Bards have it rough in Baldur’s Gate 3 because they get their subclass at level three. Once you reach level three and create your College of Swords Bard in BG3, here’s the best way to make them.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best College of Swords Bard build
While College of Lore is arguably the best subclass for Bards since it gives them Cutting Words and Magical Secrets, College of Swords Bards are a lot of fun to play because of Flourishes and the Extra Attack you get at level six.
Related: How Cutting Words works in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)
Best College of Swords Bard Race in BG3
- Lightfoot Halfling – Stealthy
- Forest Gnome – Ranged
- Gold Dwarf – Melee
To me, the best Bards are the short characters; Gnomes, Dwarves, and Halflings, in particular. If you want to make a stealthy College of Swords Bard, I recommend the Lightfoot Halfing. Want to play a ranged College of Swords Bard? Pick Forest Gnome. If you want a sturdy fighter College of Swords Bard build, go with Gold Dwarf.
Best College of Swords Bard ability scores in BG3
- Strength – 14
- Dexterity – 12
- Constitution – 16
- Intelligence – 8
- Wisdom – 8
- Charisma – 16
No character can have it all in Baldur’s Gate 3, and the College of Swords Bard does best to forget about Wisdom and Intelligence. Since we’ll primarily be playing melee while doing some spellcasting and ranged attacks, Strength, Constitution, and Charisma are the focus. Dexterity is also useful, so don’t forget about that.
Related: Best Astarion build in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3)
Best College of Swords Bard Background in BG3
- Guild Artisan – Insight, Persuasion
- Noble – History, Persuasion
- Entertainer – Acrobatics, Performance
- Criminal – Deception, Stealth
- Urchin – Slight of Hand, Stealth
While Backgrounds give you the lore of your character and how you gain Inspiration, they also give you Proficiency in two Skills. I’m an advocate for picking what you think is fun to roleplay, but the best Backgrounds for College of Swords Bards to pick are Guild Artisan, Noble, Entertainer, Criminal, or Urchin.
It all depends on how you want to play. I’d choose Criminal or Urchin if you want to play a bit sneakier, but Guild Artisan, Noble, and Entertainer are all safe picks for Bard since Persuasion and Performance are key.
Best College of Swords Bard Skills, Spells, and Cantrips in BG3
- Cantrips
- Vicious Mockery
- Friends
- Spells
- Cure Wounds
- Dissonant Whispers
- Charm Person
- Longstrider
- Shatter
- Freedom of Movement
- Dominate Person
- Skills
- Defensive Flourish (Melee)
- Slashing Flourish (Melee)
- Mobile Flourish (Melee)
The two best Bard Cantrips are Vicious Mockery and Friends. Friends is amazing since it gives you Advantage on Charisma Checks and Vicious Mockery is always nice to have in your back pocket to deal extra damage.
The College of Swords Bard build is less of a support character and more of a fighter, but Cure Wounds is still important to have. I recommend Longstrider and eventually Freedom of Movement to ensure you can always get to your allies and they can always get to you. Dissonant Whispers is one of the best Bard spells and Charm Person is amazing, especially if you’re playing in the front.
Since you’re a College of Swords Bard, you’ll want to utilize your special Skills. Though you can be ranged if you like, I think all the melee Flourishes are great and a bit more fun.
Related: Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build: Weapons, armor, subclasses & more
Best College of Swords Bard Feats in BG3
- Heavy Armor Master – Your Strength increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Incoming damage from non-magical attacks also decreases by 3 while you’re wearing Heavy Armor.
- Savage Attacker – When making weapon attacks, you roll your damage dice twice and use the highest result.
- Martial Adept – You learn two maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass and gain a Superiority Die to fuel them. You regain expended Superiority Dice after a Short or Long Rest. Gain one Superiority Die and two Battle Master Passives.
- Defensive Duelist – When attacked while wielding a Finesse Weapon you’re Proficient with, you can use a reaction to add your Proficiency Bonus to your Armour Class, possibly causing the attack to miss.
- Mage Slayer – When a creature casts a spell Within melee range of you, you have Advantage on any Saving Throw against it, and you can use a reaction to immediately make an attack against the caster. Enemies you hit have Disadvantage on Concentration Saving Throws. Gain Mage Slayer: Saving Throw Advantage, Mage Slayer: Attack Caster, and Mage Slayer: Break Concentration.
Like every class, College of Swords Bards get three Feats. Regardless of how you play, I would absolutely recommend taking Heavy Armor Master first. College of Swords Bards have no way of getting Proficient with Heavy Armor, but it’s extremely beneficial if you are. I would also recommend Savage Attacker and Martial Adept if you’re going all in on melee, but Defensive Duelist and Mage Slayer are also great.
That is how you create the best College of Swords Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can get even more creative with this build by multiclassing into Fighter or Ranger. The possibilities are endless, but either way, when playing a Bard, you’ll need to know how to play your instrument.
