Best BG3 Bardadin Build – Bard Paladin Multiclass Build

BARDADIN PROS

BARDADIN CONS

BG3 Multiclass Explainer:

• How it works: New classes can be added as you level up. They are added on a level-by-level basis.
• Example: If you are a level 6 Paladin and decide to add 1 Bard level, you will only get the features of Bard level 1.
• Example 2: If you want the features of a level 6 Paladin and Bard, you need to be max level and add 6 levels of each class.

Pro Tip: It’s usually best to choose subclasses that work together easily. For example, the Paladin and Bard go well together because they both use Charisma as their spellcasting attribute.

Paladin

• The Paladin has proficiency with a wide array of weapons and can wear any armour in the game, making them excellent in melee.
• Paladins also unlock powerful Smite spells, infusing their weapon with elemental damage in exchange for a Spell Slot.
• We’ll take two Paladin levels, sufficient to unlock Divine Smite and a Fighting Style.

Bard

• We’ll focus most on the Bard class. It gives you a good selection of spells, particularly spells for supporting your team and debuffing enemies.
• For the best synergy with Paladin, we are using the College of Swords subclass, which gives you special weapon actions.
• We’ll use 10 levels of the Bard class, giving access to most of its spells and features.

Bardadin Levelling Progress Overview

• Level 1: Paladin 1 (Oath of Vengeance)
• Level 2: Paladin 2
• Level 3: Bard 1
• Level 4: Bard 2
• Level 5: Bard 3 (College of Swords)
• Level 6: Bard 4
• Level 7: Bard 5
• Level 8: Bard 6
• Level 9: Bard 7
• Level 10: Bard 8
• Level 11: Bard 9
• Level 12: Bard 10

Core Paladin Features

• Item Proficiency – Martial Weapons, All Armour, Shields
• Channel Oath – You gain one Channel Oath charge and a Channel Oath ability derived from your chosen subclass.
• Lay on Hands – You can use Lay on Hands charges to heal allies who are within touching distance.
• Subclass Choice – You must choose your Paladin subclass.

We’ll explain what to choose for these options below.

Soldier Background

 Athletics

A Strength skill that makes you better at pushing characters and increases your resistance to enemies’ pushes. This is important because it’s one of the only skills in the game with a combat impact.

 Intimidation

A Charisma-based Skill that will sometimes appear as a Dialogue option, allowing you to scare NPCs into doing what you want.

Important Tips:

• The “Even Number” Rule: In Baldur’s Gate 3, only even numbers (12, 14, 16) increase your ability modifier. This means an 11 is functionally the same as a 10, so we aim for even numbers to maximize efficiency.
• Concentration is Key: Many important Bard and Paladin spells (like  Hold Person or Haste) require Concentration. A high Constitution helps ensure you don’t lose your spell just because you took a hit.

Oath of Vengeance Features

•  Inquisitor’s Might – You or an ally’s weapon deals bonus Radiant Damage equal to your Charisma Modifier for the next 2 turns. Costs a Channel Oath charge and a Bonus Action.
• More features will be unlocked as you level up.

Paladin Actions

 Divine Smite

• Infuse your weapon attack with 2d8 Radiant Damage (3d8 against fiends and undead).
• While technically not a spell, using this still costs a Level 1 Spell Slot.

Fighting Style

You can choose one Fighting Style to boost your character.

For the time being, we’re using Defence, which will give you an additional +1 Armour Class whenever you are wearing armour.

While it sounds like a small buff, +1 Armour Class makes it significantly harder for enemies to hit you, especially later in the game when your base Armour Class is already quite high.

It also helps to make up for the fact that we won’t be equipping a Shield.

Paladin Spells

You can now learn some Paladin spells and gain two Spell Slots to cast them with.

We recommend choosing the following spells:

Divine Favour

• Your prayer empowers you with divine radiance. Your weapons deal an additional 1-4 Radiant Damage.
• Requires Concentration.
• This Spell only consumes a Bonus Action, so you can attack your opponent on the same turn after casting the spell.

 Command

• Attempt to force the target to carry out a command on their turn. Some useful options include telling them to stay put and do nothing, drop their weapon, or fall to the ground.
• While this only lasts for 1 turn, it doesn’t require Concentration, so it can be safely used in conjunction with any spell in the game.

Thunderous Smite

• Infuses your weapon with extra Thunder Damage.
• Pushes your target 3m away and possibly knocks them Prone.
• If you miss, your spell slot and Bonus Action are not consumed.
• You can sometimes use this to knock enemies off ledges or cliffs for extra fall damage, potentially one-shotting them.

 Wrathful Smite

• Infuses your weapon with extra Psychic Damage, possibly Frightening your target.
• Good for locking down an enemy for a while.
• If you miss, your spell slot and Bonus Action are not consumed.

 Searing Smite

• Your weapon is imbued with heat, dealing additional Fire Damage on impact.

Bard Starting Features

 Bardic Inspiration

• Inspire an ally.
• They can add 1d6 to an Attack Roll, Ability Check or Saving Throw.

Bard Cantrips

You can choose two Cantrips. We recommend:

 Vicious Mockery

• Deals 1d4 Psychic Damage.
• Imposes Disadvantage on their next Attack Roll.

 Mage Hand

• Summons a spectral hand that can manipulate objects from a distance.
• This Cantrip is not very important; you can choose a different one if you prefer.

Bard Spells

You can choose four Bard spells to unlock. We recommend these options:

 Faerie Fire

• Enemies in the area are illuminated. Any Invisible enemies are revealed.
• Attacks against affected targets have Advantage.

 Longstrider

• Increases the movement speed of the target until their next Long Rest.
• Can be cast for free outside of combat.
• Does not require Concentration.
• Cast it on your whole party after each Long Rest to boost everyone’s speed!

 Thunderwave

• Deals Thunder Damage in a conal area.
• Knocks back targets, unless they roll a Strength Saving Throw.
• Can knock enemies off ledges for extra falling damage.

 Healing Word

• Heal yourself or an ally.
• Uses a Bonus Action, so you can attack or cast another spell on the same turn.

New Bard Spell

Choose one more Bard spell to unlock:

 Speak with Animals

• You can communicate with animals until your next Long Rest.
• Can be cast for free outside of combat.
• If someone else in your party already has this, choose any other spell you like.

New Bard Features

You get a couple of new features from the Bard class at this level:

 Song of Rest

• Restore your party’s HP and resources as though you had performed a Short Rest.
• This effectively gives you three Short Rests per Long Rest, instead of the usual two.
• Especially useful on Tactician and Honour difficulties, where Long Resting consumes more Camping Supplies.

 Jack of All Trades

• Add half of your Proficiency Bonus (rounded down) to ability checks you aren’t Proficient in.

New Bard Features

 Expertise

• Choose two Skills you are Proficient with.
• Your Proficiency Bonus will be doubled for the chosen Skills.
• We went with Athletics and Persuasion, but it’s up to you.

New Bard Spell

You now have access to Second-Level spells, and can choose one to unlock. Our recommendation is:

 Heat Metal

• The target suffers Fire Damage and must roll a Constitution Saving Throw.
• If they fail the Saving Throw, they are Disarmed.
• If they succeed on the Saving Throw, they still take full damage, and their Attack Rolls with the affected weapon have Disadvantage.
• Only works on targets who either have a metal weapon or metal armour.
• If the target is still touching the affected item, you can reapply the damage on subsequent turns, if you maintain Concentration.

This is one of the best spells in BG3 because it deals damage and will cause problems for the enemy even if they succeed their Saving Throw.

Bard Subclass – College of Swords

You must choose the subclass for the Bard part of the build. We recommend choosing the College of Swords, because it has the best synergy with this build’s melee-focused playstyle.

College of Swords grants these features:

 Defensive Flourish

• Increases your Armour Class by 4 if you hit the target.

 Slashing Flourish

• Attack 2 enemies at once, if they are close to one another.

 Mobile Flourish

• Push the target back 6m.
• Teleport to the target after attacking.

Fighting Style

• You can choose another Fighting Style.
• We recommend Two-Weapon Fighting, which adds your Ability Modifier to the damage of off-hand weapon attacks.

New Bard Spell

You can choose one more Bard spell to unlock. We recommend:

 Hold Person

• Stun a humanoid target, freezing them in place.
• They will roll a Saving Throw every turn to try to break the stun.
• Any melee attack made against the target will be a guaranteed Critical Hit.

New Feat

• Recommended choice: Ability Improvement.
• Put both the extra points into Dexterity.
• This will boost your Weapon Damage Rolls, Attack Rolls and Armour Class by +1.

New Bard Spell

You can now use Third-Level Bard Spells. Unlock the following:

 Glyph of Warding

• An AoE that can be cast at medium range.
• You can choose from several variants, dealing elemental damage or sending multiple enemies into a magical sleep.

New Bard Features

A couple of new Bard features are unlocked at this level:

 Font of Inspiration

• Your Bardic Inspiration charges now replenish on both Short and Long Rests.
• This lets you use your Flourish actions more often.

 Improved Bardic Inspiration

• You now use a 1d8 die for all Bardic Inspiration abilities.
• Improved from the basic 1d6 die.

New Bard Spell

 Fear

• Enemies within 9 metres who can see you must succeed on a Wisdom Saving Throw.
• If they fail the throw, they are forced to drop their weapons and run away.
• While Fearful, enemies have Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
• This debuff is much stronger than Frightened, which just roots the enemies in place.

New Bard Features

 Countercharm

• You and allies within 9m have Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed and Frightened.

 Extra Attack

• You can now perform two mainhand weapon attacks per Action.
• This feature comes from the College of Swords subclass.

New Bard Spell

 Confusion

• A strong AoE debuff spell.
• Muddles the minds of enemies, causing them to run around aimlessly, attack their allies or just do nothing.
• They will roll a Wisdom Saving Throw every turn to try to shake off the effects.

New Bard Spell

 Freedom of Movement

• Snap an ally out of any stun, and prevents Difficult Terrain from slowing them down.
• The target cannot be Paralysed or Restrained by magical means.
• You must be in melee range of your ally to use this spell.
• Alternatively, you can get the Dimension Door spell, which allows you to teleport yourself and a nearby ally.

New Feat

• Choose: Savage Attacker
• From now on, your damage dice will be rolled twice, automatically using the highest of the two rolls.
• This significantly increases your average weapon attack damage.

New Bard Spell

 Hold Monster

• The same effect as Hold Person, but it can apply to any enemy instead of just humanoid ones.
• While the spells are similar, I don’t recommend removing Hold Person because that spell can be cast with lower spell slot levels (which are more abundant), and most of your enemies are humanoids.

New Bard Spell

You can choose one more spell from the Bard list to unlock. We recommend:

 Mass Cure Wounds

• Heal your whole party by up to 24HP each with just one spell.
• This is a low-priority spell. You can choose one of the other options instead if you prefer.

New Bard Features

 Expertise

• Choose another 2 Proficient Skills and double your Proficiency Bonus for them.
• Good options include Intimidation, Deception, Performance and Sleight of Hand.

 Improved Bardic Inspiration

• Your Bardic Inspiration actions now use 1d10 dice.
• Most importantly, this boost applies to your Flourish attacks.

 Magical Secrets

• Allows you to choose two spells from outside the Bard spell list.
• The preferred options for the Bardadin Build are:
  •  Banishing Smite – Deals up to 50 Force Damage (plus normal attack damage) and possibly Banishes the target for 2 turns.
  •  Lightning Bolt – Deal up to 64 Lightning Damage in a narrow linear AoE in front of you. Can be upcast for more damage.
• Strong alternatives are Spirit Guardians, Hunger of Hadar, Counterspell, Warden of Vitality and Haste. We are somewhat spoiled for choice here with so many strong spells on offer.
• Note: If no one else in your party has Haste or Counterspell, you may want to consider grabbing them here, because these spells are pretty much essential to include in your BG3 party.

Attacking Items:

• Helmet of Arcane Acuity – Makes your spells much more likely to succeed once you’ve built up a few stacks of the Arcane Acuity buff.
• Bhaalist Armour – Doubles your Piercing Damage against nearby enemies. This is the biggest single damage buff available in BG3.
• Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength – Sets your Strength to 23, giving you a Strength Modifier of +6. This boosts your weapon attacks and accuracy as much as possible.
• Broodmother’s Revenge – Gives you extra Poison damage when you get healed. Once you have the Ring of Regeneration, this is automatically activated every turn.
• Duellist’s Prerogative – Deals good damage, gives you a bonus attack every turn, and benefits from the Bhaalist Armour’s boost to Piercing Damage.

Defensive Items:

• Cloak of Displacement – Makes you much harder to hit with Attack Rolls.
• Ring of Regeneration – Gives you a small amount of healing every turn.

Mobility & Utility:

• Helldusk Boots – Protects you from Difficult Terrain and enemy actions that attempt to forcibly move you. You can teleport using  Hellcrawler
• Band of the Mystic Scoundrel – Allows you to cast Enchantment and Illusion spells with a Bonus Action. Great for casting a debuff or stun spell like Hold Person after making your weapon attacks.
• Hellrider Longbow – Allows you to move earlier in the turn order.

 Concentrated Blast

• Allows you to deal extra damage to a target when you are Concentrating on a spell, potentially also healing if the target is Concentrating too.

 Cull the Weak

• When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 Psychic Damage to nearby enemies.
• This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.

 Fly

• This can be used to reach hard-to-get-to places or change positions in combat.
• Use this to keep your Bardadin safe from enemy attacks, so your Concentration won’t get disrupted as easily.

 Black Hole

• This power creates an area-based effect that pulls in and slows targets.
• It’s particularly useful for crowd control, allowing you to cluster enemies together for area-of-effect attacks or to isolate them from vulnerable allies.

Pro Tip: Try getting the Haste buff from a Potion of Speed or the Haste spell (lets you perform 2 Actions on one turn), then casting Black Hole and then Hunger of Hadar to cause a world of pain for a group of enemies.

 Psionic Backlash

• This is a top-tier reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3.
• This allows you to deal psychic damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell.
• This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell.
• The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.