Swords bard gloomstalker bg3.

Swords bard gloomstalker bg3 Thief is more consistent damage, Assassin gives good first round alpha strike damage. Mainly because i dont enjoy stealth that much and i will dual wield. Patch 8 brings a major shake-up to Baldur’s Gate 3, introducing 12 new subclasses that dramatically expand the possibilities for character customization. It all came about because I was having trouble with dialogue checks so I just started adding levels of swords bard. 5 gloomstalker (extra attack lvl 2 spells, misty step) 4/5 thief(2 extra dmg to your sneak attack) 2/3 battle master or champion do you want maneuvers, build up crit fishing or the half dmg from thief 5. A Swords Bard (6/4/2, 8/4, whatever you like) starts with 8 shots in the main-hand and 2 off-hand. 10 Swords Bard; 1 Fighter; 1 Wizard; A very popular Swords Bard setup, that allows scribing level 6 spells from Wizard. I'd add fighters and swords bards to the ideal multiclass options. Hope you enjoy! You get extra attack a level earlier in Ranger vs Sword Bard, plus Fast Hands means both your attacks include offhand on dual-wielded hand xbows. Ideally you don't multi-class until after level 6, but you can make a pretty diverse bard only party after that point. This is a College of Swords Bard 6/ Thief 3 + whatever (I need to see what Fighter Champion does - I know the visual for Action Surge on MY character is cool as fuck). 3 days ago · 2 Paladin/10 Swords Bard - also called Swords Smite Bard (SSB) with a strong nova round potential, multihit attacks, and strong control. . I want to use a build that can do a ton of damage in the first round and get resources back from short rests. wiki]. One guarantees critical hits, and another gives a bonus attack on the first round, with bonus invisibility. Any subclass in BG3 that isn't from the PHB listed above is from one of these two sources, and in many of the cases they picked the most popular option among the 5e community; Swords Bard, Gloomstalker Ranger, and Spores Druid are the ones that come to mind. Have fun. One thing I'm using on my Swords Bard in tabletop D&D that seems like it'll be equally powerful in BG3 is the Mobile feat. " Only 3/6 listed builds are actually all that great (throwzerker, monk, fire sorc), but the game is really easy, so S+ tier builds are overkill anyway. [Edit] Another build worth thinking about if you preferred Bard, is dropping Thief. Jan 25, 2024 · I've been experimenting with different builds trying to find what I have the most fun with and their play-styles. Early in act 2 and very late in act 3 it's going to be the melee smite swords bard, or the 1/1/10 support bard that are the best builds, maybe also a strength elixir and titanstring build. It is hardly any weaker either in any of the Bard schools. Hi! So, a swords bard multiclass seems to be one of the best ranged builds in the game thanks to slashing flourish. After discovering just how good Swords Bard is its my go to for Astarion or Wyll depending on the run. The best splits are either fighter 2/ Swords Bard 10, or Eldritch Knight 4 (shield spell, magic missile, more spell slots etc)/ Swords Bard 8. if you're interested in taking this up further, swords bard does it better than the gloomstalker. It's a simple build, but it's my favourite because my monkey brain loves critical hits 😂 Action surge lets you take the 'attack action' again, meaning you get to do your multiattack again, 2 attacks + the gloomstalker round 1 attack + action surge which means another 2 more attacks + gloomstalker extra attack = 6 attacks (this should work but i havent reached high enough lvl to test if you can gloomstalker extra attack twice with We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Here’s the reasoning behind the main variant: 6 Swords Bard If you want to stick to being roguish, thief 3 just for the double bonus actions, then youve got 9 levels to play with - gloomstalker is popular, fighters also good, could see college of swords bard working well too. May 13, 2025 · 6 Swords Bard; 4 Ranger or Rogue; 2 Fighter; Swords Bard setup which gives Slashing Flourish (Melee) . If you're not swords bard and you can't use things like Legacy of Masters gloves and/or Risky Ring, etc (stuff that raises your hit chance and is highly contested by other builds) you May 13, 2025 · 6 Swords Bard; 4 Ranger or Rogue; 2 Fighter; Swords Bard setup which gives Slashing Flourish (Melee) . Smite swords bard is generally much better in terms of damage output starting around level 8, but the ranged swords bard is a bit better at CC, resource conservation, and utility. 5 of those will be critical hits. Swords Bard can pump out much more damage because of flourishes, making them powerful melee fighters and even stronger archers using dual hand xbows. But I find Gloomstalker/assassin to be more fun personally. May 15, 2025 · During the early phase of BG3, the Ranger should look to equip a Longbow and Medium Armour. Go Sword Bard 6, Paladin 2, and then continue to Bard 10 for magical secrets. For Bard spells, BG3 players should make sure to grab control spells, but most Would it be controversial to say that Gloomstalker is just a more balanced Swords Bard? Gets an extra attack with bonus damage earlier than most classes, but can only be used once per battle Is a good utility caster and skill monkey, but has a more limited selection and doesn't get Expertise A straight 12 lvl swords bard would work great for Astarion. Probably better. I mean you get bonus action hide from the assassin levels so its really just initiative + resourceless attack + extra attack one level sooner + archery fighting style. Also, all the arrows which you'll get constantly make ranged incredibly powerful in bg3. nice build. Warlock 5 for agonising blast, beguiling influence and devils sight, sword bard 7. You've shot down Gloomstalker Assassin whcih is one of 3 strong contendors for ranged build not using Swords Bard so you're pretty much left with 12 Champ fighter (or some 11/1 variant) and 11/1 Hunter/War Cleric. I think only swords bard or warlock can compete with that for nova DMG and it doesn't cost resources (except a speed potion). It has very high sustained damage because of Slashing Flourish, and it's got a large number of spells it can fall back on if needed. Jul 7, 2024 · The most optimal one is going to be 6 Swords Bard / 4 Thief / 2 Fighter. Another good option you lose a bardic inspiration and some spell slot, but you get the dread ambusher attack, +3 Initiative and 1 AC from defense fighting style. Astarion as a bard is great. Dual hand xbows, sharpshooter We're thinking of a multiclass character that has 6 College of Swords bard, Assassin rogue, and 2 fighter lolol. They also get cutting words. wiki] are basically a better, universal version of Gloves of Archery. If you want to stick to being roguish, thief 3 just for the double bonus actions, then youve got 9 levels to play with - gloomstalker is popular, fighters also good, could see college of swords bard working well too. I'll see you this and raise you swords bard 6 (slashing flourish + extra attack, dialogue expertise, CC spells, etc), gloomstalker 3, assassin 3. rolled with swords 6, assassin 4 and fighter 2 for 9-11 sharpshooter crits I don't know why people keep citing the Ranger build as being the superior option to running a Swords Bard. Insane first turn damage. Are double hand crossbows good? Yes, but there are better Maybe a bit unorthodox with what being agreed here, but my build would be Sword Bard 6, Gloomstalker 4, Fighter 2. If you want a Swashbuckler, it might make more sense to go Fighter + Thief and dual wield, or go full fighter. Well it's a good idea but many people have thought of it. Best BG3 Astarion Build. You'd probably want 3 levels of bard at least for expertise so you can persuade a lot. Im trying to build an optimal archer build. On the first turn of combat, your Movement Speed increases by 3 m / 10 ft, and you can also make an extra weapon attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage Jul 7, 2024 · The most optimal one is going to be 6 Swords Bard / 4 Thief / 2 Fighter. swords bard is the new gloomstalker. If you want to optimize for DPS overall, multiclassing into swords bard is probably better. Generally acknowledged cookie cutter level split is GS 5 Thief/Assassin 3 BM 4. Gloomstalker 3 to finish gloomstalker sharpshooter build. Stats are 8,14,14,10,12,17, and take the hag gift for 20 cha at level 4. Otherwise 5/4/2/1 gloom is better Bard version only gets 1 feat but you don’t really need anything beyond sharpshooter to make the build work. Have him use two short sword and two hand cross bows and take the Two-Weapon Fighting style with swords bard. And yes it has higher damage than gloomstalker because ranged flourish is broken strong in this game; gloomstalker is just more thematic for an assassin. I went Swords bard to 9, then respecced to bard 6/gloomstalker 3, and planning on ending up with bard 6/gloomstalker 3/thief 3 Weapons currently are undermountain epic short sword with lifestealing short sword Fighting styles are duel wield from bard and defense from ranger for +1 ac There’s an amulet or something at some point that makes It haven't run a Ranger/Bard. so i just used whichever bow/xbow was best at the time. If this is given to another character, you can either get the Unwanted Masterwork Scalemail [bg3. I did 5 gloomstalker/5 sword bard/2 fighter using the titanstring all game on my last run and it absolutely annihilated shit. Nov 7, 2024 · The College of Swords is a Bard subclass in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3). Lore Bard is the go-to for caster bards because of Magical Secrets. Bhaalist Armor, Acuity stacks, great ranged damage all game. Also, the point of a Swords Bard is to be a master of many things - support Magic and Bard tricks, great ranged damage, and Acuity spam. honorable mention to the sorc for a more gish build. I'm really enjoying this game. My first Tav was a gloomstalker/swords bard combo. You can multiswords bard with other charisma classes like Paladin or Warlock for a melee vibe, Paladin is best as a 2 level dip for Armor/Weapon Profs and smite but even a Thief 3 for additional bonus attack. One of the more powerful ones would probably be the good old 2/10 Smites Swords Bard. I feel the char has acceptable dps in act 2 and serves as a great face. Fleshmelter Cloak : Act 2 House of Healing Morgue ( Alternativ e Cloak of Protection , or Shade-Slayer Cloak ). This is very, very similar to my archer build, with Ranger going out in favour of Thief. builds. Astarion Companion Rogue Thief Build Guide for Baldur's Gate 3 - Best equipment, skills, abilities, and more. Check out our guide for how to unlock the College of Swords subclass, its features, best races to use, as well as the best builds. It ended up having great control, amazing single target melee burst and good ranged thanks to extra bonus action and duel hand crossbows. As for ways to get additional attacks beyond extra attack there are a few. The only real reason to even dip into Bard at all is the additional short rest at Level 2 as well as it's extremely helpful Level 1 ritual spells like Longstrider, Featherfall, and Speak to Animals. I'd say the top 5 classes a gloomstalker should consider is fighter, rogue, war cleric, swords bard and spore druid. Stats show most players want to play a paladin and don’t like ranged attack builds. I could round the build off with 8 Bard 4 Ranger to get three feats and level 5 spell slots, but I wanted to know if there were other ways I could iterate on Sep 14, 2024 · Level 9 stood out because sword bard gets extra attack a level later than ranger. I personally went 12 bard for the 3 feats, but 1 fighter/11 bard is arguably better. You are almost always better off going Thief and dipping into Wizard/Sorcerer/Bard. Not ideal but I play a Sword Bard Gloomstalker ranger (end build: 6 Bard/3 ranger /3 thief). Those 2 levels of fighter or ranger levels also let you grab the archery fighting style which is college of sword bard with assassin and gloomstalker and Slashing flourish (ranged) is broken too, the ranged version works like casts from an elditch blast, the 2 arrows can hit one target twice. Gloomstalker has dread shot for one extra attack on turn 1, but sword bard can surpass that with ranged slashing flourish (and use it beyond round 1). 10 Swords Bard; 1 Fighter; 1 War Cleric; Gives access to weapon attacks with bonus action via War Priest Charge. Dex>cha>con. At level 3 take College of Swords subclass. warlock is primarily for sustained number of attacks. The unique ability, Edge of darkness, is a 3m radius attack that hits everything inside for full damage (even lets you smite everything as Yes sword bard does great in melee. 1-6 Bard Took college of Swords at 3, two-weapon fighting style Feat: Mobile (stab, then run away!) 7-10 Rogue Thief at 3 for extra bonus action Think I took Ability improvement to bump my Charisma here 11-12 Bard Sharpshooter as final feat Items. If you also want to be a caster, due to itemization We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Ranger is not weak, but feels rather bland to play no matter the subclass, while Bard seems endlessly versatile. If you’re looking to be a Stealthy menace, then a Bard + Rogue Multiclas may be a build that offers you Old thread I’m aware, but I ran Thief 3 (for the extra bonus action) and Lore 9 (caps off neatly with a level 5 spell slot). Swords bard 6 for 2 weapon fighting style and extra attack. The swords bard slashing flourish ranged is pretty darn powerful. At level 4 take the take the sharpshooter Feats. While Assassin combo nicely with Gloomstalker, the main feature of Assassin, auto crit, is hard to get most of the time, because many important fights trigger off dialogue. Two weapon fighting is the better fighting style. Could a Swords Bard 6 / Assassin Rogue 4 / Fighter 2 excel at this? I was thinking of going Duergar, initiating combat while invisible to surprise enemies, then getting off a ton of auto-crit attacks with Slashing Flourish and Action Surge. Bard will also still get a 6th level spell at 11 levels of bard. This is IMHO the best use of a swords bard. Hi guys. Dread Ambusher You specialise in taking out foes swiftly and ruthlessly. Imo, mystic scoundrel enables a role play fantasy of a big sword attacker. It's an unconventional way to pilot a Bard, but stealth is an inherently broken mechanic so a stealthy Bard will have lower dmg output/spellcasting power than a traditional Swords Bard, but stealth makes any build more defensive and is "fun," so I think that's a perfectly fine way to pilot the build. 2. Also, it is more optimal as you get 2 feats, and can choose benefits from either Ranger or Assassin. May 6, 2025 · Best Bard Builds for Baldur's Gate 3. The easiest way to get a good set of armour and weapons is from Lae’zel companion. wiki] or stick to Yuan-Ti [bg3. And Wyll has been an absolute Gloomstalker ranger is another phenomenal multiclass base. with haste that is 10 autocrit arrows during the ambush round. This build deals massive amounts of ranged single target damage throughout the entirety of the game but still allows you to be the face of the party. Aug 2, 2023 · Thinking 3 hunter for the extra melee-dmg. Mentioning 10 Bard/2 Fighter deviates the topic a bit so I'll keep this variant in comment instead. Only real downside is 1 feat, but it honestly doesn’t matter for this build Best Astarion build in Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) May 14, 2025 · Overall, many of the builds will not have any changes, like Throwers, Swords Bard, Monk, etc. Lae'zel fits as a Fighter or Monk, since those are the most common Gith builds we see. I'm a bit uncertain about the best way to build one though. Astarion (Hunter 5 / Rogue 3) currently switching through the Rogue what fits best; Assassin is eh without Gloomstalker, Thief is eh, if you do not melee or use 2 hand crossbows, trying Arcane Trickster next; playing as a ranged damage dealer Minthara (Vengeance Paladin 2 / Swords Bard 6); playing as a burst dps + debuffer (faerie fire) Probably the strongest party I've ever had. It fits his personality well. very good face. They are perfect party faces, that are able to be proficient in multiple skills at the same time. Gather your party and venture forth! A community all about Baldur's Gate III, the role-playing video game by Larian Studios. Inspiration on short rest + extra attack. Gloomstalker seems more popular and rly good, but i think hunter will fit my playstyle better. 6 swords bard, 3 gloom, 3 assassin is a possibility. Killed orin in 3 shots. And Wyll has been an absolute BG3 party building templates - Free download as PDF File (. You can't use inspiration on yourself. I figure he has a "public" hero class and the "private" warlock class. It hurts the spell slot progression of swords bard, and thief is mutually exclusive with assassin, which is how Gloomstalker gets a lot of its value in order to be a top build. Get the Sharpshooter feat, and improve your dex to 20. Only thing that messes You forgot gloomstalker assassin. It's super powerful. Make sure to look up the crit reducing gear, there's a cape, helmet, the bow (of course) and the elixir. Bard because they felt guilty for killing a bard. Baldur's Gate III is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (D&D 5e) tabletop RPG ruleset. The build works like a charm. Start as 1 ranger, 3 bard, 2 ranger (get hunter subclass), rest bard. Evocation wizard's sculpt spells is better than just about anything that wizards can bring to the table in combat except a camp wizard with transmutation. I'm interested in hearing what y'all have been enjoying. pdf), Text File (. Dual wield crossbows Early Game: Hand crossbows +1 from Dammon. I will be able to have better info after thorough testing. Bard keeps his rougish elements but with better party support, spells and most importantly vicious mockery while Ranger is badass. A community all about Baldur's Gate III, the role-playing video game by Larian Studios. If you wanted to go melee, warlock 5 (great old one, pact of the blade), swords bard 6, wizard 1, can also be really powerful. That gear combo can be used with any variant of swords bard(or bard in general) but it's easiest to use on a swords bard chassis. The druid levels net you some decent utility spells, but more significantly, you can use the Spore Druid's ability to add an extra 1d6 necrotic damage rider essentially, and dual wield builds are pretty much all about having as many damage riders as possible to further close the Unfortunately, Arcane Trickster is one of the worst BG3 subclasses. Sword Bard Titanstring Bow with Elixir of Giants. Level bard up to 6. To me the best two versions are Sword Bard 10 / Fighter 2 for normal fighting or Sword Bard 6 / Assassin 3 / Gloomstalker 3 for surprise attacks. But also. Thief rogue and assassin both work well with multiclasses. Sep 6, 2023 · College of Swords Bard ( 8) + Thief Rogue (4) Image Source: Larian Studios via Twinfinite. I’d probably go with the fighter version and build my whole team around burst damage, Swords Bard is better for higher difficulties but it kind of takes away from the whole point of Gloomstalker being a burst damage class. The following do better with longbows: fighter 12(3 attacks), sword bard 10/fighter 2, hunter 12(2x Volley per turn), 5 gloomstalker/ 7 assassin. Sharpshooter feat. But you won't get flourish like swords bard. txt) or read online for free. if you wanted to factor in spell attacks (basically making a gish or a caster) we can definitely get higher numbers. to your base, which typically means you'll have about 50 ft. Gather your party and venture forth! And on Astarion, I made him a swords bard 6, gloomstalker 4, fighter 2. At level 3 of rogue, take the Thief subclass. Dec 9, 2024 · A gloomstalker doesn’t need any of that, and a ranged swords bard doesn’t either. They also basically require a dip into at least 3 thief, which makes both swords bard and gloomstalker worse. Would need STR or monk dip but if taking dual wielder feat already I would say shar's spear of evening in the main hand is kinda auto-include. Then you have Deadshot and the legendary. I prefer Swords Bard 10 / Fighter 2. :) So what would your build look like? Pretty much gotta have Thief 3 for the two Bonus Actions on dual crossbows, but what would the Bard part look like? GS is great, swords bard is also great as ranged slashing flourish is an extra attack and can hit the same target. Pretty typical build you move fast and hit a lot. In terms of reference, AT9 gives you only 4/2 spell slots. Together with some items I found, I can act as a face, tank decently ( 22 AC at the beginning of Act 2), heal and the combination of Flourishes and Smite leads to a frankly crazy damage potential. now i presumed you wanted martial attacks here. Sure this build might be slightly better in a long fight but everything dies before that point with a Gloomstalker anyway. I use a 6 sword bard /3 ranger gloom/ 3 Rouge assassin's, the most important gear is the titan string bow, callous glow ring, that one ring that deals poison damage,heldusk gloves and any way of getting your strength high. of movement any time you Apr 9, 2025 · While the Swords Bard alone is already on this list, there's another path that Swords Bards can lean towards. As a bonus, I hear bard dialogue options are great, the extra short rest can be really helpful in some party makeups 6 bard/3 gloom/3 assassin is probably the best version of gloomstalker in bg3. Overall, enjoy the new subclasses! Dex gloomstalker best build is similar to the sword bard but worse because how op flourish is compared to dread ambusher. Meanwhile sword bard is getting full spell progression along the way. Take 3 levels in bard, either college of swords or college of lore. You don't even have to wait until act 3. Sword Bard 6 / Gloomstalker 3 / Fighter 2 / last level can be War Cleric, Wizard or Gloomstalker. I'm not sure where you're getting that from, but I've never noticed that. gloomstalker sadly is meh when it comes to adding attacks in bg3. S-Tier Multiclass Party Face Controller Spellsword Melee Last Updated: 6 January 2025 232 93 Astarion feels right as a Bard or Gloomstalker Assassin. At level 7 add rogue as a multi-class. can be subbed for 6/4/2 Swords Bard 5 Gloomstalker My party has 3 members using alert (sword bard (was gloomstalker til lvl 6-7) tav, lightning/reverb sorc, life cleric/lore bard, and martial that I change a lot) and I can usually swing fights so hard that I pretty much can’t mess it up. I love the hand crossbow swords bard build, but realized that it's criminally under-discussed around here. For example Fighter 11 gets a triple attack, and gloomstalker ranger gets a stacking extra attack on the first round of May 15, 2025 · Lae’zel Companion Build Changes in Patch 8 for BG3. Also, attacking from long range can be very nice. Basically you're casting Shield a bunch of times. Its quite fun. This gives 5 uses of bardic inspiration which can he used to make 2 slashing flourish attacks per attack. It was better than assassin because sword bards ranged flourish would put out crazy damage. The most popular Swords Bard build seems to be Paladin 2/Swords Bard 10, either going in that order for the Wis save bonus, and early access to Smites and Shield Proficiency (and Heavy Armour, if you want a Str-based build) or Bard 6>Paladin 2>Bard 7-10, for earlier access to your Bard abilities, level 3 Spells and Extra Attack. This uses the Mystic Scoundrel ring for the bonus spell and the arcane acuity hat for increased spell DC. true. Go bard if you want to abuse arcane acuity, hold person, hold monster and command. When multi-classed with the Rogue and Thief combination after level 6, the Bard can utilize a second bonus action, attacking twice with one action via an extra attack. Admittedly, I've never started as a Sword Bard, only ever multi-classed into it at higher levels. For act 1 it's probably a simple dual crossbow or titanstring bow wielding swords bard, making heavy use of minor illusion and cloud of daggers, using Start with the Bard class and choose Guild Artisan for the persuasion proficiency and Fey Ancestry for spell protection. Nov 21, 2024 · Among the most powerful bard builds I have seen is 6 swords bard, 2 paladin (for smite and fighting style) then 4 thief rogue for 2d6 sneak attack, expertise and an extra bonus action. I'm going Swords bard 6/Gloomstalker 3/Assassin 3. With bloodlust and haste you'll have 4 attacks+1 gloomstalker attack plus 1 from starting combat. Best Race, Skills, Abilities, Spells, Cantrips. Apr 4, 2024 · Armour of Agility [bg3. Hi, I’m working on an archer build and I was hoping to grab 6 Swords Bard for access to Ranged Flourish and 3 Gloomstalker for access to Archery Fighting Style as well as Dread Ambusher. BG3 is the third main game in the Baldur's Gate series. Swords bard 10, fighter 2, would get you magical secrets. Swords Bard already gets a really nice 10 ft. Wyll works as a Warlock / Paladin or Warlock / Sword Bard. Best College of Swords Bard Build Guide for Baldur's Gate 3. I respec Astarion to 7 Assassin Rogue / 5 Gloomstalker Ranger with Archery fighting style. Use dual hand crossbows and take sharpshooter. no elixir, no haste potion, no refresh of actions/bonus actions, a fighter2, swords 6, assassin 4, cranks out 9 crit attacks on the surprise round. I read that bard/fighter with dual crossbows is pretty strong and gloom/assassin is good too but I don't like hiding all the time. Nov 25, 2024 · I know most people go by the 5 Gloom 4 Assassin 3 Champion Gloomstalker build, which 5/4 is good but at 12 6 Sword bard, 3 Gloom, 3 Assassin can open with ranged slashing flourish and attack 1 target twice with each attack, that's 8 attacks hasted first round, 9 with dread ambusher 11 if you got elixir of bloodlust up that will burn all College of Swords is one of the Subclasses of Bard. Anyway, that’s enough introduction. BG3 High Damage Bard Build. So! I wrote up a quick guide covering a sample build and some choices you might face for your swords bard. Fighter gives action surge and probably con saves, war cleric for a bonus action attack, wizard to learn more spells. Take archery FS. But both Swords Bard's Slashing Flourish and Fighter Action Surge are for Main Actions. Apr 9, 2025 · While the Swords Bard alone is already on this list, there's another path that Swords Bards can lean towards. Action surge from fighter is nice, but you also only need 2 levels of fighter to do it. The swords bard is a monster of damage, with full spellcasting as well as amazing out of combat stats and utility. You get con save proficiency, archery fighting style and heavy armor proficiency and only give up 1 feat + Dex saves. Valor Bards howev They also don't stack with sword Bard, blade Warlock, or other subclasses that give extra attack around lvl 5 or 6 as a class feature or invocation. wiki] is your best armor and can be bought once you get access to Lower City. Thief w/ handcrossbows is really strong in BG3 because of the additional Bonus Action. TB Monk 9 / Thief 3 with Elixir of Giant. Since swords bard gets magical secrets at 10 and Otto’s at 11 anyway, you aren’t giving up much (1 spell). Having Fireball and Counterspell on a Bard that can sneak attack AND take two bonus actions is frankly some of the most fun I’ve had (especially considering my team was mostly full of half-casters and a barbarian) Jan 4, 2024 · I enjoy the flexibility of range and melee with Ranger but the pet system in BG3 is more annoying than fun thus stuck between sniper and pseudo thief Bard. I went Swords bard to 9, then respecced to bard 6/gloomstalker 3, and planning on ending up with bard 6/gloomstalker 3/thief 3 Weapons currently are undermountain epic short sword with lifestealing short sword Fighting styles are duel wield from bard and defense from ranger for +1 ac There’s an amulet or something at some point that makes If you want to optimize for DPS overall, multiclassing into swords bard is probably better. But swords bard would probably still be better with stealth expertise and flourishes once actually in combat. You'll get your 2nd attack quicker - level 5 Ranger vs 1 Sorc/6 Bard. A less optimal, but equally fun and overall pretty good variant is 8 Battle Master / 4 Thief. A 5/4/3 Ranger as level 12 starts the fight with 5 shots in the main-hand and 2 in the off-hand. They’re both ridiculously strong. Since the flourish option of the sword bard applies all of these modifiers on both attacks it's nutty damage We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. of walking speed when using the attack action on your turn, and Mobile adds another 10 ft. Swords Bard will feel "very ok" combat wise until level 6. Everybody will debate what are the best version of that build. my own build for solo tactician is ranged though unlike yours. The whole swag of the Swords Bard is just ranged slashing flourish for the 2 hits per attack, be the skills master and party face, and control the battle field with full spell caster levels. If you're sure you want sword bard no matter what. Maybe 1 ranger, 6 bard (extra attack), 2 ranger. silence is awesome with a melee weapon set and sentinel. These Bards focus entirely on improving their own combat prowess by combining the Extra Attack passive, being able to use Bardic Inspiration charges for utility and multi-attacks, and being the only Bard Subclass able to have a Fighting Style. Also, a tip about Sharpshooter - first, make sure you have the passive easily available to turn on and off (if you're on PC, you can drag it to your main hotbar for eas of access). You don't need to make him the party face if he's a bard. May 15, 2025 · Below is the best Act 3 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for College of Swords Bard in BG3: Birthright : Purchased at Sorcerous Sundries in Act 3 (Alternative Helldusk Helmet ). I don’t think it’s optimal at all but I was playing on Balanced and it was plenty strong there. At Least two Swords Bard is honestly pretty great if only for having another bard to use inspiration on you during skill checks. Sounds strong though arguably rhapsody is a bit better for not needing the feat and +3/+3 plus +3 spell save dc. Ability-wise, 17DEX/16CHA spread early on is probably optimal with swords bard even if you want to cast as well. She has the Githyanki Half Plate with 15 Armour Class (AC) and medium armour. Feb 17, 2024 · well sword bard got extra attack on ranged attack at release don't know if that was changed since then. Here’s the reasoning behind the main variant: 6 Swords Bard Swords bard 8, fighter 2, war cleric 1, wizard 1. May 15, 2025 · Below is the best Act 3 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for College of Swords Bard in BG3: Birthright: Purchased at Sorcerous Sundries in Act 3 (Alternative Helldusk Helmet). Sword Bards get "Extra Attack" at level 6. Tav: 6 Oath of Vengeance Paladin/3 Swords Bard Shart: 2 Life Cleric/7 Lore Bard Bae’Zel: 2 Fighter/7 Swords Bard Minthara: 2 Oathbreaker Paladin/7 Swords Bard Astarion: 9 Swords Bard Gale: 2 Knowledge Cleric/2 Divinatin Wizard/5 Lore Bard Karlach: 6 Open Hand Monk/3 Swords Bard Wyll: 5 Pact of the Blade Fiend Lock/4 Valor Bard Also, you'd have to waste 3 levels on Thief and that takes away from your spellcasting levels and prevents you from getting Magical Secrets at Bard level 10. They also have access to a lot of dialogue choices, unlocking more ways to play. a fighter 4, gloomstalker 5, assassin 3 no elixir, no haste potion, no refresh of action/bonus action cranks out 6 crit My dark urge is a pact of the blade, fiend warlock turned sword bard. I'm sure the list goes on. A very versatile class that can be a caster, weapon combatant or a troubadour telling stories. For some, like Lockadin, there will be changes in the positions. the swords bard is the new gloomstalker. 10/1/1 Swords Bard is the better build. Use Command: Approach on your enemies to get them close to your SSB and use Slashing Flourish combined with Divine Smite to obliterate enemies. May 15, 2025 · The College of Swords Bard build utilizes dual Crossbows for range damage while combining spellcasting and utility. But it hurts my brain that Sword Bard gets ranged Flurry and Slash attacks, but Warlock can't even bind a ranged weapon as their pact weapon. Also half wood elf. Pure Sword bard works great for your character fantasy, even without min maxing. You can also go Thief Rogue 4 / Spore Druid 2 / Swords Bard 6. Im trying thief/fighter but I think I might switch to bard/fighter. This reddit post is specifically about 10 Bard/2 Paladin which is a very popular multiclass but there're few complete guides on optimizing the build. Ranger will end up being similar but slightly weaker in the same aspects as a swords bard. Joltshooter comfortably gets you through act 1 and 2. Even better - 3 rogue/thief (for two bonus actions) 9 swords bard. didnt go the dual handxbow route as i needed my bonus action free for haste potions, hiding, etc. Avoid single target save-or-suck spells and use buff spells or AOE spells. Legacy of the Masters [bg3. Wildly OP if you ascend him too, for that spicy 1d10 necrotic dmg per attack. Otherwise, 5 levels in bard for 3rd level spells, and the rest into assassin would work just fine. For Bard spells, BG3 players should make sure to grab control spells, but most I haven't had time to mess with Bards yet. The post is even missing both forms of smite swords bard (SSB) and chose knowledge over any of the 3~ great cleric domains, which is questionable for a "top builds list. You get two attacks per turn like any martial class, have long swords or scimitars and can use fighting styles. The strongest build is start with fighter, take archery, then invest into bard levels. The most popular/powerful (imo) sword bard build does ranged slashing flourish x 2 for the main action, then casts an enchantment or illusion spell as the bonus action. Thief is an obscene pairing with swords bard. I think my starting stas were 16 Dex 16 CHA 14 WIS 12 CON 8 INT 8 STR. You gain a +3 bonus to Initiative. Swords bard is probably the strongest archer in the game, and bards get expertise at level 3 so he can still be a very OP lock picker, trap disabler etc. I went with a Swords Bard with 2 level dip into Ancients Paladin for Smite. Risky ring for permanent advantage, Fey semblance amulet to undo the disadvantage it gives you on My team already had a mage and a dual Xbow Gloomstalker so I want a frontliner instead. 37 votes, 34 comments. Hand crossbows with Sharpshooter are so good that any reasonable build works, however. Put the rest into assassin rogue. College of lore can net you survivability and crowd control, college of swords boosts your melee prowess. If you are running melee swords bards I would try to stick to full caster classes in your multiclassing simply for level 6 smites if that doesn’t matter to you then just 10 swords bard 2 paladin would be good especially when paired with the band of the mystic scoundrel since you could attack cast hold person as a bonus action and attack again Feb 20, 2024 · I'm sure there's some equally-scary Gloomstalker hybrid builds that have it beat for raw DPS, but not by much—a College of Swords bard can go toe-to-toe with the toughest of Fighters. I'm currently using a really fun Bard build with 11 levels into Bard and 1 into Life Domain Cleric. Fleshmelter Cloak: Act 2 House of Healing Morgue (Alternative Cloak of Protection, or Shade-Slayer Cloak). This bu Oct 21, 2023 · Title is the question. Would it be controversial to say that Gloomstalker is just a more balanced Swords Bard? Gets an extra attack with bonus damage earlier than most classes, but can only be used once per battle Is a good utility caster and skill monkey, but has a more limited selection and doesn't get Expertise A straight 12 lvl swords bard would work great for Astarion. Jul 11, 2024 · Gloomstalker will give you more uses of special arrows per turn. So you can learn something like Globe of Invulnerability or other cool stuff to get access to wide utility stuff. Playing sword bard in my first playthrough, I find they're the dual Xbow masters. The most powerful build in the game, this one truly does everything! Better casting than the casters! Better damage than the damage dealers! Better skills th Sep 5, 2023 · Just to establish my own personal cred, I have 5 playthroughs and 250 hours in BG3 at the time of writing this, I’ve tried out quite a few builds in both leveling and endgame. Gather your party and venture forth! Multiclass with something that gets extra attack: 5 gloom stalker, 5 fighter or 6 swords bard. Great alpha strike, all of the versatility of swords bard, and all the skill proficiencies/expertise I want Swords Bard or Gloomstalker Ranger Astarion for me. If he goes Bard, he can get lockpicking expertise. Bard, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, and any sort of multiclass of those you can think of. No idea about Honor Mode, I would try it on tactician first. urizz cmxktv pmhz plowj glgnkm mud boapmnf fww ygprprdy pdfra