Best Bard build in Baldur’s Gate 3: Race, skills, spells & more

Unlock the full potential of your Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3 with the perfect build guide. Dive into the best Bard build in BG3 featuring race, subclass, spells, and essential strategies.

In the world of Dungeons & Dragons, Bards may be known for their comedic flair. But they wield power comparable to other classes like Druids, Sorcerers, or Wizards, armed with a versatile spell arsenal.

So, if you’re looking to master the Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3, then you’ll need to know the best spells, race, subclass, and Ability Scores. Luckily, all you need to know about the best Bard build in Baldur’s Gate 3 is below.

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Best race to choose for a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

There’s a few completely different races you could choose as your Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3, each providing different features and abilities:

• Asmodeus Tiefling
• Drow Half-Elf
• Human

Despite the three different races that work for the Bard, we recommend using the Drow Half-Elf for that extra Dancing Lights cantrip.

Best subclass for a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

Although you won’t need to worry about this until level 3, the best subclass for your Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the College of Valour.

With a focus on combat-based spells and offensive abilities, you can take on the battlefield whether you’re alone or with a group of friends.

Best background for a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

Naturally, the best background for the Bard is Entertainer. It provides a fantastic bonus to some of your Charisma-based skills like Performance, and the vital Acrobatics.

Along with this background, we suggest prioritizing these skills to help you on your journey:

• Deception
• Persuasion
• Insight
• Perception
• Survival

Best Ability Score spread for a Bard

The recommended Ability Score spread for the Bard is pretty good, so there’s nothing wrong with opting for that one. However, if you want to fully optimize your character, these are the scores you should use:

• Strength: 12
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 16
• Wisdom: 10
• Intelligence: 8
• Charisma: 16

Charisma is the main stat for a Bard, so it’s only natural to place that at the highest. Then, matching that is Constitution which is responsible for both health and your concentration checks, which is vital for a spellcaster like this one.

Best spells for a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

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There are tons of spells to choose from in Baldur’s Gate 3, and the Bard has some great choices. So, here are the spells we recommend looking at:

• Cantrip: Vicious Mockery
• Cantrip: Light
• Cantrip: Blade Ward
• Cantrip: Friends
• 1st Level: Healing Word
• 1st Level: Thunderwave
• 1st Level: Dissonant Whispers
• 1st Level: Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
• 1st Level: Heroism
• 2nd Level: Phantasmal Force
• 2nd Level: Lesser Restoration
• 2nd Level: Shatter
• 3rd Level: Glyph of Warding
• 3rd Level: Speak With Dead
• 3rd Level: Fear
• 4th Level: Greater Invisibility
• 4th Level: Polymorph
• 4th Level: Dimension Door
• 5th Level: Mass Cure Wounds
• 5th Level: Greater Restoration
• 6th Level: Otto’s Irresistible Dance

Best Illithid powers for a Bard

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There’s a tonne of Ilithid powers to access if you don’t mind sticking tadpoles to your brain.

The Illithid powers aren’t for everyone, but they can be a wonderful boon to those who want to use them. Here are the best Illithis Powers for the Bard.

Charm

When it comes to a Bard, no Illithid spell is better than Charm. It’ll essentially prevent an enemy from attacking you until their next turn, granting your character key protection just in case something gets past the front lines.

Shield of Thralls

Bards are notoriously squishy, with a lower armor class and smaller health to match. So, being able to cast a shield around yourself, or an ally to get temporary hit points could be a game-changer. Add that to the fact that the shield will explode when it’s destroyed, and you have a fantastic last-ditch lifesaver.

Freecast

As a spellcaster, there’s no better power than being able to free cast. It means your “spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your next spell are removed” essentially allowing you to cast multiple spells or certain powerful spells as a bonus action.

Best multiclass options for the Bard

Bard and Cleric

The Bard is already an extremely powerful support character, complete with tons of useful spells and a little healing. So, if you want to take that healing to a completely new level, as well as gaining a little bonus to your AC, the Cleric is the ideal multiclass.

It can grant you some ideal healing spells and lets you deal some great damage in melee or ranged situations, making it extremely versatile. Sure, they might not share the same stats, but there are enough bonuses here to make it worth it.

Bard and Paladin

If the Cleric wasn’t for you, then you could try the Bard / Paladin multiclass option. It works in a similar way to the Cleric, granting you a little more healing and some protection should the fight end up right in front of you.

Sure, it’s not as good as the Cleric, and mainly works if your main class is the Paladin rather than the Bard, but it’s still a fun option to try.

Best build for a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

Race: Wood Half-Elf

Background: Entertainer

Skills: Persuasion, Insight

Ability order from highest to lowest: Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Strength

Best build:

That’s all there is to know about the best Bard build in Baldur’s Gate 3. Check out how to respec your character if you wish to explore other build options. You can also take a look at the best Sorcerer build, the best Necromancer build and the best Barbarian build.