Bards are an incredible class in Baldur’s Gate 3, as they can fill several roles in the party at once, acting as the healer, warrior, mage, and sneaky cat whenever called on. Some races excel at playing the most seductive of Baldur’s Gate 3 classes thanks to innate traits that make them better suited to singing on the battlefield.
The Bard is a primary spellcaster with access to healing, buffs, status effects, and attack spells. They can choose from any three Skills at character creation, have limited weapon and armor proficiency selections, and have unique buffing abilities, such as Bardic Inspiration, which can aid their allies in combat. Unfortunately, none of your companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 start as Bards, so it’s likely that most Bards out there are player characters.
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Best Races For Playing Bards In Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 scrapped the racial stat bonus rules from the Early Access version of the game, which means there are no bad race selections when playing a Bard. Your first priority should always be to play the race/class combo that appeals to you the most because it’s the character you’ll spend the next 100 hours with. That being said, there are better race choices for the Bard class than others.
- Asmodeus Tiefling – If you plan on playing a spellcaster Bard, the Asmodeus Tiefling is a fantastic choice. Not only do you get Darkvision and fire resistance, but you also get some powerful spells to add to your repertoire, including Produce Flame at level 1 (acts as a light source and an attack), Hellish Rebuke at level 3 (a powerful counterattack spell that you cast as a Reaction), and Darkness at level 5 (shrouds an enemy in magical darkness, inflicting the Blindness status effect.)
- Half-Orc – If you plan on playing a warrior or healer, then the Half-Orc is an excellent choice, mostly due to their Relentless Endurance ability, which lets them survive a lethal blow (dropping them to zero hit points) once long rest. This will allow you to throw out a Healing Word spell on the next round so you can jump back into the fray. The Darkvision, Savage Attacks (adds extra dice when performing crits), and free Intimidation proficiency are also useful.
- Wood Elf – If you plan on using your Bard to replace a Rogue (sorry, Astarion), then the Wood Elf is the ideal choice. You will get enhanced movement speed to help keep you out of trouble and gain immunity to sleep effects and resistance to charm. Most importantly, you’ll get proficiency in Perception and Stealth, two of the most important skills needed for a sneaky character. This is before you’ve selected a Background and your three Bard Skills, so you’ll be stacked with useful abilities as soon as you start the game.
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The three races mentioned above are great fits for certain kinds of Bard, but the beauty of the class is that you’re not locked into one specific role. Your Bard could be healing from the back row one round and then leap into the frontlines with a sword in one hand and a lute in the other. The race choice will simply make you more effective under different circumstances.
