Swords Bard Build - Dazzling Bowmaster - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)
Contents
Swords Bard Build - Dazzling Bowmaster
So the build here is what I would call a "ranged spellsword" build. From early levels you will be using ranged weapons like Hand Crossbow +1 or Titanstring Bow to inflict very high damage. This will get better and better as the game progresses.
Later, the build lifts off as you obtain Sharpshooter: All In, and throughout Act 2 you will be destroying foes with your arrows. In Act 3, you will become a fully functional spellcaster. This is possible thanks to Helmet of Arcane Acuity and Band of the Mystic Scoundrel.
Does this sound cool? Well, it is, imagine on the starting turn, releasing 4 arrows, pumping up your Spell Save DC, and finishing everything with an arena-wide Confusion, Hypnotic Pattern, or Hold Person. This will be game over for your enemies and you can watch as your allies delete the leftover foes.
The Swords Bard can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be and I think this is its appeal. I hope this got your attention and let's dive deeper!
Class Contribution
The build mostly goes into Bard to obtain all the core parts of the build. Fighter comes into play to improve the archery part of the build.
10 Swords Bard
- Access to flourishes - Slashing Flourish (Ranged), and Defensive Flourish (Ranged) based on various combat situations and allows maximizing ranged damage.
- Extra Attack is one of those powerful passive features that greatly improves the damage of martial classes.
- Bardic Inspiration which can be used for flourishes or helping with various dice rolls.
- Full spellcaster progression, giving access to plenty of spell slots.
- Song of Rest for additional short rest, helping to manage resources.
- Magical Secrets - allows you to learn 2 spells from other classes, giving some unique combos like Banishing Smite (Ranged) or Counterspell.
- Access to multiple skill Expertise helping with world exploration and dialogue checks.
2 Fighter
- Obtain all weapon and armor proficiencies, you can freely wear any item that you like or that helps you to adjust the build to your needs.
- Second Wind is a minor addition to restore health when things go bad.
- Action Surge - one of the most powerful actions in the game, giving a full action point. This will work together with Extra Attack for two attacks or one spell casting.
- Archery fighting style, which will improve the chance of landing bow attacks.
Leveling Overview
Here is a concise table with all the main picks during your leveling progression. For more detailed reasoning, I go further in the article. Also, do not forget to check the recommended gear as it is crucial.
Level | Class | Selection |
---|---|---|
1 | Bard 1 | Cantrips: Vicious Mockery, Friends |
Spells: Healing Word, Dissonant Whispers, Faerie Fire, Longstrider | ||
STR - 8, DEX - 17, CON - 14, INT - 8, WIS - 10, CHA - 16 | ||
Skills: Sleight of Hand, any Charisma-based. | ||
2 | Bard 2 | Spells: Feather Fall |
3 | Bard 3 | Spells: Enhance Ability |
Subclass: College of Swords | ||
Skills: Sleight of Hand, any | ||
Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting | ||
Replace Spell: Dissonant Whispers -> Cloud of Daggers | ||
4 | Bard 4 | Cantrips: Light |
Spells: Blindness | ||
Feat: Sharpshooter: All In | ||
5 | Bard 5 | Spells: Glyph of Warding |
6 | Bard 6 | Spells: Hypnotic Pattern |
Replace Spell: Faerie Fire -> Hold Person | ||
7 | Respec to Fighter 1 and go through Bard 1-6 | Fighting Style: Archery |
8 | Fighter 2 | - |
9 | Bard 7 | Spells: Confusion |
Replace Spell: Cloud of Daggers -> Fear | ||
10 | Bard 8 | Spells: Greater Invisibility or Freedom of Movement |
Feat: Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity | ||
11 | Bard 9 | Spells: Hold Monster |
12 | Bard 10 | Skills: anything related to Dexterity or Charisma. |
Spells: Greater Restoration | ||
Magical Secrets: Counterspell, Command |
Starting the Game - Level 1
This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Swords Bard build. Some of these choices are impactful as you cannot respec them.
Races
Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc.
Race | Features | Description |
---|---|---|
Lightfoot Halfling |
|
One of the best races overall, and gets an advantage on stealth checks, in case you want to get into better positions for some combat encounters. |
Dwarf Duergar |
|
Gets special Invisibility which can be used to set up surprise rounds, if you are interested in a more stealthy approach. |
Wood Half-Elf |
|
They offer improved movement speed and shield proficiency. This is excellent for early game, to improve your survivability when using a bow. |
Gnome |
|
No matter which subrace you pick all of them are good the key here is Gnome Cunning. Besides that, Deep Gnomes are good as they come with stealth checks advantage. |
Githyanki |
|
Githyanki comes with a wide array of utility actions like Astral Knowledge, Misty Step, etc. These can help both in combat and world exploration. |
Class
Overview | |
---|---|
Bard | |
Features | |
Bardic Inspiration | Iconic bard feature, that can improve damage, dialogue dice rolls, and saving throws. |
Spell Slots | These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest. |
Cantrips
Cantrip | Description |
---|---|
Vicious Mockery | Although the damage is low, it has its purpose. The cantrip can be used to impose a disadvantage on enemy attacks, in case you see that your normal attack would not kill it. However, the cantrip loses purpose in later levels. |
Friends | If you are the main character and do most of the dialogues, this is also a good choice as it gives an advantage during rolls. |
Spells
The spells will be useful early on, as you will only have light armor, and being a frontliner with it is risky. Choose 4:
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Dissonant Whispers | The only truly offensive level-1 spell. It can also frighten enemies making them unable to move. Later on, it loses its purpose, once ranged attacks become stronger. |
Longstrider | It will boost the movement speed by 3m. This is a huge bonus and will allow you to get better positions when in combat. You can also activate it on all party members when not in combat, after a long rest! |
Faerie Fire | In the early game, this spell is wondrous as it makes it easy to get an Advantage on attack rolls. Once the spell is cast you can exploit it next turn or by your group members. |
Healing Word | Although this is not a healer build, having a way to instantly make an ally stand up is great way of action point use. |
Starting Instrument
As this is a fun feature, pick the one that you like the best! There are no combat advantages to picking a different one.
Background
Backgrounds are mostly for role-playing and you can pick whatever you prefer. If you want to optimize, then it would be good to pick backgrounds that are based on your ability points. However, this build can become the main pickpocket or lockpicker with a few optimizations.
Background | Skills | Description |
---|---|---|
Charlatan | Deception Sleight of Hand |
I think this is the best pick if you plan on being the one to disarm traps and lockpick chests. |
Soldier | Athletics Intimidation |
The most relevant background as it gives a skill using both strength and charisma abilities. |
Entertainer | Acrobatics Performance |
Uses both dexterity and charisma modifiers that you will have a good investment. |
Guild Artisan | Insight Persuasion |
Persuasion proficiency is the main aspect of this background. |
Noble | History Persuasion |
Similar to the above, but gives History skills. |
Abilities
Now let's take a look at the abilities of the Swords Bard build. Correct allocation will allow you to maximize the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses.
Ability | Value | Description |
---|---|---|
Strength | 8 | The build will only need strength once you get Titanstring Bow, but this can be addressed with items or elixirs. So you can dump this stat. |
Dexterity | 17 (15+2) | All around great stat as you can round it up to 18 with Auntie Ethel Hair. Dexterity gives additional AC, and initiative and improves ranged weapon damage. |
Constitution | 14 | Improves health pool and constitution saving throw success. |
Intelligence | 8 | Irrelevant stat. |
Wisdom | 10 | A slight investment to remove negative modifiers against some of the deadliest spells in the game. |
Charisma | 16 (15+1) | The main spellcasting stat of Bard also improves the dialogue ability check success rate. |
If you are not getting the Auntie Ethel Hair for +1 Dexterity, then I would go with 16 Dexterity and 17 Charisma. Later in Act 3, you have a chance to get +3 and round it down.
Skills and Expertise
Overall, the skills should be impacted by your roleplaying and background decisions. However, you would still want those that will give you the best benefits. My recommendation would be to go for these, most relevant to the theme of the build:
- Sleight of Hand
- Stealth (if you will use this mechanic)
- Deception
- Persuasion
- Intimidation
- Performance
Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12
Here is the detailed progression for the Swords Bard Paladin build to get you started. You can use it as a guideline because early games can be daunting and overwhelming. Later on, once you get a feel for the class you can start picking your options
Level 2
By this time you should have landed in the first area already. The level-up gives some welcome improvements for your Bard.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Jack of All Trades | This will improve your chances of success when doing various dice rolls that you are not proficient in. It's not huge, but will help out during the game. |
We gain a very good utility action to gain additional HP restoration and action reset:
Action | Description |
---|---|
Song of Rest | Unique action to Bards. It acts as a third short rest. This is especially useful for Warlocks, as they will gain even more spell slots during the day. |
Spells
I have covered most of the important level 1 spells, that the build needs. In case you need help:
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Feather Fall | A useful ritual spell that will help with world exploration and is especially good in some parts of Act 1. |
Replace Spell
Nothing to replace this early in the game.
Level 3
The build reached a very special moment - subclass. It will give some sweet actions that make the Bard much more powerful.
Skills/Expertise
You can select 2 skills in which you become an expert. I would recommend something, that you want to ensure the Bardadin cannot fail. For example, due to high Charisma bonuses, dialogue-related ones are great. Choose two out of these:
- Sleight of Hand - If you are the only one doing lockpicking, this will ensure some irritating fails and wasted time.
- Deception
- Intimidation
- Performance
- Persuasion
Spells
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Enhance Ability | If playing on Honor Mode, this spell is mandatory. It can save your group from many problems and overcome ability checks where you are not proficient. Otherwise, you can do without it, but I would still recommend someone in your group to have it. |
Subclass
Overview | |
---|---|
College of Swords | |
Features | |
Slashing Flourish (Melee) | Attack up to 2 enemies at once. |
Slashing Flourish (Ranged) | Attack up to 2 enemies at once. |
Defensive Flourish (Melee) | Attack defensively, increasing your Armour Class by 4 if you hit. |
Defensive Flourish (Ranged) | Attack defensively, increasing your Armour Class by 4 if you hit. |
Mobile Flourish (Melee) | Thrust your weapon with enough force to push your target back 6m. Afterward, you can Teleport to the target. |
Mobile Flourish (Ranged) | Shoot a target with enough force to push it back 6m. Afterwards, you can teleport to the target. |
Fighting Style
For this build, there is no difference in which one you pick in the long run, for the short term:
Fighting Style | Description |
---|---|
Two-Weapon Fighting | This can be useful early in the game, as you can use dual Hand Crossbow +1 and get bonuses to damage. Later on, this will be replaced by a stronger Titanstring Bow and make the fighting style irrelevant. |
Replace Spell
I would recommend removing Dissonant Whispers for:
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Cloud of Daggers | Cast this, if you will not be able to reach a group of enemies to use Flourish. It hits two times - on the initial cast and enemy turn. This is a very effective level 2 spell in the early game. |
Level 4
Finally, the Swords Bard build will get the first Feat.
Cantrips
Choose one:
Cantrip | Description |
---|---|
Light | This one might be useful in the upcoming Act 2 or in general dark areas. |
Minor Illusion | You can use this one to move enemies together before combat. This can then be utilized |
Spells
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Blindness | What makes this spell good is that it targets enemy CON and makes it easier to land hits once they are Blinded. It also does not use a Concentration slot and works for 10 turns. |
Feat
For the first Feat, there are a lot of options, and it all depends on your knowledge of the game:
Feat | Description |
---|---|
Sharpshooter: All In | The best pick for a feat as it will give a +10 damage increase. This of course comes with a downside of -5 to attack rolls. However, there are multiple ways to increase them. If it comes to worst you can disable it via a special button in Spell Book and temporarily don't get any penalty or bonuses to damage. |
Ability Improvement | Here you can go for +2 Dexterity, but in my opinion, it will become redundant especially if you take Auntie Ethel's Hair for +1 Dexterity and The Graceful Cloth. On the other hand for a better spell success chance, you can go with +2 Charisma, but I think it is not that relevant this early in the game. |
Replace Spell
Nothing to replace
Level 5
This level is a big one. First, we obtain level 3 spells, which are okay. However, we get awesome class features:
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Font of Inspiration | Greatly improves your damage output throughout the day as you can use flourishes more often. |
Improved Bardic Inspiration | The bonus gained from Bardic Inspiration increases to +1d8, this will give a higher damage bonus for Flourishes. |
Spells
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Glyph of Warding | Get this spell as soon as possible. It is amazing! You can cast various types of elements, but most importantly it can put enemies to sleep without HP limitations. So this is the perfect crowd control option. |
Replace Spell
Nothing yet to replace as many of the spells are still relevant.
Level 6
This is the last Bard level we are taking before moving to Fighter. This is a huge improvement to the build.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Extra Attack | You can now attack two times and this can be done together with Flourishes. So you can easily hit 4 enemies in one turn, without Haste or Elixir of Bloodlust. |
We also get additional action, that can freely be used before combat:
Action | Description |
---|---|
Countercharm | You and any allies within 9m have an advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed or Frightened. Did not use much during the playthrough. |
Spells
Pick one:
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Hypnotic Pattern | It can destroy the whole encounter by hypnotizing foes. The result is that they cannot move or take any actions. It will become very powerful once you start using Helmet of Arcane Acuity for increased Spell Save DC. |
Replace Spells
This is the level where I would start cleaning up not-so-useful abilities, especially as you will start getting better and better gear for Archer setup. Remove Faerie Fire for:
Spells | Description |
---|---|
Hold Person | A very powerful spell that is useful against humanoids, and can guarantee critical hits from close range once the targets are paralyzed. |
Level 7 - Respec to Fighter Lv 1
To improve the Archer setup of Swords Bard build you will respec to Level 1 Fighter and continue leveling with Bard. The main benefits:
- Access to all weapon proficiencies
- Constitution saving throw proficiency which gives a better chance to avoid enemies breaking your concentration.
- Archery fighting style to improve ranged weapon hit chance
- Action Surge for a strong nova round when you need an extra action point.
Class
Overview | |
---|---|
Fighter | |
Features | |
Second Wind | You can use this to heal yourself in tight encounters, to get a little bit more of survivability. |
Fighting Style
Style | Description |
---|---|
Archery | This is the important passive feature as it will improve hit chance and make it easier to land shots with Sharpshooter: All In being active. |
Abilities
Pick the same ones from the Level 1 Bard: STR - 8, DEX - 17, CON - 14, INT - 8, WIS - 10, CHA - 16
Level 8 - Fighter Lv 2
The last level of Fighter dip, gives important actions for the build.
Actions | Description |
---|---|
Action Surge | The key action of the level 2 fighter. This will allow the Swords Bard to have an extremely strong nova round. For example, you can use it to build up Spell Save DC with Helmet of Arcane Acuity or cast additional spells, all is up to you. |
Level 9 - Bard Lv 7
We finally unlock level 4 spells these will be one of the strongest control options in the game.
Spells
The aim is to get the best control spells
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Confusion | This is an amazing spell, that can make many of the combat encounters much easier. It will make enemies wander around, skip turns, or attack allies. Truly a devastating spell. |
Replace Spell
This is a perfect time to replace Cloud of Daggers if you still have it:
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Fear | A powerful spell, that is excellent against enemies relying on their weapons - fighters, archers, etc. This will leave them helpless. |
Level 10 - Bard Lv 8
You reach level 8 Bard, which will give you the last Feat for the build. You get the first level 5 spell slot.
Spells
More or less everything is covered for the build. Feel free to pick anything that you find fancy. My recommendations:
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Greater Invisibility | Can be useful for some stealth attacks, if you have high Stealth bonuses or have an ally like Gloomstalker Assassin. |
Freedom of Movement |
Can be used to help an ally escape a dire situation. But this will rarely be useful, especially as Swords Bard can inflict huge damage and take care of most enemies. |
Plant Growth | A control spell that has no concentration spell cost, but this will still use the whole action point, reducing the number of attacks. |
Feat
Make sure you have Sharpshooter: All In as this is the highest damage boost you can get. Here are other options:
Feat | Description |
---|---|
Ability Improvement | You can either go with +2 Dexterity or +2 Charisma. My recommendation would be the former as it will slightly improve your hit chance with a ranged weapon. |
Dual Wielder | Dual Wielding opens multiple options of good gear that you can wear. For example, you can mix something like Knife of the Undermountain King with Staff of Spell Power to improve both weapon damage and spell success. In addition, you will get +1 Armour Class. However, this means that you will have to either sacrifice Titanstring Bow or get strength through Elixirs or Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength. |
Alert | Very popular feat, that easily guarantees that you go first. I do recommend having at least 1 character with the feat as it will help in combat encounters where enemies might surprise you. |
Replace Spell
Nothing to replace, unless you want to try something.
Level 11 - Bard 9
Additional level 5 spell slot is unlocked and Swords Bard gets level 5 spells. This will be a big improvement to overall control capabilities throughout the combat encounter.
Spells
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Hold Monster | With this option, Hold Monster, Helmet of Arcane Acuity, and Band of the Mystic Scoundrel, you can paralyze humanoids and Monsters. Then follow up with critical hits in close range, for ridiculous amounts of damage. |
Replace Spell
Nothing to replace, besides your personal preferences.
Level 12 - Bard Lv 10
The last level of the build but also with plenty of surprises. The build gets access to bonus features and a plethora of new spells to improve the build further.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Improved Bardic Inspiration | The bonus gained from Bardic Inspiration increases to +1d10, this will give a higher damage bonus for Flourishes. |
Lat, we get bonus skill expertise. Feel free to select anything that you would like to get, this will give an additional boost.
Skills
You can choose an additional 2 skills to obtain expertise in them. I recommend picking any of the Charisma or Dexterity-related ones.
Cantrips
Cantrips | Description |
---|---|
Mage Hand | A utility spell, that can summon a spectral hand. It can help with puzzles and shove enemies. |
Spells
For the spell section, I think nothing stands out, and you already picked what was needed. Just choose what you prefer. However, the next section will show how to unlock some very powerful spells.
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Greater Restoration | Having this spell might be useful in some situations where you want to remove a negative condition. |
Magical Secrets
Okay, this is an awesome spell list that gives you 2 spells to choose from. The downside... There are too many good spells. Of course, I would recommend setting up priorities. First, remember, that you can only have one concentration spell active at one time. Second, think about what situations and encounters were difficult to handle. The spells that you choose could make these much easier.
Spell | Description |
---|---|
Counterspell | At least one party member should have this in the group. It allows canceling any spell and can save your whole group's lives. However, having two of them is even better. |
Hunger of Hadar | The scariest spell you can use to control the battlefield. Use it to cover enemies and force them to move out of the fog. This will damage them, and you can wait for them outside to hit with your smites. Moreover, they become blind, giving you an advantage. |
Command | This is a very powerful control spell. It can target multiple enemies by being upcast and does not use a Concentration slot. So it can work together with other control spells. |
Banishing Smite (Ranged) | Although this is a paladin Smite, the only one to obtain it can be Bard. What makes it powerful, is that it removes an enemy combatant from a fight if it is successful. On top, it deals 5d10 damage. If you can land a critical hit, this is huge. Unfortunately, you will be able to use 3 of them maximum during long rest. |
These are just a few spells, and you can choose many more based on your preferences.
Replace Spell
You can remove anything that is not used and pick another spell to try it out.
Maximizing Ability Scores
Now, as the build progression is covered there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities. There are a few abilities to concentrate on as this is a multi-ability dependant build:
Strength
Strength is important, especially as you will want to reach maximum damage with Titanstring Bow. If you skipped the weapon or used it on another character then I would disregard strength.
- Elixir of Hill Giant Strength - sets to fixed 21, excellent for early game, but does use up elixir slot.
- Club of Hill Giant Strength - sets to fixed 19 value. An early-game alternative that you can dual-wield with another finesse weapon.
- Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength - sets to fixed 23 value. This will give a good boost to Titanstring Bow damage.
- Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength - sets to 27. This is the highest possible value for Act 3. However, you will have to sacrifice Elixir of Bloodlust which will provide a substantial damage boost with an additional hit.
I would go with Club of Hill Giant Strength for simplicity stake, and it will be the best option till Act 3. After that, you can continue using the club or equip Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength as you will get access to some powerful stat stick weapons.
Dexterity
To reach high Dexterity you have two main ways, you can have 18-22, depending on which setup you pick:
- Gloves of Dexterity will enable you to have a flat 18 dexterity, and put points elsewhere (like naturally pumping strength, constitution, wisdom). This is a good mid-game pick until you get some better gloves.
- Natural Investment into dexterity allowing to reach 22.
Here is how you can reach high Dexterity naturally:
- Character Creation - 17 Dexterity.
- Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity.
- Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Dexterity if you pick this choice.
- Act 1 - The Graceful Cloth for +2 Dexterity, but it will be dropped later in Act 3.
- Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Dexterity.
This will result in 22 Dexterity.
Charisma
This is the main spellcasting stat of Bard and will improve the success chances of your control spells. You should be able to reach 20-22:
- 16-17 from initial character creation
- Feat - Ability Improvement - +2 Charisma.
- Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - Charisma +2 and additional +1 from Patriar's Memory.
No matter if you end up with 20 or 22 it will be enough for a solid controller build.
Potions, Elixirs and Consumables
Let's take a look at what consumables you can use to further empower the build.
Potions
These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.
Consumable | Description |
---|---|
Oil of Accuracy | Gives +2 to attack rolls, which minimizes the negative impact from Great Weapon Master: All In. |
Diluted Oil of Sharpness | Gives a bonus attack roll and damage. It is a good coating if you can apply it before combat. |
Potion of Speed | You can chug this potion before combat, or during combat using bonus action. It gives another action point that gives an additional attack or one more spell cast. Sadly its duration is only 3 turns. |
Potion of Animal Speaking | Although not something powerful, it is worth stocking up and saving a spell slot. |
Potion of Invisibility | Can be used to get a perfect position before the encounter starts. |
Elixirs
Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.
Be sure to activate them before combat as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.
Consumable | Description |
---|---|
Elixir of Bloodlust | As you will be able to easily kill at least the weakest foe, this ensures additional attacks per turn. I recommend starting using it once you obtain Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength. |
Elixir of Vigilance | For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even surprise mechanics. |
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength | Sets strength value to 21 until the Long Rest. With this option, you can easily gimp on strength in the early game. You can put those points in Dexterity or Strength. Here is a farming guide for Elixir of Hill Giant Strength |
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength | An upgraded version that is available mostly in Act 3 via crafting or purchasing. Sets Strength to 27, the highest value possible. |
Elixir of Peerless Focus | Another good choice that allows to better maintain spell Concentration. |
Superior Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Grant's a single level 3 spell slot. Could be useful in case you are preparing for a longer encounter. |
Supreme Elixir of Arcane Cultivation | Grant's a single level 4 spell slot. Could be useful in case you are preparing for a longer encounter. |
Arrows
This is a very important part of the build and makes it over-the-top powerful. By stocking up with a few of these you can reach very strong potential.
Consumable | Description |
---|---|
Arrow of Many Targets | One of the most overpowered arrows in the game. What makes it powerful is that it can hit up to 4 targets. This may not seem much as you already have Slashing Flourish (Ranged), but with a single shot, you can get 8 Arcane Acuity stacks while wearing Helmet of Arcane Acuity. After that follow up with a control spell for a very high success chance. |
Arrow of Humanoid Slaying | All of these arrows can replace Slashing Flourish (Ranged) as they deal double damage. This means that you can use Bardic Inspiration for other things, or just utilize these arrows when you already use up your resources. |
Arrow of Aberration Slaying | |
Arrow of Dragon Slaying | |
Other same-name arrows... |
Illithid Powers
This special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers.
At first, you can only use the base powers. As you move to Act 3, you will be able to unlock the outer ring powers.
Illithid Power | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
Favourable Beginnings | Base | Beneficial power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits. |
Luck of the Far Realms | Base | Guarantees a critical hit, use it on important targets, that you want to make sure are killed. Works well with Arrow of Many targets, making each hit a crit. |
Cull the Weak | Base | Can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP. |
Ability Drain |
Base | Can help to reduce enemy abilities, particularly dexterity, which then decreases their Armour Class. |
Psionic Backlash | Base | A great way to weaponize your reaction before obtaining Counterspell. |
Illithid Expertise | Elite | Can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma based skills if you have not done that. |
Black Hole | Elite | Very powerful spell that can be used to pull enemies together. |
Psionic Dominance | Elite | Can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell. This is especially relevant as you will have a disadvantage on mental saving throws. |
Freecast | Elite | Remove the cost of spell slots or charges. |
Mind Sanctuary | Elite | You can now use action and bonus action interchangeably, giving two full spell casts each turn. It's not as important for you, but it will help other casters in the group. |
Equipment Recommendations
Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximize the Swords Bard Build. Items are especially important as they take the build to the next level thanks to their unique effects.
Act 1
The core items of the build are obtained in Act 1, so be sure not to miss those items as they will play a crucial role in making the build effective later on, based on your setup.
Ranged Weapons
Slot | Item | Description |
---|---|---|
Ranged | Titanstring Bow | The best bow in the game, however, it does require you to pump up strength. I covered some options in the ability maximization section. Generally, my recommendation would be to use Club of Hill Giant Strength as it simplifies things. |
Bow of the Banshee | An interesting alternative bow, that applies Frightened on enemies. If you have Arrow of Many Targets, this is a perfect way to apply some control with each of your shots. | |
Hand Crossbow +1 | Equip two of these early in the game. This is the best option in my opinion for high damage, and before you obtain Club of Hill Giant Strength. |
Melee stat stick slots
You can equip both or equip just one and use a shield. If you have shield proficiency, there are some decent options in the off-hand:
Slot | Item | Description |
---|---|---|
Melee (One-Handed) | Club of Hill Giant Strength | This is my recommendation if you plan on using Titanstring Bow as it will result in a very high damage boost. |
Knife of the Undermountain King | One of the best stat sticks in Act 1, giving improved crit chance and a slight damage boost via dice rerolls. | |
Shield | Adamantine Shield | The best shield in Act 1, with good bonuses and immunity to crit hits. |
Safeguard Shield | Can be obtained very early with a slight boost to saving throws. |
Other Equipment
Slot | Item | Description |
---|---|---|
Head | Diadem of Arcane Synergy | Gives a damage boost based on the spellcasting modifier. The activation of the bonus should be easy. |
Shadow of Menzoberranzan | Allows for becoming invisible, perfect for some surprise round setups. | |
Haste Helm | Improves movement speed, to reach perfect shooting position. However, I would prioritize this on melee characters. | |
Cloak | The Deathstalker Mantle | Become invisible after killing an enemy. |
Armor | Adamantine Scale Mail | Another powerful armour from Grymforge, that is best worn with 14 Dexterity, to get Bonus Armour Class, making it equal to Heavy Armour. |
Scale Mail +1 | A 15 AC armor with slight damage reduction. | |
Githyanki Half Plate | This can be equipped when starting the game by taking it from Lae'zel. Very solid option with a high Armour Class that you can use from level 3. | |
Gloves | Gloves of Dexterity | These can be an excellent choice if you are not using Cloud of Hill Giant Strenght elixirs. Moreover, they are also useful thanks to the +1 Attack roll bonus. |
Gloves of Archery | Ranged attacks will deal an additional 2 damage. Moreover, these gloves will give proficiency with Longbows if your race doesn't have it. | |
Boots | Disintegrating Night Walkers | It is one of the best boots, giving a total advantage for movement on difficult surfaces. It also gives Misty Step to increase that mobility. |
Boots of Striding | Gives improved movement when you cast a spell with Concentration. Moreover, you can walk on Ice without falling. | |
Boots of Speed | Excellent boots that improve movement capabilities, especially if enemies are far. | |
Amulet | Broodmother's Revenge | The only amulet in the game that gives a direct boost to damage. |
Rings | Caustic Band | Adds flat 2 damage bonus. |
Strange Conduit Ring | Gives a slight psychic damage boost while concentrating on spells. | |
Ring of Protection | The bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability. | |
Crusher's Ring | Improves movement speed, making it easier to reach your targets. |
Act 2 - mid-game
Slot | Item | Description |
---|---|---|
Melee (One-Handed) | - | Use the same stat stick weapons from Act 1. You can dual-wield them or use only one + shield. |
Ranged | Titanstring Bow | The best bow in the and continues to be for the rest of the game. |
Shield - if not dual-wielding | Ketheric's Shield | One of the best shields in the game. It will improve Spell Save DC and make it easier to land spells. |
Sentinel Shield | Gives a huge boost to initiative. | |
Head | Helmet of Arcane Acuity | Allows to start stacking Arcane Acuity for higher spell success. |
Diadem of Arcane Synergy | The bonus damage based on your Charisma modifier will give a significant boost. | |
Marksmanship Hat | Gives a slight boost to ranged attack rolls. | |
Cloak | Cloak of Elemental Absorption | It allows you to get bonus damage from an element. However, it is bugged and works only once a long rest. |
Cloak of Protection | Improves survivability and Saving Throw success. You want to equip this cloak to maintain that good Armour Class. | |
Armor | Dark Justiciar Half-Plate | No matter, which one you get, both of these are powerful armor choices. They will be useful for the start of Act 3. |
Dark Justiciar Half-Plate | ||
Yuan-ti Scale Mail | A solid medium armor, that has no limit to AC bonus from high Dexterity. | |
Gloves | Flawed Helldusk Gloves | Gives bonus fire damage. It is not much better than Gloves of Archery, but a slight boost to strength saving throws can be useful in a few situations. |
Gloves of Dexterity | Great intermediary gloves, opening up dexterity abilities and giving a bonus to attack rolls. | |
Boots | Evasive Shoes | The additional Armor Class is a great bonus. |
Disintegrating Night Walkers | One of the best boots, giving a total advantage for movement on difficult surfaces. It also gives Misty Step to increase that mobility. | |
Boots of Striding | Gives improved movement when you cast a spell with Concentration. Moreover, you can walk on Ice without falling. | |
Amulet | Broodmother's Revenge | The only amulet in the game that gives a direct boost to damage. |
Amulet of the Harpers | Allows casting a Shield spell, and can be a lifesaver if attacked heavily for one turn. | |
Rings | Risky Ring | A very powerful ring, that will give a permanent advantage on attacks. This will greatly improve your hit chance and make most of Act 2 encounters a cakewalk. |
Callous Glow Ring | Adds a radiant rider to improve total damage. | |
Strange Conduit Ring | Gives a slight psychic damage boost while concentrating on spells. | |
Shadow-Cloaked Ring | An alternative option for improved damage while obscured. | |
Ring of Protection | Solid ring for improved Armour Class. |
Act 3 - Final Build setup
Act 3, is where the Loredin Build can split into a few variations depending on what gear is available and the playstyle you want to go for.
Slot | Item | Description |
---|---|---|
Melee (One-Handed) | Club of Hill Giant Strength (BiS) |
If you are not using Strength Elixirs or Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength this is the easiest way to maintain high enough Strength to get substantial damage bonuses on Titanstring Bow. |
Rhapsody | One of the best stat stick weapons in the game. It will improve not only damage but Spell Save DC with each enemy kill for a total of +3 bonus. | |
Dolor Amarus | Another crazy powerful stat stick, that allows dealing additional damage on critical hits. This is fairly easy in the late game as you can use Hold Monster or Hold Person to easily guarantee these. | |
Staff of Spell Power | A spellcasting option that comes with Arcane Battery and improved Spell Save DC. | |
Ranged | Titanstring Bow (BiS) |
Still the best bow in the game, with how high strength you can get via various items. |
Gontr Mael | Second best bow in the game. It does trade blows with Titanstring Bow, especially if you will not use Bhaalist Armour for piercing vulnerability. In that case, I would go with this option. | |
The Dead Shot | A decent bow, which is generally used as a stat stick for other builds. | |
Head | Helmet of Arcane Acuity (BiS) |
This is the best item for the build to help stack Spell Saves DC via the arcane acuity effect. |
Cloak | Cloak of Displacement (BiS) |
Powerful cloak especially when you need to avoid enemy hits to maintain spell concentration. |
Armor | Bhaalist Armour (BiS) |
The best armor in the game comes with a major caveat. It does require you to enter close range to enemies for the Aura Of Murder effect. If you can, I would use this on another melee build so that you could safely attack from range while the effect is active. |
Armour of Agility | The best medium armor in the game, that has no Armour Class bonus limits from Dexterity.e | |
Elegant Studded Leather | Light armor option with Shield and bonuses to the initiative. | |
Gloves | Legacy of the Masters | One of the best gloves in the game, giving improved hit chance and damage boost. The damage boost will also work with Aura Of Murder from Bhaalist Armour piercing vulnerability. |
Helldusk Gloves | I like these gloves as they fit the build very well, giving both weapon damage bonuses and improved Spell Save DC. | |
Craterflesh Gloves | These gloves are bugged and ridiculously powerful. With an easy way to land critical hits using Hold Monster/Hold Person, you get separate instances of damage, creating a trickling effect of more damage, which is a bug rather than a feature. | |
Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength | These gloves will most likely go to one of the martials to get the strength to 23. If not, it can be worn on this build for additional damage with Titanstring Bow. | |
Boots | Evasive Shoes (BiS) |
As this is a ranged build, there is not much need to walk on slippery surfaces, so just pumping AC slightly is the best option here |
Helldusk Boots | Allows you to force a successful Saving Throw using a reaction. | |
Amulet | Amulet of The Devout (BiS) |
Gives +2 Spell Save DC. However, this item is highly contested by casters and particularly clerics, so I would leave it to them. |
Broodmother's Revenge | One of the best amulets as it gives bonus damage. | |
Amulet of Greater Health | Gives a huge survivability boost and ensures that it's highly unlikely that your Concentration saving throws fail. | |
Spellcrux Amulet | Can be used to restore a spell slot and then unequip it. | |
Rings | Band of the Mystic Scoundrel (BiS) |
The best ring for this build. Together with Helmet of Arcane Acuity you can pump up spell save DC, and then cast most of the control spells with bonus action. |
Ring of Feywild Sparks (BiS) |
The only ring in the game that gives a direct boost to Spell Save DC. | |
Risky Ring | Less of a priority especially as it will be easy to get an Advantage through various control spells at your disposal. | |
Callous Glow Ring | An easy +2 radian damage on each attack. | |
Ring of Protection | +1 Armour Class and Saving Throws, excellent ring for improved protection. |
Build Mechanics
In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Loredin Build. This will help you utilize it to the fullest and correctly use various actions and spells throughout the game.
Important Mechanics and Combos
Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.
Managing Sharpshooter
The build mainly uses archery attacks to inflict damage. One of the biggest boosts from the early game is Sharpshooter: All In feat, giving a 10 damage boost but inflicting -5 to attack rolls. To overcome this problem there are a few ways:
- Archery fighting style bonuses
- Oil of Accuracy and Diluted Oil of Sharpness
- High Ground bonuses
I have a full article on increasing attack rolls. that goes into depth on various mechanics that work especially well in the early game. This is when the -5 attack roll, hurts the most.
Stacking Spell Save DC for 100% spell success chance.
The big highlight of this build is the Helmet of Arcane Acuity + Band of the Mystic Scoundrel combo. It allows you to stack Spell Save DC with the Arcane Acuity effect. Just use Arrow of Many Targets or double hit with Slashing Flourish (Melee).
Once it is pumped, you can use bonus action with Band of the Mystic Scoundrel and cast various control spells from Illusion and Enchantment schools - Confusion, Hypnotic Pattern, Hold Person, Hold Monster, etc. So you can inflict a lot of damage, and later follow up with an almost 100% spell success chance on these spells. Enemies will not be able to do anything and fights will become a cakewalk.
Guaranteed Critical hits
With the mentioned Helmet of Arcane Acuity and Band of the Mystic Scoundrel combo, you can easily get a very high Spell Success chance. Now, this can also get you guaranteed critical hits. Use Hold Monster/ Hold Person and target the enemies that you want to disable and get crits on.
Once the spells land, you can come into a 3-meter range. Try to get as close as possible without getting Threatened status, so that you would not lose bonuses to attack rolls. Now fire your arrows away for a huge damage bonus.
Remember this can be the main pickpocket, lockpicker, and trap disarmer.
One thing that may be overlooked is that Bard's are perfect pickpockets and experts in Sleight of Hand. Generally one would assume this is reserved for Rogues. However, you can check my pickpocket guide on how Bard can be very effective with that in the early game.
One thing to remember is that you want to pick proficiency in Sleight of Hand, and later at level 3 expertise in it. This way, with high Dexterity you will get good bonuses making it easy to disarm traps and lockpick chests.
Early Game Combat
Let's cover how you should progress combat levels 1-6. This plays as a normal Archer, where you utilize mostly your weapon attacks and a few spells.
- I recommend relying on dual Hand Crossbow +1 until you obtain Titanstring Bow + Club of Hill Giant Strength. This way you will have a good use for bonus action and later a powerful weapon setup.
- To maximize the number of attacks early on you can use Slashing Flourish (Ranged) and follow up with bonus action offhand attack using Hand Crossbow +1.
- Cloud of Daggers is a very good early-game spell. It can target multiple stacked enemies and hit them two times. It is perfect against some fights like Gnolls, or Goblins where they are close together or need to go through a choke point.
- I would try to maintain distance with Ranged builds. This way you avoid attack penalties but also can make sure enemies will have a harder time hitting you.
- You can disable Sharpshooter: All In if your hit chance is below 70%, to make it easier to land hits.
- Use Longstrider to buff your allies and yourself to give you a better position in combat.
Late Game Combat
Late game is where this build lifts off and can attack and cast spells on the same turn:
- With Helmet of Arcane Acuity, you can attack with arrows especially Arrow of Many Targets, and build up Spell Save DC easily. Then you can cast a control spell like Hold Person, Fear, Confusion, etc.
- If you can, prioritize Hold Monster/Hold Person as you can greatly improve your damage via guaranteed critical hits. This will work both for allies and you, just try to be in the 3-meter range.
- Freely utilize arrows like Arorw of Many Target and Arrows of Slaying. The latter are extremely powerful and deal double damage to specific enemy types.
Build Variations
Here are some variations that work similarly and utilize the same classes at their core.
Setup | Description |
---|---|
|
A very popular Swords Bard setup, that allows scribing level 6 spells from Wizard. So you can learn something like Globe of Invulnerability or other cool stuff to get access to wide utility stuff. |
|
Gives access to weapon attacks with bonus action via War Priest Charge. Moreover, you retain 6th level spell slots, for the stronger control spell upcasting. |
Conclusion
Thank you for reading the best Swords Bard Build for Baldur's Gate 3. I hope you enjoyed reading this very powerful build setup and how it offers a unique playstyle between an archer and a caster. This is one of the best options for Honour Mode runs.
Cheers!
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