Best Bard Build for Baldur's Gate 3 - High Damage and Support BG3 (2024)

Welcome to the Bard Build for Baldur’s Gate 3. We use the College of Lore subclass for this build. The Bard class is a spellcaster who specialises in supporting allies and confusing or debuffing enemies, but can also make for a formidable fighter by themselves. The Bard’s most important attribute is Charisma.

Bards can use the Bardic Inspiration ability to improve the odds of their allies in combat, helping them with Attack Rolls, Ability Checks or Saving Throws. Bards are both great support characters and amazing spell casters. The BG3 Bard Build works for both PC and Console (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).

Table of Contents:

• Bard Class Guide
  • Subclass of Choice
• Character Creation (Level 1)
• Leveling Progression
  • Level 1
  • Level 2
  • Level 3
  • Level 4
  • Level 5
  • Level 6
  • Level 7
  • Level 8
  • Level 9
  • Level 10
  • Level 11
  • Level 12
• Equipment
  • Early Game Gear
  • Endgame Gear
• Tips and Tricks

You can also find the other Subclass Bard Builds on the website here:

• College of Valour Subclass Bard Build for BG3
• College of Swords Subclass Bard Build for BG3
• Bard Paladin Multiclass Build for BG3

Bard Class Guide for BG3

Let us take a look at the unique mechanics of the BG3 Bard class to understand how you can play the character build. Bards are expert storytellers, artist, and performers. Bards use Charisma as their primary ability score. Bards are special because you play with instruments that can play different songs. You can select your instrument of choice at character creation. It doesn’t matter what you pick here.

The Bg3 Bard Build is generally played as a support character can can increase the power of your allies and debuff enemies. However, you can also deal quite some damage due to having access to plenty of damage spells. Because the Bard is such a strong support character, you will also often get a way easier time to succeed in conversation checks and unlock new options that other setups don’t have access to. For example, Thisobald Thorm can be defeated without a fight by agreeing to drink with him, but you have to succeed strong persuasion checks. This is fairly easy to do with a Bard, but incredibly hard without a Bard supporting you.

You also get the Bardic Inspiration class action with which you can inspire allies with and add 1d6 bonus to their next Attack Roll, Ability Check or Saving Throw. This lasts until your next Long Rest and can be applied to all group members. To cast this you need Bardic Inspiration, this is the Bardic resource that can be replenished after a Long Rest. At level one you will have access to two charges. You can also use Perform on the Bard to play a song and to attract NPCs to you.

Song of Rest is obtained at level 2 and can be used to revitalise the group as it has the same effect as a Short Rest.

Later at level 5 you gain Improved Bardic Inspiration passive feature that boosts your Bardic Inspiration class action to 1d8 instead of 1d6 bonus. You also get Font of Inspiration passive feature that allows you to regain all your Bardic Inspiration after a Long or Short Rest. At level 6 you gain Countercharm, which gives you and allies within 9m Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed or Frightened. This will summon a magical music instrument at your place of choice for 3 turns.

At level 10 you once again gain Improved Bardic Inspiration passive feature that boosts your Bardic Inspiration class action to 1d10 instead of 1d8 bonus. Additionally, you get the Magical Secrets passive that allows you to pick two non-Bard spells up to level 5. (Note: We also get this from our subclass already at level 6, so we get to select 4 non-Bard spells in total). It is highly recommended to pick the Cone of Cold spells, which deals insane AoE damage.

College of Lore Subclass

Our Best BG3 Bard Build uses the College of Lore subclass. When we unlock the subclass at level 3 we first get the Cutting Words passive feature. This allows us to react to enemies and they receive a 1d6 penalty ot Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, or Saving Throws. We also gain Proficiency in 3 extra Skills of choice.

At level 6 you will get the Magical Secrets passive that allows you to select two additional spells. This allows you to learn two non-Bard spells up to level 3. This is great because now we can get access to Haste, this is one of the most powerful spells especially in the late game.

While the College of Lore doesn’t offer much choice, it is exactly what we need to get our Bard Build even more powerful than it already is.

Character Creation (Level 1) BG3 Bard Build

In this section, we will guide you through the best options in Character Creation for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard Build. While you can deviate somewhat from this if you want, following these steps will result in the most powerful starting point for your Bard Build.

Background

For your Background, it’s a good idea to choose one that gives proficiency in Charisma based skills. Charisma is the most important attribute for the bard, used in all of their spellcasting, so choosing a background that plays into this will give you a better experience in general. Entertainer, Criminal, Guild Artisan and Noble are all good picks here.

Race

While in Early Access your race choice was a very important component of your build, this is no longer the case. This is because your race now has no bearing on your Ability scores, which are the most important factor at play. This gives players more freedom to choose any race and class combination that they wish, without having to worry about being pigeon-holed into a “meta” race for their class.

However, there are still some useful passive features sourced from your race and subrace, which may be of advantage when it comes to the Bard build. Some interesting options are:

• Wood Elf or Wood Half-Elf – Gains very high Movement Speed, great for quickly taking advantageous positions and outrunning enemies.
• Gold Dwarf – Gets +1 bonus HP per Level.
• Halfling, Any – Lets you reroll your die whenever you roll a 1. This makes a Critical Miss extremely unlikely.

Don’t worry if you don’t want to go with any of these races. As mentioned above, your chosen race is of fairly low importance in Baldur’s Gate 3 post release.

Skills

It’s not hugely important which skills you choose here – these are mainly used in dialogue and other out of combat situations. However, since we’re going to have particularly high Charisma and Dexterity, it makes sense to choose skills that match with those abilities.

If you don’t have Persuasion already from your Background, then that’s a useful option to choose. A couple of other good fits are Acrobatics and Stealth. At Level 3 when we choose our subclass, we will gain proficiency in Arcana, Intimidation and Sleight of Hand, so you should definitely avoid choosing those.

Abilities

As a Bard, our most important ability is Charisma, which is used to determine the effectiveness of our spellcasting. Other important abilities are Dexterity, which boosts our Armour Class, and Constitution, which increases our Hitpoints and improves our Concentration Checks.

As such, we recommend going for an Abiility distribution that looks something like:

• 10 Strength
• 15 Dexterity
• 14 Constitution
• 9 Intelligence
• 9 Wisdom
• 17 Charisma

Here you can see what Weapons and Armours your Bard can use at the start of your adventure:

• Weapons you can use: Simple Weapons (Daggers, Clubs etc), Hand Crossbows, Longswords, Rapiers, Shortswords, Longbows, Shortbows
• Armours you can use: Cloths and Light Armour

Spells

To start with, you’ll need to select four first level Spells for your character to learn. We recommend going with the following options:

• Healing Word – This is a ranged healing spell that consumes a Bonus Action rather than a regular one, allowing you to heal and attack or cast another spell on the same turn. The maximum healing roll on this spell is a little lower than those similar to it, but it more than makes up for it with its improved versatility.
• Thunderwave – When you cast Thunderwave, your character casts a large linear AOE that knocks back anyone and anything in its path, damaging them too for good measure. Not only is this a decent AOE damage spell, it’s also very practical in combat, allowing you to create space or to knock enemies off ledges or cliffs for extra falling damage. Just be careful not to hit your friends, as the AOE is quite wide.
• Dissonant Whispers – This deals some Psychic damage to the targeted enemy, and also makes them Frightened (unless they perform a Wisdom Saving Throw). Frightened enemies have a disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls, and cannot willingly move closer to the source of their fear (the caster). Targets remain Frightened for two turns. This is a great spell for locking down annoying or dangerous enemies.
• Tasha’s Hideous Laughter – Another great spell for locking down enemies. This causes the enemy to be overcome with fits of laughter, making them fall prone and unable to get up. The caster can maintain this effect for up to 10 turns, as long as they can maintain Concentration. Also, the target will try to shake off the effect at the end of their turn, and every time they take damage.

Cantrips

In addition to the Spells, you’ll need to choose two Cantrips. These are less powerful spells that do not consume a Spell Slot when cast, meaning you can generally cast them every turn if you want to with no limitations. We recommend choosing the following Cantrips for your Bard build:

• Vicious Mockery – This deals a small amount of Psychic Damage to the enemy targeted, and also gives them a Disadvantage on their next Attack Roll. This is a handy debuff spell that can be used to lessen the danger of troublesome enemies.
• Light – This is a basic spell that lets you infuse an object or ally with light. It’s useful for navigating and fighting in dark places, and this spell doesn’t need Concentration so won’t mess with our other Concentration Spells, which is why we chose this instead of other more powerful light cantrips.

Starting Instrument

You can also select a starting instrument. You can pick whatever you want here. It will influence the soundscale when you cast spells, and can be changed later by simply equipping other instruments.

Leveling Progression for the College of Lore Bard Build in BG3

Now we are going to take a look at how you should level up your College of Lore Bard Build for Baldur’s Gate 3. If you want you can change things here and there and the build will still work.

Level 2 – Spells

At Level 2, the BG3 Bard Build unlocks a couple of its class abilities.

Firstly, we get the Jack of All Trades passive, which gives us half of our proficiency bonus (rounded down) in any Ability Checks that we’re not proficient with. This is particularly useful for out of combat encounters, slightly increasing our odds of increasing even in disciplines that we haven’t built around.

Secondly, we unlock the Song of Rest ability. This can be used both inside and outside of combat, and revitalises your party as though you took a Short Rest.

Finally, you’ll be able to choose one more Spell to learn. Depending on what spells you already have in your party, we recommend choosing either Faerie Fire or Bane, both useful debuff spells that can affect multiple creatures at once. Faerie Fire gives your allies an advantage when attacking the enemies, while Bane gives the enemies disadvantage when attacking you. If you already have them both, then try to go for another useful debuff spell, such as Sleep.

Level 3 – Subclass and Spells

When you reach Level 3, you’ll need to choose your subclass. For this Bard build we are using the College of Lore, which gives us proficiency in Arcana, Intimidation and Sleight of Hand, as well as access to the Cutting Words ability. Cutting Words allows you to debuff the damage, Attack Roll and Ability Check values of an enemy.

You’ll also be able to choose two skills that you’re already proficient in and have the proficiency bonus doubled for those skills. This allows your character to become very good at certain difficulty checks such as persuasion, lockpicking and other such events. We recommend choosing Persuasion and one other skill of your choice, depending on your playstyle and what you would like your character to specialise in the most. Performance is probably the most thematic choice for a Bard, but Deception and Intimidation are more frequently used in dialogue events. You could also choose Stealth or Sleight of Hand if you’re using your Bard for sneaking or lockpicking a lot.

Finally, you will have to choose another new spell. At this point, we’re able to include some second level spells. We recommend going with Cloud of Daggers. This creates a small AOE that does pretty high damage each turn, but requires concentration to maintain. It’s especially useful in chokepoints or on a group of enemies who are immobilised or stuck in a small space for any other reason. The spell also hits allies, so be careful when placing it.

Level 4 – Feat, Spell and Cantrip

All characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 need to choose a Feat when they reach Level 4. These provide an extra buff or ability for your character and are great for further customising your build. It’s recommended to choose Ability Improvement, which will give you 2 more ability points to spend. Put both of these points into Charisma, which will take up your Charisma score to 18 or 19, depending on which race you choose. Boosting your Charisma will improve your Spellcasting, and help you to keep up with the tougher enemies you’ll encounter as you reach higher level parts of the map.

Next up, we need to choose another spell for our Bard Build in Baldur’s Gate 3. We recommend choosing Lesser Restoration, a support spell that removes any negative condition affecting a character. This is really good for curing an ally who has a nasty debuff or effect on them, and can potentially save them from dying.

As for the Cantrip, we’ll be going with Blade Ward. This is especially useful for spellcasters and other characters who prefer to stay ranged or are lightly armoured. It gives the target Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage from weapon attacks, for 2 turns. Having Resistance to a damage type means you’ll take half as much damage from any attacks of that type. This is another ability that is a potential life saver, as it can make dangerous melee enemies much less threatening and buy you time to deal with them.

Level 5 – Improved Inspiration and Spell – PS5/PC

At Level 5, the BG3 Bard Build becomes considerably more powerful.

First of all, your standard Proficiency bonus is increased to 3 rather than 2, making you even better at the skills you’re proficient in.

You also gain the Font of Inspiration passive feature, which lets you replenish your Bardic Inspiration Charges with a Short Rest. The bonuses from Bardic Inspiration are also increased.

These are some nice buffs already, but at Level 5 we also get to pick a third level spell. We highly recommend choosing Glyph of Warding. This is a very powerful spell that lets you place a 8-metre wide magical trap on the ground. With each cast, you can choose from the following types of Glyph:

• Sleep – Puts everyone in range to sleep for 2 turns when triggered.
• Detonation – Emite a gust of wind that pushes back all within.
• Thunder – Deals 5-40 Thunder Damage to everyone in range.
• Lightning – Deals 5-40 Lightning Damage to everyone in range.
• Fire – Deals 5-40 Fire Damage to everyone in range.
• Cold – Deals 5-40 Cold Damage to everyone in range.
• Acid – Deals 5-40 Acid Damage to everyone in range.

These effects have a Dexterity Saving Throw. The Glyph types that deal damage will still deal half of their damage to targets who succeed at the Saving Throw. You can place the Glyph underneath an enemy, detonating it immediately. If you get a high damage roll then you can decimate entire groups of enemies very quickly with this spell. Just be very careful that you don’t catch yourself or your allies in the AOE, because you could potentially one-shot them, even from full health.

Level 6

At Level 6, you’ll gain an additional Third Level Spell Slot, giving you three of these in total.

In addition, you’ll gain the following abilities:

• Countercharm – You and any allies within 9 metres have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed or Frightened.
• New Spell – We recommend learning Hypnotic Pattern.
• Magical Secrets – Lets you learn two Spells (up to third level) from the Spell Lists of other classes. Depending on if you’re using your Bard for more of a damage or support role, we recommend choosing one of the following:
  • Call Lightning – Call down lightning to hit all targets within range and its area of effect for 3-30 Lightning damage. Each turn, you can use an Action to call down lightning again without expending a spell slot. On a successful save, targets still take half damage.
  • Haste – Target yourself or an ally to become Hastened. The creature has a +2 bonus to Armour Class, Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws, its Movement Speed is doubled, and can take one additional Action per turn. When the condition ends, the creature becomes Lethargic.
• As a second Magical Secret choose Counterspell, which lets you block a Hostile spell as a Reaction, by spending a Spell Slot. This is a great defensive option to have in your party.

Both of the options recommended for Magical Secrets are Concentration Spells. Call Lightning lets you deal really high amounts of Lightning AOE damage each turn, as long as you keep Concentrating on the spell. Haste lets you turn someone in your party into a damage machine, giving them an extra Action each turn. If you have another Spellcaster in your Party who already has Call Lightning or a similar Concentration Spell, then casting Haste on them will allow them to reactive the spell’s effect twice per turn.

Level 7

At Level 7 you’ll gain a Fourth Level Spell Slot, and you can choose one more spell to prepare. We recommend choosing a Fourth Level Spell so you can immediately make use of your more powerful magical options.

A really useful spell to get here is Dimension Door, which lets you teleport yourself and one adjacent ally to a location that you can see. This is great for getting out of trouble, or getting into a high ground position.

Level 8

At Level 8, we get to pick another Feat for our College of Lore Bard Build in BG3. Once again, we recommend choosing Ability Improvement. Use the points to improve your Charisma to 20, giving you the highest possible spellcasting ability and improving your Charisma Modifier. If you have a point spare after doing this, put it into Dexterity.

Increasing our Charisma Modifier here will also unlock another spot for a Prepared Spell. We recommend choosing Confusion, a Concentration Spell which will confuse a group of enemies, causing them to attack creatures at random (including each other), run around aimlessly, or skip their turn entirely. This effect can last for up to 3 turns. This has a Wisdom save, so you’ll get the best results when casting it on enemies with low Wisdom. Be sure to Examine enemies to see their stats before deciding if it is worth casting this or not!

You’ll also gain another Fourth Level Spell Slot here, giving you two in total.

Level 9

At Level 9, you gain one more Fourth Level Spell Slot, giving you a total of three.

You also gain your first Fifth Level Spell Slot, and are able to prepare one more spell for use.

We recommend getting the Hold Monster Spell, a Concentration Spell that allows you to Paralyse a creature, preventing them from moving or reacting, and guaranteeing Critical Hits against them when you attack from within a three metre distance. This spell has a Wisdom save, so you may have a low chance of success against enemies with high Wisdom with your Bard Build.

Level 10

At Level 10, your BG3 Bard Build will gain a few new features and buffs:

• Another Fifth Level Spell Slot, giving you two in total.
• Improved Bardic Inspiration – Bardic Inspiration now gives a bonus of 1-8 instead of 1-6.
• Gain Expertise in another two Skills you are Proficient with, doubling the Proficiency Bonus for those Skills.
• You get to use Magical Secrets again, allowing you to choose another two Spells from outside the Bard Spell List. We recommend going for:
  • Banishment – Banish the target to another plane of existence for 2 turns. Requires Concentration.
  • Cone of Cold – Make a flurry of frost, crisp air, and condensed snow crystals erupt from your hands. Deals 8-64 damage up to a distance of 9 metres. On save: Targets still take half damage.

These two extra Spells give the Bard some new options for controlling dangerous enemies, or dealing high amounts of damage themselves.

Additionally, you can select another Spell, we recommend picking Mass Cure Wounds. You can also select another Cantrip, and pick whatever you like the most.

Level 11

At Level 11, you gain access to Sixth Level Spells. You’ll only ever get one Spell Slot for this level of magic, so the spells can only be cast once per Long Rest.

You’ll be able to unlock one additional Spell – we recommend choosing Eyebite, a Concentration Spell that lets you inflict dread, sickness or put the target to sleep. As long as you keep concentrating, you can cast the spell again on each subsequent turns.

Alternatively, you can get Otto’s Irresistible Dance. This is a weaker spell than Eyebite, but it’s probably a more funny and thematic option for a Bard to have, as it literally compels the target to begin dancing uncontrollably.

Level 12

If you’ve reached this point, then you have successfully levelled your Bard build up to the maximum level. Congratulations!

First we can select a new Spell, we recommend Otto’s Irresistible Dance which causes enemies to start dancing. Additionally, we get to select another Feat. We recommend getting Spell Sniper, a really powerful Feat that reduces the base Attack Roll needed to crit with spells to 19 instead of 20, effectively doubling your Crit Chance when wielding magic. You also get to select one additional Cantrip, we recommend Eldritch Blast here.

Equipment for the Bard Build in BG3 – PS5/PC

Now let us take a look at what equipment your Bard Build can use. You will find an early game and an endgame setup below. The early game gear can be acquired in Act 1 and at the start of Act 2. The endgame gear is from late Act 2 and Act 3. Sometimes we also add alternatives in case a part of gear is hard to obtain.

Early Game Gear

This early game gear setup for our Bard Build with College of Lore subclass can be acquired in Act 1 and early Act 2. You don’t need to follow this to the tail, but it is recommended to read through it so you understand what each piece of gear can do. Some items are bard-specific and can really improve your build and gameplay.

Plenty of the early game equipment triggers off our Bardic Inspiration. Next to our Bard instrument, we can find an actual singing sword in Act 1, which is pretty cool too.

Now let us take a look at what the gear does and where you can get it from.

Cap of Curing

The Cap of Curing is an easily obtainable item. Whenever you inspire an ally using your Bardic Inspiration, they also regain 1d6 Hit Points. The Cap of Curing can be found inside the Druid Grove in a Gilded Chest next to Alfira, the singing bard.

Cloak of Protection

The Cloak of Protection is one of the few cloaks in BG3 that you can get right at the start of Act 2. This item can be purchased by Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn, it doesn’t cost that much either so it is a good pick. The cloak adds an extra +1 Armour Class and +1 Saving Throw to your character.

You can also read our in-depth guide on How to get the Cloak of Protection in BG3 which explains everything in detail.

Blazer of Benevolence

The Blazer of Benevolence is another Bard-themed item that you can get in BG3. You gain 4 Temporary Hit Points when you inspire an ally using Bardic Inspiration. Extra health is always a good thing to have. You can acquire the blazer at the Shattered Sanctum, as a reward by completing the Rescue Volo quest. Volo is first seen in the Druid Grove, then you see him at the Goblin Camp entertaining the Goblins and afterwards you can find him inside the Shattered Sanctum.

Wondrous Gloves

The Wondrous Gloves increase your Armour Class by 1 and give you an additional Bardic Inspiration Charge. This item comes a bit late in Act 1, it will drop from the Mimics encounter inside the Grymforge in the Underdark. Once you are in the Underdark, you have to take a boat to get to the Grymforge.

Boots of Aid and Comfort

The Boots of Aid and Comfort are great together withThe Whispering Promise ring because they synergize with each other. The boots give you 3 Temporary Hit Points when you heal a target.

You can buy them from Grat the Trader inside the Goblin Camp in Act 1 of BG3. Sometimes traders won’t have all items available at the same time. You can use a Long Rest to reset the traders items, you don’t need to use any camp supplies. You might have to try several times until the item shows up.

Amulet of the Harpers

The Amulet of the Harpers is a good Amulet, it gives you Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws and Checks and more importantly the Shield spell that allows you to use your reaction to increase your Armour Class by 5. Additionally, you take no damage from enemy Magic Missiles.

The Amulet of the Harpers can be bought from Quartermaster Talli at the Last Lights Inn at the start of Act 2 in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Ring of Protection

TheRing of Protection is a really good ring that you can obtain early in Act 1. The ring gives you a +1 to Armour Class and +1 to Saving Throws. You get the ring by completing the Steal the Sacred Idol quest. To start the quest head into the Tiefling Hideoutin the Druids Grove and talk toMol. She is the gang leader and wants you to steal theIdol of Silvanus. The Idol is used as a ritual in the middle of the Druid, it won’t be easy to steal it.

Whispering Promise

The Whispering Promise ring applies Blessed to a healed creature. Giving them a 1d4 bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws for 2 turns. This ring synergizes well with the Cap of Curing and theBoots of Aid and Comfort.

You can buy them from Grat the Trader inside the Goblin Camp in Act 1 of BG3. Brem inside the Zhentarim Hideout also has the item. Roah Moonglow also has the item. Sometimes traders won’t have all items available at the same time. You can use a Long Rest to reset the trader’s items.

Pahalar Aluve

Phalar Aluve is a sword that can sing and shriek. If you decide to use the sing action allies within 6m have a 1d4 bonus to Attack Rolls, Charisma, Widom and Intelligence Saving Throws. The sword can be found in the Underdark, it is stuck inside a rock. You need to pass a 15 Strength Check to be able to pull it out.

If you don’t know how to get into the Underdark, then please read our How to enter the Underdark in BG3 guide.

Longsword +1 (Alternative)

The Longsword +1is a good starter weapon. Roah Moonglow is selling the weapon inside the Shattered Sanctum. If you do not see the weapon in her wares, then take a Long Rest (Don’t need to spend supplies) and return to the Roah. This should reset her items, and the Longsword+1 should appear. You might have to do this several times because trader inventory is random.

You can also read our in-depth guide on How to get the Longsword or Shortsword +1 in BG3 to get a detailed walkthrough on how to obtain the sword.

Shortbow +1

The Shortbow +1 can also be found on the trader Roah Moonglow like the Shortsword +1. You can use pretty much any ranged weapon you are proficient in as Bard. The Shortbow +1 is a good early game weapon and easy to get.

Endgame Gear

The endgame gear setup is built together with items from late Act 2 and Act 3. While you don’t need all these items, it is recommended to get as many as possible to increase the overall power of the Bard Build.

Now let’s see what the endgame gear does for our BG3 Bard Build and where you can find it.

Hood of the Weave

The Hood of the Weave is a powerful item. You gain a +2 bonus to Spell Save DC and spell Attack Rolls. The Hood of the Weave can be bought from Mystic Carrion inside his Philograve’s Mansion in the lower city of Baldur’s Gate in Act 3.

Cloak of the Weave

The Cloak of the Weave gives you +1 bonus to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls. Additionally, you can also absorb elemental damage once per short rest. That way you only take half the damage from the next elemental attack. You will also deal 1d6 of that type on your next attack.

The Cloak of the Weave is sold by Helsik at the Devil’s Fee once you unlock her “special stock”.

Potent Robe

The Potent Robe is a very rare cloth that allows your cantrips to deal additional damage equal to your Charisma Modifier. Additionally, you also gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Charisma Modifier. And because the Bard’s main stat is Charisma, these values are high.

Helldusk Gloves

The Helldusk Gloves give you +1 bonus to Spell Attack Rolls and Spell Save DC. Your weapon attacks also deal an additional 1d6 Fire damage and you gain the Rays of Fire spell.

You can get the Helldusk Gloves inside the House of Hope by defeating Haarlep and looting them from him. You reach the House of Hope by solving the ritual in the top floor that will open the gate to the House of Hope. This is a tough area, Raphael might want a word with you if you are trying to get out of there with his stuff!

Helldusk Boots

The Helldusk Boots are very rare boots that you can acquire in Act 3. You cannot be forcibly moved by a foe’s spells or actions, and you ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain. And even more important, you get the Hellcrawler action. Think of this as a secondary Misty Step, now you can teleport up to 18m and deal fire AoE damage. This will improve your mobility.

The Helldusk Boots can be found in Lord Enver Gortash’s personal chest at the upper levels of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress. The upper levels can be reached through the gate on the main floor. Best to bring some Invisibility potions to pull this off without alarming everyone in the fortress.

Amulet of Greater Health

The Amulet of Greater Health is another item that is immensely powerful. It will boost your Constitution score to 23, increasing your health tremendously. Like the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength and Orphic Hammer, it can also be found inside the Archive in the House of Hope that you reach via Devil’s Fee.

You can also read our in-depth guide on How to get the Amulet of Greater Health in BG3.

Ring of Regeneration

The Ring of Regeneration lets you restore 1-4 Hit Points at the beginning of your turn. The ring synergizes well with The Reviving Hands, Hellrider’s Pride, The Whispering Promise and Boots of Aid and Comfort. You could sort of create a chain reaction with all these items if you want to.

Ring of Arcane Synergy

The Ring of Arcane Synergy is a good ring that you can get for your Bard. When you deal damage with a Cantrip, you gain Arcane Synergy for 2 turns. Arcane Synergy: Weapon Attacks deal additional damage equal to entity’s Spellcasting Ability Modifier.

The Ring of Arcane Synergy can be looted from Gish Far’Aag at the entrance of Crèche Y’llek. You enter Crèche Y’llek through the Rosymorn Monastery basem*nt.

Duellist’s Prerogative

The Duellist’s Prerogative is a legendary Rapier item. When your off hand is empty, yuo only need to roll a 19 for a Critical Hit, you also gain an additional Reaction per turn, which is great for our Bard. You also get Dueller’s Enthusiasm that allows you to make an additional melee attack. You also get Challenge to Duel, sort of like a taunt, also inflicts bleed on the enemy. lastly, on a hit with a melee weapon, use a reaction to deal additional Necrotic damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

You can get the Duellist’s Prerogative by completing the Save Vanra quest in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate. You start the quest at here at the Basilisk Gate.

The Dead Shot

The last item on the menu is the The Dead Shot longbow. When you have this equipped, you once again need 1 point less to do a Critical Hit. Also has a +2 Enchantment and it doubles your Proficiency Bonus when you roll ranged attacks with this weapon.

The Dead Shot is sold by Fity the Firecracker trader in the lower city of Baldur’s Gate. It is likely that you equip this by another character in your group. Therefore any other ranged weapon that you are proficient with will also do just fine on your Bard Build in BG3.

Bard Build Tips and Tricks for Baldur’s Gate 3

It’s useful to keep in mind that Bardic Inspiration is a Bonus Action, so you don’t need to worry about using up your turn to buff allies this way – you can Inspire them and cast another regular ability in the same turn.

In the early game you will feel a little bit limited with how much you can use Bardic Inspiration. Once you hit Level 5 this ability will start feeling much stronger and more readily available, as you’ll be able to replenish it with Short Rests.

The Bard’s spells do not make use of Attack Rolls, which is both a good and bad thing. It’s good because your spells will not miss – your opponents chances of avoiding or mitigating your spell damage will depend only on their Saving Throws, where applicable. However, the drawback is that your spells cannot Crit, because Critical Hits happen as a result of the Attack Roll system. Note that this system is separate from Damage Rolls. A dice roll still occurs to decide how much damage the spells do.

Other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds

• Druid Build – Circle of the Moon
• Ranger Build – Hunter
• Monk Build – Way of Shadow
• Monk Build – Way of the Four Elements
• Monk Build – Way of the Open Hand
• Necromancer Build – Necromancy
• Fighter Build – Battle Master
• Barbarian Build – Berserker
• Warlock Build – Great Old One
• Cleric Build – Light Domain
• Rogue Build – Thief
• Sorcerer Build – Wild Magic
• Wizard Build – Evocation School
• Paladin – Oath of Ancients

If you want to check out the map of Baldur’s Gate 3, please visit the Baldur’s Gate 3 Interactive Map.