InBaldur’s Gate 3, the Swords Bard Archer is a dynamic multiclass that blends the deadly precision of an archer with the superior crowd control prowess of abard. The Swords Bard Archer relies onDexterity for ranged attacksand Charisma for spellcasting, making it not only a strong martial character but also an ideal party face.

The Swords Bard Archer gains a massive power spike when they learn Blade Flourish—a class feature that allows them to expend Bardic Inspiration points to unleash flashy, special attacks. What follows is a comprehensive guide to crafting a powerful and versatile Swords Bard Archer inBaldur’s Gate 3that excels in every combat encounter,even on Honour Mode.

Baldur’s Gate 3 - Bard Starting Ability Point Distribution

Best Race For Swords Bard Archer

The ideal races for the Swords Bard Archer are Gnomes, whogain advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, or Halflings, for theirability to re-roll the dice when scoring a critical failureand use the new result.

The Brave traitgrants Halflings advantage against being Frightened, and the Lightfoot Halfling subrace alsoenjoys advantage on Stealth checks, making them a strong choice for the Swords Bard Archer.

Baldur’s Gate 3 - Swords Bard Archer

However, Halflings and Gnomesdon’t naturally gain proficiency in longbows and martial weapons, butmulticlassing into the Fighter classwill grant them this proficiency. So, you can make your early-game adventure easier by starting with a Fighter class and respeccing into a Swords Bard multiclass upon reaching level 6.

Best Ability Score Distribution For Swords Bard Archer

As a Swords Bard Archer, you’ll want to prioritize investing ability points into Dexterity (for accuracy, damage, armor class, and initiative) and Charisma (for spellcasting). you may take two paths to achieve this goal:assign points manually during character creation or respec later once you have stat-boosting gear.

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Gloves of Dexterity, Boots of Speed, and The Graceful Cloth from Baldur’s Gate 3

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Adamantine Scale Mail, Killer’s Sweetheart, and Helmet of Arcane Acuity from Baldur’s Gate 3

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Charisma

Upon reaching the Githyanki Creche, you can purchase theGloves of Dexterityfrom the Githyanki trader toset your Dexterity to 18. This is the right time to respec your bard to dump Dexterity to 8 andreallocate ability points into Constitution, Wisdom, Strength, and Charisma. Your new ability point distribution at level 6 should look like this:

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Armour of Agility, Bloothirst, and the Dead Shot from Baldur’s Gate 3

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You should alsoconsider acquiring the Hag’s Haironce you defeat Auntie Ethel and consume it toraise your Charisma to 18.

Characters at the Mirror of Loss in Baldur’s Gate 3

Best Leveling Guide & Feat Selection For Swords Bard Archer

The Swords Bard Archer is a multiclass that combines 10 levels ofCollege of Swords Bardand 2 levels of Fighter. The following is a complete leveling guide for the Swords Bard Archer, including the recommended feats that further enhance the build:

The right equipment selection can transform your Swords Bard from a squishy performer to a lethal combatant in the early game. Focus on acquiring the following equipment until you reach level 6 to maximize damage and survivability:

Knife of the Undermountain Kingor any shield

Potion of Speed, Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, and Elixir of Bloodlust from Baldur’s Gate 3

Titanstring Bow

By this stage, your Swords Bard Archer should transition frombasic martial fighting to specialized dominance of the battlefield. The following selection of items will increase your archer’s defenses while empowering their spellcasting abilities:

This is the stage where your Swords Bard Archer achieves devastating synergy between martial precision and magical prowess. These final gear upgrades maximize your spellcasting prowess and burst damage potential:

The Dead Shot

Additional Recommendations To Boost Stats

In Act 3, you’ll have the opportunity to interact withthe Mirror of Loss at the House of Grief, with a chance to earn apermanent +1 buff to Charisma and +2 buff to any other ability score. It’s highly recommended to max out your bard’s Charisma to improve their spell save DC.

If you happen to find yourself relying on martial combat instead of spells, it might be worthwhile to switch up your gear with the following items to improve your critical hit chance:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Tag Page Cover Art

Even the most skilled archer benefits from tactical preparations. These consumables will enhance your damage output by eitherlowering the critical hit chance, granting additional actions, or enhancing spell save DCs.

Key Consumables:

Beyond elixirs and potions, you should also consider stockpiling special arrows that deal double damage to specific types of enemies. Some important arrow types you should actively stockpile includeArrow of Fiend Slaying,Arrow of Humanoid Slaying,Arrow of Monstrosity Slaying,Arrow of Aberration Slaying, andArrow of Dragon Slaying.