Baldur's Gate 3: Bard Subclass Tier List

Every single class and subclass in Baldur's Gate 3 has a role to play, or several depending on the build. Each character is balanced in such a way that even the most creative player can create something that suits their unique playing style.

The Bard is one of the classes that can fill almost any role, including a 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 several more important details to consider. Feats, gear, and the choices the main character makes along the way should be chosen to complement the Bard's subclass.

Updated November 28, 2025, by Hamza Haq: One of the greatest things about Baldur’s Gate 3 is the amount of variance players can always expect from playthrough to playthrough. While the story remains the same, the builds and different subclasses players can experience are nearly endless. As such, theorycrafting new possible builds and debating the merits and demerits of certain builds is a favorite community pastime. With the introduction of Patch 8 and the arrival of the new Bard subclass, College of Glamour, the existing balance has been upended. The article has been updated with some additional information to give players a clearer idea of what to expect when they choose their Bard’s subclass in BG3.

4 College of Valour

The Start Of A Combination Build

Subclass Features
Level 3	Gain Proficiency in: Medium Armor Shields Martial Weapons Combat Inspiration: Inspire an ally to add a +1d6 bonus to their next Attack roll, Ability check, Saving throw, weapon damage, or Armour Class.
Level 6	Extra Attack: Gain an extra free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack.

Subclass Features

Level 3

Gain Proficiency in:

Medium Armor
Shields
Martial Weapons

Combat Inspiration: Inspire an ally to add a +1d6 bonus to their next Attack roll, Ability check, Saving throw, weapon damage, or Armour Class.

Level 6

Extra Attack: Gain an extra free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack.

The idea behind the College of Valour Bards is that they combine the College of Lore's support capabilities and the College of Swords' martial prowess into a single package. College of Valour changes Bardic Inspiration into Combat Inspiration, an ability that lets allies add a modifier of 1d6 to their next attack roll, ability check, saving throw, or AC.

Combat Inspiration is a bonus action that consumes Bardic Inspiration charges to cast. College of Valour Bards also receives proficiency in Medium Armor, Shields, and Martial Weapons as a part of the bonus of choosing their subclass, as well as an Extra Attack at level 6.

Having proficiency in Shield and Medium Armor means that these Bards are a lot tankier compared to other subclasses, which is the biggest advantage they have. Although College of Valour Bards can dish out some respectable damage when the situation calls for it, their main role is supporting the main party by casting large AoE buffs using Combat Inspiration. Coupled with their inherently tanky nature, they can survive much better than some of the squishier classes in BG3, making them a somewhat difficult target to take down.

3 College of Glamour

The Entertainer, Face, Healer, And Support Class

Subclass Features
Level 3	Mantle of Inspiration: Imbue 2 allies with your vigour and grant them 5 temporary hit points. If they're hit with a melee attack, the attacker becomes Charmed.
Level 6	Mantle of Majesty: Command a creature to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground or drop its weapon. Targets that are Charmed automatically fail their Saving Throw. Mantle of Inspiration number of targets increased to 3, Bonus HP inceased to 8
Level 10	Mantle of Inspiration number of targets increased to 4, Bonus HP increased to 11

Subclass Features

Level 3

Mantle of Inspiration: Imbue 2 allies with your vigour and grant them 5 temporary hit points. If they're hit with a melee attack, the attacker becomes Charmed.

Level 6

Mantle of Majesty: Command a creature to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground or drop its weapon. Targets that are Charmed automatically fail their Saving Throw.

Mantle of Inspiration number of targets increased to 3, Bonus HP inceased to 8

Level 10

Mantle of Inspiration number of targets increased to 4, Bonus HP increased to 11

The College of Glamour is the newest subclass added to Baldur's Gate 3, and it was introduced recently into the D&D universe with the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. This is a DPS-based build that focuses on spellcasting power, and the spellbook includes buffs, cures, and battlefield management as much as healing and damage.

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This subclass has two signature abilities, and each one is an AoE ability that affects the whole party. Mantle of Inspiration gives the Bard's allies temporary hit points and charms their enemies. The Mantle of Inspiration’s Charm effect can be manually triggered by walking up to an enemy and then trying to leave, which will trigger an Attack of Opportunity. This will effectively have a 100% success rate in taking an enemy out of the equation in nearly every fight.

Mantle of Majesty gives the Bard the power to use an ability similar to the Command spell on their foes, which means they can be charmed into dropping their weapons, running away, or staying in place. Mantle of Majesty can be cast once per long rest, but it is a concentration spell similar to Call Lightning, allowing players to recast the same spell for the next 10 turns as long as their concentration does not break. This means players can recast Mantle of Majesty using their Bonus Actions throughout the fight, casting Command up to 10 times if needed.

2 College of Lore

A Dedicated Caster

Subclass Features
Level 3	Gain Proficiency in 3 Skills (player choice) Cutting Words: Use your wit to distract a creature and sap its confidence. It receives a -1d6 penalty to Attack roll, Ability check, or Saving throw.
Level 6	Magical Secrets: Learn 2 non-Bard Spells from the Magical Secrets list of level 3 or lower.

Subclass Features

Level 3

Gain Proficiency in 3 Skills (player choice)

Cutting Words: Use your wit to distract a creature and sap its confidence. It receives a -1d6 penalty to Attack roll, Ability check, or Saving throw.

Level 6

Magical Secrets: Learn 2 non-Bard Spells from the Magical Secrets list of level 3 or lower.

College of Lore Bards in Baldur's Gate 3 are pure support and spellcaster Bards who want to remain outside of melee range. They hurl spells from a distance and use Bardic Inspiration when needed. As a counterpoint to College of Valour's Combat Inspiration, they receive an ability called Cutting Words, which is a reaction that can be used to debuff an enemy with a 1d6 penalty to their attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws. It also consumes Bardic Inspiration charges to cast.

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Magical Secrets are spells from outside the Bard's usual list, which the Bard class gains limited access to at certain levels. College of Lore Bards gets two additional level 3 Magical Secret spells at level 6, which allows them to shore up their weaknesses in spellcasting much earlier than other subclasses. This includes powerful spells like Fireball, Call Lightning, Haste, and Spirit Guardians.

Choosing the right Magical Secret is key to getting the full value out of the College of Lore Bard, as this can help them massively in the right scenario. It is also not a requirement to only pick level 3 spells at level 6; choosing a useful lower-level spell like Magic Missile or Misty Step can go a long way when spell slots become scarce.

1 College of Swords

A Melee Combat Bard

Subclass Features
Level 3	Gain Proficiency in: Medium Armor Scimitars Blade Flourish: Gives access to the following flourishes: Defensive Flourish: Attack defensively, increasing your AC by 4 if you hit. Slashing Flourish: Attack up to 2 enemies at once. Mobile Flourish: Thrust your weapon with enough force to push your target back. Afterwards, you can Teleport to the target. Fighting Style: Gives access to the following fighting styles: Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon that is not Two-Handed in one hand, and no weapon in the other, you deal an additional 2 damage with that weapon. Two-Weapon Fighting: When you make an offhand attack, you can add your Ability Score Modifier to the damage of the attack.
Level 6	Extra Attack: Gain an extra free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack.

Subclass Features

Level 3

Gain Proficiency in:

Medium Armor
Scimitars

Blade Flourish: Gives access to the following flourishes:

Defensive Flourish: Attack defensively, increasing your AC by 4 if you hit.
Slashing Flourish: Attack up to 2 enemies at once.
Mobile Flourish: Thrust your weapon with enough force to push your target back. Afterwards, you can Teleport to the target.

Fighting Style: Gives access to the following fighting styles:

Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon that is not Two-Handed in one hand, and no weapon in the other, you deal an additional 2 damage with that weapon.
Two-Weapon Fighting: When you make an offhand attack, you can add your Ability Score Modifier to the damage of the attack.

Level 6

Extra Attack: Gain an extra free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack.

In Baldur's Gate 3, The College of Swords subclass turns Bards from ranged spellcasters to martial weapon-wielding enemies on the battlefield. This subclass fully leans into the combat role, forsaking spellcasting ability for martial prowess. That is not to say that College of Swords Bards cannot fling spells but it isn't their main focus.

The defining feature of College of Swords is Blade Flourish, a unique weapon action that lets Bards increase their AC on hit, hit two targets with a single action, or teleport to the target after pushing them back a distance. These weapon actions require Bardic Inspiration charges to use. Not only that, but College of Swords Bards also gain access to two Fighting Styles, Dueling and Two-Weapon Fighting, increasing their effectiveness in combat even further.

A common misconception about College of Swords Bards is that they're meant to use only melee weapons. In fact, one of the most powerful College of Swords builds revolves around dual-wielding two Hand Crossbows to turn the Bard into an artillery machine, thanks to the fact that Flourish triggers on ranged martial attacks and melee attacks.