Baldur's Gate 3: Best Bard & Warlock Multiclass Build (2024)

There is no shortage of customization in Baldur's Gate 3. If you've played the game and found yourself wanting a bit of extra flavor in your experience, consider the aptly named Bardlock: a multiclass of the Bard and Warlock.

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The Bardlock marries the eloquence of the Bard with the damage-dealing of the Warlock. A Bardlock is a jack of all trades and does well in just about any scenario. Being successful as a Bardlock, particularly at higher game difficulties, does require a solid understanding of spell mechanics, so it may not be beginner-friendly. But the monopoly Bardlocks have on actions in combat may be too good to pass up.

Best Race For Bard / Warlock

The two best choices for a Bardlock are Half-elf or Githyanki. Both races bring some excellent qualities to the table, like shield proficiency from Half-elves or the racial spells from the Gith. If you decide to be a Half-elf, shield proficiency will net you a higher AC than a Githyanki, especially end-game when you have some powerful items like the Potent Robe or Gloves of Dexterity. The Half-elf has Darkvision, advantage against being charmed, and is immune to being put to sleep, which makes you particularly robust in combat. A Half-elf Drow is probably the best choice considering their immediate gain of Faerie Fire, which can give you an advantage boost in combat.

The Githyanki have some excellent racial bonuses, like mage hand, jump, and misty step. That extra mobility makes a Githyanki Bardlock particularly difficult to hit. You can also be proficient in just about anything, which can optimize a Bardlock over the top.

Best Ability Scores For Bard / Warlock

Bards and Warlocks both use Charisma as their primary ability score, so Charisma is going to be your highest priority stat. After Charisma, Dexterity should be where you put your points, as a high Dexterity score boosts your AC and makes you harder to hit. Intelligence and Strength are dump stats: don't bother putting more than 8 points in either category. You won't need Intelligence or Strength with the rest of your abilities to rely on. Here are the recommended stats for each mentioned race:

Best Backgrounds For Bard / Warlock

Depending on your chosen race there are two optimal backgrounds that will suit your role as a Bardlock: Urchin or Guild Artisan. If you've chosen a Half-elf Drow, pick Urchin, so you gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand and Stealth. If you've chosen a Half-eld Wood Elf, pick Guild Artisan to gain Persuasion and Insight. A Githyanki can pick either background. Other backgrounds don't have much to offer the Bardlock unless you're particularly concerned with roleplay.

Leveling The Bard / Warlock

As you multi-class, dip into each class's abilities. Leveling the Bardlock is going to depend on your play style, game difficulty, and your chosen race, patron, and background. Several spells and abilities will be transitioned as you level and find better equipment and utility from other abilities. The recommended leveling guide is below:

By level 12, you should have the following spells:

• Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Bone Chill, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Light
• Lv. 1 Spells: Hex, Hellish Rebuke, Armor Of Agathys, Speak With Animals, Longstrider, Feather Fall, Healing Word
• Lv. 2 Spells: Enhance Ability, Knock, Detect Thoughts, Hold Person, Silence
• Lv. 3 Spells: Haste, Counterspell, Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern
• Lv. 4 Spells: Greater Invisibility
• Lv. 5 Spells: Hold Monster, Contagion, Greater Restoration

Respec'ing The Bard / Warlock

There are several times in the leveling process you may need to adjust your stats with Withers, especially as you come across powerful items. If you get the Gloves of Dexterity around the beginning of Act 2, change your stats to improve your Dexterity even higher. In Act 3 if you encounter the Mirror Of Loss, gain a +3 to Charisma. The Amulet Of Greater Health in Act 3 can also let you respec your Constitution down to 8 and put those skills in other stats. Your spells will change often as upcasting becomes more useful later in the game.

Pact Boons, Bard Colleges, And Patrons

There are a number of colleges and boons to pick from as you level, and while College of Lore seems like the no-brainer pick for a Bardlock, other colleges are still viable depending on your play style. The Bard College Of Lore grants Cutting Words and Magical Secrets. The College of Valor will make you a bit more proficient in combat skills and items. You gain combat inspiration and an extra attack in the College of Valor. The College of Swords will also give you some extra attacks and bonuses to melee weapon attacks. College of Lore is the best fit for a Bardlock that is a jack of all trades, but if your play style leans more into melee combat, you might consider the College of Valor.

You'll also wind up needing to pick a pact for your warlock. The Pact Of the Blade makes you a pretty good melee fighter and gives you a pact weapon, which uses your Charisma for attack bonuses. Pact Of The Chain will let you cast Find Familiar, but isn't super useful as a Bardlock otherwise. Pact Of The Tome gives you the Book Of Shadows and improves some of your spells. It's not as useful as the Magical Secrets from being a Bard, so Pact Of The Blade is the way to go.

Picking a patron for your Warlock class will also be a personal choice, like your Bard College. The Great Old One is likely the best one-size-fits-all pick, as you get access to some Bard spells a bit earlier and you can get some critical hit bonuses. The Fiend will give you abilities the Bard lacks and fills in some gaps. You'll gain some temporary HP, but it isn't too useful early in the game. The Archfey gives you spells Bards already have access to, but you can gain the ability to instill fear in enemies or charm them, which is useful for some crowd control.

Best Items For Bard / Warlock

Any items that increase your stats are high priority, like the Gloves Of Dexterity or the Warped Headband Of Intellect. Anything that boosts your attack bonus for spells will help your Eldritch Blast land a harder hit, so Melf's Staff and the Gloves Of Dexterity will be very useful. Boost your AC with light armor and shields. Items that grant Misty Step, Invisibility, or Fly can free up your spells for other spells. Depending on your game difficulty, you may be rolling in consumables that could replace some spells, like Speak With Animals or Invisibility.

The Bard / Warlock In Combat

Test-driving a Bardlock is not easy, hence why this multi-class is not recommended for beginners to the genre. Regardless of your level, keep a few Potions of Speed on hand to quickly gain the upper hand in difficult fights. The Elixir of Bloodlust will be useful if you're dealing with lots of enemies. When you're just starting out at low levels, Eldritch Blast and Hex will be your main combat spells. Later on, you can combine Darkness and Devilsight to take advantage of enemies that aren't immune to being blinded. Hypnotic Pattern will be useful when there are several enemies to be controlled. Towards the end game, concentrate on giving yourself Haste or control the combat with Hold Person or Hold Monster.

As a Bardlock you will be the primary source of crowd control, especially with Hold Monster or Hold Person to deal with bosses. Eldritch Blast will be your primary damage-dealing ability. Combined with Invisibility, you can take advantage of stealth tactics to remove yourself from combat or danger very easily. Cutting Words and Counterspell will be your primary reactions.

NEXT: Baldur's Gate 3: Best Utility Spells