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When you can choose to play as a ferocious Barbarian or an invisible Assassin, being a musician is a tough sell. In Baldur’s Gate 3, however, Bards do more than just carry a tune. These magical minstrels use their instruments to weave spells. They aren’t the easiest class for beginners, but their magic makes them one of the best support classes in the game. If you want to play a class that brings out the best in the rest of the party, Bard may be your best bet. Here are the best Bard spells in Baldur’s Gate 3.
8. Heat Metal
(Updated on October 7, 2024 – updated links and format)
Heat Metal is a weird spell. It’s part DPS and part debuff but takes a strange route to both effects. Rather than target a creature directly, the player targets their metal armor or a metal weapon they’re wielding. Heating a weapon causes Fire Damage and forces the enemy to either drop their weapon or take Disadvantage on attacks and Ability Checks. Heated Armor always imposes Disadvantage. Best of all, the player can extend this effect across multiple turns if the enemy continues to touch the afflicted metal. It’s strange but strong and one of the best Bard spells.
7. Cloud of Daggers
What’s more intimidating than a dagger? A bunch of daggers swirling around in a tornado of blades. That’s what Cloud of Daggers summons. Though the player can’t move this cloud around once it’s summoned, it’ll hang in place slicing up whatever touches it. Dealing 4-16 damage per hit over the course of 10 turns is a ton of damage. Enemies will do their best to avoid or escape the cloud, which allows the player to use it as a cheap area control power. Enemies trying to spill through a doorway? Block it with blades using one of the best Bard spells.
6. Bestow Curse
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Necromancy is the magical school governing death and all things unpleasant. It makes sense that Necromancy would be home to Bestow Curse. This nasty spell can do a variety of things: rob an enemy of actions, leave them vulnerable to damage, or impose Disadvantage on their actions. Being a Bard is all about enhancing one’s own party members while hindering the enemy, so Bestow Curse fights right in. Pure DPS spells may get all the love, but a sneaky debuff like Bestow Curse is still one of the best spells in the Bard’s arsenal.
5. Crown of Madness
For a Level 2 Enchantment spell, Crown of Madness is really good. It causes its target to temporarily lose their mind, attacking whoever happens to be closest, other than the caster. This effect is a great way to take one enemy temporarily out of the battle while weaponizing them against another. Instantly removing a source of incoming damage in this way is great for keeping the party alive. Using one enemy to kill another is even better. The only real downside here is the need to maintain Concentration, but as long as the Bard is strategic and can avoid some hits, that isn’t too much of a problem.
4. Mass Healing Word
Some spells are walls of text with multiple, complicated effects. Others are short and sweet. Mass Healing Word is the latter. This Level 3 Evocation heals 4-7 on up to 6 allies. With an 18m range, it’s easy to deliver some light medical treatment to pretty much everyone around. A few battles in the game get pretty large, with plenty of allied NPCs running around, and there usually isn’t enough time to heal everyone at once. Mass Healing Word is one of the Bard’s best spells because it’s one of the only ways to make sure that everyone gets healed at once, not just your favorite tank.
3. Fireball
It’s almost impossible to put together a spell tier list in Baldur’s Gate 3 without mentioning Fireball. A powerful AoE spell with good range and the possibility of incinerating every enemy at once if dropped in the right place, there’s a lot to like here. The only major issue is the likelihood of frying one’s own teammates with it. That chance increases dramatically if the player or their enemies have been chucking grease around. Despite the risk of friendly fire, Fireball ranks among the best Bard spells for its consistently high DPS. Just make sure learning to aim is one of the first things you do in the game.
2. Counterspell
Baldur’s Gate 3 has something in common with Magic: The Gathering: the quickest way to annoy an opponent is to dispel whatever they’re casting. Counterspell does just what it says: counters spells. Nullifying higher-level spells is more difficult than weaker ones, which can be canceled outright, but that’s fine. Having the power to just shut down an enemy mage is incredibly good. Counterspell is one of the best spells pretty much wherever it appears thanks to just how often it can prevent disaster in combat. It’s no surprise that Counterspell is one of the best Bard spells too.
1. Haste
There are several classes that can cast Haste, but Bard is one of its best users. That’s because Bards are all about empowering their teammates. When a Bard spends a turn speeding up an ally, it doesn’t feel like a missed opportunity the way it does with DPS casters. Haste increases the number of actions available to its target. Whether you’re helping a Fighter rush to the front line or giving a Sorcerer more time to drop Fireballs, it’s always a worthy investment. For its versatility and power, Haste is one of the best Bard spells in BG3.
