If your Bard feels underpowered in Baldur’s Gate 3, you might need to change the feats they’ve been given. Smart feat selection is key to getting the most out of this class.
This is because the Bard is a jack-of-all-trades class, but they need a little extra push to match the other primary spellcasters in the game. Here are the best feats for Bards in BG3.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 2’s Slayer Form Makes Surprise Return in Baldur’s Gate 3
The Best Feats for Bards in Baldur’s Gate 3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you get Feats at levels 4, 8, and 12, giving you access to three throughout the game. This means you’ll only have a few options to boost your beloved Bard, and they’ll need it, as their spellcasting powers need to be at the top of their game. The best Feats for the Bard class in Baldur’s Gate 3 are:
- Ability Improvement Feat: You can use this Feat to try and max out your Charisma stat. As a primary spellcaster, you should get your Charisma stat to 20 as soon as possible. If your Charisma is 17, then use Ability Improvement to put one point into Charisma and another into a stat that will gain a modifier improvement. This is because the modifier is the same for a stat when it’s 18 or 19. You can use this method to gain two boosts at once, then use Ability Improvement to boost up to 20 when you reach Level 8.
- Alert: This Feat gives +5 to Initiative rolls and prevents you from being surprised. Alert is useful to everyone, but Bards can benefit from it more than other classes, as their whole MO is throwing out buffs, debuffs, and status effects. The earlier you can get out a debilitating effect on the enemy, the more you’ll benefit from it over the course of a battle.
- Medium Armor Master: This Feat removes the Disadvantage on Stealth checks when wearing medium armor and increases your potential Dexterity Armor Class bonus from +2 to +3. Only take this if you’re playing a College of Valor Bard or your race gives you Medium Armor Proficiency. If you take this Feat, then you can keep the stealthy aspects of the Bard and retain a decent Dexterity score without being penalized for wearing better armor.
- Skilled: This Feat lets you master three more Skill proficiencies. As Bards already gain three (and you get two from your Background), this will give you a chance to master nearly every Skill in the game. As the protagonist, this will be very useful for you, as they’ll be the character used the most throughout the game.
- War Caster: This Feat gives you an Advantage on Concentration Saving Throws and lets you spend your Reaction to cast Shocking Grasp on opponents moving out of your melee range. The Bards are one of the best classes for using buffing spells, and all of the best buffs require Concentration (to avoid a Pathfinder situation, where you spend ages enchanting the party before a fight). With War Caster, you’re more likely to keep your Concentration in check during battle.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: What’s The Level Cap?
It helps to boost the Bard’s spellcasting powers first and treat their martial prowess & Skills as secondary talents. Hopefully, you’ll be able to utilize all of their talents throughout your playthrough, but the Bard’s ability to heal and inspire their allies is where their true strength lies. While they can fight on the frontlines and sneak about, they’ll serve you best as magical powerhouses.
Best Stats for Bards in BG3
Bards are going to want to focus on maximizing Charisma as fast as possible. This is your main stat that influences most of your abilities. With that being said, you shouldn’t neglect other stats like Dex and Con either. Here is our recommended stat distribution for BG3 Bards.
- Strength – 8
- Dexterity – 15
- Constitution – 13
- Intelligence – 12
- Wisdom – 10
- Charisma – 17
Now that you know the best feats and stats for Bards, you’ll need to know the best race as well. Check out our guide for best race for Bards in BG3 next.
