Top Sorcerer Spells You Can’t Afford to Miss

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Sorcerer Spells Guide for Baldur’s Gate III

In Baldur’s Gate III, sorcerers are spontaneous spellcasters, meaning they have a limited selection of spells to choose from when they level up, and those choices remain fixed until their next advancement. This makes selecting the right spells for your sorcerer build in BG3 a crucial step.

This guide will walk you through the optimal spells to pick at each level for your sorcerer. If certain spells should be swapped out later, we’ll highlight those changes along with suitable replacements.

We’ve included a handy summary at the end, categorizing all spells based on their levels.

Understanding Spells and Cantrips

Sorcerers can use both cantrips and spells. Cantrips are basic spells that don’t consume spell slots, allowing you to cast them anytime without needing to prepare them during a long rest or level-up.

Conversely, spells are stronger and have specific levels; to cast a spell, you must prepare it and expend a spell slot. A spell requires a slot of its level or higher to cast, so you can’t use a high-level spell with a lower-level slot.

Best Level 1 Spells for Sorcerers

If you choose the High Elf subrace, you gain the following bonus cantrip:

Fire Bolt: Inflicts 1d10 fire damage to foes.

As a sorcerer, you can select four cantrips from a pool of thirteen. Our recommendations include:

Bone Chill: Causes 1d8 necrotic damage and prevents healing. Undead foes have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
Ray of Frost: Deals 1d8 cold damage and reduces the target’s movement speed by 10 feet.
Shocking Grasp: Inflicts 1d8 lightning damage and prevents the target from taking reactions.
Friends: Provides an advantage on Charisma checks against non-hostile creatures.

At level 1, you can only choose two spells from an array of eighteen. Our top picks are:

Magic Missile: Causes 3d4 force damage to enemies.
Sleep: Puts a target to sleep, affecting multiple foes with a total of 24 hit points or less.

Best Level 2 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 2, you can select one spell. We recommend:

Shield: Increases your Armor Class by 5 when an attack is made against you, and grants immunity to Magic Missile.

Best Level 3 Spells for Sorcerers

Once you reach level 3, you unlock level 2 spells and can choose one. Our suggestion is:

Cloud of Daggers: Deals 4d6 slashing damage to any enemy caught within the cloud.

Best Level 4 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 4, you can pick an additional cantrip:

Minor Illusion: Creates an illusion that may entice enemies to investigate.

You can also select one more level 2 spell. We recommend:

Misty Step: Allows you to teleport to a visible location.

Best Level 5 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 5, you unlock fourteen level 3 spells but may select only one. Our recommendation is:

Haste: Target yourself or an ally to increase speed, making them harder to hit and granting an extra action. Note that after 10 turns, the target becomes fatigued.

You should also replace Sleep with:

Fireball: Deals 8d6 fire damage to all creatures in the blast area.

Best Level 6 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 6, choose another level 3 spell. We recommend:

Counterspell: Stops another spell from being cast.

Best Level 7 Spells for Sorcerers

Upon reaching level 7, access to level 4 spells is available. You can pick one, and our recommendation is:

Wall of Fire: Summons a wall that inflicts 5d8 fire damage to enemies within its range.

Best Level 8 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 8, you can select another level 4 spell. We suggest:

Banishment: Removes an enemy to another plane of existence for 2 turns. This spell can be paired effectively with Metamagic’s Twinned Spell to banish two foes at once.

Best Level 9 Spells for Sorcerers

When you hit level 9, you can select one level 5 spell. We recommend:

Hold Monster: Paralyzes a creature, preventing it from acting, and any attack against the creature within 10 feet becomes a critical hit.

Best Level 10 Spells for Sorcerers

At level 10, you can choose one more level 5 spell, but you can also go back to select another level 4 spell. We suggest:

Greater Invisibility: Grants invisibility for the next 10 turns. Any attack against the invisible creature has disadvantage, while it can attack with advantage.

Best Level 11 Spells for Sorcerers

Upon reaching level 11, the highest tier of spells becomes available. You can select one level 6 spell. Our recommendation is:

Chain of Lightning: Deals 10d8 lightning damage to one enemy, with additional bolts arcing to three more targets for the same damage. A saving throw allows enemies to take half damage.