Swords Bard Build - Dazzling Bowmaster - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

In this post, I will go through Swords Bard Build for Baldur's Gate 3. This is an Archer setup offering a very powerful ranged combatant with a mighty burst round using Action Surge​. However, this gets better as you will be a powerful spellcaster who is able to access a wide variety of control spells.

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	Halfling Luck​ Brave​ Naturally Stealthy​	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	Dwarven Combat Training​ Superior Darkvision​ Dwarven Resilience​ Duergar Resilience​	Gets special Invisibility​ which can be used to set up surprise rounds, if you are interested in a more stealthy approach.
Wood Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.	They offer improved movement speed and shield proficiency. This is excellent for early game, to improve your survivability when using a bow.
Gnome	Gnome Cunning​ Darkvision​	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	Martial Prodigy​	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.

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:

1. Character Creation - 17 Dexterity.
2. Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity.
3. Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Dexterity if you pick this choice.
4. Act 1 - The Graceful Cloth for +2 Dexterity, but it will be dropped later in Act 3.
5. 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
10 Swords Bard 1 Fighter 1 Wizard	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.
10 Swords Bard 1 Fighter 1 War Cleric	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!