Expert storytellers, artists, performers, the Bard is simultaneously the most famous and infamous class from the Dungeons and Dragons universe. In the tabletop, long-time players of Dungeons and Dragons knows that the power of the Bard lies in its ability toavoidcombat, one way or another (if you know, you know).
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Bard is indeed still the best equipped class in the game to avoid a fight. It is the only class in game to have bonuses toallconversation skills right off the bat. However, Bard is also among the most versatile of classes in the game. You can build a Bard to fit into any role, truly. They can still be built with the intent to deal some intense burst damage, or you can gear your Bard towards healing and buffing your allies. They can be proficient melee fighters, or full spellcasters – if you can imagine it, your Bard could probably do it.
With the Bard’s versatility in mind here, I will write this beginner guide assuming that the Bard will be going forward with the intent to max out damage as much as possible in the later levels. The first couple of levels you take in Bard are important in that they will set the stage for whether you will bemulticlassingor not in the future.
Before you even look at anything else, this is what you can expect to have as a Bard atLevel 1:
The most special thing that you get from Bard atlevel 1is its musical instrument. It is a lot of fun, however, not as useful as you wish it would be until later. We have to focus on giving ourselves bonuses by min-maxing our character creation to unlock Bard’s full potential.
Ability Points
When you open up Baldur’s Gate 3 and start up character creation, you will notice that right off the bat that there are a bunch of odd numbers in your stat spread. Odd numbers are bad, because ourability modifiersonly change on even numbers. That means having17Charisma for your Bard is not going to give you any initial advantage over having16 Charismainstead. You can put those points to better use to round out your other stats and get the biggest boost you can get atlevel 1.
This is the spread you will want to start with:
As you progress through the game, you will be changing this around a bit depending on the gear you stumble on. Some gear will give you boosts to your abilities, and I recommend using them to get more value out of the points you use on your abilities.
Keep in mind, this guide is assuming that you will be gearing your Bard as a caster and will be choosingCollege of Loreat Bardlevel 3as your subclass. If you prefer to go withCollege of Swords, then you want to change your ability scores to this spread instead:
Best Race: Githyanki or Wood Elf
Githyanki come with the racial actionAstral Knowledge, which gives the Bard proficiency in all theSkillsof a chosenAbility.
For example, if you chooseDexterity, you will have proficiency in allDexterity-based skillslikeSleight of Hand,Acrobatics. Since Bards are known as a jack-of-all-trades type of class, this ability is infinitely valuable for playing into the strengths of your class. The effect ofAstral Knowledgelasts until along rest, and then you can use it again on any otherabilityyou choose.
On the other hand, Wood Elf is a great choice for Bard because they get a 35ft move speed. This additional bit of mobility is a lot more powerful than it sounds. That extra 5 feet of distance can keep you far enough from your opponents that they can not hit you, while you pick them off, or simply outrun them to an objective.
Either race works fantastic in tactician mode, so pick your favorite!
Best Backgrounds: Guild Artisan
Guild Artisangives us proficiency inInsightandPersuasion, which makes this the safest and still useful choice of the litter.InsightandPersuasionare useful to have when you are going through Baldur’s Gate 3 as a charismatic character.
A lot of people would be inclined to pick theEntertainerbackground for their Bard because, well, it is best suited to their character. However,Entertainercomes with a bonus toPerformance. This would normally not be a problem, but we’re keeping in mind that we are intending to max out damage as much as possible in the later levels.
To explain, atlevel 4Bard, you will gain access to your firstFeat. TheFeatyoushouldchoose isActor, which increases yourCharismaby 1 and also gives youdouble your proficiency bonusinDeceptionandPerformance.
There are some circumstances in which you will want to pick a background likeEntertainer(like roleplay, for instance), but your best bet for min-maxing at this point is to goGuild Artisan.
Bard Subclasses
The three BardSubclassesareCollege of Lore,College of Valour, andCollege of Swords.
College of LoreBards specialize in using their performances to hinder their enemies. They come with theCutting Wordsability, which allows you to use aReactionto give a1d6 penaltyto an enemy’s attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.
College of ValourBards are those that play into the strengths of their allies. They useBardic Inspirationto increase their ally’s combat prowess. They can give themselves all weapon proficiencies, and an extra attack. They can also wear medium armor, which is pretty nice to have for a squishy class.
College of SwordsBards focus entirely on themselves – they don’t really even need a party if they’re built right. They combine theirExtra Attackpassive with the ability to useBardic Inspirationfor multi-attacks and utilityas wellas aFighting Styleto do massive amounts of damage.
If you do not plan on doing a solo or tactician playthrough, any of these choices will serve you just as well. I personally recommend eitherCollege of LoreorCollege of Swords. LoreBards are very strong spellcasters, whereSwordsBards are melee or ranged-focused, so pick the playstyle that you enjoy the most and you can not go wrong.
Tip for Multiclassing
If you do plan on going withCollege of LoreBard, you may make a very strong Bard without having to multiclass at all. However, you may want to consider adding a single level ofClericinto your build. You do not have to, butClericwill give youproficiencyinheavy armorandshields.The extra bit of defensive capability can never hurt.
Well, there you have it, adventurers. Now go out there and make the dreamiest bard you may!
Baldur’s Gate 3: Barbarian Beginner Guide
Have you ever wanted to hit an enemy with another enemy? Would you rather chuck goblins first, and ask questions later?
