How To Find The Best Equipment For A Bard in Baldur’s Gate 3

Key Takeaways

• Bards in Baldur’s Gate 3 are team players with limited damage but inspiring abilities.
• Equip Bards with items like Potent Robe, Cap of Curing, and Wondrous Gloves for boosts.
• Items like Cloak of Displacement, Phalar Aluve, and Shifting Corpus Ring enhance bard survivability and support.

Bards are very much team players in Baldur’s Gate 3. They can’t take as many hits as other characters and certainly can’t do as much damage, but they can definitely make everyone feel inspired.

For Bards, the best pieces of equipment are the ones that utilize their teamwork skills or the ones that give them enough protection to survive on their own in a fight. Several armour pieces can improve the Bard’s use of class actions and spells, either to hinder enemies or boost allies. There are also a few odd pieces that are useful for that support role in the team, which a Bard is likely to be.

Updated on December 10, 2024 by Britt Poteet : Since Baldur’s Gate 3’s launch, there have been various patches and updates. This article has been changed to reflect the most up-to-date information so you can equip your bard with the best equipment possible (and find it easily).

13

Potent Robe

If you’d rather wear a robe than armor, the Potent Robe is a great option for your bard. This powerful clothing allows you to add your Charisma modifier to your cantrip damage, as well as your temporary Hit Points.

As bards specialize in Charisma, this boost is a no-brainer. It makes you more durable and more powerful on the battlefield throughout the second act.

12

Cap Of Curing

The Cap of Curing is an incredibly useful hat for Bards that can be found very early on in the game. The hat can be found in the Druid’s Grove, east of where the ritual is taking place. You’ll find a Teifling called Alfira writing a song, past her and behind a pillar is a bag with the Cap of Curing inside.

The hat gives you Soothing Songs, which gives an ally 1d6 health points when you inspire them using Bardic Inspiration. Since Bards use Bardic Inspiration often, the extra healing can go a long way at the beginning of the game.

11

Wondrous Gloves

Wondrous Gloves are another great option for Bards using Bardic Inspiration, as the gloves grant you an additional use. They also increase your armour class by one, which is great for Bards since they don’t have much protection.

These gloves can be slightly tricky to get, and you’ll probably have to level up before getting them. They can be found down in the Grymforge on a pathway on the west side. You’ll need to defeat some mimics hiding away, disguised as regular chests, then you can obtain the gloves from one of them.

10

Blazer Of Benevolence

This blazer is yet another piece of armour that improves the use of Bardic Inspiration. When inspiring an ally, you’ll gain four temporary hit points. The armour class of the Blazer of Benevolence is 11, so it’s better than what you start with. The additional hit points are really helpful for a Bard since they’re not easily defended and can’t take as many hits as other classes.

You can gain this armour as a reward for completing the Rescue Volo quest. To do so, you’ll have to save Volo from where he’s being held in the Goblin Camp, which only takes a few speech checks.

9

Cloak Of Displacement

Out of all the cloaks in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Cloak of Displacement is the best for the bard class. While wearing this item, you use the Blur spell and attacks against your bard are at Disadvantage until the wearer takes damage.

As bards are a little squishy, this adds to their defenses on the battlefield. It’s especially helpful if you get into close combat.

8

Phalar Aluve

Phalar Aluve is a longsword that can be found in the Underdark. If you enter the Underdark from the Goblin camp, it’s just outside the building and along a short bridge. You’ll see the sword stuck into a stone, waiting to be pulled out.

The sword gives you one point for your performance skill. More interestingly, you gain the ability to Sing or Shriek. Singing boosts your allies within six meters Mental Defence and gives bonuses to attack rolls and saving throws. Shrieking gives enemies within six meters a disadvantage against saving throws and makes them receive extra thunder damage. Since Bards are team players, the helping hand from this sword is a huge bonus.

7

Boots Of Brilliance

Boots of Brilliance are some boots that give you a class action to restore Bardic Inspiration. These boots are great to use since it allows you to use Bardic Inspiration more than once before you have to long rest. Pairing these boots with the Wondrous Gloves means you can go much longer before needing to long rest.

These boots, like the Wondrous Gloves, can be obtained from the mimics in Grymforge. You’ll not be able to get them until further into Act One, but they’re great boots to get early in the game.

6

Shifting Corpus Ring

The Shifting Corpus Ring grants you both an invisibility and a blur spell. Both of these spells can be great for Bard as they allow you to escape difficult situations in fights or find a better position before a fight even starts. Since Bards don’t have much defense, both invisibility and blur give you the upper hand against enemies until the rest of the team can help.

This ring is found in Act Two; you’ll be able to loot it from Flaming Fist Marcus in Last Light Inn if you manage to defeat him during his attack.

5

Ring Of Mental Inhibition

Since Bard is a class that utilizes spells to hinder enemies, the Ring of Mental Inhibition is a great addition to their loadout. The ring gives an enemy Mental Fatigue for two turns if they fail a saving throw against a spell or action. Bards can use spells like confusion or hold person, so this ring can be a great help when using those.

The ring can be found in a locked chest in the Ruined Battlefield in Act Two. If you travel south of the Ruined Battlefield waypoint, you should come across it easily.

4

Infernal Rapier

The Infernal Rapier is a rapier that you can get at the end of Act Two when you enter the Mind Flayer Colony. You’ll have to free Zariel’s asset, which is a quest you’ll get from Mizora earlier in the game. To get the sword you’ll need to have Wyll in your party and then need to pass a persuasion check after to ask for a reward.

This sword gives you a plus one bonus to spell save DC and will make the affected entity add its spell casting ability modifier to attack rolls instead of using the dexterity modifier. The most interesting thing about this sword is that it gives you the level six conjuration spell Planar Ally which conjures a cambion. For any class, having a helping hand is always useful.

3

Blood Of Lathander

As the most powerful mace in the game, the Blood of Lathander is a perfect weapon for your bard. If you want to boost your survivability, this mace gives you 2-12 Hit Points once you’re down to zero.

It also grants you the spell Sunbeam, which projects Radiant Damage, giving your bard a stronger spell arsenal in combat. If you are a College of Valour bard, the one-handed weapon allows you to use your shield proficiency, which is a great boost in battle.

2

Amulet Of Restoration

The Amulet of Restoration is a necklace that gives you two healing spells. For a Bard that is likely to be sat further back, this is a great necklace for helping the rest of the party out. The two healing spells are Healing Word and Mass Healing Word. One will focus on one party member, while the other will heal everyone in a certain range.

You can buy the amulet from Derryth Bonecloak, a trader at the Myconid Colony in the Underdark. The colony is on the north side of the Underdark with its own waypoint.

1

Helldusk Armour

Helldusk Armour is undoubtedly the best armour in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can wear the armour regardless of your proficiency, which is a powerful characteristic alone. While you might want to save the armour for your front-line fighters, like Paladin or Barbarian, Bards can benefit massively from its protection.

The armour grants the Fly spell, which can help Bards move to a safer location when in danger. Decreased damage and resistance to Fire damage is an extra bonus that means your Bards can focus on boosting the rest of the party.