Baldur's Gate 3: Bard Build - Unholy Nightingale

[@MortismalGaming]

Patch 4 caused off hand crossbows to lose the dex bonus which means two weapon fighting is the fighting style you want now.

[@Gallows2474]

would you change the recommendation for the level 4 feat of "Moderately armored" since I assume that going with the two weapon fighting style means you will not be using a shield?

[@MortismalGaming]

@@Gallows2474 No, you get the shield bonus even when using your ranged weapons, so that's irrelevant to what they changed. You can get the bonus from an equipped shield even if you're using the ranged weapon set

[@Umbrahman]

Hello Mortym! Doesn't this require a change in progression path? From what I understand, this errata negates the power boost in level 4. If so, can you share some insights on the issue? Currently running a party face/support/off tank CoL Bard 4 Archfey Warlock 8 build but I was really keen on trying this build. Thanks for all the effort you put into your videos, been an avid follower since discovering your Pathfinder content 😊

[@DocXango]

​@@MortismalGamingThank you for the update. I was wondering why my attack rate went down.

[@nebulagray88]

"Playthrough number 8" Jfc you are a machine.

[@alecbetz1611]

I'm so happy I did bard as my first run. Feel like the game was made just for that class. All the dialogue options and RP value is insane.

[@alexsamurai1230]

I did a similar build with some extra gear that gives a new dimension to the playstyle. Helmet of Arcane Acuity increases spell potency for every melee hit up to +7, and ring of the mystic scoundrel allows you to cast an illusion spell as a bonus action. Together the idea is you use your flourish multi-hits to build up arcane acuity then use your bonus action to cast a supercharged hypnosis with +7 DC.

[@CZOM027]

Boots of brilliance should be kept in inventory just to restore inspiration, you get a bunch of these sorts of items that are perfectly fine not being equiped.

[@jamie8703]

Ive had a lot of success with a Sword Bard multiclassing with ranger for hella proficiencies and extremely consistent high damage. Gloomstalker offers fantastic burst damage at the start of combat as well as better initiative rolls and stealth capabilities. I find Hunter is the best option for additive damage on injured enemies. I tend to pick two weapon fighting from bard and archery from ranger for my fighting styles so I can shred enemies at range or up close. Phalar Aluve, psychic spark and the Ne'er miss can allow you to absolutely wreck hard to hit enemies.

[@jepeman]

Ive been thinking of a very similar build for my second playthrough, as Astarion as well. 6 college of sword bard, 4 thief rogue, 2 fighter. Fighter gives you shield proficiency on top of archery and action surge, so as Astarion you can get a better feat than moderately armored.

[@cyrylkowalczyk9392]

This is the way!

[@wruzzer]

@@cyrylkowalczyk9392 i prefer the stealth route tbh. means gloomstalker 3, assassin 3, sword bard 6. still hate that u can't go up to 20 with multiclassing in the base game. in my next playthrough i will for sure install difficulty mods, level 20 multiclassing and an xp mod so i can reach lvl 20 without hunting for every little bit of xp. it just feels unfinished without level 20 to me. why would you limit the max lvl of a system that already has a very low lvl cap even further. i understand that some spells and stuff are too crazy for a videogame, but let us at least multiclass up to 20, wtf. that's the only negative thing i have to say about this game tho. and maybe that all the strong frontline fighter companions you get are female. i have no problem with a strong fontline girl. the opposite is the case. i love my mommy karlach. but why not at least one old fashioned brutal fighter/barb(/maybe pala) male with arms like trees and no brain? doesn't make the game worse, but it just feels wrong.

[@Smieho6651]

I am actually playing similar build as a Dark Urge and I am now starting Act 3. In terms of gear: - since you have medium armor proficiency you could use armors that add Dex bonus to your AC. In Act 2 you an buy Yuan Ti Armor from Quartermaster Talli. Not only does it boost your AC nicely, but also gives you +1 initiative. - you can use the Club of Hill Giant strength as your stat stick melee weapon - it makes jumps more effective and gives you inventory space Overall this build combined with the Dark Urge's cloak is very naughty - you can solo a lot of encounters assuming you can kill single enemy during your turn.

[@wruzzer]

club of hill giant strength kinda a waste imo, since u can just buy enough elixirs of hill giant strength for your entire party the entire game in act 1. every single one of my characters has 8 strength in absolutely every playthrough and just drinks the elixir for more inventory space and jump distance. also very helpful for most of my characters in the current playthrough. spore druid (melee+spells), tempest cleric (melee+spells), fighter (melee) and a gloonstalker/assa/swords bard with titanstring bow (adds str to your dmg).

[@Smieho6651]

@@wruzzer That's true but with this elixir you cannot apply Bloodlust one which would give you extra action. In addition I am not checking Underdark that often to get elixirs in such quantity. I have swapped the club once I got 2 weapons which increase crit chance but until then it is a pretty good choice. I need to check the Titanstring in my current playthrough - thanks for the tip.

[@wruzzer]

@@Smieho6651 does the bloodlust elixir stack with haste spores or haste buff? if not, it's pretty useless to me. u don't have to check underdark that often. mol sells one, ethel sells one, underdark sells 1-3 iirc. every long rest AND every level up. just respec, visit those traders, level up, visit em again and so on. you don't even need to long rest. but if u wanna long rest, just don't use camp supplies, they will still restock. there is no penalty for long resting 500 times in act one. also i prefer to have 20+ strength, 20 on another stat and actual good armor over one extra action if i already have at least one extra action (fighter one more per short rest ofc) from haste/haste spores.

[@electricanomaly]

mort, you are an inspiration to gamers across the globe. Don't finish your 15th 100% run before I finish my first playthrough please, I only have so much dignity left.

[@beccangavin]

This was so helpful! There are definitely a couple of tips I’m adding to my current bard run.

[@fickle_sticks3002]

Fun fact: “Threatened” counts as a condition to trigger Arcane Synergy, that’s why it’s so busted in melee.

[@luga1398]

I’ve been longing for a video proposing rounded fun builds and not just a min max 500 a turn [epic adjective in all caps] stuff. Thank you so much man

[@arkuspendragon]

I made something like that for my astarion, I used fighter instead of rogue, found more useful with the archery fighting style, and the sniper fear together. Just one note about what you said, as a college of swords bards you have access to medium armor so you can use the one from the Adamantium forge. Besides with action surge i could do more attacks than only one bonus action

[@Ty-v6v-c4r]

"Adamstown forge"

[@devaughnalexander6997]

My guy, been waiting on this video. Appreciated, didn't disappoint, pure excellence.

[@Pedone_Rosso]

Sounds like an effective and fun build for an in-depth single playthrough of the game. Thanks for your videos!

[@Receipt]

This build is a ton of fun even before you get the crossbows ❤️. I kept Phalar Aluve for main hand, and nerd reasons. Ne'er Misser and Hellfire together are sweet when you get em.

[@atanamorell2]

Just what I was looking to use with my Astarion. Thanks! 🎉

[@TheEmOwl]

for chest armor, early on, I'd recommend either minthara's armor as it gives advantage on constitution saving throws (concentration on spells), or the cat cloth armor from the merchant on the mountain path as it gives +2 to dex (forgot the name of them)

[@chriseggroll]

My first playthrough on launch was a Swords Bard/Paladin and it was a lot of fun! I did 2 Paladin/10 Bard to get the magical secrets and access to smites, lot of fun! this looks great though, thief rogue is amazing just on its own but getting extra attack is really cool

[@karllong]

palabard/bardadin is really OP, I have great difficulty giving up magical secrets so a 10/2 with swords bard or a lore bard to 6+ and more paladin is good, though the higher lvl in bard the more & higher level spell slots.

[@cbake52]

For my melee weapon I like running knife of the undermountain king from the creche for the 19 to crit, there is also a generic plus 3 shield at the moonrise towers which I think is the highest ac shield in the game. Also instead of ring of protection the acid ring from the apothecary in the underdark for additional 2 acid damage.

[@magegod989]

the Wondrous Gloves in the Gyrmforge are perfect for this type of build. It gives you a +1 to ac and an extra Bardic inspiration that would give you a total of 6 charges that will reset on a SR with song of rest that gives you 18 uses before you need a LR.

[@tiagoferreira5368]

I also used Astarion as a Bard. I think is voice being musical really suited the bard role. The vampire part, not so much :D

[@psyseraphim]

Never heard of Vampire the Masquerade or Clan Toreador then?

[@sisyr5615]

wait what, you get the bonuses from shields and stuff even if using the ranged set? this rocks my boat quite a bit

[@shawnfishwick8696]

I know right?

[@MarcoR6]

I played as a bard and she was the frontline for most of the game, she just lost power at the latest moments of Act 3, when Lazel started really shining. My bard had high AC which made her quite tough. But I have been watching some videos and realized I made some quite bad decisions when upgrading her.

[@jarrodbright5231]

My first playthrough was a Valor Bard 10 / Fighter 2 and was my primary tank for almost the entire game. In the final battle this character had 27 AC, physical or spell attacks against him had disadvantage and he had advantage on all saving throws against spells and could cast Shield if anything did actually hit him. Didn't hit very hard in melee but could do insane amounts of damage with a bow and fancy arrows or just do the crowd control thing. Absolute powerhouse character throughout the game

[@nyarparablepsis872]

Nifty, that's about what I had planned for Astarion next run. Love the "Unholy Nightingale"!

[@anska7475]

I did something similar for my Astarion run, I mostly kept the Bard Boots in my inventory though and had him wear the Disintegrating Night Walkers and the armor from Minthara to match.

[@dasphoenixable]

What a coincidence, I was just thinking about replacing my rogue with a bard in my second play through.

[@jarrodbright5231]

I did that for my first playthrough. I rather missed having the Bard over a Rogue for my second.

[@dsagent]

Bruh. I started a Dark Urge playthrough last week and accidentally created this build. Astarion got staked by me on my first playthrough. The shield trick with bows is nice to know.

[@jarrodbright5231]

Is there any reason why you would not use the Medium Armour items in Acts 2 and 3 that allow you full Dex bonus to AC? Yuan-Ti Scale Mail is made for this kind of character.

[@nightlyboot4888]

Seeing this vid and your previous one about classes to avoid. Makes me want to play bard and eldritch knight. Never thought I’d step outside of fighter and barbarian.

[@jakhlim]

I just start a new solo playthrough as Astarion, this will be helpful. ty

[@kaidorade1317]

I love how you can be the typical bard stereotype or use them as a tactical buffer ! Good jack of all trades

[@Kuvantor]

Gonna use this Astarion on my team for my jack of all trades run, now I just have to get 2 more cool builds :)

[@UltravioletArts]

I did a similar build for my astarion, although I focused on maximizing crit chance and using dual daggers, and took two level of paladin at the end to make the most of the bard spell slots with critical smites

[@Heldermaior]

Bardlock is also pretty fun. You get the bardic abilities combined with replenishing spell slots pretty cool.

[@acadiano10]

I respecced Astarion to ranger/bard. He gets second attack at level 5, and gloomstalker suits him. He basically solo'd Gandrel, which seems fitting.

[@dododimitrov9657]

this is awesome lore friendly build for Atarion.

[@nenasapable]

Another excellent build, my second playthrough was the same build and I felt so OP. Regarding Arcane Synergy, if you play a bard song (which uses no action) it applies a condition as well. Dangerously Cheesy.

[@thethrongler3070]

Omg about to do this on my bard asterion when I get home from work that's nasty

[@clifcorcoran9917]

Definitely stealing this build!

[@DavionAngeles]

Race does not matter.... but the Duergars are the best race for this build. IMHO :) Free Enlarge without concentration and all the invisibility shenanigans. Everyone wants to suggest Astarion as the origin character for this build. But Laezel is so good with this multiclass. Ancestral knowledge is better than Jack of all trades. Plus you get better mobility with free Misty Step and Psonic Jump.

[@joshdaniels2363]

College of Swords also works very well as a multiclass for Wyll. He was kinda meant to be a bard anyway.

[@jarrodbright5231]

Wyll strikes me more as someone who is best friends with (or romancing) a Bard rather than someone who is a Bard himself. That, and from a raw gameplay perspective a Level 10 Warlock / Level 2 Fighter version of Wyll with lots of items that let him cast Haste once per day is just crazy good

[@technophobe0790]

Thanks for this. I am currently playing a single class bard with a similar idea and wanted some inspiration on what to do with him after level 3.

[@jarrodbright5231]

If you're starting with a Bard, two very underrated options involve College of Valor. Either a Bard 10 / Warlock 2 so you can go crazy with Eldritch Blast and Haste, or a Bard 10 / FIghter 2 so you can use Action Surge with the CC spells and Bow of the Banshee with Arrows of Many Targets to do the ultimate crowd controller thing (bonus points for giving the second one extra Initiative to let it go first in every battle).

[@damned0wl]

Bard/Rogue multiclass is my favourite thing in the game, it's just so much fun :)

[@Frazec_Atsjenkov]

I play this build as well. But I tend to go straight to 6 levels in Bard as I want to get there ASAP.

[@Dylster1009]

Great build

[@coconutologist]

Can't spell "a murder hobo" without b-a-r-d. Onward to 300k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@christopherwilliams6902]

Darling, what an amazing concept.

[@ordermansuper1398]

My man upload bard build. this is surprise me.

[@chrish.8562]

No Sharpshooter?

[@annmester2740]

I was definitely going Hand Crossbow for my Astarion origin but this build clinches it. One suggestion would be for you to talk about possible roleplay options and companion choice. I noticed that you don't have Shadowheart in this video--was your party mainly Gale/Wyll/Lae'zel for this run?

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah, I was gonna use shadowheart, but I found out the hard way that if youre playing as Astarion and kill a companion in the bite scene its permanent if you dont reload. Made me laugh so much I decided to just let it ride.

[@willows4769]

I missed the Gloves of Archery. Is it alright without it in this build?

[@MortismalGaming]

Yeah, if youre just on normal I woudnt worry about it

[@EmeffMonkey]

Why Rogue 1 first and then Bard instead of Bard from the get go?

[@MortismalGaming]

Because Astarion starts as a rogue and I didn't feel like respeccing him out of it

[@EmeffMonkey]

@@MortismalGaming gotcha, thought it was because of proficiencies or something else.

[@TheBigWotep_]

Im level 6 and im so confused on how to use this build. According to everyone online even just using preform will proc arcane synergy but it wont for me. Did this get nerfed?

[@OneTato]

Does the ranged dmg feat I think ita called " all in". Does it give the damage bonus to bardic ranged flourishes like double shot?

[@giannisbarounis]

Kinda random question, are you satisfied with your motherboard? Thinking of picking up the same

[@MortismalGaming]

Mostly, could use more USB Headers

[@giannisbarounis]

​@@MortismalGamingoh thanks will look into some other models from asus then

[@alfarabi73]

No Action Surge or Dread Ambusher?

[@bucket936]

transfuse health from the worm ability and two bonus actions is OP as well. Give a character half your health and top off with potion and still have a bonus action left off.

[@Ebenezer563]

Why not just throw the potion at them and not waste a bonus action?

[@BALTDGuitar]

Yay

[@drifter4943]

Those aren't the normal character portraits, are they? Is that a mod?

[@MortismalGaming]

Bug actually, when you level up in the underdark it messes them up sometimes

[@gkar42069]

Goat build lol

[@Shadsix]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy

[@fabioferreiragomesdias6090]

Bard 6/Warlock 5/Wizard 1

[@onatgz]

free comment.

[@casualjay909]

First