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Baldurs Gate 3 Bard Closeup Near Cage
Screenshot: PC Invasion

Best Bard subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3, ranked (BG3)

That's classy!

Baldur’s Gate 3 players are presented with a wealth of options as they create their first character and begin their adventure. Here is our list of the best Bard subclasses ranked in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Bard subclasses, ranked

When you choose a Bard, you gain access to a lot of unique skills that are highly useful outside of combat. However, with the right subclass, your Bard can be extremely useful in combat. When your Bard reaches level 3, you get to choose from among three Bard subclasses (listed in-game as “colleges”). Your choice determines how your Bard develops from that point forward.

We’ve ranked the Bard subclasses below from best to worst. Consider carefully what you want to accomplish with your bard and choose accordingly. However, since I’ve put hundreds of hours into playing and making a Bard build in Baldur’s Gate 3, here is the subclass ranking I would recommend.

1. The College of Lore (Best)

Baldurs Gate 3 Bard Subclass College Of Lore
Screenshot: PC Invasion

The College of Lore is the best option for a typical Bard. The Bard is well-suited to a support role right from the start of the adventure. This subclass allows them to double down on that and also teaches them Cutting Words. Cutting Words is one of the best support abilities in the entire game because it allows you to use a Bardic Inspiration to wit to distract a creature which gives them a penalty to their attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. This has saved my party members countless times.

College of Lore isn’t all support. At level 6, Bards in this subclass gain access to Magical Secrets, a branch that allows them to wield powerful magic from other classes. This is your chance to take powerful damage spells which you’ll use when nobody needs a buff or debuff. They also become better at Intimidation and Sleight of Hand, as well as Arcana. When you think of a Bard, you probably imagine a character of this sort.

2. The College of Swords (Good)

Baldurs Gate 3 Bard Subclass College Of Swords
Screenshot: PC Invasion

The College of Swords is a decent second choice if you want to be more active in combat. For starters, you’ll be able to equip Medium Armor and more weapons, plus relevant abilities. At level 6, you also gain the ability to attack a second time in one turn which is really powerful.

Bards tend to fall in battle pretty quickly under normal circumstances when enemies break through the front lines and start targeting support members. However, improved armor options could keep your singing hero in the action long enough to toss out a spell or two and turn the tide of battle.

If the ability to wear Medium or even Heavy Armor is what you seek, I highly recommend one of the best multiclass options which is Bard and Cleric. If you do that, you can skip the College of Swords altogether for the College of Lore.

3. The College of Valour (Okay)

Baldurs Gate 3 Bard Subclass College Of Valour
Screenshot: PC Invasion

The College of Valour is a middle ground that offers a less specialized mix of the two other colleges. The game rewards players who lean into their characters’ roles, so I don’t suggest choosing this subclass. That’s not to say there are no benefits, however.

What makes the College of Valour unique is your Bardic Inspiration turns into Combat Inspiration. The main difference is the target gets a 1d6 bonus to their weapon damage or Armor Class, along with the regular Bardic Inspiration things including Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, and Saving Throws. Also, you can equip better gear and even wield the powerful Shatter spell (which is also an option in the College of Lore). As with the College of Swords, this subclass grants you an additional attack at level 6.

Best Bard feats in BG3

  • Actor
  • War Caster
  • Lucky
  • Defensive Duellist

There are a few incredible feats that can work perfectly with your Bard, no matter your subclass. First off, Actor can increase your Charisma score by one (your Bard’s spellcasting ability) and you gain expertise in Deception and Performance. These are both very useful skills for your Bard.

War Caster gives you an advantage on Concentration saving throws for spells, and you can use a Reaction to cast Shocking Grasp if a target moves out of range from you. Bards have plenty of spells that require Concentration, so this is a must-have.

I also recommend Lucky since you can essentially gain an advantage on any three rolls after each Long Rest. You could also go for Defensive Duellist which gives you a Reaction to increase your AC by your Proficiency bonus when you’re melee attacked while wielding a Finesse weapon you’re Proficient in.

We’ve ranked the subclasses and given you some feat options, but there’s no wrong choice for your Bard. Choose the subclass that suits your style of play. Once you’ve chosen the best Bard subclass for you, be sure to learn the best Bard spells.


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Jason Venter
Jason Venter is a contributing writer for PC Invasion since 2022 who can trace his love for video games back to the Apple IIe port of Mario Bros. in the late 80s. He remains a diehard Nintendo fan to this day and loves JRPGs, adventure games, and platformers in particular, but he still plays games in most genres and on most hardware. After founding indie gaming site HonestGamers in 1998, he served as an editor at Hardcore Gamer Magazine during its entire print run. He has since freelanced for a variety of leading sites including IGN, GameSpot, and Polygon. These days, he spends most of his time writing game guides and entertaining readers with his fantasy novels.
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Anyka Pettigrew
Anyka Pettigrew has been a Staff Writer for PC Invasion since November 2023 and a Contributing Writer since February 2023. She is a Canadian graduate of a Bachelor of Arts degree who has been writing in games journalism for four years. Anyka is an avid guides writer but also enjoys writing anything from news pieces, to reviews, and even opinion pieces. Having a never-ending passion for video games for as long as she can remember got her into a plethora of genres like action adventure, RPGs, horror, survival etc. Some of her favorite franchises are God of War, Persona, The Last of Us, Zelda, and Resident Evil. She also enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi books, as well as drawing digital art. Anyka also regularly listens to podcasts on gaming news from 'Kinda Funny Games', and 'Play, Watch, Listen'.
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From his early days of blog-style music, movie, and game reviews to working as the Esports Writer at Coastline Community College, Noah Nelson now works fulltime as a Staff Writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion. He has been helping gamers everywhere with Destiny 2 god rolls, Warzone 2 DMZ missions, and collectibles in any indie game for over a year and a half. His Bachelor's Degree in English Rhetoric and Composition with a minor in Journalism from CSULB has shaped him to be a strong writer and editor. His fondest gaming memory is playing Sly Cooper 2 after begging his mom (for hours) to play it before his birthday and he still cries myself to sleep remembering the time he accidentally saved over his 99% completion save file in Kingdom Hearts 2.