Baldur’s Gate 3 is the turn-based tactical RPG fans of Dungeons & Dragons have been wanting for years. It offers plenty of different classes to choose from. Some are great and bring offensive power to your group, while others provide invaluable skill coverage. Putting these characters together in the same group should cover everything the game could throw at you. Not all of these classes will play identically to their tabletop counterparts, and many aspects have been adapted to be more fun as a video game.
However, some classes want to be able to do absolutely everything. No class is a better example of such gluttony as the Bard. The Bard is a jack of all trades with a primary focus on the Charisma Ability. Bards can cover pretty much any skill you feel does not fit in with the rest of your party, and thanks to their Expertise feature, they can double their bonuses for certain skill rolls. Each subclass will modify the bard in certain areas of gameplay, and picking the right one can have a massive impact on your playthrough.
Updated by Chad Thesen on August 11, 2023: This guide has been updated to feature new embedded links that can allow easier navigation for readers. These embedded links include lists of the various subclass options for the Fighter and the Warlock classes, and how they may have a similar feel to the College of Valor Bard subclass.
3 College Of Valor
The College of Valor will give the Bard some more combat prowess in battles. It does so by giving them proficiency in Medium Armor, making them harder to inflict damage on. Secondly, it gives them proficiency in martial weapons. Combined, this means the Bards won’t need to hide behind frontliners to stay safe and can help out more in melee combat. College of Valor also gives them proficiency in shields, meaning players have the option to be more aggressive or more defensive with their off-hand. Bards can give their allies Bardic Inspiration to help them clear ability checks, but a College of Valor Bard lets their allies be able to use their Inspiration dice to also boost their damage in combat. While this might sound great, there is something even better they should be using these dice for — getting a bonus to their AC.
Being able to turn the result of an enemy hitting you into a miss will be far more valuable than using it to get a few extra points of damage for one hit. Unless it's a hit that could end the encounter, in which case, be sure to do that. Players that want wide skill coverage while also having some more damage output in their encounters will enjoy putting their Bard through this college. If you enjoy this subclass but want less spell versatility and more combat prowess, you may want to look into having a Warlock in your party instead. Warlocks are also spell casters with a primary focus on Charisma, and they will greatly enhance your group's combat performance in encounters. At level 6, the College of Valor subclass will get the Extra Attack feature. Extra Attack means that when you use your Action to make an attack, your character will be able to make two attacks instead of the usual one. This will be when your Bard really feels like another Fighter on the field and not just some spell caster supporting the character out on the frontline.
2 College Of Swords
College of Swords attempts to mimic College of Valor in that it helps the Bard engage more in combat. However, it does so by focusing on specific areas rather than granting a variety of options. This subclass will also grant you proficiency in Medium Armor, but it does not grant you proficiency in all martial weapons, only scimitars. Something that the College of Swords subclass brings to the table is your choice of two possible fighting styles. The first lets you wield a melee weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. The second lets you wield a melee weapon in each hand. As you can see, the College of Swords subclass does not offer you the flexibility of using shields as the College of Valor subclass does. College of Swords continues this more aggressive combat focus with “Blade Flourish.” This feature grants you 10 feet of additional movement whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Furthermore, when you use this movement for your attack, you get to pick from a variety of flourishes. Overall, the College of Swords subclass just offers a lot more style and engagement than the College of Valor subclass. This makes it a more popular choice among the tabletop community, but for Baldur’s Gate 3, both offer different strategic advantages in different situations. Players who will favor this subclass are those looking for a more aggressive Bard that reserves their spells when they need utility or when things go south and need a plan B to cover their tracks. Just like the College of Valor subclass, taking College of Swords as your Bard’s subclass pick will have it gain the Extra Attack feature at level 6. Overall this makes for a playstyle nestled between a Bard and a Paladin.
1 College Of Lore
Not to be outdone, the College of Lore subclass also comes with a lot of new proficiencies for the Bard. You gain proficiency in any 3 skills of your choice. That is big; party optimization is big. This subclass single-handedly lets you round out a party that is missing two roles by letting you decide which other Ability you want to be as high as your Charisma. Cutting Words is just as amazing as your choice of 3 skill proficiencies. This feature lets you roll one of your Bardic Inspiration dice against your opponents' rolls, even after they have made it. This means if your opponent needs a 16, and they rolled an 18, the odds of turning that successful roll into a failure are in your favor.
If all of that already hasn’t convinced you, there is even more; the subclass has to lure you in. At level 6, you are able to learn two spells from any class. These spells count as Bard spells, so they will use your Charisma to cast even if they are normally spells that require you to use Intelligence or Wisdom. These spells will not take up any space for the limited number of spells you will be able to know, making it the same as getting an additional two spell slots. Players that enjoy having a very versatile spell caster want 3 of the Origin companion choices that don’t quite synergize, or have an obscure party composition they are having trouble rounding out will both welcome a College of Lore Bard as the solution to all their problems.