Bards are known as charmers and entertainers. In Baldur’s Gate 3, they usually take on the role of supporters. In the College of Valor, however, bards are less funny musicians and more battle-hardened skalds. MeinMMO presents to you an unconventional build that works surprisingly well.
What is this build? As a bard in the College of Valor, you are at the front lines and lead your companions into battle rather than just cheering them on from the back. Your charisma boosts morale just as much as your determination to slay foes.
Bards are already the undisputed best class in Baldur’s Gate 3. They can do everything, albeit not perfectly, but with the right adjustments, they can fulfill any role. In this build, they wear heavy armor and hit hard instead of relying solely on magic, daggers, or bows.
The College of Valor is one of the stronger variants of the bard in the tier list of the best classes. This is partly because you can choose whether to function more as a tank for your group or as an armored fighter.
- Are you more into spellcasting? The colleagues at GamePro present a build for the College of Lore.
In our build, we show you how to play both versions of the Valor Bard correctly and which talents you should best utilize.
You can find general leveling tips in the video:
Bard Build for College of Valor – Stats and Talents
Defensive Approach
Starting Stats
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 14
- Constitution: 14
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 12
- Charisma: 17
The best backgrounds are Soldier, Folk Hero, or Outlander. The best race is Gold Dwarves, as they gain additional hit points per level and are naturally proficient with axes and hammers.
Talents and Skills
- Level 3: College of Valor; Expertise in Athletics and Performance
- Level 4: Resilient or Tough (Constitution)
- Level 8: Ability Score Improvement (Constitution and Charisma)
- Level 10: Expertise in Intimidation, if chosen; otherwise free choice
- Level 12: Sentinel
Important Spells
Generally helpful spells that protect you or allies include: Blade Ward, Evil Eye, Heroism, Hold Person
Offensive Approach
Starting Stats
- Strength: 14
- Dexterity: 14
- Constitution: 12
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 10
- Charisma: 17
The best backgrounds are Soldier, Folk Hero, or Outlander. The best race is Gold Dwarves, as they gain additional hit points per level and are naturally proficient with axes and hammers.
Talents and Skills
- Level 3: College of Valor; Expertise in Athletics and Performance
- Level 4: Athlete (Strength) or Tough (Strength)
- Level 8: Ability Score Improvement (Strength and Charisma)
- Level 10: Expertise in Intimidation, if chosen; otherwise free choice
- Level 12: Master of the Arts (Riposte and Maneuvering Attack)
Important Spells
Generally helpful spells that provide you or others with a boost include: Accurate Strike, Blade Ward, Heroism, Long Strider
A great advantage of the bard is that you get a third Short Rest. You will see why this is important here:
Playstyle and Group: Like a Viking in a Shield Wall
This is how you play the build: In both variants, you are a front-line fighter who should wear medium armor and carry a shield. This allows you to easily reach an Armor Class of 18 or more and withstand quite a bit.
As you gain a second attack at level 6, you should grab a strong weapon as soon as possible. Battle axes are ideal due to their versatility. As a dwarf, you are proficient with the weapon. Otherwise, longswords or hand axes are suitable, as long as they utilize strength as a modifier.
You primarily attack with melee attacks but use your Bardic Inspiration to give either yourself or others in the group a bonus to attacks. Unlike other colleges, your inspiration also applies to weapon damage and armor.
This is what the perfect group looks like: Ideally, you have other characters with shields standing next to you. Perfect are:
- a human mage or wizard for magical damage. Humans are proficient with shields and light armor
- any cleric or paladin for support
- a barbarian, ideally as a berserker for Viking flair with two axes
If you want to utilize the standard classes of the companions in Baldur’s Gate 3, Gale, Karlach, and Shadowheart are best suited for your group. Try to advance as a shield wall and drive enemies toward you, preferably straight into the arms of the furious berserker.
If you want to further plan your build or try out 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
