Bards are one of the most versatile classes in Baldur's Gate 3, as they can act as great support for the party, debuff enemies, and even deal significant damage with some builds. Bards are my favorite class to play and I always find myself trying to choose which feats to take for my Bard. There are a ton of quality choices, which can be overwhelming, so here are some of the best feats for Bards in Baldur's Gate 3.
Bard Best Feats in BG3
The first thing to consider when choosing a feat for Bards is what stats are important and what abilities can benefit them. When building a Bard, you should try to max out your Charisma, as it is their spellcasting modifier, affects skill proficiencies, and can be used in many dialogue situations. Bards should also have relatively high Dexterity and Consitution. Higher Dexterity can be especially beneficial for the College of Swords and College of Valour subclasses. High Consitution will ensure you have enough health and can maintain Concentration on spells.
Here are the best feats for Bards in BG3:
| Feat | Description |
| Ability Score Improvement | You increase one Ability by 2, or two Abilities by 1, to a maximum of 20. |
| Actor | Your Charisma increases by 1, to a maximum of 20. Your Proficiency Bonus is also doubled for Deception and Performance Checks. Grants Deception Proficiency and Performance Proficiency. |
| Alert | You gain a +5 bonus to Initiative and can't be Surprised. |
| Lucky | You gain 3 Luck Points, which you can use to gain Advantage on Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, or Saving Throws, or to make an enemy reroll their Attack Rolls. |
| Magic Initiate: Sorcerer | You learn 2 Cantrips and a Level 1 spell from the sorcerer spell list. You can cast the Level 1 spell once per Long Rest. Your Spellcasting Ability for all 3 spells is Charisma. |
| War Caster | You gain Advantage on Saving Throws to maintain Concentration on a spell. You can also use a reaction to cast Shocking Grasp at a target moving out of melee range. |
Ability Score Improvements are always a great choice for a feat, especially if it's to round out your stats to an even number. Actor is particularly great for Bards, as it is a perfect way to increase Charisma along with getting some extra proficiencies. Alert can be a solid choice too, since Bards will often be engaged in dialogue and many times combat can cause a Surprised round during dialogue.
Lucky is a good feat to have to increase your rolls (especially coupled with Bardic Inspiration), while Magic Initiate: Sorcerer is a good option if you want to take Shield to stay out of danger. War Caster can also be a good feat to have as a Bard to maintain Concentration on spells.
Best feats for Swords and Valour Bards in BG3
The College of Swords and College of Valour subclasses enable Bards to deal more damage and utilize different abilities that boost weapon attacks. Since these subclasses can support allies as well as deal substantial damage, there are a few other feats that can benefit them. Here are the best feats for Swords and Valour Bards in BG3:
| Feat | Description |
| Defensive Duelist | When attacked while wielding a Finesse Weapon you're Proficient with, you can use a reaction to add your Proficiency Bonus to your Armour Class, possibly causing the attack to miss. |
| Mobile | Your movement speed increases, and difficult terrain doesn't slow you down when you Dash. If you move after making a melee attack, you don't provoke Opportunity Attacks from your target. |
| Savage Attacker | When making weapon attacks, you roll your damage dice twice and use the highest result. |
| Shield Master | You gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws while wielding a shield. If a spell forces you to make a Dexterity Saving Throw, you can use a reaction to shield yourself and diminish the effect's damage. On a failed Saving Throw, you only take half damage. On a successful Saving Throw, you don't take any damage. |
Since Swords and Valour Bards can utilize weapons effectively, these feats can help with weapon attacks and shield abilities. Swords and Valour Bards can become very powerful characters with a combination of the best Bard feats.
For more on Baldur's Gate 3, check out BG3 Swords Bard Fighter Multiclass Build – Best Stats & Spells here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Sep 28, 2023 12:43 pm