Every single class and subclass Baldur's Gate 3 You have a role to play, or multiple roles depending on your build. Each character is balanced so that even the most creative players can create something to fit their unique play style.
Bards are one of those classes that can fill almost any role, including healer, spellcaster, melee fighter, ranged damage dealer, or a combination of all of the above. This means that even after choosing a subclass, there are some important details to consider. The achievements, equipment, and choices your protagonist makes along the way should be chosen to complement the bard's subclass.
Updated on November 28, 2025 by Hamza Haq: One of the great things about Baldur's Gate 3 is the amount of change players can always expect each time they play. The story is the same, but the builds and different subclasses players can experience are nearly endless. Therefore, theorizing about new possible builds and debating the pros and cons of certain builds are a favorite pastime of the community. The introduction of Patch 8 and the introduction of a new Bard subclass, College of Glamor, upset the existing balance. This article has been updated with some additional information to give players a clearer idea of what to expect when choosing the Bard subclass in BG3.
4
college of courage
The beginning of a combination build
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Subclass features |
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level 3 |
get progress in:
battle inspiration: Inspire an ally, adding a +1d6 bonus to their next attack roll, ability check, saving throw, weapon damage, or armor class. |
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level 6 |
Additional attack: Gain an additional free attack when attacking unarmed or with a weapon. |
The basic idea of the College of Valor Bards is to combine the support abilities of the College of Lore and the martial arts abilities of the College of Swords into a single package. College of Valor changes Bardic Inspiration to Combat Inspiration. This feature allows an ally to add a modifier of 1d6 to their next attack roll, ability check, saving throw, or AC.
Combat Inspiration is a bonus action that costs a Bardic Inspiration charge to cast. College of Valor Bards also receive heavy armor, shields, and martial weapon proficiency as part of their subclass selection bonus, as well as an additional level 6 attack.
Proficiency with Shield and Medium Armor means that these bards are much tankier than other subclasses, which is the biggest advantage they have. College of Valor Bards can deal quite a bit of damage depending on the situation, but their primary role is to support the main party by using Combat Inspiration to cast massive AoE buffs. Combined with their inherently bouncy nature, they are able to survive much better than other squishy classes. BG3Makes them a somewhat difficult target to take down.
3
glamor college
celebrity, face, healer, support class
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Subclass features |
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level 3 |
Mantle of Inspiration: Invigorates 2 allies and grants 5 temporary stamina points. When hit by a melee attack, the attacker becomes charmed. |
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level 6 |
Mantle of Majesty: Commands a creature to run away, move closer, freeze, fall to the ground, or drop its weapon. The charmed target automatically fails the saving throw. Mantle of Inspiration's target count increased to 3 and bonus HP increased to 8. |
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level 10 |
Mantle of Inspiration's target count increased to 4 and bonus HP increased to 11. |
College of Glamor is the newest subclass added. Baldur's Gate 3It was introduced to the D&D world with its recent release. Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. It's a DPS-based build that focuses on spellcasting power, and the spellbook includes buffs, healing, and battlefield management as much as it does healing and damage.
Baldur's Gate 3: Best Items for Charisma
Charisma characters in Baldur's Gate 3 can greatly benefit from the following items: The benefits available to Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Warlock are as follows:
This subclass has two signature abilities, each of which is an AoE ability that affects the entire party. Mantle of Inspiration provides temporary health to the bard's allies and charms enemies. Mantle of Inspiration's charm effect can be triggered manually when you approach an enemy and then try to leave, triggering an attack of opportunity. This effectively gives you a 100% success rate in removing your enemies from the equation in almost any fight.
The Mantle of Majesty grants the bard the power to use abilities similar to the Command spell on enemies. This means they can be charmed, causing them to drop their weapons, run away, or stay in place. Mantle of Majesty can be cast once per long rest, but is a focus spell similar to: 
call lightningThe player can cast the same spell again for the next 10 turns as long as their concentration is not broken. This means that players can use their bonus actions to recast Mantle of Majesty throughout the fight, and can cast Command up to 10 times if needed.
2
lower university
dedicated caster
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Subclass features |
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level 3 |
get progress 3 skills (player choice) cutting words: Use your wits to distract the creature and undermine its confidence. You take a -1d6 penalty on attack rolls, ability rolls, and saving throws. |
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level 6 |
magic secret: Learn 2 non-bard spells from the secret list of magic at level 3 or lower. |
Professional Bard College Baldur's Gate 3 A bard who is a pure aspirant and spellcaster who prefers to stay outside of melee range. They cast spells from afar and use Bardic Inspiration when necessary. As a counterpoint to the combat inspiration of the College of Valour, they gain the following abilities: Cutting Words is a reaction that can be used to apply a debuff to an enemy, inflicting a 1d6 penalty on their attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws. It also costs a Bardic Inspiration charge to cast.
Baldur's Gate 3: Best Sorcerer Class Build
The best Baldur's Gate 3 Sorcerer build is one that avoids opportunities for Wild Magic and instead relies on Draconic heritage.
Secrets of Sorcery are spells that are not in the bard's normal list, and the bard class gains limited access to them at certain levels. College of Lore Bards gain two additional level 3 magical secret spells at level 6. This allows them to compensate for their spellcasting weaknesses much faster than other subclasses. This includes powerful spells like Fireball. call lightning, 
hasteand 
soul guardian.
Choosing the right magical secrets is key to getting the most out of your College of Lore Bard. Because this can be of enormous help in the right scenario. Also, you don't have to only choose level 3 spells at level 6. Pick a useful low-level spell like Magic Missile, or 
misty step This can go a long way when you're running low on spell slots.
1
sword university
Close Combat Bard
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Subclass features |
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level 3 |
get progress in: Blade Flourish: Provides access to the following prosperity:
fighting style: You can access the following fighting styles.
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level 6 |
Additional attacks: You gain an extra free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack. |
in Baldur's Gate 3The College of Swords subclass turns the bard from a ranged spellcaster into a martial weapon-wielding foe on the battlefield. This subclass focuses entirely on a combat role, giving up spellcasting abilities for martial prowess. That's not to say that College of Swords Bards can't cast spells, but that's not their main focus.
College of Swords features Blade Flourish, a unique weapon action that allows the bard to increase AC on hit, attack two targets in one action, or teleport to a target after pushing it away. These weapon actions require a Bardic Inspiration charge. In addition, College of Swords Bards can use two fighting styles: dueling and dual-weapon fighting, further increasing their combat effectiveness.
A common misconception about College of Swords Bards is that they are only meant to use melee weapons. In fact, one of the most powerful College of Swords builds centers around a dual-wielding two-handed crossbow, turning the bard into an artillery mech. 
flourish Triggers on ranged combat attacks and melee attacks.
