Why You Should Play a Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is shaping up to be one of the biggest RPGs of the decade, and that expansive scope starts at character creation, where players must choose race, class, and background from over a hundred combined options. Of those choices, the most impactful will almost certainly be the Baldur’s Gate 3 class, as it defines not only what the player character can do, but also who he is as a person.

Players who are looking for a charming, magical, all-rounder artist should look no further than the Bard class. The Bard is a quintessential Dungeons and Dragons class, one who unlocked the ancient magic hidden in music, song, and performance. With Baldur’s Gate 3 adopting the +2/+1 Skill Score options from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, any race can be a good Bard by choosing Charisma as their primary Skill Score, with Dexterity being the recommended secondary.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Bard Roleplaying Features

There are few classes tastier than the Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3, and that flavor starts at character creation with choosing a starting instrument. While the differences between these instruments are mostly cosmetic, and other instruments can be acquired later in the game, a bard’s instrument helps define his character. They will use their equipped instrument whenever they cast a bard spell, adding a musical motif as they work their magic. Bards can also play their instruments outside of combat, causing nearby NPCs to gather and even toss in a few coins, allowing the bard’s allies to take advantage of their distraction to pick pockets, pick locks, and generally do bad things.

When it comes to dialogue options, bards make the most of their natural charisma, encyclopedic knowledge of music and history, and performance skills. Like his Charisma classmate, the Warlock, the Bard will more often serve as the “face” of the party, taking the lead in conversations and using his high Persuasion, Deception, and even Intimidation to charm, deceive, or coerce others to accept your point of view. to view.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Bard Gameplay Features

Gameplay-wise, the Bard plays the role of a support caster, albeit with a focus on crowd control and debuffing over healing. The Bard has access to the same number of Spell Slots per Long Rest as any other full caster in the game, and chooses the spells he knows from a long list of buffing, debuffing, healing, and utility options. The Bard complements his spells with some unique skill-focused and support features, further increasing his legendary versatility.

These features include Bard’s Inspiration, which allows the Bard to grant his allies a bonus die to Attack Rolls, Saving Throws, or Ability Checks, and Song of Rest, which grants the entire party an extra Short Rest per Long Rest. . The Bard also gains a pair of Skill-based features in Jack of all Trades, which makes the Bard better at Skills he isn’t Proficient in, and Expertise, which allows the Bard to choose two Skills to specialize in further. The Level 6+ Bard traits in Baldur’s Gate 3 are yet to be confirmed, but if the class continues to follow the DnD 5E rules closely, they will also gain the ability to protect allies from Frightened and Charmed conditions, and will eventually gain the ability to choose spells from any class’s spell list.

While bards choose new spells at every level, the most important choice they will make after character creation is choosing their subclass. The Bard has three subclasses to choose from, each with their own focus and flavor:

College of Lore The skill-focused College of Lore grants additional Skill Masteries, unlocks the ability to use Bard’s Inspiration to neutralize enemies, and grants early access to spells from other classes’ spell lists.

College of Valor The leadership-focused College of Valor grants Medium Armor, Shield, and Martial Weapons proficiencies, as well as an updated version of Bard’s Inspiration that allows allies to use Inspiration to increase their damage or AC. Also grants access to the Extra Attack feature at level 6.

College of Swords The fighting-focused College of Swords grants Medium Armor and Scimitar Proficiency, as well as a Fighting Style and the Bard’s ability to use Bard’s Inspiration on themselves to perform powerful Blade Flourish effects in combat. Also grants access to the Extra Attack feature at level 6.

Players can expect their subclass to provide plenty of roleplaying opportunities and dialogue options as they progress through the story of Baldur’s Gate 3, allowing them to add an extra level of customization to the Bard’s charm, versatility, and musical talents.

Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released on August 3 for PC and September 6 for PS5.