Best Baldur's Gate 3 Bard build, from race to subclass & spells
Find out what the ideal race, skills, subclass, background and plenty more is for the best Bard build in Baldur's Gate 3 here, as we've got it all for you.
Any keen songsters out there will definitely want to pay attention to our best Baldur's Gate 3 Bard build, as you can really excel with the best race, skills, subclass, background and so much more.
While there is plenty of combat to go around in Baldur's Gate 3, sometimes you just need a little bit of music in your life, and perhaps some convincing words if anyone needs a little persuading.
While the Bard is perhaps a little overlooked when it comes to the eight classes in the game, you can do some serious damage both in and out of combat with the right stats and skills.
Level 1
| Option | Selection |
| Race & Subrace | Wood Half-Elf |
| Cantrips | Minor Illusion & Viscous Mockery |
| Spells | Sleep, Dissonant Whispers, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Speak with Animals |
| Background | The Entertainer |
| Skill Proficiencies | Persuasion, Performance |
| Instrument | Lyre |
| Ability Points |
|
Level 2
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Charm Person |
Level 3
| Option | Selection |
| Subclass | College of Swords |
| Spell | Cloud of Daggers |
| Fighting Style | Duelling |
| Replace Spell |
|
Level 4
| Option | Selection |
| Cantrip | Light |
| Spell | Heat Metal |
| Feat | Actor |
Level 5
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Speak with the Dead |
| Replace Spell |
|
Level 6
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Fear |
Level 7
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Dimension Door |
| Replace Spell |
|
Level 8
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Confusion |
| Feat | Skilled: Acrobatics, Investigation, Sleight of Hand |
Level 9
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Dominate Person |
| Replace Spell |
|
Level 10
| Option | Selection |
| Skills | Intimidation, Persuasion |
| Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Spell | Seeming |
| Magical Secrets | Spirit Guardians, Cone of Cold |
Level 11
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Otto's Irresistible Dance |
Level 12
| Option | Selection |
| Spell | Hold Monster |
| Feat | Sharpshooter |
The Bard is a charisma-based class that can switch between spellcasting and melee depending on your specialisations. Many of the available spells benefit from charisma status effects, but a lot of the benefits come from outside of combat too.
You will want to pick the Bard if you're looking to be a master in dialogue scenarios, as you'll be able to pass Persuasion, Deception, and even Intimidation skill checks with ease. Furthermore, you'll get plenty of Bard-specific dialogue options as well, to flourish many a conversation with prose and song.
Not a fan of the Bard build? Check out our recommendations for other best builds in Baldur's Gate 3:
- Barbarian build
- Cleric build
- Druid build
- Monk build
- Rogue build
- Sorcerer build
- Warlock build
- Wizard build
There are a total of three Bard subclasses that players can choose from in Baldur's Gate 3, giving them a different approach depending on how they want to play through the game. The three subclasses in question are College of Lore, College of Valour, and College of Swords, so continue reading to see all of the subclass features below.
College of Lore
The College of Lore offers a heavy dialogue specialisation to the Bard, giving you extra boosts to certain skill checks and a new way to harm your enemies with words.
| Subclass Feature | Description |
| Additional Proficiencies | Gain Proficiency in Arcana, Intimidation, and Sleight of Hand |
| Cutting Words | Use your wit to distract a creature and sap its confidence |
College of Valour
With the College of Valour, you're going to flex your musical muscles to support the rest of your party, which can be very helpful if you think your songs are good enough to inspire.
| Subclass Feature | Description |
| Combat Inspiration | Inspire an ally to add +1d6 bonus to their next Attack Roll, Ability Check, Saving Throw, weapon damage, or Armour Class |
College of Swords
Finally, the College of Swords is perfect if you want to make your Bard an adept fighter as well as a talker, giving you a number of different combat skills to enhance your effectiveness in hostile encounters.
| Subclass Feature | Description |
| Slashing Flourish (Melee) | Attack up to two enemies at once |
| Defensive Flourish (Melee) | Attack defensively, increasing your Armour Class by four if you hit |
| Mobile Flourish (Melee) | Thrust your weapon with enough force to push your target back 6m. Afterwards, you can Teleport to the target |
| Slashing Flourish (Ranged) | Attack up to two enemies at once |
| Defensive Flourish (Ranged) | Attack defensively, increasing your Armour Class by four if you hit |
| Mobile Flourish (Ranged) | Shoot a target with enough force to push it back 6m. Afterwards, you can Teleport to the target |
Our pick for the best Bard subclass in Baldur's Gate 3 is the College of Swords, as it gives you the greatest amount of flexibility when it comes to your wider adventure.
While you can of course skip many hostile encounters through clever dialogue, many fights are inevitable and having the skills to succeed within them is so important.
If you really want to focus on a speech route though, then the College of Lore certainly wouldn't be a bad choice as its subclass features will definitely give you the upper hand when exchanging words.
Check out our Baldur's Gate 3 homepage for more guides. We've also covered the best mods, how to level up quickly, how to find the Adamantine Forge, how to find Halsin, and what is the Strange Ox.
About The Author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
