One of the most accessible enchantment sets to obtain inBaldur’s Gate 3is the Lightning Charge set,which consists of eleven items that are all obtainable in Act One.

Lightning Charges are a buff that you can obtain and discharge passively. As long as you have one Lightning Charge saved up, you add +1 to all Attack Rolls that you make in combat. However, Lightning Charges decay 1 charge per turn, meaning that you will need to have a reliable way to build and generate them every turn to keep reaping the benefits. The best way to do this is by carefully curating your Lightning Charge load out.

An image of Shadowheart’s inventory

The Best Gear Loadout

There are nine possible equipment slots and four possible weapon slots available to your character. Luckily, you won’t have to fill every one of those slots with a Lightning Charge item to get the benefits of a Lightning Charge load out. That means you’ll still have some room to customize your build with other enchanted items.For the most optimal build, you’ll want to have the following items equipped:

The Lifebringer

Can be bought from Blurg in the Myconid Colony in the Underdark.

The Speedy Lightfeet

Boots

In a chest in the basement of the Windmill in the Blighted Village.

The Blast Pendant

Amulet

Can be looted off of Dhourn the Petrified Drow in the Underdark.

The Sparkswall

Ring

Found in the basement of the Arcane Tower in the Underdark.

The Spellsparkler

Quarterstaff

One of three possible rewards for saving Councilor Florick in Waukeen’s Rest.

To get the most benefit from Lighting Charge gear,you’ll need to equip the gear with a character with proficiency in both martial weapons and Medium Armor.

item description for the crown, The Lifebringer

The Jolty Vest and the Speedy Lightfeet are both Medium Armor items. The Real Sparky Sparkswall requires proficiency with shields.

Using an item you are not proficient with will give youDisadvantage on all rolls and will prevent you from casting spells.

Item description of the armor piece, The Jolty Vest

Whenever the wearer gains a lightning charge, they will gainthree temporary HP. When you run out of Lightning Charges, your temporary HP will also disappear.HP does not stack per Lightning Charge gained.If you gain three Lightning Charges in a turn, you will still only have three temporary HP.

The Jolty Vest

If you have one or more Lightning Charges, attackers who hit you with a melee attack will have to make a Dexterity Saving Throw. If they fail, they becomeShocked.Since this item is classified as Medium Armor, you will have to have proficiency in Medium Armor to use it.

When a creature is Shocked, they have Disadvantage on all Dexterity Throws and cannot take reactions. This is great for ensuring you’re able to dish a melee attack without provoking retaliation.

Item description of the armor boots, The Speedy Lightfeet

You gain +1 to all Athletics Checks and gain three Lightning Charges when you take a Dash or similar action during your turn. Like the Jolty Vest, The Speedy Lightfeet also counts as a Medium Armor piece.You will need proficiency in Medium Armor to use this item.

The Real Sparky Sparkswall

When wielding The Real Sparky Sparkswall, you can use your action to cast Lightning Aura. Lightning Aura releases an energy blast that damages enemies in range for1d6 Lightning Damage and inflicts the condition, Joltedon enemies within the Lightning Aura. Jolted means that enemies take anadditional 1d4 lightning damageeach turn they spend within the aura and cannot take reactions.

Enemies who leave the Lightning Aura immediately lose the Jolted condition upon leaving, and any enemies who enter the aura do not become Jolted unless the Lightning Aura is recast.

Item description of the shield, The Real Sparky Sparkswall

Wearing this amulet allows you to use the bonus action Lightning Charge, which means that once per long rest, your next lightning spell or cantrip will consume all of your Lightning Charges on a successful hit andinflict additionaldamage equal to the number of Lightning Charges consumed.

If you roll a Critical Fail on your attack roll, no Lightning Charges will be consumed and no additional damage will be inflicted.

Item description of the amulet, The Blast Pendant

Using this bonus action will immediately consume all charges. There is no option to use partial charges.

This ring grants youresistance to lightning damage and immunity to Electrocution.

Item description of the ring, The Sparkswall

If you are playing as a character who does not have proficiency in Medium Armor and you are using the Watersparkers, you willneed to have this ring equipped in order to avoid being Electrocutedby the Watersparker’s electrification ability. Likewise, if you are standing in a water source and cast a Lightning Damage spell, you will need this ring on you to avoid being electrocuted alongside your enemies.

Every time you deal damage with a spell or cantrip, you gain two lightning charges.This effect stacks per each enemy hitby your spell.When planning your abilities as you level up, put emphasis on abilities that increase the number of enemies you target. This will ensure that you get the most damage stacking potential out of your attacks.

An item description for a quarterstaff, The Spellsparkler

Spells like Eldritch Blast and Magic Missile are great ways to increase your Lightning Charges effectively. For each enemy targeted and successfully hit by the spell, you willgain 2 Lightning Charges. Choosing additional class abilities and equipment that increase the number of targets of your spells will help increase your damage and Lightning Charge generation.

Class Suggestions

The sorcerer-warlock or sorcerer-cleric multiclasses are two great optionsfor increasing the number of multi-target spells and lightning damage possible. Any spell-casting class that can cast Magic Missile is also a good option for increasing damage output.

Storm sorcerers have access tothe Twin Spell feature which also increases the number of targets your spells can hit, thus scaling damage and increasing the number of Lightning Charges generated.

an image of Wyll in the player level-up screen

Spells like Hex also increase the overall Eldritch Blast damage output, while the Level 3 warlock ability, Agonizing Blast, further increases the damage that Eldritch Blast can do.Choosing a bronze or blue draconic bloodline will also help,as both dragon types center around Lightning Damage.

Eldritch Blast targets an additional enemy per player level gained, not warlock level. No matter how many warlock levels you throw into your multiclass, your Eldricth Blast will increase by player level only.

An image of a female sorcerer casting Shocking Grasp on an enemy Warg

For more in-depth sorcerer and warlock multiclass options, check out thebest warlock multiclass optionsandour recommended storm sorcerer build.

For additional utility, addingat least one level of fighterto your multiclass will give youproficiency in both medium armor and martial weapons. This is an easy way to ensure that your spellcasting characters can use The Jolty Vest, The Real Sparky Sparkswall, and the Speedy Lightfeet without disadvantage. Otherwise, using these objects will not allow your spellcasting character to cast spells.

Spell Suggestions

Since this build relies heavily on Lightning Damage, you’ll definitely need to have a few lightning spells handy.Here is a list of lightning spells and cantrips you can use:

Spells like Chain Lightningaffect multiple enemies in a row, meaning it will count towards multi-enemy damage stacking. Thus, with the Spellsparkler equipped, the damage and Lightning Charges you generate will increase per enemy.

For extra lightning damage output, equip regular lightning arrows in your inventory, and hoard lightning spell scrolls for when you run out of spell slots.

Additional Helpful Mechanics

One of the things that makes Baldur’s Gate 3 so impressive is the level of interactivity between you and your environment. Almost every object in the environment can be acted on in some way or another, whether it’s fire spells igniting flammable objects on the map, or shooting levers to open doors. Lightning damage is likewise versatile in its effects.

Water Sources

Understandingelemental surface typescan give you a real edge in battle, especially when it comes to using the lightning damage type.Lightning electrifies all water surfacesand canElectrocute, Jolt, or Shockenemies within the water.

Throwing water bottles or using Create Water on an area can increase the number of enemies affected by your lightning attacks.

Some areas will even have water barrels marked with a blue water drop symbol. Shooting, throwing, or destroying these barrels will likewise create a water surface. Barrels can also be picked up and stored for later. Just remember, if you’re standing on one of these surfaces, and you do not have the Sparkswall equipped, you will also be Electrocuted! So plan your water surfaces carefully.

Enemies

A few enemies are vulnerable to Lightning Damage. These include theArcane Turret, Hellfire Watcher, Steel Watcher, and Steel Watcher Titan.

It’s also worth noting thatspells that target multiple enemies are best used in your first turn of combat. For locations like the Goblin camp where large groups of enemies swarm you at once, try using a spell like Chain Lightning, Eldritch Blast, or Magic Missile to free up the initiative order and get rid of pesky enemy swarms.

This method will also ensure that you build up a greater number of Lightning Charges to be used on the higher HP enemies in the area.