The Best Bard Spells In Baldur’s Gate 3

Summary

• Bards in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be versatile tacticians on the battlefield with the right spells in their pocket, and they have access to over 50 diverse spells.
• Hold Person, Heat Metal, and Hold Monster are powerful spells for controlling and incapacitating enemies.
• Thunderwave, Heroism, and Calm Emotions are useful spells for crowd control and buffing party members.

On the surface, Baldur’s Gate 3’s Bards may seem like charismatic masters of persuasion and romance, but on a deeper level, you could think of them as versatile tacticians on the battlefield. Even without Magical Secrets, Bards have access to over 50 diverse spells capable of applying buffs or debuffs, inflicting damage, or interacting with the environment.

That is to say, Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you the enthralling opportunity to run around as a cheerful Swiss army knife capable of turning the tides of battle for yourself and your party members. Though, that does beg the question: with so many to choose from, which spells are the most versatile and useful?

We’ve selected these as the best spells for bards to use because they fit in nicely with how the class synergizes with a party based on our experiences.

Updated December 9, 2024 by Britt Poteet: As Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to grow in popularity, the game has released various patches and updated content. The article contains up-to-date information regarding the bard class with two additional spells on the list.

15

Vicious Mockery

A bard build isn’t complete without Vicious Mockery
. An iconic spell for the class, it highlights your bard’s ability to command language and do damage with your words. The cantrip deals Psychic damage and inflicts Disadvantage on their attacks rolls.

You’ll get to hear the various insults your character spews during battle, adding to the roleplaying and immersive nature of the game.

14

Hold Person

If you have a balanced party with at least one member focused on dealing melee damage, such as a Rogue, Fighter, Barbarian, or Paladin, they’d love to see you pick up the Hold Person spell since it’d let them hit affected enemies with guaranteed critical hits on every close-range attack.

Theoretically, a person can be held by this spell indefinitely until their health hits zero, but to ensure that, you’d have to both maintain your concentration and be lucky enough for your target to repeatedly fail their Wisdom saving throw at the end of their turns.

Whether it be a sword, a chestplate, a helmet, or something else, if you’re fighting a particularly threatening enemy that has at least one piece of metal gear, you can use Heat Metal to force your target to either drop their weapon, or suffer disadvantage throughout the spell’s duration if applied to a piece of armor.

If your target is particularly stubborn, and is still wielding or wearing a piece of red-hot equipment, you can use your bonus action on every subsequent turn to deal 2d8 Fire damage, so long as you don’t lose concentration.

12

Hold Monster

The Hold Monster spell functions the same as the Hold Person
spell, except that instead of affecting humanoids, you can now hold terrifying monsters in place, such as Minotaurs, Beholders, Giants, and pretty much everything you encounter, except for the Undead.

This spell has an 18-meter range and you must retain your concentration for your target to remain paralyzed. Even if you don’t capitalize on the guaranteed critical hits from close-range melee attacks, any attacks you make against the affected monster will roll with advantage.

11

Thunderwave

If you’re caught in a bad position or getting overwhelmed by multiple enemies, Thunderwave
is a great tool to have. Instead of paralyzing an enemy like you would in Pokemon, you’ll project a deafening force that pushes back both enemies and objects in a five-meter radius.

Being a level one spell, you can get Thunderwave early in your adventures. It deals an impressive 2d8 Thunder damage, but the best part is that even if an enemy caught in the wave succeeds their Constitution save, they still take half of the damage you rolled.

10

Heroism

Heroism
is a must-have level one spell if you’re looking to buff up your party’s frontline combatants. It makes an ally both immune to the Frightened status effect, and it grants them five temporary hit points each turn. Provided you don’t lose your Concentration, this spell can last up to ten turns.

This is especially valuable because not only is the damage absorption potential massive, it also prevents chosen party members from succumbing to the harsh effects of being Frightened; being locked in place and prevented from moving, and receiving disadvantage on attack rolls.

9

Calm Emotions

Being a level two spell, you can grab Calm Emotions as soon as you hit level three. It has a generous 18-meter range and six-meter area of effect, making all humanoids in the spell’s radius immune to being both Charmed or Frightened.

If you’re fighting multiple enemies capable of inflicting these effects, do your best to stay safe after casting this spell, as it will suddenly end if you have your concentration broken. Plus, avoiding the Charmed debuff will save you the headache of not being able to attack the spell caster that charmed you.

8

Confusion

Confusion
is one of the best crowd control spells for the Bard class. This enchantment spell places a 6-meter radius fog of confusion that messes with the minds of your enemies, reducing their abilities in combat for three turns.

There’s no anticipating what actions they’ll take next, as they will attack each other, skip their turn, run away, or any other number of confounding choices as they stumble around in a confused state.

7

Cloud Of Daggers

Cloud of Daggers
is a fun level two spell that can seriously punish your enemies. While the spell’s area of effect isn’t that big, if you can get some help from your party funneling enemies into what’s basically a knife tornado, they’ll take 4d4 slashing damage each turn they’re inside it.

If 4D4 slashing damage just isn’t cutting it, casting Cloud of Daggers at higher spell levels increases the damage by an extra 2D4 for every spell slot you invest. Just keep in mind, these daggers are indiscriminate in their onslaught; even your allies can be hurt by this spell.

6

Plant Growth

If you’re getting annoyed with enemies getting lucky on their saving throws, Plant Growth will get the job done. This third level spell will sprout weeds in a six-meter area of your choosing, causing any enemies caught in it to have their movement speed quartered.

This spell is awesome because the effect is immediate, and it seriously hinders enemy movement and mobility, making it easier for you to land AoE spells or get a terrain advantage. Oh, and before you cast fireball, keep in mind that any Fire damage will burn away the weeds, effectively ending the spell.

5

Hypnotic Pattern

For an offensive AoE status effect spell, you can’t go wrong with Hypnotic Pattern
. It’s a third level spell you can grab as early as level five, causing enemies that fail their Wisdom save to become hypnotized, effectively making them incapacitated; unable to move, react, or take actions for two turns.

This spell’s range and area of effect is absolutely massive, allowing you to make multiple enemies completely useless for a short time. Since hypnotized enemies that are damaged get “snapped out” of the effect, it’s best to prioritize enemies that resisted Hypnotic Pattern first.

4

Dimension Door

Who knew you could get so good at an instrument you could start to warp reality and gain access to other dimensions? Give your party a tactical advantage with Dimension Door
to instantly teleport yourself and an ally to any place you can see for a better position in battle.

This can be used either offensively or defensively, so it’s on you to evaluate the situation you’re in and how this fourth-level spell is used. Keep in mind, you must be adjacent to an ally to teleport both them and yourself, otherwise, it’ll just be you going through that Dimension Door.

3

Greater Invisibility

If you have a rogue in your party that’s played too much Dishonored who’s begging you to help them carry out an “awesome, totally guaranteed to work” flank, or you’re caught in a bad spot, you can cast Greater Invisibility
to escape danger or go on the offensive.

Targets affected by Greater Invisibility have their attacks roll with advantage, while attacks against them roll with disadvantage. Although you have to succeed stealth ability checks that get increasingly harder with each action, it is possible to fight while invisible for multiple turns.

2

Mass Cure Wounds

Mass Cure Wounds
is best used when your party is really starting to take a beating. This remarkable fifth-level spell heals up to six targets, rolling at minimum a 3d8 to determine how much health is restored. In addition, you get bonuses from your spell ability modifier and an additional 1d8 of healing per spell slot invested in the cast.

This spell also has an 18-meter range, so you usually don’t have to put yourself in a precarious situation to help your entire party. Keep in mind, depending on your level, you’ll only have between one and two fifth-level spell slots, so if you cast this spell, try to make it count!

1

Otto’s Irresistible Dance

Otto’s Irresistible Dance
is a sixth-level spell that allows you to channel your true Bard spirit; forcing a creature to dance helplessly for up to ten turns as your party whales on them with advantage on their attack rolls. Keep in mind, you must maintain Concentration to make the effect last.

In addition, the poor creature you’ve forced to dance also receives disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, so if needed, you could pair this spell with others that rely on Dexterity saving throws being failed by your target for some nice synergy.