Bards are known to be charmers and entertainers. In Baldur’s Gate 3, they mostly take on the role of support. In the school of daring, however, bards are less jolly musicians and more war-hardened skalds. MeinMMO presents you with an unconventional build that works surprisingly well.
What build is this? As a Bard in the School of Valor, you’ll be at the forefront, leading your companions into battle rather than just cheering them on from behind. With your charisma you ensure morale as well as with your determination to kill opponents.
Bards are already the undisputed best class in Baldur’s Gate 3. They can do everything, if not perfectly, but with the right adjustment they fulfill every role. In this form, they wear heavy armor and pack a powerful punch, rather than relying purely on magic, swords, or bows.
School of Valor is one of the stronger versions of the bard in the tier list of top classes. This is partly because you can choose to act as a tank for your party or as an armored fighter
In our build we show you how to play both versions of the daring bard correctly and which talents you use best.
General tips for leveling can be found in the video:
5 tips to properly level up your characters in Baldur’s Gate 3
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School of Valor Bard Build – Stats and Talents
defensive path
starting values
A soldier, folk hero or oddball is best suited as a background. The best race are gold dwarves because they gain extra life points per level and are natively skilled with battle axes and hammers.
talents and skills
Important Spells
Generally helpful spells that protect you or allies such as: Blade Bane, Evil Taunt, Heroism, Hold Person
offensive way
starting values
A soldier, folk hero or oddball is best suited as a background. The best race are gold dwarves because they gain extra life points per level and are natively skilled with battle axes and hammers.
talents and skills
Important Spells
Generally helpful spells that grant you or others a boost, such as: True Strike, Bladebane, Valor, Long Strides
A big advantage of the bard is that you get a third short rest. You can see why this is important here:
A useful feature can make your life in Baldur’s Gate 3 much easier
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Playstyle and Group: Like a Viking in the shield wall
How to play the build: In both variants, you are a frontline fighter who should wear medium armor and a shield. With this you can easily get an armor class of 18 or more and can withstand a lot.
Since you already get a second attack from level 6, you should grab a strong weapon as soon as possible. Battle axes are ideal because of their versatility. As a dwarf you have practice with the weapon. Otherwise longswords or hatchets are fine as long as they use strength as a modifier.
You primarily attack with melee attacks, but use your Bardic Inspiration to give either yourself or others in the party a bonus to attack. Unlike other schools, your inspiration also affects weapon damage and armor.
more on the subject
Baldur’s Gate 3: All 12 classes and 11 races at a glance – which one suits you?
by Christos Tsogos
The perfect group looks like this: Ideally, you have other characters with shields next to you. Perfect are:
If you want to pick from the standard Baldur’s Gate 3 pet classes, Gale, Karlach, and Shadowheart are best suited for your party. Try to advance in a closed shield wall and drive enemies in front of you, preferably straight into the arms of the enraged berserker.
If you want to plan the build yourself or try it out with your group, it is best to use a character planner:
Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Planner: We show you the perfect tool to create your class and builds