In Baldur’s Gate 3, players are able to choose from all nine of the classes found in the D&D 5e Players Handbook. This offers players a ton of variety when it comes to what sort of character they want to make. Further, enhancing character variety is the selection of subclasses that can be selected either at level 1 or level 2, depending on the class.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Sorcerers have three subclasses to choose from and select their subclass at level 1 during character creation. Draconic Bloodline allows players to harness the power of a draconic ancestor to fuel their magic, while Storm Sorcerers draw on elemental power to call forth wind, thunder, and lightning. Meanwhile, Wild Magic works its wonders randomly and without regard for friend or foe, manifesting chaos and manipulating luck.
Updated on April 22nd, 2025, by Thomas Hawkins: With the release of Baldur’s Gate 3’s massive Patch 8, the Sorcerer has once again gained a new subclass to select. The Shadow Magic Subclass draws on the power of the Shadowfell to conjure Shadow Mastiff allies and fortify the Sorcerer defensively. It also offers mobility through its ability to step through shadow, making it an excellent choice for ranged builds that benefit from good positioning. This guide has been updated to include information on the Shadow Magic Sorcerer, and to discuss multiclassing options and equipment that works well with the subclass.
Related
All Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Subclasses, Ranked
The Warlock Class of Baldur’s Gate 3 makes deals with creatures of tremendous power in exchange for their magical ability, here’s how.
Draconic Bloodline
Draconic Bloodline is the first of three options available to Sorcerers in the game and is technically several similar options. Players may choose a specific dragon species as their bloodline, receiving elemental resistances and abilities accordingly. For example, a Red Dragon bloodline would offer resistance to fire. Players will also gain abilities that strengthen damage dealt by spells that match their bloodline element and automatically learn a spell corresponding to their chosen dragon type.
All Variants
All Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers will gain the Draconic Resilience feature at level 1, giving them one additional hit point every time they level up and increasing their armor class by 3 when they are not wearing armor. This helps them to avoid damage more effectively than other Sorcerer subclasses.
At level 11, all Draconic Bloodline Sorcerers gain “Fly.” This allows them to fly around freely, extending the distance they can move each round, letting them fly up to high places, and allowing them to descend from high places without taking damage.
Red and Brass Draconic Ancestry (Fire)
Players who choose a Red Dragon as their Draconic Ancestry will learn Burning Hands as an additional first level spell, while a Brass Dragon will instead grant Sleep. At level 6, they will gain resistance to fire damage and a boost to fire damage dealt.
White and Silver Draconic Ancestry (Cold)
Players who choose a White Dragon as their Draconic Ancestry will learn Armor of Agathys as an additional first level spell, while a Silver Dragon will instead grant 
Feather Fall
. At level 6, they will gain resistance to cold damage and a boost to cold damage dealt.
Black and Copper Draconic Ancestry (Acid)
Players who choose a Black Dragon as their Draconic Ancestry will learn Grease as an additional first level spell, while a Copper Dragon will instead grant 
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
. At level 6, they will gain resistance to acid damage and a boost to acid damage dealt.
Blue and Bronze Draconic Ancestry (Lightning)
Players who choose a Blue Dragon as their Draconic Ancestry will learn 
Witch Bolt
as an additional first level spell, while a Bronze Dragon will instead grant 
Fog Cloud
. At level 6, they will gain resistance to lightning damage and a boost to lightning damage dealt.
Green Draconic Ancestry (Poison)
Players who choose a Green Dragon as their Draconic Ancestry will learn Ray of Sickness as an additional first level spell. At Level 6, they will gain resistance to poison damage and a boost to poison damage dealt.
Storm Sorcery
Storm Sorcerers wield the power of storms to devastate their foes and manipulate the battlefield. At level one, they get the ability “Tempestuous Magic,” allowing them to fly as a bonus action after casting any level one or higher spell. The Storm Sorcerer cannot receive opportunity attacks when doing this, making it an excellent tool for repositioning.
At level six Storm Sorcerers get “Heart of the Storm,” creating a localized storm whenever they cast a spell of level one or higher that deals thunder or lightning damage. This storm deals damage to all creatures within 6m of the Sorcerer equal to half their Sorcerer level (rounded down. The damage dealt by the storm is the same type as the spell that triggered “Heart of the Storm.” They also get “Heart of the Storm: Resistance” at level six, which gives them resistance to thunder and lightning damage.
Also at level six, Storm Sorcerers gain a ton of bonus spells known. These consist of Call Lightning, Sleet Storm, Gust of Wind, 
Create or Destroy Water
, and 
Thunderwave
. These provide the Storm Sorcerer with multiple ways of manipulating the state of the battlefield and inflicting damage.
At level 11, Storm Sorcerers get the ability “Storm’s Fury,” which deals lightning damage equal to their level to a foe that strikes them with a melee attack. It can also knock attackers back. This helps the Storm Sorcerer to deal with any foes that manage to approach them in melee.
Related
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Circle of the Stars Druid Class Build
This Circle of the Stars build in Baldur’s Gate 3 blends support, offense, and utility into one powerful Druid.
Shadow Magic
The Shadow Magic Sorcerer draws on the dark power of the Shadowfell to manipulate shadows to their advantage. Initially, this grants them 24m/80ft of Darkvision and the Strength of the Grave ability. This ability will trigger when your hit points are reduced to zero, restoring 1 hit point and preventing you from becoming downed. This only triggers once per long rest.
At third level, Shadow Magic Sorcerers gain Darkness as an extra second-level spell and can cast it by spending 2 Sorcery Points instead of a spell slot if desired. At level six, they can use the Hound of Ill Omen ability using a bonus action and 2 Sorcery Points. The Shadow Mastiff created by this ability can use their bite attack to apply random Omens to a target. Each Omen has a damage type associated with it, and hitting the target with that damage type will restore 1 Sorcery Point, even if the Sorcerer wasn’t the one who dealt the damage.
The Shadow Mastiff can also entangle enemies around it in Shadowy Vines unless they pass a Strength Save against the Hound’s Spell Save DC. (You can boost this by feeding the Shadow Mastiff an Elixir of Battlemage’s Power) The Shadow Mastiff can also use Splinter Shadow to divide into copies of itself when struck by melee attacks that don’t deal Radiant Damage, quickly turning it into multiple threats if the enemy attacks unwisely.
At level eleven, Shadow Magic Sorcerers receive Shadow Walk, allowing them to spend their bonus action to teleport up to 18m/60ft as long as their destination is lightly or heavily obscured. After doing so, the next spell they cast that turn will gain the benefits of distant spell without needing to use any Sorcery Points, making this ideal for repositioning before sniping a foe from a distance.
Multiclassing and Equipment
The Shadow Magic Sorcerer has a unique multiclassing interaction with the Spectres summoned by a Hexblade Warlock. By moving your Shadow Mastiff close to a Spectre, it will gain access to their “Right Behind You” ability, allowing it to teleport to any target its Sorcerer has marked with Hexblade’s Curse. This would require a 6/6 level split between the two classes to take advantage of, but could be very effective on a build specialising in shadow summons.
Beyond that, Shadow Magic plays nicely with Bards and Paladins, much like the other Sorcerer subclasses, due to them providing access to better armor and a wider range of weapon and armor proficiencies, which can open up new options in combat. As always, taking two levels in Fighter for Action Surge can be incredibly effective for empowering a spellcaster, especially one who can also take advantage of quicken spell to fire off even more spells in a single turn.
In terms of equipment, the Shadow Magic Sorcerer benefits from mixing multiple elemental damage types in the same build. Items like the Gloves of Belligerant Skies can be useful, inflicting reverberation and allowing you to knock enemies off their feet, and using the Necklace of Elemental Infusion and Potent Robe will help your elemental spells and cantrips to dish out considerably more damage. Other useful gloves to consider are the Daredevil Gloves, Gemini Gloves, or Quickspell Gloves, and you can use the Cloak of the Weave later on in the game to enhance spell save DCs.
If you pair the Shadespell Circlet and Eversight Ring, you can take advantage of the Darkness spell to create pools of shadow that won’t affect you but will cause plenty of problems for enemies trying to attack you, and get +1 to Spell Save DC/Spell Attack Rolls in the process. The Fistbreaker Helm is a good alternative to the Shadespell Circlet, and you can eventually swap over to the Hood of the Weave if another party member isn’t using it.
By taking advantage of the Dual Wielder feat, you can have a staff in one hand and a Shadow Blade (from the Shadow Blade Spell) in the other. This will allow you to get advantage on all attack rolls against lightly or heavily obscured foes. As for which staff to pick, we recommend Melf’s First Staff in the early-game, before switching to either the Staff of Spellpower, Woe, or Markoheshkir in Act 3.
Wild Magic
Wild Magic Sorcerers surge with ancient chaos that manifests as a vast array of randomly selected effects when they cast their spells. They gain the ability “Tides of Chaos” at level one, which allows them to give themselves advantage on their next Attack Roll, Ability Check, or Saving Throw in exchange for raising the chances of a Wild Magic Surge the next time they cast a spell.
Wild Magic Surges can occur whenever the Sorcerer casts a spell of level one or higher and can cause a huge number of random effects both beneficial and harmful. For example, a cloud of smoke might burst forth from the Sorcerer, blinding all creatures within, the Sorcerer’s weapon could surge with energy, the Sorcerer could gain teleportation, blur all allies nearby, or any of a huge number of other effects.
At level 6, Wild Magic Sorcerers can “Bend Luck.” When a creature they can see makes a saving throw, attack roll, or ability check, the Wild Magic Sorcerer can spend 2 Sorcery Points to roll 1d4 and apply the result as a bonus or penalty to that roll. This allows the Wild Magic Sorcerer to, as the name suggests, bend luck in their favor.
At level 11, Wild Magic Sorcerers get the feature “Controlled Chaos,” giving foes near the sorcerer a chance to trigger a Wild Magic Surge when casting spells. This extends the chaos they cause and can potentially cause serious harm to enemy spellcasters, though it also has a decent chance of helping them out too.
Wild Magic Sorcerers are chaos incarnate and can be both powerful allies and constant sources of additional danger, depending on how the dice land.
Comments
Array