning after Shadowheart casts Create Water. Can cast a 2nd Chain ightning, using the Wizard Spell Save DC which is 20, vs. 22 for Sorcerer Spells.
@@bretthughes27 i thought you can only learn chain lightning at storm sorce lv 11? did you obtain the spell by learning it off a scrollsor do you cast using scrolls? sorry if my question isn't clear
@@lodestar1853 Learned Chain Lightning from Scroll, which I assumed uses the Wizard Spell Save DC, but understood that the Chain Lightning that I cast with Markoheskir is using the higher Sorcerer Spell Save DC.
@@bretthughes27 makes sense, thanks so much i really needed that clarification
In this build chainlighting from staff uses INT modifier, rest spells uses CHA modifier. CHA way to low
That's why we use wizard spells for offensive spells, and sorcerer for utility
You lose on 1 sorcery point, but i think it is more interesting to get 1 more level of wizard and add the divination subclass for the 2 fixed dice rolls you get as a reaction that is really usefull for a lot of things, specially for the "This has to die" moment and give a bad dice roll for the lightning damage save
I am using a similar build, but instead of sorcerer I am using lore bard as a main character for the "good at everithing" aspect of it.
Divination is great for this build, for sure!
Yeah this is exactly how my I built my MC
Shouldnt you be leveling wizard last so you use Intelligence instead of Charisma??
I *think* it goes off your last NEW class
All wizard spells will always use INT (anything we learn from a scroll) and items will use the save DC of your last NEW class. It's very unintuitive and not how it works in tabletop, so I hope they fix it at some point.
So do cleric and wizard first then sorc last?
Am I correct in assuming you can dump CHA and put more points into DEX if you dont want to use the gloves of dexterity? All spells should be INT based, yes?
Yep, that's right!
Thanks!
Thanks very much for the support! I really appreciate it :D
Any particular reason not to take cleric first? I didn’t pick up in the video any reason sorc and cleric had to go in that order. Cleric first would give more hit points I believe, hence why I am asking.
Hi mate. Sorcerer's get Con saving proficiency.
I’m missing something I think or maybe a nerf because when I twin bolt I must target two instead of focusing one target. Like I said might be missing something. Awesome content btw
Rewatched. I’m dumb. Nevermind my first comment🤦♂️
I'm a recent subscriber of this channel . Loving the builds but there is something I would ask for a build request
1. A sumg barbarian like something like bard + barb
2. Can this lightning concept be applied to make a melee character like raiden from metal gear rising ?
Tbh I am not knowledgeable enough with this game, but I doubt you could make a good melee lightning build to RP as Raiden from MGR.
yes, just add a monk level and they can use a staff with dex bonus rather than strength
id probably suggest something with thunderous smite with paladin, im at work right now can cook something up later
1. For bard/barb go college of swords and any flavor of barbarian. You can use bard flourish while raging.
2. I would do, for a melee version, a wizard fighter combo. Maybe Eldritch knight or champion with some wizard.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone 😊. I also had one question in mind , I love dwarf races in dnd especially when I'm self inserting myself in the story .
Any tips on how to get around 20AC with a barbarian using unarmoured defense ? I'm trying to make a dwarf barb going gorilla mode on anything that even looks at him funny .
What do you think about using the Warped Headband of Intellect (granting 17 int) and using the points elsewhere like in Charisma or Wisdom? Some guides I read recommend it but since you then can‘t get the int to 20 it might be not that good. Or maybe as an option at lower levels when you can‘t have 20 int anyway…? I‘d like your expert opinion on that :)
You can definitely do that. Dump int. wait till you get the headband. Use it until you get the needed headgear or when you can get 20 int. Then respec.
My issue with this is the chance to hit. I have to use up a destructive wrath prior to hitting. Even in your example you only had 70% to hit. I took out Dror Ragslin in the first round using this method. Later I've gone through entire battles trying and failing to hit with witch bolt, the character mostly useless and carried by his teammates. It's very inconsistent.
I'm doing my first solo playthrough with this build, I am doing it on balance mode as I want to learn to play as a one man army. I must say that is not ideal, I just reached level 6, I need to fight nails and teeth to survive every encounter, with no chance at a bonus action, unless I bust out a potion of speed, no strength to use melee weapons unless I use an elixir, it's not easy to do impactful damage in one turn, especially with multiple targets. I'm sure the build will be very strong later down the line, but gee.. also need to long rest after every battle cause spell slots run out. Not my favourite build I must say. I like better the fighter one where I can launch the weapon and it returns in my character's hands.
19:06 of course it doesn't maintain the same level you cast it at that would mean you get 10 level 6 witch bolts for free from the recast ability
Will it be beter to get a Cleric first for WIS and CHA prof, then wiz, then sorc for CHA main ability from scrolls/items and get CON prof with transmutter stone? Cleric and Wizard pick up only utility spells, to avoid CHA checks, Sorc get all dmg spells.
I don’t understand, I followed this exactly and at level 4 I don’t have any meta magic available?
you get your first metamagic at sorcerer level 2, so at level 4 you haven't reached it yet
@@Cephalopocalypse ohhh lmao
why not just build for charisma like a normal sorcerer? once you pick up wizard you can respec and pick sorc last so everything runs off charisma. Are you going sorc first fist for the con save proficiency? I feel like if this is a party face the loss of the save proficiency is well worth having a high charisma and good dex. You could also run charisma based and respec into int once you find the headband that gives 18 int in act 1
Can you recommend early game gear for this build and the gear you used in the video?
Nicely done
From what I understand you can’t target the same target twice with twinned magic, that’s how it is on ps5 anyway
I feel like the problem with a build like this is you get one strong attack per long rest, where your using a majority of sorc points and your one level 6 spell just on one attack.
Don't forget you're also a fully-powered wizard. Just because you *can* use the combo doesn't mean you have to - and even if you do, you can use lower level spell slots on things with less health. Another wizard is likely to have to spend their level 6 spell *and* other resources to kill a major boss. Being able to oneshot them means you're actually MORE sustainable.
@@Cephalopocalypse a fair point, I don’t disagree that wizards are an insanely useful Swiss Army knife even when they’re not dishing out their spike of damage. But if my main character is a wizard I don’t really wanna stay in the back supporting for most my fights
hey, upcast witchbold can apparently no longer be twincast as of patch 7. Update on this build? Kind regards
Love your vids! But please, i has question ! If i go lvl 1 sorc, lvl 2 wizard and then rest lvls sorc. Will the dc for spells learned be off Cha? Or will spells learned from scroll ie wizard be from int? Also ik items dc are based off of last class picked? So in this above example off of Cha? Any help is appreciated
Spells you learn from scrolls will always use your wizard casting (so INT) - only wizards can scribe spells, so they count as wizard spells. Any spells you learn from levels in Sorcerer will use your CHA, since they're sorcerer spells.
The really confusing part is spells you *cast* from scolls or items, which use your last NEW class chosen - so in your example, those would also use INT. It's unintuitive but the bottom line is if you want to go that build, just max INT and make sure you're casting spells you prepare on the wizard page of your spellbook and you'll be fine!
@@Cephalopocalypse dude your the man. Honestly best bg3 content creator. Think I'll just go lvl 1 wiz and then rest sorc. I want my charisma. Thanks again.
Great video. I’m using your builds but I have to say it’s annoying that you never went through all the replace spells and cantrips for multiple levels. It made it super confusing because I did not know what you did and didn’t use. I would not skip around if I were you and explain every step, not all of us are on the computer and us who are following on the PlayStation cannot skip around like you can. We need to see every step thoroughly. Keep up the good work but please in the future try to hit every point and be clear what you chose for each level. You are obviously very knowledgeable and the builds are great! It is just a little confusing for me and my friends who are trying to use your builds! I don’t want to sound like a negative critic like everyone else on the internet. You are great
It's probably because they're irrelevant to the build itself.
Hi, I’m trying to do a necromancy sorcerer durge build, could this set up work? (Just finished using this build in tactician)
Ceph - what are your thoughts on 1 less Sorc level so that you can pick up Wiz subclass? You still get the feat at sorc 8, and you can convert spell slots to sorc points.
Yep, that's a very good variant! I would go Divination to guarantee the lightning hit
"You'll lose out on a lot of the fun and challenge in the game." haha ha
If you're concentrating on haste wouldn't Chromatic orb (1d8 + 1d8 per level => max 7d8=56) be a ok alternative to witch bolt (1d12 per level => max 6d12 = 72)?
With first and second spellslot it'll hit harder and when you get third and haste you get to throw twice as much orbs. It'd be expensive in resources but not bad if you can't one shot the bad guys.
Yes Chromatic Orb is a suitable alternative if only casting level 1 or 2 spells, also higher level spells if you are already concentrating. Also depends on your resources, as you mentioned, because Witch Bolt can be recast without using a spell slot (tho only at lvl 1 power). It's situational for sure.
On the discussion about The order you select classes and what stat is used for casting. Does the same thing apply to physical damage? For instance if my main build is a finesse rogue using dex and then take a couple levels in fighter towards the end, is strength a factor in damage output?
Sorry, I may have been misleading here - the order you take classes only matters for specifically spells you cast *from items* - a staff will use your caster stat for the most recently taken NEW class, for example. Spells you actually cast from knowing them or scribe from scrolls will use the caster stat for the class you learned them from: Cleric spells will always use wisdom, etc. Class order will have no effect on your weapon attacks or anything else, other than what skills and saves you get at level 1.
The items thing is confusing but honestly you can ignore it pretty safely, just a weird quirk of the game - hope that helps!
I want to create palpatine build with skeletons kinda be my trooper. Is only 4 lv soceror enough? So I could go 6 lv necromancy
You said to pick wizard last but I noticed that at level 12 you picked sorcerer and there is a star over the Charisma stat. Is my primary spell modifier still intelligence where do I need to actually pick wizard last
Follow the order in the video! wizard needs to be your last NEW class, not your last level
EVery characters needs gloves of dexterity. How or What should I do in order to use multiple build in the same run?
I’m actually doing a 4 sorc party with no equipment and basically shredding everything with haste, scorching ray and sanctuary
Playing 2 sorc 2 monk when going around tho
What if you have the spell sparkler from act 1? I’m playing Dark Urge, just defeated Orin, I got the markosher staff, can I build my dark urge like this and use spell sparkler with my electric urge for even more?
I believe that they patched out ability to learn any level spells for wizard. Recently, I tried scribing level 2 spell on my level 2 wizard and got an error that I'm not proficient enough to learn it. Was able to scribe it once reaching level 3....
You still need to have slots of the appropriate level, you just don't need to have *wizard* levels of the appropriate level. So a level 2 character can never learn 2nd level spells, because they don't have 2nd level spell slots, but a multiclassed wizard 1 / cleric 2 can learn 2nd level wizard spells (and 1st level cleric spells)
Questions:
1) Is there a way include evoker: lightning specialist in this build to be able to ignore resistance checks ? Waste of time?
2) If a wizard respecs into a different build that still includes wizard, do they lose or retain all the spells they previously transvribed from scrolls ?
2) The wizard retains any spells they learned with scrolls.
1) If you change your level 1 stats a little to start with 17 int and use the Hag Hair on int then you can drop 1 ASI and hit 20. That said, there is only 1 notable fight I can think of that might be worth this change.
Will this work if you are primarily a cleric and some sorc, bring wisdom up for the cleric for all other spells? Or will that cause low damage cuz which bolt will take damage from charisma?